Helping people leave insomnia behind so they can start living life again isn’t just my passion, it’s my mission. Here are some of the wonderful people I’ve worked with.
Success Stories
A special thank you to the people below who’ve participated in my own success story with The Hopeful Mind. It was an honour to be part of your insomnia recovery!
"Michelle is like a miracle when coaching insomnia - not only has she experienced the worst of it, but she can articulate precisely those struggles and how to work with them in order to see through the pain, and feel whole again. She radiates hope, and has been such an inspiration to me!"
Nadia - USA
"She radiates hope, and has been such an inspiration to me"
"Michelle was such a huge help during my insomnia recovery process, she gave me practical steps on how to process my emotions and really helped me work with my unhelpful thoughts. I always sensed a feeling of calm and contentment when speaking to her about my troubles and this helped massively! Courage and resilience are such important factors when overcoming any health trouble. It always helps to have a coach like Michelle to guide you through the process of finding that inner resilience."
Adnan - UK
"I always sensed a feeling of calm and contentment when speaking to her"
"I had tried everything - supplements, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, NLP, CBT-i (never again!). Nothing helped, until I met Michelle. Michelle helps you learn to disengage with the negative thoughts, befriend wakefulness and ultimately drop the struggle. I've made great leaps in terms of my anxiety and attitude towards insomnia and I am seeing some real glimmers of better sleep now. It’s a mindset that is actually helping me gain greater freedom in other areas of my life too. Michelle is empathetic, so easy to talk to and has a tool or approach to help with all of my fears and struggles. She just ‘gets it’. I’ve found our sessions invaluable and I would highly recommend her to anybody with insomnia. My only regret is that I didn’t find her sooner."
Hayley - UK
"Michelle is empathetic, so easy to talk to"
"Talking to Michelle put me at ease just knowing she "gets it". Michelle helped put me on a path of hope. Sometimes you just need someone who has been in your shoes before to tell you it's going to be ok. Michelle has a gentle, loving approach to insomnia recovery centered around mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion which really resonated with me. With Michelle's guidance and support, I have finally been able to begin to emerge on the other side. The tools I learned on my insomnia journey continue to guide me now with all of my life experiences in a more present non-judgemental way. Insomnia recovery can be a long and lonely road and having Michelle's support and reassurance along the way is priceless."
Yolanda - Canada
"Michelle has a gentle, loving approach"
"I had struggled with insomnia for many years and I had tried many different approaches to improving my sleep. I had better sleep hygiene than everyone I knew, yet I still had trouble sleeping. No matter what I did, my mind was almost always active when I was in bed, preventing me from resting. When I started working with Michelle, my sleep actually began to improve. My mindset toward insomnia changed, and we worked through the root cause of insomnia. I've been sleeping better than I have in a long time. Michelle was great to work with as well. She was always very supportive and friendly. Talking with her always gave the sense that she genuinely wanted to help. I'm extremely grateful for all that she did!"
Ryan - USA
"I've been sleeping better than I have in a long time"
"I've had many severe health issues rooted in stress illness since 2014. In 2022, I started experiencing severe insomnia that I knew had "anxiety" at its root, but it overwhelmed me entirely. Michelle helped me on so many levels, primarily by meeting me where I was at, and sharing her own parallels to my experience. I always felt cared for and supported when working with her.
Michelle helped me greatly in the practice of acceptance -- not the idea of it, but concrete things I could do to accept what I was going through, and to take care of myself regardless of how hard things were. Now, I don't have sleep problems anymore! But I feel like I'm still relearning how to live my life in a way that actually supports me.
Michelle is very knowledgeable, but also very open to new ideas and, most importantly, I can tell she tries to suggest things that she thinks will truly help someone, rather than just imposing stuff she's learned on her clients. She's the best healthcare practitioner I've ever met, and I'm grateful that I was able to find her."
Michael - Canada
"She's the best healthcare practitioner I've ever met"
"I was fortunate to have this one-on-one time with Michelle where not a moment was wasted and she gradually got me to understand the huge role that anxiety plays in insomnia. With her help I was able to confront my own anxiety and dissipate its power over me. Along with that came blissful sleep after many months of exhaustion from lack of sleep. The work that Michelle is doing is cutting-edge and I highly recommend her to others who are going through a debilitating episode of insomnia."
Judith - USA
"I was able to confront my own anxiety"
"Michelle has been an amazing resource for me and I am so grateful to have found her. My brain felt stuck in fight or flight protection mode - I had night after night of little or no sleep. My physician had recommended CBT-i, but I knew that with my OCD tendencies it wouldn’t work for me. Anyone who has been through insomnia knows how lonely it is. When I told Michelle what I was going through, not only could she empathize, but she had positive ideas on things to try. She gave me hope, encouragement, and assurance when I needed it the most."
MB - USA
"She gave me hope"
"Michelle is amazing at what she does. She guided me to insomnia recovery with her gentle, compassionate, and insightful approach. Working with her helped me feel hopeful and less alone at a time when I was most vulnerable. Her deep acceptance practices were key to unraveling my insomnia, and also have improved the way I approach life now that I'm on the other side. In group coaching, I saw how Michelle was able to connect and encourage a diverse range of clients and bring us together as a community. I cannot recommend Michelle highly enough. Now that my sleep is better, I often think it would be nice to have a Coach Michelle to talk to about other areas of life!"
Sarah - USA
"gentle, compassionate, and insightful approach"
"I have had a complex relationship with insomnia and pain for over 40 years. One clearly triggered the other. Years of sleep deprivation heightened a sense of adrenaline fatigue, hypervigilance and anxiety leading to a severe cycle l could not seem to get out of. Discovering the work being done with the brain and neuroplasticity led me out of my nightmare. I joined the Curable app and started to work on my pain in a new way. This approach then led to new ways for me to look at my relationship with sleep. I had tried everything so to find a system that tells you to give up the trying was both liberating and daunting. I listened to a lot of people working in this field so felt l was on my way. I then found Michelle and had a few sessions with her. Michelle’s knowledge and demeanor really helped me to the next level. I found having those sessions really helpful and would suggest the same to anyone on this journey. It is a journey, not somewhere I feel you suddenly just arrive at. I have learnt to relax, take the good with the bad and to just let go. That has been the most important part."
Nerida - Australia
"I found having those sessions really helpful"
"Working with Coach Michelle through one-on-one sessions was key to my insomnia recovery. After watching Michelle's coaching and hearing her own recovery story, I knew I wanted to work with her. She really GETS this struggle, and has developed a personal technique that is intuitive and gentle. She is encouraging and understanding of your struggle because she has been there and has found a way out. If you are suffering from insomnia, book a session with Michelle. You will thank yourself for it."
Jeanie- USA
"She really GETS this struggle"
"Michelle is a powerhouse of empathy, wisdom, and knowledge, with a delicious dash of humor. When insomnia first hit, I felt bewildered and alone. No one I knew, including other therapists and physicians, seemed to understand what I was experiencing or able to offer solutions. (...) I'm so grateful that I continued to research because discovering Michelle was like a miracle. Her compassion, insight, and perception were beyond anything I could have imagined; she literally gave me back my work and my life and I will always be grateful for her kindness, brilliance, and good humor."
Pamela - USA
She literally gave me back my work and my life and I will always be grateful "
"The initial reason I started working with Michelle was insomnia. However, I was also struggling with severe anxiety, depression, and overall very intense emotions. During the insomnia I took a leave of absence from college since at that time it felt impossible to function normally. After my recovery, I was able to go back to school and finish the semester successfully! My sleep is back to normal for most days. I still can have a bad night or two if I am stressed about something, but I know that it's totally normal. With Michelle's guidance and support, I worked to really accept and understand my emotions, and now I feel more myself, more alive, and happier on most days.
Michelle was one of the only people who was able to understand and truly relate to what I was going through. Michelle has taught me how to accept my emotions and deal with them in a healthy way. At the time I felt like there was something wrong with me, wrong beyond repair. It felt strange and bizarre. I felt broken forever. Michelle was able to show me and explain that these things are normal and they happen to people, and it's possible to recover. I remember that after each meeting with Michelle, I felt so much better, I felt hopeful which is so important during hard moments. I felt supported and understood during the recovery process. Michelle's compassion, care, and deep understanding of insomnia and anxiety were crucial during my recovery."
Kamilla - USA
“I feel more myself, more alive, and happier on most days”
"My desire is that whoever reads this is filled with hope!
My insomnia was so bad I’m still convinced that I had it the worst. I’m talking DAYS of zero sleep and subsequent days caught in anxiety, depression and foggy hopelessness. If I’m being honest I didn’t think I’d actually survive and I’m not sure I wanted to. My insomnia was so bad that it took over my life completely for almost three years. I tried EVERYTHING to end the torture… Enter Michelle!
My first meeting with her was the first day of my escape from insomnia prison!
Zero judgment, total empathy, accepting of my Christian faith and so so kind.
I decided that I wasn’t going to skimp on meeting with her and even though I thought it would take a hit to the family budget I stuck with it and looking back it was the best financial investment I’ve ever made.
Every meeting with her gave me that boost of confidence and encouragement that there IS an end to insomnia and all the fear. The tools she gives you and the education on what’s happening and how to get out is something that I can never unlearn and can use to help others in the future. She really is the key that unlocks the prison doors!
You might get lucky and be cured quickly but that wasn’t the case with me.
Please don’t give up! This takes TIME to untangle and retrain your brain.
Michelle was there for me as I’d have setbacks to help and remind me that recovery IS possible. The fear is gone and I sleep better than I did before insomnia.
When I have difficult nights due to random life events and don’t get much sleep I don’t like it but I accept it and look forward to the next night. 100 percent of my anxiety and depression is completely gone!
It took me a while to say this because the trauma of insomnia is so terrible but I’m actually thankful for the experience… I came out the other side a much better version of myself.
I hope this gives you hope. My heart goes out to you .. I wish I could give you a hug and tell you that you’ll be free too!
Don’t give up and please please give yourself the gift of Michelle!
She will show you the way out <3"
Kristina - USA
""Please don’t give up! This takes TIME to untangle and retrain your brain."
"I found Michelle through Beth Kendall’s podcast, and my interest was immediately piqued due to her insightful conversation and warmth she displayed during her conversation. At that point, I was at my wit's end, and had been suffering from insomnia for over 2 years. About a year or so into my insomnia I started becoming interested in mind body medicine but ultimately, the programs that I was following didn't help because they weren't specific to insomnia. I immediately connected to Michelle, and she was so gentle and kind, but very knowledgeable about how to treat insomnia through a mind body perspective. One of the things she told me that will always stick with me is when she said, "Feel the feelings, but don't buy into the thoughts". Insomnia was rough, but it's given me a whole new perspective on how the brain works and how to work with your thoughts and anxieties rather than suppress them. I would work with Michelle again in a heartbeat, but I'm also thankful that I have my life back, in big part due to her steady coaching and belief in people's abilities to get better. Thank you Michelle!"
Vandana - USA
“Feel the feelings, but don't buy into the thoughts"
"Insomnia recovery can seem overwhelming and difficult when first entering the recovery journey. Working with Michelle made this experience feel like I could finally understand what was going on, and how to approach things in a kind and gentle way that felt possible. Michelle was there for every step of my journey, and was there to talk to me through the many ups and downs along with the many fears that come along with what insomnia really is at its core. Michelle truly understands every aspect of insomnia and could relate to almost everything I had experienced which really normalized much of what I had been going through. Eventually, through working with these practices, my brain has relearned feeling safe in many situations that I had once felt to be such a threat. This has led to living the life I want again without worrying about sleep. This process has encouraged me to continue challenging some of my fears outside of insomnia to experience what I truly want out of life. The key is to stick with it, and continue to be kind and believe in yourself again."
Matthew - Canada
“This has led to living the life I want again without worrying about sleep”
"Michelle helped me recover from chronic insomnia. I learned to embrace the discomfort of sleeplessness - whether it was the tiredness from lack of sleep, or the anxiety that resulted from and further fueled the insomnia. Once I understood that befriending sleeplessness was the answer, I was more willing to be uncomfortable, and as a result I felt immense peace. The best part of working with Michelle, other than her wonderful and warm demeanor, was the fact that she herself struggled with insomnia and understood what I was going through. Through talking with Michelle, I not only gained a ton of wisdom on the subject matter, but I felt less alone. And the things I’ve learned have absolutely been beneficial in other aspects of my life. It has been instrumental in letting go of trying to control the uncontrollable in my everyday life."
Dijana - USA
“It has been instrumental in letting go of trying to control the uncontrollable in my everyday life”
"I worked with Michelle on my chronic insomnia and also with residual anxiety/depression from my insomnia. I started sleeping better, relaxing and not worrying about being awake. I also learned to embrace it and your brain will follow. The outcome was sleep recovery. Michelle is kind and compassionate. She listens and understands with extreme intelligence and knowledge because she has been there. And she knows how to communicate with other sufferers. She gives so much support and lets you know not to worry when things are not perfect, and in time it just gets better and better thanks to her support! And it did in my case! She really got me through one of the roughest times of my life."
Lori - USA
“I learned to embrace it… your brain will follow”