About Us

My story 

Hello, I’m Ann Russell and I founded ‘Our Minds At Work’ in 2018 after achieving my Masters in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Compassion at Coventry University in my 50s. 


My school days were not the most enjoyable for me; I lacked confidence and left with few qualifications, but I was always interested in people and what made them ‘tick’. I particularly enjoyed all areas of personal self-development, and since my 20s have read hundreds of books on the subject. I started my own self-development training company with holistic health, hair and beauty, and this proved to be a way I could overcome regrets about my poor school results. 


I co-hosted an ITV health and wellness TV programme in 2003 and was a guest speaker on GMTV, BBC and other TV stations, working with Mr Motivator, Denise Welch, Julia Carling and appearing with Aamon Homes, Esther Ranson and other celebrities – it was a very exciting time. 


I became a qualified Life & Executive Coach in 2001 and a Master Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner in 2002.  

My Mindfulness journey started when I visited India and my husband and I met an 8 year old girl who had left her homeland of Tibet, escaping from new Chinese rule and regimes.  It’s a very long and beautiful story which essentially led us to meeting her only relative in India, her uncle, who is a Buddhist Monk.  We learned about living a life of compassion, gratitude, peace and harmony and when we returned to England I explored Mindfulness which had been developed by Jon Kabat Zinn from his studies of Buddhism. 

 

After several years of studying and practising Mindfulness & Meditation I achieved an MSc in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Compassion.   

 

During the 2020 pandemic and lockdown, I explored Sound Therapy and went on to gain a Diploma in Group Sound Relaxation Therapy with the British Academy of Sound Relaxation.  I have been running Mindfulness Classes and Retreats for over 4 years and now incorporate Sound Baths into all my retreats. Oh, and the little Tibet girl, she is now our 20 year old god daughter, who speaks fluent English and is currently at University doing a BSc in Nursing and Midwifery. 

My story 

Hello, I’m Ann Russell and I founded ‘Our Minds At Work’ in 2018 after achieving my Masters in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Compassion at Coventry University in my 50s. 


My school days were not the most enjoyable for me; I lacked confidence and left with few qualifications, but I was always interested in people and what made them ‘tick’. I particularly enjoyed all areas of personal self-development, and since my 20s have read hundreds of books on the subject. I started my own self-development training company with holistic health, hair and beauty, and this proved to be a way I could overcome regrets about my poor school results. 


I co-hosted an ITV health and wellness TV programme in 2003 and was a guest speaker on GMTV, BBC and other TV stations, working with Mr Motivator, Denise Welch, Julia Carling and appearing with Aamon Homes, Esther Ranson and other celebrities – it was a very exciting time. 


I became a qualified Life & Executive Coach in 2001 and a Master Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner in 2002. 


My Mindfulness journey started when I visited India and my husband and I met an 8 year old girl who had left her homeland of Tibet, escaping from new Chinese rule and regimes.  It’s a very long and beautiful story which essentially led us to meeting her only relative in India, her uncle, who is a Buddhist Monk.  We learned about living a life of compassion, gratitude, peace and harmony and when we returned to England I explored Mindfulness which had been developed by Jon Kabat Zinn from his studies of Buddhism. 

 

After several years of studying and practising Mindfulness & Meditation I achieved an MSc in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Compassion.   

 

During the 2020 pandemic and lockdown, I explored Sound Therapy and went on to gain a Diploma in Group Sound Relaxation Therapy with the British Academy of Sound Relaxation.  I have been running Mindfulness Classes and Retreats for over 4 years and now incorporate Sound Baths into all my retreats. Oh, and the little Tibet girl, she is now our 20 year old god daughter, who speaks fluent English and is currently at University doing a BSc in Nursing and Midwifery. 

My journey towards mindfulness 

After reading ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’, I decided to visit the Himalayas in India. We stayed at Tibetan Monk Monasteries and tree houses in the jungle and did yoga and meditation in the mountains and sponsored a 8-year-old Tibetan refugee so that she could receive good education. It was a completely life changing experience and this led to me learning to become a Mindfulness Teacher and achieving my Mindfulness Masters in 2018. 


I started offering Mindfulness Classes & Retreats in October 2018 and they have run successfully ever since. During lockdown I began training to be a Sound Relaxation Therapist and qualified with Merit in March 2022 with the British Academy of Sound Therapy.  


I am married to Pete and live in Nottingham. Our 8-year-old Tibetan refugee who could speak no English is now a beautiful 22-year-old Psychology degree student, currently living in India and speaks English fluently.