From Psychologist to Executive Coach: Bill Berman’s Nonlinear Career Path

At Berman Leadership, we believe that the best executive coaches are those who’ve lived the complexity of leadership themselves. That’s exactly what sets our Founder and CEO, Dr. Bill Berman, apart.

Bill’s journey to executive coaching wasn’t a straight line—it was a strategic evolution shaped by decades of experience across psychology, academia, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership. Today, that diverse background is what makes him a powerful thought partner for senior leaders navigating their own turning points.

“I’ve had three and a half careers,” Bill shared recently on the Human Wise podcast. “Each one gave me a different lens for understanding people, systems, and business.”

His first career began in clinical psychology, working in community mental health centers and hospitals. From there, he became a tenured academic at Fordham University, conducting research, teaching, and overseeing clinical training. But in the early 1990s, Bill made a bold pivot: he co-founded a healthcare consulting firm that eventually transformed into a software company. As the business grew, he left academia to run the company full-time—ultimately selling it in 2000 and continuing on as a professional services leader with full P&L responsibility.

By 2004, after guiding teams through growth, change, and industry shifts, Bill turned his attention to the next chapter: executive coaching. It was a natural fit.

“I had a coach who helped me see that executive coaching combined everything I loved—psychology, strategy, leadership, and impact,” he said.

Bill’s nontraditional path isn’t an exception—it’s a model for what modern leadership looks like: adaptive, curious, and layered. It also reflects how Berman Leadership approaches its work. We don’t believe in generic coaching. We bring a psychology-based, business-savvy perspective to every engagement, tailored to the complexity of each leader’s world.

Wait, what about the half-career? Before becoming a psychologist, Bill almost became a professional chef. And it was here he first learned about high-performing teams.

“In well functioning restaurants, the staff in the kitchen, and the kitchen and front-of-house staff, all have to work together seamlessly. At our restaurant, our chef de cuisine built a team that ran like a clock. I didn’t know it at the time, but it set the standard for me for how teams should operate.”

Today, Bill leads a team of coaches and consultants who help C-suite executives bring clarity, confidence, and commercial impact to their roles. His lived experience informs every conversation—whether he’s helping a leader rethink their strategy, navigate organizational politics, or rediscover their purpose.

“The richness of my path helps me challenge leaders to consider possibilities they might not have imagined,” Bill says.

At a time when leadership is more complex—and more human—than ever before, Bill’s journey reminds us that the best guides are the ones who’ve walked many paths themselves.

Read more about our coaching approach and how it helps leaders thrive at every stage of their career: https://bermanleadership.com/our-approach