Women, Dignity & Empowerment | About The Meraki Dignity Project

Meraki is a Greek word that means to pour yourself into something with creativity, soul, and love. For us, that is the essence of dignity—and the reason The Meraki Dignity Project exists.

For too long, people have framed women’s progress as a zero-sum game. As if someone must lose for us to gain. But dignity doesn’t work that way. It is expansive, relational, and deeply human. When women are fully seen and supported, everyone grows stronger.

We are women who have built careers, led teams, raised families, and carried communities, often within systems not designed for us. And while many of the gains we have fought for have begun to stall, even slip, we are not standing still.

We are stepping into a new chapter—defined not by proving ourselves, but by meaning, fulfillment, and choice. The Meraki Dignity Project is that next chapter: a platform and a movement helping women shape intentional futures with clarity, support, and community.

This isn’t about starting over. It’s about being seen—and choosing what comes next with strength, purpose, and love.

‍Because the choice is yours.

Mission

To Change the World. One Woman at a Time.

vision

We imagine a world where dignity is honored and women thrive, inspiring change that endures and lifts everyone.

VALUES

Dignity
‍We honor the inherent value of every individual. We see you, we hear you, we celebrate you.

Interdependence
‍We recognize that you are greater than the sum of the various roles others define for you.

Curiosity
‍The world doesn’t stand still, and neither do we: listen, question, adapt, and then repeat.

Trust
‍We nurture a safe, secure space in which you can learn, share, and thrive.

Change
‍Disruption fuels possibility, possibility leads to opportunity, and opportunity is generative.

Optimism
‍We believe that good in us will ultimately prevail.

Who We Are

Stephanie Georges

Founder and CEO

Stephanie is a former C-suite executive and top-ranked Wall Street analyst who has led strategy, product development, brand, and transformation across industries, from finance to tech. She brings deep expertise in aligning purpose with action, and now applies that lens to building systems that support women’s dignity, autonomy, and intentional choice.

Steve Mckibben

Co-Founder, Chief Culture and Community Officer

Steve is an educator, advisor, and community builder with decades of experience creating transformative learning environments. From elementary to higher ed, he has helped students and colleagues think critically and take purposeful risks. At Meraki, he brings a generative commitment to dignity, trust, and lifelong becoming.

Kate Lilienthal

Content and Narrative

Kate brings experience across publishing, technology, and global business communications. After a career in consumer tech, she founded Shanghai Family, China’s leading English-language consumer magazine, and later did content development and strategy for Fortune 500 companies and tech startups across Asia. At Meraki, she helps shape our narrative and storytelling, guiding our digital presence with sharp focus, clarity, and an intuitive understanding of how ideas resonate across audiences.

Andrea Tchinda Machedjou

Data Analyst

Metis Data Science Fellow shaping data analysis and visualization that turn complexity into insight. Andrea is currently an undergraduate at Harvard College pursuing a data science degree. When not working on Meraki or immersed in her studies, she serves as a manager for the formidable Harvard Women’s Basketball team and pursuing her deep interest in and passion for African development.

Lucy Inkster

Social Media

Lucy is a recent graduate of Middlebury College, where she earned her degree in political science. She recently completed a digital communications fellowship for Vermont Rep. Becca Balint and now serves as a Senior Account Executive at the strategic communications firm Bully Pulpit International.

At Meraki, she is committed to building a space where women can thrive with purpose.

Our Story

The definition and etymology of Meraki that anchor The Meraki Dignity Project were researched and written by Konstantina Lekka, born in 1947 in the mountain village of Vlahokerasia, Arcadia, and educated at the University of Athens. A lifelong teacher and scholar of classical Greek literature, she brings a deep understanding of language, history, and philosophy to her work. Her words remind us that Meraki is where creativity, soul, and love meet, and dignity takes gentle shape. She continues to share her wisdom through her writing and public lectures that celebrate Greece’s rich cultural heritage.

Read Dr. Lekka’s research here