About:
Welcome! I’m Michelle Usher, founder of Diamond Mindful Health. I’m a mindfulness and mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) teacher. I completed my teacher training with Sussex Mindfulness Centre, UK, and am a Sussex Partnership-employed MBCT teacher. Alongside my mindfulness practice I work as community mental health nurse within the NHS. Through this role I developed an interest in mindfulness, groups, and staff wellbeing, and the importance of compassion being central to any intervention and healing.
I’m also a mum to two wonderful children who keep me busy when I’m not at work, and as a solo parent, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to juggle everything while maintaining your own wellbeing.
I came to meditation through my own struggles with anxiety. I was first introduced to mindfulness whilst staying at an ashram in India in 2008, this experience being very nurturing and calming to my stressed nervous system at that time, and planting a seed for living mindfully, that would lay dormant for some years. Then in 2012, in my final year as a student mental health nurse, I was introduced to mindfulness again, mindfulness based practices being used in a health care setting; since then I found myself continuously drawing upon its teachings.
Meditation and mindfulness became an invaluable tool personally, helping me to build resilience and compassion, improve mental health, and gain a deeper appreciation to relationships and daily life - naturally this has inspired me to learn more and to share it with others.
Drawing on years of experience in mental health nursing in the NHS, England and in New Zealand, and mindfulness teaching in healthcare, I’m passionate about supporting people like you through mindfulness - so you can meet life’s challenges and live a more fulfilling life.
Why “diamond”?
The name Diamond Mindful Health holds personal meaning for me, while also reflecting the values that guide my work.
Like many people, there have been times in my life when I’ve been learning what it means to value myself more fully and to feel seen and supported. When I left a nursing role within a team I felt deeply supported and inspired, I was gifted a diamond necklace. Over time this came to symbolise appreciation, value and recognition - qualities that can sometimes be easier to offer others than ourselves.
The idea of “diamond” continued to appear at meaningful moments, prompting reflection on its qualities. Diamonds are formed under pressure and often remain hidden before their beauty is revealed. This resonated with my own journey, and with what I see in many people - carrying strengths and potential that may not always be visible, particularly during times of challenge.
As I deepened my mindfulness practice and training, I also learned about the Diamond Path within Buddhist psychology, which speaks to clarity, compassion, and seeing things as they are. These themes felt closely aligned with both my personal experience and my professional values.
Diamond Mindful Health reflects a belief that every person has inherent worth, even when life feels demanding or overwhelming. Through mindfulness, we can learn to meet our experience with kindness and discover resilience, clarity, and care that may have been there all along.