It’s Never Too Late to Change Your Life

We’ve all heard the phrase: “People never change.”

But neuroscience and lived human experience tell a very different story. Change is not only possible; it’s hardwired into the very fabric of our brains and bodies. No matter how old you are, what your past looks like, or how many times you’ve “tried and failed,” you are not stuck. One of my oldest clients was in his 90’s, it is amazing to witness what we are capable of even at such a ripe age. It is never too late to change your life.

In my eyes, many people live their lives feeling a disconnection between who they really are and who they feel they have to be. It breaks my heart to think some people never get to find the relief in being themselves. I have seen the relief in myself and clients when they share a peice of their shame, something they have denied, hidden, distorted or repressed. However, they may have escaped this part of themselves. It continues living inside of them, calling to be embodied. Life feels so free when you can finally be yourself and you can get out of your own cage. Of course, as you age it can become more difficult as you build hundreds of memories and continuing beliefs around the expectations of yourself and life. This confirms your beliefs usually but there’s always little glimmers and if you hold on to them and give yourself the benefit of the doubt to cross the bridge to a safe space. Then I feel a genuinely supportive and challenging therapist can help you on the rest of your journey to really find your own home that was there all along.

The Science of Change: Neuroplasticity

For a long time, scientists believed the brain stopped developing in adulthood, as though our mental wiring was fixed. But recent research shows the opposite: the brain is plastic. This concept known as neuroplasticity means that your brain can literally rewire itself at any stage of life.

• New experiences create new neural pathways.

• Repetition strengthens them, like carving a groove in a record.

• Old pathways can weaken when they’re no longer used.

This is why healing practices like therapy, mindfulness, somatic work, and breathwork are so powerful: they don’t just help you cope…they change your nervous system at a biological level.

Why It’s Never Too Late

• Beliefs can be challenged. The stories you tell yourself (“I’m not enough,” “I can’t change,” “I’m too broken”) are thoughts, not facts. With support, they can be rewritten.

• Reactions can be softened. If your nervous system has been wired for fight, flight, freeze, or fawn often from trauma or childhood experience, there are tools to regulate and build new responses.

• Life direction can shift. Even if you’ve spent decades in one role, one relationship, or one way of being, the next chapter can look radically different.

How to Begin

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life in one swoop. Change starts with the smallest steps:

• A single mindful breath before reacting.

• Practicing self-compassion when you’d usually criticise yourself.

• Seeking therapy or somatic support to help your nervous system feel safe enough to try new ways of being.

The key isn’t perfection, it’s consistency. Over time, these micro-moments of choice reshape the brain and body, creating space for freedom where there once was only repetition.

From Stuck to Becoming

Transformation isn’t about becoming someone new, it’s about remembering who you were before fear, shame, or survival strategies took over. You already carry the seeds of resilience, creativity, and growth within you. Your brain is designed to adapt. Your body is designed to heal.

For over a decade, I thought I genuinely hated every fibre of my being. I believed I was a worthless person, with flaws that were insurmountable. Now, I know in the core of my being that I am lovable, that I am worthy and I actually like myself. I used to do everything I could to avoid time alone, now I can’t wait for my alone time. I have completely shifted the relationship with myself, my self image and my self worth and you can too.

Final Thought

It’s never too late to:

• Release old beliefs that no longer serve you.

• Relearn how to respond instead of react.

• Choose compassion over criticism.

• Step into a life that feels more aligned, embodied, and true.

The past is written, yes but the brain, the body, and the heart remain open to change.