Hi, I’m Dr. Alise Cortez. I help conscious leaders unlock the human energy inside their organizations, so their people thrive and their results follow.

Most leaders are not facing a performance problem. People don't disengage because they are lazy. They disengage when their work no longer lets them matter. When meaning disappears, energy follows. When energy fades, performance collapses. I've spent over two decades studying that gap and building the architecture to close it.

I'm an Organizational Psychologist, Logotherapist and the Founder of the Gusto Now Movement. I’m also an inspirational speaker, author and host of the Working on Purpose podcast. But the title I live by is simpler: I Traffic in Energy. Not surface-level motivation or another engagement initiative. The deeper force that drives commitment, perseverance, and genuine ownership of a shared mission. What most leaders miss: they treat people as static inputs in a dynamic world. Disengagement isn't a character flaw in your employees, it's a signal. People don't lack the will to give their best. They lack the conditions that make it worth giving.

What most leaders miss: they treat people as static inputs in a dynamic world. People don't lack the will to give their best. They lack the conditions that make it worth giving. Meaning is not philosophical. It is operational.

What’s needed is the activation of what I call GUSTO, the life force of an organization. When it's present, teams move with resilience and purpose. When it's absent, performance becomes mechanical, talent quietly exits, and leaders begin misreading the very people they depend on.

Through the Gusto Framework, the 15 Modes of Engagement, and Organizational Logotherapy, I give leaders a proven system to embed purpose as a strategic discipline, not a values poster, but the engine behind measurable results.

My books include:

• Purpose Ignited: How Inspiring Leaders Unleash Passion and Elevate Cause (2020)

• Passionately Striving in “Why”: An Anthology of Women Who Persevere Mightily to Live Their Purpose (2021)

• The Great Revitalization: How Activating Meaning and Purpose Can Radically Enliven Your Business (2023)

• Coloring Life: How Loss Invites Us to Live More Vibrant Lives (2023)

• The Power of Soulful Healing: Turning Wounds into Wisdom (co-author Arthur Ciaramicoli, 2025)

Chief Purpose Officer, Alise Cortez and Associates

Chief Ignition Officer, Gusto, Now!

Dr. Alise Cortez is the chief purpose officer at Alise Cortez and Associates, a management consulting firm specializing in the activation of meaning and purpose. She is also an inspirational speaker, social scientist, author, and host of the Working on Purpose radio show. She is the author of:

• Purpose Ignited: How Inspiring Leaders Unleash Passion and Elevate Cause (2020)

• Passionately Striving in “Why”: An Anthology of Women Who Persevere Mightily to Live Their Purpose (2021)

• Coloring Life: How Loss Invites Us to Live More Vibrant Lives (2023)

• The Great Revitalization: How Activating Meaning and Purpose Can Radically Enliven Your Business (2023)

Having developed her expertise within the human capital / organizational excellence industry over the last 25 years, she is focused on helping companies, leaders, and individuals across the globe to live with “gusto” and make the most of their one, precious life. Today Dr. Cortez is focused on enabling organizations to lead from purpose and create cultures that inspire impassioned performance, meaningful engagement, and fulfillment while encouraging a devoted stay within the organization. For individuals, Dr. Cortez facilitates an online global community and various retreats to enable people hungry for a more meaningful and purposeful life to create it for themselves. www.alisecortez.com

Email: alise@alisecortez.com website: www.alisecortez.com Phone: 214-597-6463