Full Description
"Equal parts rebellion and roadmap - Lauren Currie shows us how confidence really works."
—Zoe Blaskey, Author and Host of Motherkind
"Both a manifesto and a guide, BE UPFRONT will change the way you think about confidence and show you exactly what you need to do to uncover yours. A world of confident women will be a changed world for everyone."
—Stephanie Harrison, Bestselling Author of New Happy
"Galvanising, compassionate and pragmatic. This is a rare book that doesn't shy away from the societal difficulties faced by women, but takes them on. Empowering and exciting. I will be recommending to all of the women in my life"
—Dr Sula Windgassen, Health Psychologist and Psychotherapist
Everything you've been told about confidence is wrong.
Be UPFRONT rips up the old rulebook and hands you a new one, 24 new rules for building confidence your way. This isn't about faking, forcing, or waiting until you feel ready. Confidence isn't a personality trait. It's not something you're born with. It's a muscle you build every day, in small, powerful ways.
Lauren Currie OBE is a global authority on leadership and confidence. As founder of the UPFRONT movement, she has helped thousands of women rewrite their confidence story and worked with world-leading organisations, including Nike, the NHS, and WaterAid, to build bold, inclusive cultures of confidence.
In this book, she shows you how. Through a powerful mix of storytelling, research, and practical tools you'll learn why confidence isn't about fearlessness, why discomfort is your greatest ally, and how to swap the old rules that don't work for new ones that do.
Lauren's voice is honest, rebellious, and deeply compassionate. Her work has transformed thousands of women's lives through The Bond, UPFRONT's flagship program, and now these tools are in your hands. Whether you're navigating a career shift, leadership challenges, or personal milestones, this book will help you build the confidence to speak up, take up space, and lead with power, on your terms.
Be UPFRONT is a radical unlearning of everything we've been taught about confidence. It dismantles the shame and fear that keep women quiet and replaces them with bold, unapologetic action. This book is a warm hug and a kick up the ass. It puts a fire in your belly that will never burn out.
Unlearn the old rules and Be UPFRONT. Start building confidence that will change everything.
Contents
Foreword xiii
Introduction xv
PART I UNLEARN 1
0 My Confidence Story 3
1 You Were Always Teachable 15
2 You Are a Confidence Cultivator 23
3 You Are Practising Confidence 37
4 You Are a Match for Your Discomfort 51
5 You Were Never the Imposter 65
6 You Were Never Sorry 81
7 You Were Never Meant to Be Fearless 93
8 You Can't Graduate Confidence 105
9 You Are Building Confidence in a World That Doesn't Want You To 113
PART II RELEARN 121
10 You Are Cringing Forward 123
11 You Were Never Meant to Shout to Be Heard 131
12 You Are Choosing Confidence Again and Again 149
13 You Are Making Your Work Visible 157
14 You Are Making Yourself Visible 171
15 You Are Ready Now 191
16 You Are Demanding More 209
17 You Are a Big Deal 221
18 You Were Never Meant to Be Humble 233
19 You Were Never Meant to Do This Alone 247
20 You Are Allowed to Be Bigger 259
PART III BE UPFRONT 271
21 You Are Learning to Love Mistakes 273
22 You Are a Mirror 287
23 You Are Choosing Yourself 301
24 Your Confidence Will Upset Them 309
Afterword 321
Where We Meet Next 325
Acknowledgements 327
About the Author 329
Index 331
