09 Mar 2026
By Liam Irvine, Team Leader D&R London South East
On 8th March 2026, we were proud to celebrate International Women’s Day, recognising the strength, resilience and impact of women across our organisation and beyond.
At The Forward Trust, that impact is felt every single day within our Dependency & Recovery (D&R) services. This year, we sat down with four incredible women from across the team, Brunilda, Domenica, Sasha and Taylar, each at different stages of their personal and professional journeys, yet united by a shared commitment: creating meaningful, lasting change in the lives of our service users.
Their stories are ones of perseverance, growth, leadership and compassion.
Brunilda has been with Forward for four years, bringing with her over two decades of experience across welfare to work, apprenticeships, prisons and probation.
The past year has been particularly life-changing.
“It’s been quite a year. In the last 12 months, I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and I went through surgery and chemo. It was strange for me, as I have had 22 years of non-stop work.”
Her resilience through recovery has only strengthened her outlook:
“A year ago, my life took a huge turn, and I’m really proud of myself. I felt work really helped me mentally. My work complimented me. I take walks and listen to podcasts. All my experience from welfare to work, apprenticeships, prisons and probation has helped me progress. I’m all about positive energy, and my management style is similar.”
Looking ahead, Brunilda is embracing life fully:
“This year, I am looking to travel more with my husband and looking to publish a novel based on my experiences with my cancer journey.”
When asked about leadership advice, she shares:
“I think to be a leader you must be empathetic, resilient and communicate in different ways. Love what you do.”
Domenica’s journey at Forward is one of progression and dedication. In four years, she has moved from Team Leader to Service Manager and now Senior Operations Manager, bringing with her ten years of sector experience.
Reflecting on work-life balance:
“In my early career, I didn’t have much of a work-life balance. When I joined Forward, it was my first Manager role, and I felt I needed to prove myself. Now, as Senior Operations Manager, I’ve learnt that to be a good manager, I also need to prioritise my sanity, so I’ve taken the approach of looking at my hobbies and family a lot more. I do feel you need a manager to tell you to take time off!”
This year brings a new chapter:
“This year I’m only focusing on having my baby, it will be a big change leaving.”
On leadership and representation, Domenica speaks candidly:
“It is more difficult to be a woman in leadership. This is the place I felt equal. Be yourself, be strong, speak up. In any leadership role, you need to keep the passion. Advocate for yourself.”
She also credits the power of mentorship:
“I think from early on, I feel my manager, Shareen, saw potential in me. She is an advocate for internal progression and gave me a lot of mentoring without me even realising. She was always turning things around. Instead of telling me what to do, she asked what do you think you should do. I think she and I have had a similar journey within Forward.”
Her proudest moment?
“Recently, it was hosting our recovery event in September. Seeing how far staff, clients, volunteers, partnerships and service users have come was my full circle moment. I feel the team get on really well. When we put the reports together, I get to see how much great work we have done. The way forward is our joint working and building our already great relationships.”
Sasha will celebrate two years with Forward this July, after spending nine years working as a nursery practitioner.
When it comes to balance, she keeps things simple and intentional:
“Prioritising, making sure I have regular breaks and spending quality time with my children and family.”
She finds inspiration close to home:
“My mum is my inspiration. She is grounded, very diplomatic and, as a counsellor, she has a lot of positive guidance with giving good criticism, advice and finding solutions to any problems.”
For women considering leadership roles, Sasha’s advice is clear:
“Go for it! If you love to help people, this is the place for you.”
Working with a cohort of men aged 26+ presents opportunities for impact:
“I wouldn’t say there are any challenges for me; I feel they engage with me well. I feel I have the personality to get them feeling ready for change and can motivate them to step out of their comfort zones.”
Her proudest moments come regularly:
“My proudest moment is every few weeks when we get feedback from Probation about the work we have done with the service users and the positive changes they have made.”
Taylar began her journey at the Mount in 2022 and has now spent around three years within the Dependency & Recovery services.
This year marks a significant personal milestone:
“My biggest plan for this year is to become a mum and enjoy maternity leave. I’ve not worked, so this is going to be a big change.”
On maintaining balance:
“For me, it’s setting clear priorities, knowing what I want in my life, my evenings and weekends are really important to me with friends, family and shopping.”
Her biggest influence?
“Outside of work, my biggest influence is my nan, who was a mum and had 3 jobs - even now she is still working! In work, I would probably say it has to be Domenica, she started as my Team Leader, then Service Manager, and now she is the big boss. She encouraged me to take on the Management course, and she mentored and supported me in my leadership role.”
On stepping into leadership:
“Believe in your capabilities. As a woman, I was hesitant and out of my comfort zone, but through conversations with my team, I realised you can never be fully ready. It is about growing and gaining experience.”
She also reflects thoughtfully on working with male service users:
“There are lots of challenges and benefits in my client-facing role. One key challenge is that men struggle to express themselves and discuss their pain, trauma. Some of the men we work with are institutionalised, which leads to some trust issues. Lots have been in and out of the system, and it's about breaking that cycle, building trust, giving them new opportunities and continuity of care.”
One of her proudest moments captures the heart of Forward’s mission:
“I’ve had a few proud moments, but when I was a Recovery Navigator, I had a client who had tried everything and been in and out of the system multiple times. He engaged with us to make him look good in court, but what he took out of it was that he could actually change. He came into groups, began coming to our events, and is now a peer mentor two years into his recovery journey.”
Across these conversations, a powerful theme emerges: resilience, compassion and belief in potential, both in themselves and in the people they support.
From overcoming personal health battles to preparing for motherhood, from progressing into senior leadership to empowering service users to break cycles of trauma and reoffending, these women embody the spirit of International Women’s Day.
Their passion is not only transforming lives but shaping the future of Dependency & Recovery services at The Forward Trust.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate Brunilda, Domenica, Sasha and Taylar, and all the women across Forward who lead with empathy, courage and unwavering commitment to change.
