About Us

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Upward Bound is on a mission to empower innovation leaders to reach greater heights, with purpose and intention. More than 70% of the business is focused on supporting women-identified leaders in the workplace. 

Why is that so? To remain competitive and innovative in today's market, organizations must focus on retaining and engaging their top women-identified leaders and up-and-coming talent. Organizations are struggling to hold onto their women and diverse leaders, and risk losing considerable revenue and competitive edge. Investing in women and diverse teams makes organizations stronger, more innovative, and supports economic growth.

According to the Women in the Workplace 2022 Report from McKinsey, women leaders are as likely as men to aspire to senior-level roles. Yet, women are far more likely than men in leadership to report that their gender or being a parent played a role in them being denied a raise or promotion. Now, women leaders are switching jobs at higher rates than men in leadership. For every woman director who receives a promotion, two women directors choose to leave their company. These dynamics are even more pronounced for women of color, LGBTQIA+ and other underrepresented groups. Bridging this gap is essential in building an organization's innovative edge and success in the market.

Upward Bound's executive coaching programs mobilize your individual and team strengths and drive innovative performance toward sustainable and measurable results - for you and your organizational team.

Caroline Vial, Ph.D. is a passionate and talented advocate for leadership innovation and team flow with 15+ years of experience working within and alongside diverse and women-led innovative organizations. As a Board-Certified Coach, she holds ICF-accredited credentials in Executive Coaching, Applied Positive Psychology in Business Coaching, Flow States, Team Coaching, and Hogan Assessments.
 

Caroline is a Faculty member and Leadership Development Coach at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering where she teaches graduate students leadership innovation and team flow. She also serves as a Coach at the Chicago Foundation for Women, and as a Mentor and Public speaker at 1871's tech startup accelerator in Chicago. 

 Prior to Upward Bound, Caroline was a Founding Executive and shareholder of a woman-owned technology company located in over 10 different countries. As the executive head of business development, she ran strategic partnerships with 30 leading art and antiques organizations in the United States and the United Kingdom.  

Caroline holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University where she studied phenomenology of perception and leadership development. She earned an M.A from the Sorbonne-Nouvelle in Paris, and a B.A. from Middlebury College.  At Northwestern’s Graduate School and the Weinberg College of Arts and Science, she taught courses in leadership, gender studies and critical theory which have deeply informed her intersectional approach to belonging and engagement in organizational innovation.
 

Born and raised in France, Caroline speaks four languages fluently, has lived extensively in five countries, and conducted public speaking engagements worldwide. Her multicultural experiences have deeply inspired her approach to working with clients. They have provided an expansive view of the creative possibilities in tackling an organizational or life issue, and instilled her practice with mindfulness tools that support clients in tapping into their greatest potential.