On average, the lower your social position in society, the sooner you develop health problems in your life, the more sick you will be, and the sooner you will die – this is called health inequalities Shona Kelly is a Professor of Interdisciplinary Health Research at the Department of Social Work, Social Care and Community Studies, Sheffield Hallam University. Her work is interdisciplinary and crosses usually incompatible disciplinary boundaries, communicating complex science for the public. But it is her skill in understanding how others view the world (their conceptual framework) and the limitations posed by that framework that have made her a successful collaborator. She also navigates the distinct differences in expectations between academia, industry, bureaucrats and the third sector. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx