The Purpose · The Method · The Journeys
People don’t need fixing. They need the space to remember who they already are.
See What’s On →A movement built on one belief.
affirmed is a movement built on one simple belief: people don’t need fixing. They need the space to remember who they already are.
Everything we create, whether it’s for children, teenagers, women or families, is designed to help people return to themselves through movement, connection and affirmation.
Everything affirmed creates is built on three foundations.
Movement
Movement is the doorway.
We use movement to help people reconnect with their bodies, not reshape them. Every experience encourages a person to engage in both shame and judgement free movement that builds awareness, trust and appreciation for what our bodies can do, not simply how they look.
Connection
Connection is where growth happens.
We believe meaningful change rarely happens alone. Through honest conversation, shared experiences and genuine community, we create spaces where people feel safe enough to be seen, heard and understood. We don’t believe connection is simply being around other people. We believe it’s reconnecting: to ourselves, to our bodies, to our families, to our communities, and to the present moment.
Affirmation
Affirmation is what people carry home.
Affirmation isn’t empty praise or constant positivity. It’s the practice of recognising and reflecting the strengths, qualities and worth that already exist within someone, until people learn to offer that same voice to themselves.
affirmed speaks to you at every stage of the journey back to yourself.
For Children
Helping children hold onto who they already are, before the world teaches them to doubt it.
Rooted in a question we keep coming back to: how do we help children stay connected to themselves, instead of waiting to help them find their way back later?
For Teenagers
Steadier footing through the years that are hardest: identity, image and belonging.
Built around what worries women most for teenagers today: social media, confidence, anxiety, body image, loneliness.
For every woman finding her way back
The belief underneath everything else: you don’t need fixing, you need space to remember.
The philosophical core of affirmed, where every other journey leads.
Coming soon
For families & communities
The bridge, not the destination.
It’s what Child, Becoming and Return eventually make possible: families and communities reconnecting, together.
Why affirmed Exists
affirmed was born from a simple but deeply held belief: people don’t need fixing. They need the space to remember who they already are.
Founder Ellis Harwood couldn’t stop thinking about how easily we lose touch with ourselves: the self-doubt, the pressure and the belief that we’re somehow not enough.
Like many women, Ellis grew up in a generation shaped by comparison, perfectionism and diet culture. Becoming a mother to two children changed everything. It sparked a question that would eventually become the foundation of affirmed:
What if the next generation got to hold onto themselves, instead of having to find their way back?
Through her work in movement, countless conversations with women, and a deeply personal journey of learning to feel again, Ellis realised she had spent years encouraging, comforting and affirming everyone around her, while rarely offering herself the same compassion.
That realisation became the catalyst for affirmed.
She came to believe that lasting confidence isn’t something we achieve, it’s something we reconnect with. The relationship we have with ourselves shapes every relationship around us and that by helping women return to themselves, we have the opportunity to influence the emotional wellbeing of future generations.
Today, affirmed creates experiences that help children, teenagers, women and families, build healthier relationships with themselves and each other through movement, connection and affirmation. Whether that’s through her children’s book Learning to Speak Love, programmes, workshops or community, everything is designed to help people return to themselves.
The hope is simple: that more people leave feeling seen, connected and a little more like themselves, and that the next generation grows up staying a little closer to who they already are.
Ellis Harwood Author & Creator · @ellis.harwood
Learning to Speak Love
Learning to Speak Love helps parents discover and speak their child’s unique love language: the small, everyday ways every child feels most seen, most held, most loved.
Join Mrs. Dolan and her class as they learn a brand-new language: the language of love! Through playful stories and special moments, each student shares how they show and feel love in their own unique ways. Whether it’s through words, physical touch, quality time, thoughtful gifts, or kind gestures, each child’s experience shows how love connects us all.
What’s your love language? Dive into this delightful book to explore and celebrate the magic of love!
Upcoming Events
Learning to Speak Love
A special experience for one child and one parent.
You’re invited to the very first affirmed child experience, celebrating the launch of Learning to Speak Love, a beautifully illustrated children’s book introducing the five Love Languages.
Together, you’ll explore the five Love Languages through storytelling, playful movement and interactive activities, discovering how you and your child naturally give and receive love while strengthening your connection along the way.
Every family will take home a copy of Learning to Speak Love, making this just the beginning of your family’s journey with the Love Languages.
Your experience includes
- A copy of Learning to Speak Love to take home
- A live reading of the story
- An introduction to the five Love Languages
- Fun, engaging movement
- Interactive parent and child activities
- Meaningful moments to connect together
- Time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of The Lolo House
Who it’s for: Children aged approximately 4–8 years and one accompanying parent or caregiver.
This is a relaxed, playful space, not a formal sit-down: children aren’t expected to sit still or stay quiet, so wriggling, giggling and short attention spans are all part of the fun.
The Return Circle
01 | A Love Letter to Yourself
Move. Feel. Return.
“For so much of our lives we’ve moved our bodies because we wanted to change them. Today we’re going to move because we’re learning to listen to them. This isn’t exercise, it’s a love letter to the body that has carried you through every chapter of your life.”
You’re invited to the very first Return Circle, an evening designed to help you reconnect with yourself through movement, reflection and affirmation.
In a world that constantly encourages us to do more, be more and give more, this evening is an opportunity to pause and turn your attention inwards.
This isn’t about perfect movement or burning calories. It’s about experiencing movement in a completely different way: using your body as a place to listen, to feel and to reconnect.
Set to a carefully curated soundtrack of iconic Celine Dion classics, you’ll move through moments of strength, vulnerability, challenge and stillness. As the music builds, so does the experience, inviting you to dig deep, let go of expectation and appreciate the incredible body that has carried you through every chapter of your life.
The evening begins with time to arrive, settle into the beautiful surroundings of Swell and enjoy a cup of tea before we move. Afterwards, you’re invited to stay, reflect and connect with other women, allowing the experience to continue long after the movement has finished.
Nothing is expected of you except to show up exactly as you are.
Your experience includes
- Tea on arrival in a beautiful, thoughtfully curated space
- A unique movement experience inspired by the affirmed Method
- A powerful soundtrack of Celine Dion classics
- Moments of strength, reflection and self-discovery
- Time to connect with like-minded women
- Space to stay, chat and unwind after the experience
All levels welcome: no previous movement experience necessary.
Learning to Speak Love — Private Booking
The same experience, held just for your family or a small group of friends.
Prefer something more intimate? This is the same Learning to Speak Love experience, arranged privately and just for you — your own family, or a small group of families you’d like to invite together.
Together, you’ll explore the five Love Languages through storytelling, playful movement and interactive activities, discovering how you and your child naturally give and receive love while strengthening your connection along the way.
Every family will take home a copy of Learning to Speak Love, making this just the beginning of your family’s journey with the Love Languages.
Your experience includes
- A copy of Learning to Speak Love to take home
- A live reading of the story
- An introduction to the five Love Languages
- Fun, engaging movement
- Interactive parent and child activities
- Meaningful moments to connect together
- A date, time and location arranged around you
Who it’s for: Children aged approximately 4–8 years and family and friends.
This is a relaxed, playful space, not a formal sit-down: children aren’t expected to sit still or stay quiet, so wriggling, giggling and short attention spans are all part of the fun.
Get in touch to enquire about pricing and availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Movement will vary depending on the theme and focus of each event. Overall, the sessions will centre around dynamic mat-based exercises that encourage you to move with and listen to your body, dig deep during moments of potential intensity, and connect more fully with yourself.
All movement is invitational, so you can participate in whatever way feels right for you. More specific information will be included in each individual event description.
Not at all. Our events are designed to be accessible to people with different levels of fitness and movement experience. You’re welcome to adapt any exercise, move at your own pace or take a break whenever you need one.
Our children’s events may include active games, creative movement and playful activities for children and their grown-ups to enjoy together. The exact exercises will vary, with more details provided in each event description.
No. Children are encouraged to participate in whatever way feels comfortable for them. Exercises can be adapted, and children are always welcome to pause, observe or take a break when they need one.
Absolutely: all children and families are welcome, including children who are neurodivergent or have developmental, behavioural or additional support needs. You know your child best, so please feel free to adapt their participation in whatever way helps them feel comfortable.
If you have any questions about a particular event or would like to discuss how we can support your child, please get in touch before attending.
Tickets are non-refundable, but you’re welcome to pass your ticket on to a friend or another family who can attend in your place. Please contact me beforehand to let me know who will be using your ticket.
Ellis Harwood · @thisisaffirmed
This is a living brand, built to grow as affirmed does.