Start Moving
Start Living
Movement is Life empowers underserved women and girls to improve joint health and mobility through community-based programs, education, and advocacy.
How We Move
We believe movement is a powerful pathway to better health. When women have access to the knowledge, support, and resources they need to stay active and engaged, the benefits extend far beyond physical health. Movement can improve mental well-being, strengthen communities, increase independence, and create opportunities for healthier futures.
Through innovative programs, national partnerships, policy engagement, and community leadership, we work to ensure that women—particularly in communities with limited resources—have the tools and support they need to move, thrive, and lead.
Because improving health outcomes starts with empowering women where they live, work, and connect.
Her Health. Her Voice. Her Community.
We empower women and girls to take charge of their health through community-based programs that inspire movement, connection, and confidence. By investing in women and girls, we create stronger families and healthier communities.
Her Knowledge. Her Power.
Through education, leadership development, and shared learning, we equip women, healthcare professionals, and community leaders with the tools to drive meaningful change and improve health outcomes.
Her Future. Her Story.
We advocate for policies, partnerships, and innovative solutions that remove barriers to health and opportunity. Together, we are creating a future where every woman and girl has the support she needs to move, thrive, and lead.
The 2026 Movement is Life Annual Summit
Strength in Motion: Reimagining Health Through Community, Policy, and Partnership
The Movement is Life Health Summit brings together healthcare leaders, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, advocates, and community voices from across the country to explore innovative solutions that improve health outcomes and strengthen communities.
Through inspiring keynote speakers, interactive workshops, meaningful conversations, and collaborative learning experiences, attendees gain new perspectives, build lasting connections, and discover opportunities to drive positive change.
Join us in Detroit as we come together to learn, connect, and build healthier futures for women, families, and communities.
Operation Change
Operation Change is Movement is Life’s signature community-based program designed to help women improve mobility, reduce pain, build confidence, and reclaim their health.
Created for women who face barriers to mobility, Operation Change combines movement, education, peer support, and community leadership to create lasting behavior change and improved quality of life. Far More than a program, Operation Change empowers women to become advocates for their own health while inspiring change within their families and communities.
Implemented in urban, rural, and underserved communities across the country, Operation Change demonstrates what is possible when women are given the tools, support, and opportunity to thrive.
Operation Change San Diego Participants
By Women. For Women.
Community leaders, mentors, and participants working together to create healthier futures.
Building a National Movement
Expanding access to community-based health and mobility programs across the United States for over a decade.
Locally Driven
by community members, for community members
5 Major Cities
Chicago, Illinois
Hazard, Kentucky
Mt. Vernon, New York
San Diego, California
St. Louis, Missouri
The Health Disparities Podcast
Voices of Mobility. Pathways to Health.
Conversations that inspire healthier lives, stronger communities, and brighter futures.
Every journey to better health begins with a conversation.
Through our podcast platforms, Movement is Life brings together healthcare leaders, researchers, policymakers, community advocates, innovators, and individuals with lived experience to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping health today.
Together, these conversations inspire action, elevate diverse perspectives, and highlight the many pathways that lead to healthier lives and stronger communities.
The Health Disparities Podcast
National conversations with experts and changemakers tackling the issues that influence health outcomes, mobility, prevention, innovation, and policy. Each episode explores solutions that help individuals and communities move toward healthier futures.
Let's Talk About Health
Community-centered conversations that amplify local voices, share personal experiences, and celebrate the power of connection. Through authentic storytelling and practical insights, we inspire women, families, and communities to take charge of their health and well-being.
The Health Disparities Podcast is the world’s leading health equity discussion forum and is a program of Movement is Life. This podcast features thought leaders in the world of equitable health, and highlights health disparities, social determinants of health and community-led solutions.
In this episode of The Health Disparities Podcast, host Ber‑Henda Williams sits down with Dr. Caira Boggs, Director of the Michigan Public Health Institute’s Center for Health Innovation and Practice and Detroit Health Initiatives. A proud Detroit native and Detroit Public Schools graduate, Dr. Boggs leads 16 initiatives focused on health equity, recovery, food access, chronic disease prevention, and community‑led grantmaking — all grounded in the lived experiences of Detroit neighborhoods.
Dr. Boggs shares the early moments that shaped her understanding of inequity, from growing up in a deeply connected Detroit community to witnessing stark disparities when she left home for college. Her path from kinesiology and pre‑med to public health leadership was fueled by a desire to advocate for people who look like her — especially after learning how maternal and infant health outcomes disproportionately impact Black women, regardless of income or education.
Together, Ber‑Henda and Dr. Boggs explore:
-  What resilience looks like in Detroit neighborhoods, where communities “keep going, keep moving, no matter what,” despite redlining, food insecurity, and structural barriers.
- How Detroit schools and neighborhood roots shaped Dr. Caira’s public health lens.
- Worker health realities in Detroit’s plants — from blood pressure to chronic disease risks.
- What recovery‑friendly workplaces need: Narcan access, dignity, and long‑term support.
- Food insecurity as both structural and neighbor‑to‑neighbor — and how small acts help.Â
- Neighborhood‑driven solutions like micro‑grants, walking clubs, and anchor organizations.
- How COVID‑19 exposed inequities and elevated social determinants of health.
Dr. Boggs also reflects on the personal experiences that continue to motivate her — from loved ones whose health outcomes could have been different with better access, to the collective trauma and awakening brought on by the pandemic. Her message is clear: every person has the power to change someone’s trajectory, whether through advocacy, compassion, or simply knowing the people on your block.
This episode is essential listening for anyone working in community health, public health, philanthropy, health equity, or systems‑level change — and for anyone who believes in the strength and brilliance of Detroit’s neighborhoods.
Proudly Supported by Our Founding Partner
With heartfelt gratitude, we recognize the Zimmer Biomet Foundation as a founding partner of Movement Is Life. Their enduring support and shared vision have helped shape our mission and expand our impact, empowering us to advance healthier lives through education, collaboration, and community engagement.
