Heart-to-Heart Stories

"I thought I had to choose between being in the fitness industry and practicing in the hijab, I didn’t think the two could go together. Body positivity advocate, personal trainer and founder of modest activewear brand SH Athletics, Shazia Hossen, is all about celebrating self-love, sisterhood and strength. She’s passionate about breaking down the barriers faced by women of colour in sport and creating positive beauty experiences. Scroll down to read Shazia and Monique's full heart-to-heart."

"There's this idea that we can't talk about periods or celebrate menstruation as something powerful, we need to think of it as something shameful and disgusting, and that has an impact on girls' self-esteem and confidence. Named as one of the most influential teenagers in the world by TIME Magazine, Amika George is paving the way for young female activists today. She started ‘Free Periods’ – her campaign to end period poverty in the UK. Since then, she’s been organising protests, petitions and lobbying the UK government to provide free period products to all schools and colleges. Scroll down to read Amika and Tanya's full heart-to-heart."

"I was ridiculed for all of the features that I now love: my hair, the size of my lips, my bum. I was very much outside the boundaries of a pretty little Irish girl. Author, academic and broadcaster Emma Dabiri, grew up feeling like there was something wrong with the way she looked. After experiencing years of racist comments and ideologies, she’s creating a more inclusive and positive beauty experience for Black women and girls by protecting afro hair under the Equality Act. Scroll down to read Emma's full heart-to-heart."

"To be able show others that there are sports out there that they can do, no matter what disability or difference they have – that really boosts my self-esteem. Growing up, Monique Jarrett was told she couldn’t participate in the sports she wanted to. Now, she’s a wheelchair dance champion and magazine cover girl on a mission to show young people they can push through the barriers to body acceptance – and enjoy moving their body in any way they can. Scroll down to read Monique and Shazia's full heart-to-heart."

"Everyone is seeking somebody to understand them and being a visible activist, you might be the only person they can see who will understand them. LGBTQ activist and award-winning youth worker, Tanya Compas experienced homelessness last year, which really impacted her self-esteem. From those experiences, Queer Black Christmas and Exist Loudly were born – two initiatives focused on creating safe spaces of joy and community for young Black queer people who have also been through tough times. As an advocate for body positivity, she also teaches others about body positivity on social media and how to discover their body positive power, too. Scroll down to read Tanya and Amika's full heart-to-heart."

"When women come together – great things happen. Hear from some amazing women who are: owning the spaces they were excluded from and creating places for others to truly be themselves; speaking out about the importance of self-love and spearheading change for inclusive beauty. Scroll down to read the full heart-to-hearts."