Are you still chasing the “perfect body?” You’re not alone. Body image and confidence are lifelong journeys for so many of us. Even with years of wisdom under our belts, we face shifting beauty standards and are surrounded by “anti-aging” messaging and wrinkle-erasing miracle product claims that push us towards an impossible ideal.
That’s where the Beyond Beauty Project (BBP) comes in. Founded by Bridgett Burrick Brown, BBP is a community that empowers people to embrace their self-worth beyond societal expectations—guiding them to reconnect with their bodies, calm their minds, and nourish their whole selves from the inside out.
Bridgett knows the struggle firsthand. As a former model, she spent years chasing an impossible ideal. “It left me disconnected from my body, my truth, and myself,” she says. Today, as a certified holistic health coach specializing in body image and disordered eating, she helps others unlearn those pressures so they can redefine beauty, reclaim their worth, and come home to themselves.
Ready to let go of the “anti-aging” narrative and embrace who you are today? Bridgett shares her most powerful lessons and tips for building a better body image and aging with confidence.
What ‘aha moments’ led you to the Beyond Beauty Project (BBP)?
Bridgett Burrick Brown: I really believe I always had BBP inside of me. I can still remember walking through the streets of Paris at 19, modeling, and wondering why I needed to lose more weight at a size 4. Even then, I knew that one day I wanted to help girls and women feel confident in their bodies and to be themselves exactly as they are.
A pivotal time in my life came after I lost my parents, my older brother, and experienced a series of miscarriages, all within a short period of time. I also became a mother during that time. Through pregnancy, breastfeeding, loss, and profound grief, it was the first time I felt like I had lost my body as I knew it, and I could no longer control it.
When I tried to return to my 25-year modeling career, I was crushed when my agent told me to lose weight at 41 years old, despite being a size 6. It was a rock-bottom moment for me. I was grasping for something that felt like life before all the change and loss, but that version of me, my life, my body no longer existed.
But the real turning point came when my three-year-old daughter walked in on me crying in my closet, frustrated, as I was struggling to fit into my “skinny” jeans. That was my big “aha” moment. When I realized I was repeating what I had watched my mom do growing up, as she struggled with her changing body. And I knew I didn’t want my daughter to inherit that pain.
That moment truly cracked me open. I reached out for help, began the healing process, and made a promise to live differently on my own terms. I left the modeling industry and created the Beyond Beauty Project to help others feel at home in their bodies and reconnect with who they really are.
So often we think of negative body image as something that affects us as young girls—and when we feel it later in life, there can be a temptation to think “I should be over this.” How do you see it show up across the lifespan, especially in midlife and beyond?
Bridgett: Without intentional compassionate work, body image and perfectionism struggles don’t fade with time, they simply transform. In our youth, there’s the pressure to fit in, measure up, and meet impossible ideals of beauty. During motherhood, it becomes about maintaining an air of effortlessness and beauty while juggling it all. In midlife and beyond, the focus shifts to who can age “gracefully” or avoid the menopausal weight gain. The comparison persists, but it simply wears a different face.
I also often notice that the women who never struggled much with their body image earlier in life suddenly feel very disconnected from their bodies during major transitions, like after having children or entering menopause. It can be jarring when your body feels unfamiliar or out of your control for the first time. These changes are entirely natural, yet society often makes us feel as though we’re failing… turning the normal evolution of our bodies into something to fix, all because of the unrealistic standards we’ve been conditioned to uphold.
True self-liberation begins when we meet ourselves with compassion, honor our changing bodies, and redefine beauty and success on our own terms. We don’t have to love how our bodies look every day, but we can learn to respect and appreciate all that they do for us.
“True self-liberation begins when we meet ourselves with compassion, honor our changing bodies, and redefine beauty and success on our own terms.”
Now that we have access to endless products, procedures, and at-home solutions to try to hold onto our youth, it’s becoming harder to know what aging is supposed to look like. How can we embrace aging while supporting women who choose to look or feel however they want?
Bridgett: Aging is a privilege of having more time, and it’s a privilege that not everyone gets to experience. I genuinely believe that as we age, we become more beautiful if we can fully embrace ourselves. Yet our culture is constantly sending us messages to resist time, flooding us with products, procedures, and pressures to “stay young.” I feel like we have reached a point in our culture where we no longer understand how we are supposed to look as we age, because we are always trying to conform to the images of celebrities or women in advertisements.
To counteract this, we need fundamental awareness and intention. It starts with questioning the messages we’re fed about aging and choosing to define beauty and aging on our own terms. That might mean unfollowing accounts that make us feel “less than,” surrounding ourselves with authentic, diverse representations of aging, and celebrating what our bodies allow us to experience, rather than what they look like.
For women, especially, appearance and age have long been tied to worth. But beauty and value don’t fade with time, they deepen. The wisdom, confidence, and presence we gain are forms of beauty no product can replicate.
Authentic aging is about living on your own terms, making choices from a place of empowerment, not fear. If something makes a woman feel radiant, confident, and aligned, that’s beautiful. We can celebrate her choice and still challenge the culture that tells us youth equals value.
“True beauty isn’t in erasing time, it’s in embodying it.”
You’re having a bad body image day—you wake up sluggish, your clothes fit differently, the outfit you had planned doesn’t feel good. What are some practical things you do to reset your confidence and shake off negative self-talk?
Bridgett: When I’m having a hard body image day, I begin with awareness. I ask myself what’s really beneath the discomfort with body image. Is it due to a bad night’s sleep, hormonal fluctuations, stress, or comparison? Then I shift focus to how I feel, not how I look. This is where compassion comes in.
And then I ask myself, ‘What is the next self-loving thing I can do for myself to feel better?’ Even if I don’t have a ton of time that day, I try to do something that will make me feel just a little bit better. I might move my body by taking a walk, write in my Dear Body journal, take a nap or bath, make sure I’m hydrated, or schedule a doctor’s appointment I’ve been putting off. I might also sign up for a workout class or organize my supplements… anything that might make me feel a bit better.
But most of all, I remind myself that my body is a living, breathing home that carries me through life and that compassion really does reset everything. Bodies change day to day… this is very important to understand and remember. We think our bodies are supposed to be these static, perfect things, but they are alive. They move and flow, and we must give them space to do so. When they’re out of rhythm, they deserve the grace to find their way back. Our bodies aren’t a problem to fix, it’s our home.
You posed a thought-provoking question recently: “Do I even want the perfect body?” Can you tell us what that means, and why women should consider their answer to this question honestly?
Bridgett: For years, I thought I wanted the perfect body until I realized what I truly wanted was peace. The “perfect body” is an illusion built on unrealistic standards, designed to keep us striving, comparing, and doubting ourselves.
When I finally asked myself, ‘Do I even want that?’ I discovered what I really desired was to feel good in my own skin, to feel free, present, and alive. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s alignment with what feels good and true for you, not anyone else. Because when we stop chasing an impossible ideal, we create space to truly understand ourselves and our bodies.
Can you share prompts, reminders, or reflections for women to rediscover gratitude, strength, and beauty in their body at any age?
Bridgett: Our bodies hold our truths. To rediscover gratitude, strength, and beauty in your body at any age, start by slowing down and tuning into your body, mind, and spirit, allowing it to guide you. One of my favorite practices is to sit down with my favorite tea, take a few moments to breathe, and write in my journal. Here are some of my simple go-to prompts:
- Where do I feel heaviness in my body, and where might it be coming from?
- What does my body need from me today?
- How can I show up a little more authentically today?
- What am I grateful for that my body allows me to do?
- What can I add in for self-care today?
- What can I take off my to-do list?
These reflections live at the heart of our Dear Body Collection, a journal and affirmation stickers that help guide a practice of gratitude, presence, and self-celebration. And if you’re looking to go deeper, our 7 Days to Reclaim Your Beauty & Self-Worth guide offers daily prompts and reframes to help you reconnect with your body, rewrite old narratives, and return to a place of alignment.
“For years, I thought I wanted the perfect body until I realized what I truly wanted was peace … What I really desired was to feel good in my own skin, to feel free, present, and alive.”
In connecting with so many women in their 50s and beyond, how has your perspective on aging shifted? What lessons have you learned from them?
Bridgett: The more I connect with women in their 50s and beyond, and as I move closer to 50 myself (I just turned 48!), the more I see that aging is incredibly empowering. Aging in midlife is its own kind of awakening. I remember going through a very powerful time like this in my early twenties, and I feel it again. It’s actually pretty magical. I know it’s clichéd, but confidence and wisdom deepen with time, and always come from our experiences, not our appearance. These women have lived, lost, rebuilt, and evolved, and there’s a quiet, grounded power in that.
They’re rewriting the narrative on aging in their own individual, yet also very collective, way. Some are embracing their natural beauty, and others are saying, ‘I will do whatever feels good to me without apology.’ They are rejecting ageism, prioritizing self-care (sometimes for the first time in their lives), and celebrating their bodies and sexuality at every stage. They’re advocating for equality in the workforce and health care, and they are speaking openly about perimenopause and menopause with honesty and pride.
They’re not chasing perfection… they’re living in alignment with their personal truth. Their stories remind me that beauty expands with age, it becomes less about approval and more about authenticity. I truly believe that the more we honor who we are, the more beautiful we become. A reminder that beauty doesn’t fade with age, it expands.
Many of us grew up with impossible beauty standards, extreme fad diets, unrealistic weight loss goals, and harsh criticisms, even from women close to us. How can we change the narrative for young girls, daughters, and granddaughters?
Bridgett: I grew up in the 90s “waif” era… it was rough! We change the narrative by living it differently from the generations before us. Our children and grandchildren are always watching. They hear and see how we talk about our bodies and other people’s bodies, how we rest, how we nourish ourselves, and how we refer to aging. Real change happens in those everyday moments when we speak kindly to ourselves, eat intuitively, and treat our bodies and other bodies with respect rather than criticism. This is how we break the generational cycles and demonstrate self-acceptance. When they see us believe we’re enough, they learn that they are too.
What’s your dream for the Beyond Beauty Project and the community you’re building?
Bridgett: My dream for the Beyond Beauty Project is to help people feel at home in themselves again, to remind the world that beauty is how you feel, not how you look. I want to continue expanding our community and impacting the way people see themselves, and the way brands represent beauty, so that, hopefully, they pause before pushing fear-based narratives that tell women they need to fix themselves to be worthy.
Beyond Beauty Project is about remembering our wholeness, reconnecting with body, mind, and spirit, and reclaiming our power to define beauty, wellness, and success on our own terms. I envision a global community rooted in connection, compassion, and authenticity, where we live beyond appearance and in alignment with who we truly are. When we do that, we don’t just change how we see ourselves; we change culture.
What do you love about the age you are right now?
Bridgett: What I love most about being 48 is the clarity, wisdom, and decisiveness that come with it. I trust myself more, listen to my body, and honor its natural rhythms. I no longer chase external validation or try to be anyone other than who I am. There’s a deep peace in feeling grounded in yourself, in knowing what brings you joy and what no longer serves you. That kind of confidence and freedom is a beauty I never fully understood until my 40s.
Follow along with Bridgett and the Beyond Beauty Project
Bridgett combines industry insights with certifications in holistic nutrition, body image, eating disorder therapy, and personal training. She hosts Beyond Beauty Project: The Podcast, and in 2025 launched the Dear Body Collection―a journal and sticker series designed to help people reconnect with their bodies and rewrite their self-worth narratives.
You can follow BBP on Instagram, listen to all five seasons of the podcast on your favorite platform, and learn more about them on their website. You can also shop the Dear Body Collection, launched earlier this year by Bridgett and her team.
