About Us
Imagine a world where people look forward to going to work, continue to grow each day, and feel they are making a meaningful impact on their colleagues, organizations, and communities.
Too often, people approach work with low expectations. Phrases like “there’s a reason they call it work” or “working to live” reflect the belief that work is simply something to get through. At Aspire@Work, we believe work can—and should—be more than that.
We founded Aspire@Work on the belief that we spend too much of our lives at work to feel disconnected, stagnant, or unable to reach our potential. When people are not learning, growing, and maximizing their impact, there is a cost—not only to organizations, but to individuals, teams, families, and communities. But when people feel fulfilled, empowered, and connected to meaningful work, that positive energy creates a ripple effect far beyond the workplace.
At Aspire@Work, we partner with leaders, teams, and organizations to unlock potential, strengthen leadership, and create workplaces where people and performance can thrive. Through leadership development, coaching, facilitation, and consulting, we help organizations build stronger leaders, healthier teams, and cultures where people can do their best work—and bring their best selves to the world around them.
Founder & CEO, Aspire@Work
Meredith Persily
Meredith Persily is an executive coach, leadership expert, and facilitator who has been partnering with leaders to navigate complexity, strengthen teams, and maximize their impact since 2005. As a Master Certified Coach (MCC), the highest credential awarded by the International Coaching Federation, Meredith brings more than two decades of experience helping leaders grow with greater clarity, courage, and purpose.
As the founder of Aspire@Work, Meredith is driven by a deeply held belief that people spend too much of their lives at work not to feel fulfilled, energized, and connected to meaningful impact. She is passionate about supporting leaders whose influence creates a ripple effect across teams, organizations, families, and communities. Her work focuses not only on leadership effectiveness, but on helping people and organizations reach their highest potential.
Known for her deep commitment to clients, Meredith partners closely with executives and organizations to deliver highly customized coaching, leadership development, and facilitation experiences that create lasting change. She has delivered leadership programs across 17 countries and five continents, working extensively with executives in technology, healthcare, financial services, government, and mission-driven organizations.
Meredith is the co-author of Six Paths to Leadership (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), which explores the diverse leadership journeys and onboarding strategies of successful executives, entrepreneurs, politicians, and other high-impact leaders. Her insights on leadership, workplace trends, and organizational culture have been featured by NPR, SHRM, Entrepreneur, Politico, Roll Call, and other national media outlets.
From 2011–2024, Meredith served on the faculty of American University, where she taught leadership, business and organizational behavior in both the School of Business and School of Public Administration. Earlier in her career, she served as Research Director for the Telecommunications Division of the Economist Intelligence Unit, based in São Paulo, Brazil—an experience that shaped her global perspective on leadership, business, and organizational transformation. She speaks both Spanish and Portuguese.
Meredith also held leadership roles with Gartner (formerly CEB’s Corporate Leadership Council) and The Congressional Management Foundation, where she supported more than 100 members of the U.S. Congress and delivered leadership training to senior congressional staff in both the House of Representatives and US Senate
Meredith holds an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.A. with Honors from Brown University. She is certified in a wide range of leadership assessments and development frameworks, including Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), iEQ9 Enneagram, The Leadership Circle Profile™, DiSC®, Korn Ferry’s ESCI (Emotional Intelligence), Polarity Thinking®, GLP Vertical Development Assessment, and Brain-Based Coaching® through the NeuroLeadership Institute.
Education & Certifications
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M.B.A., The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
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B.A. with Honors, Brown University
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Certificate in Leadership Coaching, Georgetown University
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Master Certified Coach (MCC), International Coach Federation