About Harriet Bush

MY STORY

I am the founder of Harriet Mind & Body, and for more than 20 years I have been passionate about helping people feel stronger, healthier and more connected — both physically and emotionally.

My approach has always been holistic. Pilates and movement sit at the heart of what I do, alongside strength training, nutrition, naturopathy, breathwork, meditation and, perhaps most importantly, connection and community.

As a mum to three energetic boys and married to Charlie, I know how easy it is for our own wellbeing to slip down the list. As I approach 50 myself, I feel more strongly than ever that looking after our bodies isn't simply about how we look — it's about staying strong, mobile, confident and capable for the life we want to live.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

My own journey into health and wellbeing began in 1995 when my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was just 18 and he was only 48, and it completely shook my world.

As a family, we supported him by exploring complementary therapies alongside his medical treatment. We juiced, improved his diet, he started Pilates, learnt to meditate, had regular massages and embraced many different approaches to supporting his overall wellbeing.

What stayed with me most was his incredible mental strength and positivity.

Seeing the difference that movement, nutrition and complementary therapies made to his quality of life inspired the direction my own life would eventually take.

After my father died in 2003, I moved to Australia and studied Naturopathy for three years at the Australian College of Natural Therapies, Sydney. I then spent several years working within the health and wellbeing industry in Sydney both Bondi and the City.

Those years also gave me time to grieve, to learn more about myself and to explore Pilates and movement, emotional wellbeing and finding a greater sense of inner calm. And, at 28, it was during this chapter of my life that I met Charlie.

PILATES, MOVEMENT
AND COMMUNITY

Between 2008 and 2023, we lived in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, where we had our three boys, Raffety, Otto and Zebedee and made our home on the family estate, Gisburne Park.

During this time, I trained extensively with STOTT PILATES®, completing Essential, Intermediate and Advanced training in both Mat Work and Reformer Pilates.

I am also a qualified Personal Trainer, which has allowed me to bring a greater understanding of strength, resistance training and progressive exercise into my Pilates teaching. I love combining the principles of Pilates with strength work to help people build bodies that are not only mobile and flexible, but genuinely strong and resilient.

During the years in Yorkshire I worked for Avalon Wellbeing Centre at Broughton Hall and established my own home Pilates studio, teaching group classes and private sessions using Mat Work, Reformer and Stability Chair.

Alongside Pilates and Personal Training, my work has included sports massage, naturopathic consultations, nutrition, meditation and breathwork.

But something else grew alongside all of this that I hadn't necessarily expected: community.

Creating a safe, welcoming space where people could move, talk, laugh, share what was going on in their lives and feel supported became one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

I've come to realise that I don't just love teaching movement. I love bringing people together through movement.

A NEW CHAPTER
IN SOMERSET

In July 2023, our family moved to Somerset and settled in Butleigh, just outside Glastonbury

Harriet Mind & Body has continued to evolve since then.

Today I teach private Pilates sessions, online LIVE and recorded classes through Harriet Mind & Body App, and a weekly Mat Pilates class at Winterbourne, The Court in Charlton Mackrell.

And in September 2026, I opened the doors to the next chapter of Harriet Mind & Body — my Boutique Reformer Studio, on a beautiful private farm just outside Butleigh.

With just six premium Reformers, classes are intentionally small. I wanted to create something different from a large, anonymous fitness studio — somewhere where I know the people walking through the door and can give everyone the individual attention they need.

The studio brings together everything I've learnt over the years: Pilates, strength, movement, personal teaching and community.

And because I believe what happens around the class can be just as important as the class itself, I've created space for people to stay for a coffee, have a chat and feel like they are part of something. My studio is very much a place to move and a place to belong.

Ways to join me

Reformer Pilates — in the studio
Mat Pilates — at Winterbourne
Private 1-2-1 sessions — personalised to you
Online Pilates — move with me from home

Whichever way you join me, the philosophy is the same: move well, build strength and feel good — in both body and mind.

Move with purpose. Build strength. Look after your mind. Connect with others. And enjoy feeling good in your body.

Strong body. Strong mind.

Why Harriet Mind and Body?

Because I believe how we move, feel and think are all connected.

For me, Pilates has never been simply about getting fitter or stronger. Movement can change how we feel — physically, mentally and emotionally. It can give us confidence, improve our energy, clear our heads and help us feel more connected to our bodies.

My background in Pilates, Personal Training, Naturopathy and massage therapy has shaped the way I teach. I don't look at the body in isolation; I look at the whole person.

But the “Mind” in Harriet Mind and Body is personal too.

Through my own family and the people close to me, I have first-hand experience of neurodiversity and mental health challenges. It has taught me a huge amount about the connection between our physical and emotional wellbeing — and how differently we all experience and respond to the world around us.

It's also made me passionate about creating a space where people feel comfortable, supported and accepted as they are. There is no expectation to be perfect — in your movement, your body or your life.

Yes, I want you to become stronger, move better and feel more confident in your body. But I also want my classes and studio to give you a chance to switch off from everything else, focus on yourself, connect with others and leave feeling better than when you arrived.

That's why it's Harriet Mind and Body.

Move your body. Look after your mind. Stay connected. Stay strong.

Strong body. Strong mind.