About Me

Who am I?

I’m Sue Gray, a sleep coach and therapist based in Deal, Kent.

I live in Deal with my husband Kevin and our high energy cocker spaniel, Rosa. When I’m not working, I love being by the sea, walking, and the occasional pub lunch.

I also meditate regualry and enjoy reading, gardening, and knitting - I have recently discovered knitting socks!

That sense of slowing down and stepping out of the busyness of the day is something I bring into my work too.

Before this, I spent 30 years working in housing and development, and I have two grown-up sons. Over the years, I’ve seen how sleep can change — in my own life as well as in the people I work with — and how difficult it can feel when it does.

Sue Gray sitting on a bench in Deal with an antique 1950s TV sheep, kindly lent by Will and Yates interiors shop in Kent

I used to think the answer to insomnia was simply to lie down and close your eyes. It turns out it’s not quite that simple.

Over time, I became increasingly interested in how the mind and body respond at night, and how sleep can return when things begin to settle.

Picture above shows Sue Gray sitting on a bench in Deal with an antique 1950s TV sheep, lent for the photo by Will and Yates interiors shop in Kent

My training and professional background

I have trained in a wide range of coaching and therapeutic approaches, and I continue to develop my skills through ongoing learning and supervision.

I am fully insured and a registered therapist and meditation teacher. My experience supporting people with sleep and wellbeing spans more than a decade, and details of my qualifications and professional memberships are listed further down this page.

My personal experience with sleep

I’ve always been fascinated by sleep — and by how profoundly it affects every part of life. For many years, I slept brilliantly. I could fall asleep easily, wake naturally, and function well even on early starts or long days.

That changed in 2010, when illness brought my good sleep to an abrupt end. I experienced two years of debilitating health problems alongside chronic insomnia. I felt stuck, exhausted, and was told there was no real solution beyond “managing” the symptoms.

Living with poor sleep showed me, first-hand, how deeply insomnia affects mental health, physical resilience, mood, and confidence. It also led me to search for a different way forward.

Getting well — and finding a new direction

Through my own recovery, I discovered how powerfully the mind and nervous system influence sleep, health, and wellbeing. As my health improved, I made the decision to retrain as a coach and therapist so I could support others who were experiencing what I had lived through.

I trained with Phil Parker, whose work had a profound impact on my understanding of recovery and resilience. Many people on that training had themselves recovered from serious, long-term conditions, and the experience shaped the work I do today.

How I work now

I’m still intrigued by the mysteries of sleep and enjoy helping people gently untangle the knots that have built up over time — whether those knots relate to habits, health, life experiences, or long-standing patterns of thinking.

Because I’ve lived through insomnia myself, I understand how vulnerable and frustrating poor sleep can feel. My work is about steady support rather than pressure — helping sleep return gradually, in a way that feels safe and manageable.

Ascension Meditaion

I meditated on and off for many years, but Ascension Meditation brought a depth of stillness and ease that felt different. Completing the six-month Teacher Training and Mastery of the Self course in the Spanish mountains was a deeply transformative experience — and, rather wonderfully, fulfilled a promise I once made to myself to “do whatever it takes” to get well.

This fits beautifully with my focus on helping people develop greater steadiness in their inner world — particularly in relation to thoughts, emotions, and stress — so they - and thier sleep are less affected by the constant pressures of modern life.

I now teach The Bright Path's Ascension Meditation and support people to explore its benefits through weekend courses in Deal and across the UK

In 2008, I said to myself, “I am going to get well — even if I have to stand on my head on the top of a mountain for six months, meditating.”

Fifteen years later, in 2023, I completed a six-month residential Mastery of the Self course and Ascension Meditation Teacher training — on a mountain in Spain