In 2025, Aspire is evolving. Why? Because the workplace and world needs something different.
Aspire, founded in 2001 by Dr. Sam Collins, was the first pioneering company in the UK to specialise in leadership events and coaching for women leaders and is an internationally recognised and award-winning leader in the field. Our content is specifically tailored for the needs and aspirations of women and is not a generic training and development agenda. We welcome and are inclusive of male allies that want to grow their own leadership and champion gender equality.
Dr Collins was named as ‘One of the Top 200 Women to Impact Business and Industry’ by the late Her Majesty The Queen, 'Top 30 Women Trailblazer in the City of London" by Brummel Magazine and ‘A Woman Shaping the World’ by CNN.
Those who have previously attended our programmes from organisations such as KPMG, Vodafone, BMW, Centrica, Lloyds of London, PA Consulting, AstraZeneca and Save the Children over the past 24 years have consistently fed back that weare "different, best in class, inspiring, powerful, space to think, challenging, innovative, personal yet business focused, empowering".
We are passionate about gender equality through leadership development and coaching of individuals, teams, organisations and communities to create change.
Yet, at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from the World Economic Forum.
Now it's time for the next chapter.
The personal, business and social challenges we face can't be fixed with the same old leadership training, women only groups or quick-fix solutions.
We are bringing women together alongside male allies who want to champion change and improve the workplace and society for themselves, their families and the world. This is being achieved through our new transformational global leadership programme, coaching, scholarships and mentoring.
How we'll do it
We're creating and teaching a new model of living and working - Collective Intelligence (CQ).
It's where science meets personal development meets culture change - bringing together the power of psychology, intuition and social change.
The combination of the rational-analytical power of thinking and the intuitive creative side of our mind.
At a time when artificial intelligence is transforming how we work, the uniquely human skills of intuition and consciousness are our superpower.
This isn't about basic gut feelings, but about tapping into our inner and collective intelligence to create genuine change for equality.
And we will keep everything that Aspire is known for, a safe space, wildly fun, like-minded souls and a focus on others.
What makes this different?
Aspire is to "direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving something great. To ascend/soar and to seek something great".
Our focus and passion is helping you to make a difference in your life, work and world. And in doing so, we contribute towards creating a more equal and inclusive world for everyone.
We're not about PowerPoint presentations and lectures. This is hands-on stuff that works at three levels - your life, your work and your impact on the world. It's about making deep changes that last, not just feeling good for a day or two after an event.
You get the support, guidance and external validation of being around people who want to help you and show you what good actually looks like - as well as a safe space and structured time to actually stop and think.
Reality based, hands on personal development with a good dose of inspiration and challenge to do and be more.
Who's it for?
We're passionate about transforming leadership and equality and our programmes are for both women and men who:
- Want a completely fresh perspective on living and leading differently.
- Get that equality is going to take both women and men together,
- Are sceptical of typical personal development and training courses.
- Are looking for an honest and real approach to both success and failure.
- Need practical and humble frameworks that can be applied to real life and work.
- Want ‘behind the scenes’ advice to navigate careers and organisations.
- Thrive on ideas, engagement and debate with others.
- Want to connect with something bigger than themselves.
- Really want to make a difference and leave a legacy.
Looking ahead
This is a natural next step for Aspire. It builds on everything we've learned over the past 24 years while responding to what the world needs now.
We're bringing together practical transformation with a deeper understanding of human potential, helping create leaders who can handle today's challenges while staying human and making a real difference.
