UPFRONT

A good thing about having an extended period of time away from work is it gives you time to reflect. From the stuff I did as part of Bond 8 and UPFRONT, I've been thinking about my best qualities. Something I have in abundance? ENTHUSIASM. What does that lend itself to? CAMPAIGNING! Today, I thought 'f*** it' and sent off an idea to a charity. I'm dipping my toe in and I feel excited about it.

Oh my Word, I can't believe that is me!! with my fellow wonderful and inspiring #Bond8 Bonders. There's so much to say about #confidence. The more I think about it, the more I see into it. Today on the UPFRONT live, we spoke about mindset, internal voice, learning & stepping into action, community not competition, the importance and infectious nature of confidence. Let's do it! It's not (just) to make our own life better, it's about making other people's life better too. Creating ripples of confidence so we can be the change we wish to see in the world (ref: Gandhi). Yes, it's absolutely about fostering #leadership - kind, centred, impactful. Thank you UPFRONT team for the opportunity to share snippets of my reflections here. Thank you Shakira Peronet for facilitating our conversation so beautifully.

It's a couple of weeks since I applied for the #LushSpringPrize: totally crazy to even think of it, yet emboldened to have a go thanks to my community of UPFRONT Bonders and Lauren Currie OBE's infectious confidence that yes, we can ... and we must! Whatever the outcome, applying for the Prize was a really useful exercise - more on that another day... It made me realise that, perhaps, to #lead is to dare to #dream, #act on our dreams ... and lay the path for others to dream and act too. To lead by creating ripples of confidence. Today, I launch myself on Substack. Another leap of faith... thanks to Siwei Kang's encouragement. Do you also want to encourage me? Subscribe here and stay tuned: https://lnkd.in/euzC9anx #regeneration #investment #foodsystemtransformation

We’re excited to bring together incredible women currently participating in Bond 8 to share their inspiring stories. Join us for an open and honest conversation as they reveal the challenges they’ve faced, the breakthroughs they’ve experienced, and the invaluable lessons they’ve learned on their confidence journey. Hosted by Shakira Peronet, this session will dive deep into the transformative power of confidence, exploring how it has given these women tools to step up in both their personal and professional lives. You’ll gain fresh insights on leadership, self-belief, and visibility, all from women who are living the Bond experience. If you’re curious whether Bond 9 is right for you, or you’ve heard of the program and wonder how it can benefit you and your colleagues, this is the perfect opportunity to learn more. Bond 9 begins on 3rd March, and this conversation will give you a firsthand look at how the program can transform your confidence and your teams.

Calling all the amazing women in my network! 🌟 Looking to boost your confidence at work?💪 Join us for an open, honest conversation where we’ll share our challenges, breakthroughs and the invaluable lessons we've learned on our confidence journey with UPFRONT Bond 8. If you're looking for fresh perspectives on leadership, self-belief, and stepping up in both life and work, I’d love for you to join us tomorrow 2pm CEST! 🙌

We're hosting our third in this incredible series...Real Women, Real Confidence, Real Change: Bond 8 Stories. You're invited!

It's the end of an era. After 5 years Firstport, I’ve taken the exciting and slightly scary decision not to return after my maternity leave comes to an end this month. I am so grateful to colleagues from Firstport and across the sector who have shared their knowledge and skills with me, and to the social entrepreneurs who inspired me every day with their resilience, optimism and passion. I love leading teams through change, building new income streams and partnerships, and designing innovative and impactful services that meet the needs of people who haven’t been served in the past. It’s been a privilege to do this at Firstport. As for next steps, you’ll find me: 👩💻 Developing my freelance work with charities, social enterprises and businesses seeking to make an impact on people and planet 📚 Spending some time to reflect and learn. At the moment I’m exploring what it means to be a visible female leader and cheerleader through UPFRONT ☕ Taking the time to have interesting conversations with friends old and new. If we’ve not spoken in a while, or you think we’d have lots to talk about, do get in touch. I’d love to catch up. Longer term, I’ll be keeping an eye out for the right permanent role that aligns with my values, embraces the power of business for good and strives to make an impact on people and communities. Excited to explore what’s next! 🚀 #change #freelance #socialimpact #charity #socialenterprise

When I started to commute regularly to London again, I decided to use the journey time for personal development.  I’ve mostly kept to that (avalanche of school emails aside!) and love it. Lately, UPFRONT has kept me company on the 6.45 from Cambridge. I’m 3 weeks into their 6-week online course, Bond 8 and don’t want it to end!  I’m learning about confidence, leadership and visibility from a female and intersectional perspective… with a big helping of community on the side.  It’s been fascinating, uncomfortable and thrilling all at once.  Yesterday I spent my lunch break with three amazing women talking about what we’ve learned and our experience so far.  You can watch here 👇🏻 I’m a big fan and I'm already seeing the impact of what I'm learning Happy to answer any questions if you're thinking about it for you or your team. https://lnkd.in/dgvvs_Nh

First ever LinkedIn Live - We nailed it 🔨 Faye & Apple 💪 Thank you Shakira for making it such an easy conversation. I will keep on about my experience with UPFRONT and Bond 8 because it's brilliant. I wasn't exactly cacking it - but I was questioning my choices this morning. That little voice, "Em, what are you thinking? Get back in your box and shut the f*ck up". Right at the start of the course, Dr Yekemi challenged us to think about moving from *motion* to *action*. Today marks the start of me doing just that. It was an action to choose to 'walk in my confidence' today (stealing that one with pride Shakira! 😙). And you know what? It was ok. I just had a brilliant chat with brilliant women - it just happened that other people were watching it too. This is my third post - I didn't quite make it consecutive days. But, I do have actions now, shit I need and want to get moving with. You'll be hearing more from me. Thank you for being interested.

We’re excited to bring together incredible women currently participating in Bond 8 to share their inspiring stories. Join us for an open and honest conversation as they reveal the challenges they’ve faced, the breakthroughs they’ve experienced, and the invaluable lessons they’ve learned on their confidence journey. Hosted by Shakira Peronet, this session will dive deep into the transformative power of confidence, exploring how it has given these women tools to step up in both their personal and professional lives. You’ll gain fresh insights on leadership, self-belief, and visibility, all from women who are living the Bond experience. If you’re curious whether Bond 8 is right for you, or you’ve heard of the program and wonder how it can benefit you and your colleagues, this is the perfect opportunity to learn more. Bond 9 is just around the corner, and this conversation will give you a firsthand look at how the program can transform your confidence and your teams.