If you’ve ever told yourself you’ll start living later — when your body changes, when you feel more confident or when life feels less full — this is for you.
This short pep talk is something you can listen to on a walk, when you’ve got five quiet minutes or when those familiar thoughts about your body start creeping in. You can listen once, or come back to it whenever you need a reminder of what really matters.
Why Start Living?
For many of us, life quietly slips into the background. We stay busy. We keep going. We tell ourselves there’ll be time later — to feel freer in our bodies, to say yes more often, to live more fully. But later isn’t guaranteed.
Reflecting on the reality of death might sound confronting, but research shows it can be incredibly grounding. It has the power to help people (especially women) reconnect with what really matters by loosening the grip of appearance pressures and reminding us that our bodies are here to be lived in, not judged or perfected.
Start Living isn’t about pretending our body image struggles don’t exist, or forcing positivity where it doesn’t feel true to you. It’s about recognising that:
- Shame is not a pathway to wellbeing
- Waiting for the ‘perfect’ body delays real life
- Your worth is not tied to the way you look
Starting to live might mean saying yes sooner, speaking about your body with neutrality or kindness, or letting your values (not your appearance) guide your choices. Small shifts, powerful impact.
Have you seen the video that over 3 million people have watched?
This confronting eulogy video captures the heart of Start Living. A woman is remembered entirely for her physical traits. It’s jarring, and intentionally so. It raises a powerful question: why do we spend so much of our lives worrying about how we look, when what truly matters is how we live? Watch the video below.
Want to go deeper?
I created this Start Living campaign alongside my team at The Embrace Collective — the health promotion charity I co-founded to help create a world free from judgement and shame about our bodies.
The Embrace Collective has a suite of free, evidence-based resources to help parents, educators and sports coaches support young people to feel comfortable and confident in their bodies, and in turn, reduce their lifetime risk of mental health issues such as eating disorders, depression and anxiety.
Parents and carers can explore our suite of resources for families here.
Early years and school educators can explore our suite of resources for schools here.
Sports coaches, administrators and dance professionals can explore our suite of resources for community sports clubs and dance studios here.
