Hello! I’m Clara. After 24 years of practising audiology in New Zealand, I still think of myself as a young lady – chatty, curious and loving a good belly laugh.  I was born in Zimbabwe 53 years ago and grew up in that wild and lovely country with my two sisters and two brothers.  I came to New Zealand in 2002 and settled in Tauranga, where I joined the community choir and enrolled in the local library to enjoy my two life loves: music and reading.  

I became an Audiologist by accident. I was planning on going to medical school, but I completed the wrong application form!  When I received acceptance into the School of Speech and Hearing Science, I was intrigued and decided to go there instead.  

Upon graduating, I worked as the Head of Speech Therapy, where I also served as an audiologist at our the local Deaf School. After being awarded an AusAID scholarship to Brisbane, I completed a Master’s degree in Audiology at the University of Queensland.  

As soon as I graduated, I left Australia and have called Tauranga home ever since. After nearly two decades of working for all major audiology providers in New Zealand, I’d grown tired of disappointing our customers by offering hearing solutions they could not afford, and seeing them settle for less care than what would meet their needs.

I was on the verge of moving back to Australia when James Whittaker called me and described his dream of starting a hearing health company that prioritises people over profits. It was the sign I needed to stay in New Zealand, and I leapt at the chance to join a small, start-up business that would soon be called Resonate.

Watching Resonate grow since 2022 has been incredible. Today, I’m an audiologist at Resonate Tauranga Crossing and Head Training Specialist. It’s a pleasure to teach others about our unique Ear360 and ClearEars services. Although I’ve inducted over 65 new team members, I’m still exhilarated, amazed, and humbled by this experience.  

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