better u

Founded in 2021, Ellie’s Angels is a charitable initiative dedicated to supporting young people’s mental wellbeing by encouraging journaling and positive affirmations. The initiative honors Ellie, a teenager who developed her own journaling system to aid her recovery from mental health challenges.

Ellie’s Angels approached Todl to transform Ellie’s journaling system into a supportive app to help other young people facing struggles like depression and anxiety. They needed the app to be functional, positive, and engaging for youth dealing with mental health issues.

Todl started with engagement research involving the charity’s ten Youth Mental Health Ambassadors to identify features that resonate with young users. Using these insights, we developed the “better u” app, designed to provide a positive journaling experience and mental health support tailored to young people’s needs.

• Over 7,000 app downloads to date

• NHS-commissioned promotional films to raise awareness

• Adoption by NHS departments as a bridge to professional care

Mark Foster, Charity Trustee, praised Todl for understanding and expanding their vision, delivering an app that young people genuinely want to use. The partnership continues with plans to develop versions for primary-age children and those with special educational needs.