Strategic coaching designed to empower education leaders to lead with clarity, elevate their teams, and maximize performance.
Grounded in the principles of positive leadership, emotional intelligence, and performance psychology. Upwyse integrates advanced leadership assessments to help individuals and teams deepen self-awareness and expand their impact—from the inside out.
For over 20 years, I’ve led multicultural teams across Europe, the U.S., and Latin America—spanning hospitality and higher education. These experiences shaped how I view human-centered leadership. Education brought the kind of purpose and complexity that keeps me learning. As a University Dean, VP of Enrollment Management and Chief People Officer, I led transformational change within global institutions.
But my journey began well before formal titles. I was raised in a family of national sports team captains, elite athletes, mental performance experts, being also trained under the supervision of Directors of Mental Training and Sports Psychology for Major League Baseball teams, and World Rugby from an early age. So things like mental toughness, grit, resilience, and a growth mindset became a way of life. These principles now shape our coaching philosophy at Upwyse and guide how we help others thrive.
We combine lived experience with cutting-edge leadership assessments and EQ tools to help educational leaders deepen self-awareness, elevate their teams, and amplify their impact.
Our coaching isn’t just reflective—it’s how educational leaders turn insight into stronger decisions, lead across cultures and silos, and drive lasting change. Effective leaders shape the environment people work in—and that environment drives performance. Institutions with strong, healthy cultures can outperform their peers by up to 202%. When leaders grow, everyone around them rises too.
Executive coach. International education leader. Strategic partner to high-performing teams.
Meet the founder
— Lucila Perez Mollo
Want to explore what that could look like in your leadership?
I’m passionate about fostering positive leadership practices and organizational environments where people can be their best and feel their best, and inspire others to reach their full potential.
Credentials & Background
education
- Master’s in Corporate Communication, Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University
- Executive Education in High-Performance Team Development (University of Cambridge, Judge Business School)
- Executive Education in Positive Psychology (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Certifications & Affiliations
- Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
- Leadership Circle Profile® Practitioner
- Genos ® Emotional Intelligence Certified Practitioner
- Certified Global Leadership Assessment Coach, GCG ®
- Mental Performance Coach MLB Training
- Member – International Coaching Federation (ICF)
- Member – Association for Coaching
- Member – McLean Institute of Coaching, Harvard Medical School
- Higher Education Advisory Council Member Cambridge International Education
Lucila has been invited to deliver guest lectures and coaching workshops at various Higher Ed. institutions including IE University Madrid, St. Andrew’s University, and the London School of Economics. In 2023, she received an Educational Leadership Award recognizing her contributions to international education.
Lucila’s expertise is built on both academic and practical foundations:
Senior leadership in education is demanding. It requires focus, presence, and the ability to lead through constant change, all without losing sight of your people or your purpose.
At Upwyse, we bring over 20 years of international education leadership, paired with science-backed coaching tools that deliver real results in real-world environments.
Why Upwyse
Sustain – Practical frameworks and mindset shifts to carry forward, long after coaching ends
Diagnose – Using data, tools, and stakeholder input to assess leadership strengths and blind spots
Discover – A complimentary call to clarify goals, context, and fit
Develop – Ongoing 1:1 sessions to build new capabilities, shift patterns, and sharpen your impact
We help you lead with clarity, unlock your team’s potential, and create lasting impact from the inside out.
Our approach is:
We support those who are:
Who we work with
Upwyse partners with senior leaders and executives in international education—both aspiring and established—across secondary schools and higher education institutions, using coaching tools and frameworks that apply across industries.
Seeking a confidential, structured space to reflect and grow
Stepping into new roles or navigating leadership transitions
Leading organizational change or institutional growth
Balancing strategic decision-making with daily execution
Aiming to elevate their leadership impact and maximize team performance
They’re often navigating departmental misalignment, conflicting stakeholder demands, or preparing for major shifts like new strategic plans. Upwyse provides a steady, strategic partner through those pivotal moments.
We apply tools from sports psychology and performance science—methods traditionally used by elite athletes—to help education leaders strengthen resilience, sharpen their leadership presence, and perform at their best while feeling their best.
An integrating mindset, strategy, and behavior change to elevate performance in high-stakes leadership contexts.
Strategic coaching frameworks
Practical models and evidence-based tools to enhance leadership effectiveness, strengthen emotional intelligence and boost performance, from the inside out.
Science-backed leadership assessments
Our Approach
We blend insight with action, using research-backed tools to sharpen leadership from the inside out.
Our approach draws on:
Every coaching journey starts with a complimentary discovery call—a space to explore your goals and see if we're the right fit. This is followed by a clear plan aligned to your goals and context, using science-backed tools and measurable milestones to support real progress.
Alongside 1:1 coaching, we also partner with leadership teams and facilitate workshops to embed execution and growth mindsets across organizations.
What to Expect
Explore how strategic coaching can amplify your leadership impact.
