As a doctor, mother, and woman of South Asian heritage, I never knew I could find my voice and speak up to create positive change. Growing up, I never saw someone with my skin colour on TV, women like me were never celebrated. As I started out in the field of activism, I was always clouded with imposter syndrome because historically speaking, women like me have been silenced when speaking truth to power. But thanks to the Bond I've learned to find my voice and my confidence.

Gently, we will shake the world!

I wish I had done the Bond 20 years ago. To anyone thinking of joining the Bond; don't over think it, just do it. It is the best personal investment and what you learn can change your life.

I joined Bond 3 to find energy and motivation to overcome a particular challenge. I found much more than tools more than strategies. I found a community. I found an amazing support network that is Lauren and her UPFRONT team. My amazing buddy groups! Everything the Bond taught me is still helping me deconstruct some of my limiting beliefs. I hope that you'll join us.

The Bond is one of the most authentic and open spaces on the internet. I've never been part of any other community like it - it's honest, it's open and it blew my expectation out of of the water. It's about so much more than getting a bigger job - it'll change how you see the world.

"Within the first week of Bond 1, I committed to changing the way I communicate with my colleagues and clients. Less “No worries if not”, no more “I’m not an expert, but...”, and definitely no belittling what I am going to say by starting my sentences with ”Just”. I ask myself, could it really be this simple? I came to find quite quickly that in using simple statements, keeping things short (where they can be), and getting straight to the point is often a win-win situation. Less time spent crafting and overthinking an email, and more time spent RISING to become a better version of me. I have no doubt this simple change will help me extend my professional reach."

I joined the Bond because I have three beautiful children and they learn from my feelings and actions. I don't want them to see me struggling with confidence, I want them to believe in themselves and their limitless potential. If I can role model this for them then we're starting in a good place. I'm turning 40 next year and this feels like the right moment to take up opportunities, show up and be visible. I want to make the next decade the best yet!

There is no finish line. Confidence is a journey, not a destination. We can always learn how to be confident in new ways and in different scenarios.There is so much power in being part of a community of kickass women. Every day I've been moved and inspired by Lauren and the other women in my Bond.

This is something I never imagined happening in my career…I feel extremely lucky to be an equal part of a brilliant team with a genuine seat at the table. Nearly all my career I have faced some kind of prejudice and very rarely felt equal. My new team listen to everything that I have to say, happy for me to challenge them and let me push my agenda on equality and diversity. I know I wouldn't be here in this role, without what I learned in the Bond. Thank you UPFRONT

Why was joining the Bond a big decision? It was the most I'd ever invested in myself and my wellbeing. Two weeks in, people started noticing I was a bit 'different'. Four weeks in, I felt more able to stand up for myself and for others on topics I felt strongly about. By the end, it had seriously changed my life. I met hundreds of amazing, inspiring women. I felt brave enough to go freelance. I’m now happier and earning more money than I thought possible!

My point? Sign up for this course, if you can. It's a game changer. It'll change the way you think about yourself and the whole concept of confidence. It'll make you a better feminist, help you become actively anti-racist. You'll meet others who are sick of the BS and want to change the world. The Bond is worth it. And you - YES YOU - are worth investing in.

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I feel incredibly lucky for the opportunities I've had through UPFRONT and being part of the Bond. It has impacted my work and my music. Now I'm using what I've learned here to create opportunities for other people. I knew I'd learn incredible strategies for work. I didn't expect to find such amazing friendships.

Bond 5 gave me the confidence to overcome a creative block I had been struggling with for a number of years outside of my day to day work as a designer. Carving out a non judgmental space for my own personal work and setting boundaries with my partner to ensure I had space and time to pursue this passion was something I had really struggled with before. I have started sharing my work in its work in progress and learning journey state (something I would have found super challenging before) I am really excited to learn and grow more through the Global Bond and connect with the super inspiring group of women that are here. I am due to become a manager at work for the first time as well so am really wanting to bring an UPFRONT approach to this journey.

I absolutely loved Bond 6. It was a game changer. The learnings are already impacting my team. The ripple effect of UPFRONT is exponential. I've got a new job with big pay rise - I wouldn't have gone for the job before the Bond.

When I’ve done confidence and public speaking training before someone arrived with a suit of armour to teach me how to help go out to fight. In UPFRONT you stand shoulder to shoulder with a community of women in front of a smudged mirror, learning to polish it bit by bit until you see yourself. You see everything clearly! All of the amazing important things you have to offer.. then you waltz out the door to join the party

Since graduating from the Bond I’ve felt less anxious about work (even my husband has noticed that I seem less stressed recently). I’m much more comfortable taking credit for my work. I’m already fairly visible at work but I’m often shining a light on the work of the team (and rightly so, they’re brilliant) rather than my own. I think this is tricky for managers, as we often don’t have tangible outputs we can point to and we don’t want to take credit for the outcomes when it was a team effort. I’m now more comfortable and better equipped at doing both!

Thank you UPFRONT for turning my engines and releasing the confidence that I needed to show to get my new job. Taking blocks from the wheels in front of my eyes. Showing me the injustice. And wrong doing. I thought I wasn't good enough but that was never the case. I'm still removing the barriers I have unconsciously accepted. But now I see them.

Since day one, the Bond has been more than a course. It's a space where intersectional feminism is well and truly alive. As a Black woman, I didn't have to work extra  to be 'seen'.

Joining the UPFRONT Bond was one of the most impactful professional and personal experiences I've ever had. For a long time, I’ve operated in male-dominated spaces but didn’t feel like I was able to make the impact I wanted to. I had the 'position of power', the capability, and plenty to say. And, despite all that - I simply didn’t feel heard. I read the books, worked to learn - but I never quite found long-lasting strategies that worked. Until now.

At UPFRONT, I was surrounded by an incredible group of allies in a safe and motivating space where vulnerability was strength.

I found my cheerleaders, my confidence, and now I am heard.

UPFRONT was so powerful for me, that I now offer the course to every woman in our team, too.