Be the Bridge Today
Be the Bridge Today
CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE ON YOUR LEADERSHIP JOURNEY
Welcome
Welcome to Be the Bridge Today
Welcome to Be the Bridge Today, where leadership is not just a profession, but a journey guided by disruptive thinking, connectivity, belonging and love. At Be the Bridge Today, we are catalysts for change, dedicated to empowering organizations in co-creating innovative solutions that elevate inclusion, allyship, and representation. We specialize in offering straightforward, impactful guidance and facilitation, prioritizing collaboration and communication. Our mission is to bridge the gap, create connections, fostering a transformative journey towards diverse and equitable senior leadership, where every voice is not only heard but celebrated. Join us in building bridges that propel organizations into a future where diversity isn’t just a goal but a dynamic reality.
About Me
DISRUPTOR : FACILITATOR : SPEAKER
Bridge Forster, is a disrupter, connector, networker, facilitator, and speaker. Bridge’s diverse background reflects her evolution as a leader. Her journey started in the British Army, where she served as an officer, embodying servant leadership, discipline, resilience, and strategic thinking. Transitioning from military service, she embarked on a legal career, practicing as a Barrister for nearly a decade. Her pursuit of impactful leadership led her to the United Nations, where she played a pivotal role as a Country Director and Programme Manager with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) leading humanitarian programmes for the removal of unexploded ordnance in Libya and Palestine.
Bridge’s commitment to breaking barriers and a desire to address the gender gap in the mine action sector, led her to qualify as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operator. In 2018, she took on the challenging role of Head of Mission for UNMAS in Palestine, standing out as one of the few female UN EOD operators globally. Her efforts were acknowledged with the prestigious UN Secretary General’s Award for Gender Parity in 2019.
Passionate about leaders who prioritize people over processes, Bridge founded “Be the Bridge Today” after leaving the UN. She knows first-hand the struggles of being a woman in a man’s world, the challenges leading to burnout, and the frustration of leadership cultures that don’t focus on thriving personnel, or recognise need for balance Her consultancy is dedicated to helping organisations create better ways to increase inclusion and representation of women at senior leadership level.
She supports teams and organisations to find creative and innovative solutions, improve connections and a sense of belonging, and co-create sustainable allyship and inclusion spaces for more productive teams. Be the Bridge provides advisory, training, and facilitation support, fostering discussions on creating workplace environments where people not only survive but thrive. Bridge’s vision is to encourage leadership cultures that embrace diversity, unlocking benefits for both men and women.
Work With Me
SPEAKING : TRAINING : CONSULTING
KEY NOTE SPEAKER
TRAINER & FACILITATOR
CONSULTANT
Bridge is an entertaining and down to earth key note speaker. Her unique background of soldier, lawyer, humanitarian to bomb disposal officer and her experiences in war zones from Bosnia to Libya are an ‘explosive’ combination that provide inspiration, information and insight. She has spoken for clients including MBDA, University College Cork and the Irish Defence Force and is the co-host of the podcast “More than a Lumpy Jumper”.
Bridge covers topics such as allyship, being a woman in a man’s world, leading people with humanity, leading yourself before others, burnout culture, creating a you shaped leadership role, leading by example and boundary setting. If you are looking for an inspiring and passionate leadership and inclusion advocate to speak at your next event, get in touch.
Bridge is a qualified trainer and facilitator, she is trained as a mediator, negotiator and coach and has decades of lived experience in creating spaces for effective communication. As a catalytic networker she prides herself in being able to bring people and ideas together to co-create elegant solutions, always with an element of play and fun thrown in.
Be the Bridge can provide off the shelf or customised training to
• Provide a courageous and caring space to bring people together to discuss well-being and mental health
• Enable your teams or your senior leaders to improve approaches to allyship
• Co-create effective and sustainable ways of approaching inclusion and belonging
• Guide new and experienced leaders in setting and modelling boundaries to avoid burnout
• Engage in authentic self-reflection to identify and redraw leadership behaviours or an organisational culture that does not allow the leaders themselves and the workforce to thrive
• Identify and celebrate individual and team strengths to nourish confidence and starve imposter syndrome
Bridge is a seasoned humanitarian senior programme manager with first hand experience of the impact of the WPS agenda in peace, in conflict and post-conflict scenarios. While working in the Humanitarian Sector she was a passionate advocate for the inclusion of women at all levels of decision-making within the security sector, and in human security and developed and implemented a number of projects supporting that aim. She is a guest lecturer at the Gender Studies Department of the University College Cork and is regularly part of the UN Women UK’s delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women. If you are looking for advice, a project manager or a speaker on the WPS agenda, get in touch.
Newsletters
Leadership • Team Building • Humanities
“Self-care is not self-indulgent, it is self-preservation.”
Expert Leadership Advice
Check out our Newsletters
Balance Be honest? How is your work/life balance? Are you able to switch off from work? How's your sleep Anxious, overthinking? Some simple tips to start (although it's worth finding out
Imposter Syndrome Imposter syndrome is a term used to desrbibe a feeling of self-doubt and insecurity that some people experience, despite external evidence of their competence and accomplishments. Click to download
Psychological Safety Psychological Safety is the confidence that candour and vulnerability are welcome. It's a shared belief by teams that it's OK to take risks, to express ideas and concerns, to speak
Let’s Work Together
Be The Bridge Today
If you are ready to work together to create an inclusive leadership environment or just want to chat, get in touch and say hello.
