Breathe Move Journal, Elizabeth Heller
I am an author, mindfulness educator, podcast host, and yoga instructor specializing in kids and teens. My business, Breathe Move Journal, offers books and services that empower youth to self-manage their emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing with the evidence-based tools of breathing, moving, and journaling. The books are simple, fun and effective in minutes a day!
I have two activity books available, one for kids titled Breathe Move Journal: Power Up a Super You, and one for teens, Breathe Move Journal: Power Up the True You. Both are full color and illustrated 70-day journals that help kids practice breath work and body movement, check-in with their feelings and body sensations, respond to journal prompts, and conclude with a positive activity or affirmation.
The books are for great for home use and are highly successful in schools and in mental-health and other organizations that support children and teens. Kids have been spotted using the journals while waiting in the car line, at school lunch, and together with friends at recess. They’re engaging with the material and having a positive experience that matters for their mental health and well-being. That’s the point and it makes me so happy.
My Breathe Move Journal podcast is in its fifth season. This year, the group of four illustrated characters who appear in the Breathe Move Journal books have teamed up to solve mindfulness mysteries! They are the 5th-grade Curiosity Crew, who solve unusual happenings that have a lot to do with feelings. This includes The Case of the Missing Self-Confidence, The Case of the Wacky Worry, and The Mystery of the Pirate Party Panic. I have listeners from around the world which is so much fun!
In addition, I hold journaling and movement workshops for educators and caregivers, meditation and mindfulness instruction, professional-development workshops, and yoga classes for adults and for kids of all abilities. I am also available for consultation to help anyone – kids, teens, parents, educators, organizations – learn to self-manage wellbeing with the evidence-based tools of breathing, moving, and journaling.
My mindfulness-based books for kids and teens are designed specifically to help youth connect with themselves through exploring feelings as information about the present moment. They can practice using that information to manage everything from joy to anger to grief. What sets my business apart is that I help kids understand that feelings are valuable information about what you need in the present moment to manage whatever has shown up. Being curious about the feeling without judgment, taking a few breaths or moving your body or journaling can help soften the feeling to make it more manageable. This allows kids and teens to make a better choice about what happens next. Mindfulness tools do not erase feelings; they quiet them so a child can manage what’s happening and make healthier decisions.
I lost my mindfulness and yoga work with youth at the end of 2020. I woke out of a dead sleep a month later, January of 2021, with the idea for Breathe Move Journal as a podcast and book. I wanted to reach kids all over the world with the mindfulness tools they desperately needed as the pandemic wore on. I started with the podcast to reach kids faster. I wrote a 25-page proposal for the book and sent it to my publisher. But, as I hit “send,” I realized that I wanted to do this work as my own business and take control of my own fate. So I did. And here I am, 4 years later!
My approach to mindfulness is uniquely simple and accessible. The tools are presented in an effective, efficient, and fun way that truly only takes 5-10 minutes a day. Being mindful does not have to involve hours of seated meditation or yoga. By engaging with the Breathe Move Journal books, kids learn that breathing a few times, stretching, and taking a few minutes to notice how they’re feeling is powerful and effective. That helps them build resilience through agency.
Once kids have the experience of using their breath in a challenging moment and helping themselves manage through it, they feel empowered. They have the experience of managing something on their own and because they know they can do it themselves they build confidence. The tools translate off the page into real life for the rest of their lives. The program is also very flexible: It can be used independently, with an adult, or in a classroom or group setting.
A few decades ago, at a PR job I had, a friend’s dad was a SCORE mentor. She told me about it and I thought, “That is so amazing. If you want to start a business you can get professional help for free.” It always stuck with me. When I told a friend about my idea for Breathe Move Journal, she said, “You should contact SCORE!” The puzzle pieces came together and I reached out.
I am still in business after four years in large part due to working with SCORE. I added a teen book as a second product and have gone from zero to five seasons of the podcast. With Tina’s input, I also made the decision to change the names of the books from Kids Super Journal and Teen Super Journal to Breathe Move Journal for clarity. The inside is all the same great content. Since then, I have sold the most books thus far in 2025. I also have an adult version in the works along with a guidebook for educators and other professionals.
I feel like my biggest success with SCORE has been repaying my mentors by continuing to move along my path with their guidance, expertise, and support. With SCORE, I’ve learned to laugh along the way and I know there is always someone to turn to. It is truly an incredible organization and I am so grateful.
My mentor, Tina Mancuso, and I have been working together since the inception of my idea over four years ago. Tina is a wealth of resources, connections, and information as well as a true guide in the world of small business. She stays positive, hears the challenge beneath what I might be voicing, offers honest feedback, and holds me accountable. Tina has kept me going when I wanted to throw in the towel. She offers emotional support and points out options I couldn’t see in the moment. I would not be where I am without her.
One of my favorite memories of Tina was during the final presentation and awards for a business-accelerator program I was accepted to early on in our work together. More than once, I practiced my final presentation for her. She attended my final presentation with judges (we were still online because of the pandemic). She was also at the online awards presentation when I won first prize of $3,500 to help print my book. Tina gave me a fist-pump wave of “You did it!” It was magic to have her there and it also speaks to her commitment to her mentees. She is a treasure and I am so lucky to have her in my corner. My business is so much more to me than selling books. It’s about exposing youth to simple tools they can use for a lifetime of self-managing wellbeing in a world of unprecedented challenges. Anyone who helps me do that is part of my mission and included in the heart of my mission—that includes Tina and SCORE.
Don't think too much – you can easily talk yourself out of your brilliant idea without experiencing any of the profound benefits it can bring. Go with your intuition and reach out to SCORE!
First, reach out to them and get a mentor right away. Second, expect to do the work. I think that’s where folks can get tripped up. A SCORE mentor is a guide, not an employee you don’t have to pay. The more you do, the more they can help move you forward.
Business development and marketing professional with highly successful B2B and B2C sales and...
