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Who founded Evaheld and who leads it today?

Michelle Gomes is Evaheld's Founder & CEO and a community leader whose work in compassionate care and legacy planning has helped shape the platform's focus on human connection and preserving what matters most.

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THE SHORT ANSWER

Michelle Gomes is Evaheld's Founder & CEO and a community leader whose work in compassionate care and legacy planning has helped shape the platform's focus on human connection and preserving what matters most.

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FULL ANSWER

Who founded Evaheld and who leads it today?

Evaheld Editorial Team
6 min read

Michelle Gomes is Evaheld's Founder & CEO and a community leader whose work centres on compassionate care, human connection, and helping families preserve what matters most. Her experience supporting people through difficult conversations helped shape Evaheld into a digital legacy platform that brings stories, wishes, and practical information together in one secure place.

01 / HOW MICHELLE GOMES SHAPED

How Michelle Gomes shaped Evaheld's purpose

Michelle Gomes understood early that legacy planning is not simply a matter of storing documents. It is about helping people express who they are, what they value, what they want loved ones to know, and how they hope to be remembered. Those questions can feel deeply personal, especially when illness, grief, or uncertainty makes time seem fragile.

Her work helping terminally ill people create meaningful content for their families brought her close to those moments. People wanted to leave more than instructions. They wanted to preserve their voice, explain the stories behind important memories, share lessons they had learned, and offer comfort that could continue after they were gone.

That experience helped define Evaheld's human approach. The platform is designed to make sensitive planning feel calmer and more achievable, giving people structure without making their stories feel clinical. The broader journey is explored in Evaheld's story, where the company's focus on connection, dignity, and preparedness comes together.

02 / WHY IT MATTERS

Why community connection became part of the foundation

Michelle's community leadership also influenced the way Evaheld thinks about care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her involvement with the Newtown Blessing Box showed that practical help often creates something even more important: a place where people feel recognised, supported, and connected.

That insight carries directly into legacy planning. A document can provide an answer, but a personal story provides context. A photograph can preserve an image, but a voice recording can preserve humour, tone, and presence. A list of wishes can guide a family, but a thoughtful explanation can help loved ones understand why those wishes matter.

Evaheld was built around that fuller view of support. It gives people a way to organise useful information while also protecting the personal details that make a life distinctive. This is especially visible in the Story and Legacy Vault, which helps families preserve memories, values, messages, and life experiences in a structured but deeply personal way.

03 / WHAT MICHELLE GOMES BRINGS

What Michelle Gomes brings to legacy planning

Michelle brings a combination of compassion, practical communication, and community-minded leadership to Evaheld. Those qualities matter because many people know they should organise their affairs or record their stories, yet still struggle to begin. The task can feel too large, too emotional, or too easy to postpone.

Her approach is grounded in making the first step manageable. A meaningful legacy does not need to begin as a polished memoir or a perfectly organised archive. It can start with one memory, one message, one family tradition, or one explanation that might spare loved ones uncertainty later.

That philosophy is reflected throughout Evaheld. The platform encourages people to build their vault over time, adding personal and practical information as life changes. Resources such as creating a milestones timeline and letter to your younger self prompts show how a simple starting point can unlock stories that might otherwise remain unspoken.

04 / WHY IT MATTERS

Why the founder's experience matters to families

People researching Evaheld often want to know who is behind the platform because digital legacy planning requires trust. Users may store private memories, care preferences, personal documents, and messages intended for the people closest to them. They need confidence that the product has been shaped with sensitivity as well as technical purpose.

Michelle's background helps answer that trust question. Her experience is rooted in listening to people, understanding what families need during vulnerable moments, and helping difficult conversations become possible. That perspective gives Evaheld a tone that is warm, respectful, and practical rather than alarmist.

It also explains why Evaheld treats emotional legacy and life administration as connected. Families rarely experience stories, health wishes, identity, and essential information as separate concerns. During major life events, they often need all of those things at once. Evaheld brings them together so loved ones can find both the facts they need and the human context that makes those facts meaningful.

05 / WHO CONNECTS MOST EVAHELD'S

Who connects most with Evaheld's founding vision

Michelle's vision speaks to people at many different stages of life. Adult children may want to help parents preserve memories and organise important information. Grandparents may want future generations to understand their values, history, and family traditions. People facing illness may want to leave clear wishes and messages. Younger adults may simply want to create order before a crisis makes the task harder.

The common thread is the desire to reduce uncertainty while strengthening connection. Evaheld is for people who do not want their identity reduced to paperwork or their loved ones left to piece together important details from scattered files and half-remembered conversations.

That is why Evaheld's founding story remains relevant beyond one product or one life stage. It reflects a universal need: to be understood accurately, to make care easier for others, and to preserve the stories and guidance that families may one day rely on. The article on what family legacy looks like today explores this modern understanding of legacy in more detail.

06 / HOW FOUNDING VALUES APPEAR

How the founding values appear in Evaheld today

Evaheld's current platform reflects the values Michelle brought to its creation. It is structured enough to help people organise important material, but flexible enough to hold the details that make each person's life unique. Users can preserve stories and messages alongside wishes, care context, and essential information rather than dividing their lives into disconnected folders.

This balance is what makes Evaheld more than a memory app or document store. It is designed to protect continuity: the link between a person's experiences, intentions, and the people who may need that knowledge later. The aim is not to create pressure or demand perfection. It is to help people begin, continue at their own pace, and leave something clear and meaningful behind.

Michelle's leadership also keeps the company's mission grounded in real family needs. Technology is the tool, but connection is the purpose. Organisation matters because it reduces stress. Story matters because it preserves identity. Planning matters because it gives loved ones clarity when direct conversation may no longer be possible.

07 / WHAT READ NEXT ABOUT

What to read next about Evaheld

If you want to understand how this founding vision developed, read how Evaheld got started. For the purpose guiding the company today, explore Evaheld's mission and vision. You can also learn what the name Evaheld means and how it reflects the idea of safely holding memories, wishes, and identity for the people who matter.

Michelle Gomes is Evaheld's Founder & CEO. Her work in compassionate care and community connection helped shape a platform for preserving both the human and practical parts of a life. Evaheld carries that perspective forward by helping families record what matters before important stories, wishes, and context are lost.

08 / THE LEGACY VAULT

Three parts of life. One thoughtfully organised place.

Evaheld brings the personal and the practical together, while letting you decide what stays private and what you share.

Story & Legacy

Preserve voice recordings, videos, memories, photographs & life stories.

Explore stories ↗

Health & Care

Keep care wishes, medical directives & emergency health info together.

Explore care ↗

Estate Planning

Organise wills, passwords & information loved ones may need.

Explore essentials ↗
09 / A FIRST STEP, MADE SIMPLE

What would you want someone to know?

Not sure where to begin? Explore an example of the thoughtful prompts inside Evaheld. Select the kind of thing you want to keep, then see how one small answer can become the beginning of something meaningful.

YOUR STARTING POINT01 — 03
A STORY WORTH TELLING
“What’s a small moment from childhood you never want to forget?”

It can take just a few sentences to preserve something irreplaceable.

01 What does the name Evaheld mean? Brand Meaning · Name · Mission +
Evaheld represents our vision of connections that are "ever held"—relationships and memories that are nurtured, maintained, and made everlasting. We believe that through preserving stories, voices, and wisdom, families can maintain their connections across time and generations.
Read full answer: what does the name Evaheld mean?
02 How does Evaheld support comprehensive degenerative illness planning? Evaheld platform · Degenerative illness tools · Progressive planning +
Evaheld provides degenerative illness-specific planning frameworks, comprehensive legal document guidance and storage, medical preference and care plan documentation, family communication and coordination tools, financial planning and expense tracking, caregiver support resources and information, timeline-based planning addressing disease progression stages, legacy documentation and final message creation, integration with healthcare providers and professionals, and regular update prompts adapting plan to disease progression—creating comprehensive systematic approach to complex multi-dimensional planning needs.
Read full answer: how does Evaheld support comprehensive degenerative illness planning?
03 How much does the Evaheld vault cost? evaheld pricing · digital legacy cost · legacy vault subscription +
Evaheld pricing starts with the A$0 forever Free Vault. Current Premium options are A$9/month, A$99/year, or A$129 one-off for Premium Lifetime (normally A$399). The Founding Family Pair is A$197 one-off for two separate Premium Lifetime Vaults, an effective A$98.50 per Vault, with A$599 as the normal future Pair price.
Read full answer: how much does the Evaheld vault cost?
04 What do i actually get when i use Evaheld? Digital Memory Book · Health Directive Tools · Estate Document Vault +
You get a secure digital Legacy Vault with three connected pillars: Story and Legacy for memories, Health and Care for advance directives, and Essentials for wills and records. Charli guides each step, QR emergency access links to your live vault, and private Rooms let you share precise items with specific people.
Read full answer: what do i actually get when i use Evaheld?
05 What is Evaheld, and how does it help me preserve my legacy? Digital Legacy Vault · Legacy Planning · Estate Documents +
Evaheld is an online legacy vault that unifies your life stories, advance care wishes and essential documents in one secure place. It centralises sentimental and practical content, guides you with an AI companion, and lets you share the right items with the right people at the right moment.
Read full answer: what is Evaheld, and how does it help me preserve my legacy?
06 What makes Evaheld different from other services? evaheld vs competitors · best legacy platform · comprehensive legacy solution +
Evaheld is the only all-in-one platform that combines AI-guided life story preservation, advance care planning, secure document storage, and family connections in one place, saving you from juggling 7+ separate services.
Read full answer: what makes Evaheld different from other services?
07 Who is Evaheld actually for? Legacy Planning · Family Vault · Memory Preservation +
Evaheld is for anyone who wants clarity about their legacy — individuals, families, carers, and adult children planning ahead. It suits every life stage, from young adults organising life admin to older Australians recording stories, care directives and estate documents in one secure, private vault.
Read full answer: who is Evaheld actually for?
08 Does Evaheld offer hardship assistance? Hardship assistance · Free plan · Financial access +
Yes! We believe that nothing should get in the way of connection. Evaheld is committed to offering sponsorships and hardship assistance to ensure that people who want to preserve their connections can do so, regardless of their financial circumstances. We're here to help all families, not just those who can afford it.
Read full answer: does Evaheld offer hardship assistance?
09 What recognition has Evaheld received? Awards · Recognition · Healthcare Innovation +
Evaheld has been recognised with multiple awards including: Winner of the Sydney Genesis Startup Competition (2022), Telstra Best of Business Awards Championing Health Finalist (2025), Innovation & Advance Care Planning Company of the Year (2025), Digital Transformation Award, and Michelle Gomes was named Most Compassionate Legacy Planning CEO (2025) by APAC Insider.
Read full answer: what recognition has Evaheld received?
10 What is Charli and when was it launched? Charli · AI companion · Conversational AI +
Charli is Evaheld's AI companion, launched in 2023, designed to make memory preservation easier and more conversational. Charli guides users through the process of capturing their stories, care wishes, and important information in a natural, compassionate way—making the experience feel less overwhelming and more like having a supportive conversation.
Read full answer: what is Charli and when was it launched?
11 Can partners white-label or co-brand Evaheld? White Label · Co-Branding · Partner Experience +
Evaheld can support partner-branded and co-branded experiences depending on the partnership model, audience, implementation requirements and agreed brand controls.
Read full answer: can partners white-label or co-brand Evaheld?
12 Is my data secure in Evaheld? Data Security · Privacy · Encryption +
Yes. Your vault is private by default and protected with strong encryption, multi-factor authentication and Australian data hosting. You decide who can see each story, document or wish, and you can change or revoke that access at any time.
Read full answer: is my data secure in Evaheld?
A GIFT THAT TELLS THEIR STORY

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EVERY STORY STARTS SOMEWHERE

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A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
THEIR VOICE

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Give them a way to preserve their familiar voice, favourite stories and little pieces of wisdom for those they love.

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