You can't train your way out of a leadership gap.
You have to see it first.

Most leadership problems aren’t skill problems, they’re awareness problems. I teach leaders to see the gap, then the training finally sticks.

I learned it the hard way, after it cost me my own 25-year career.

Poor leadership costs U.S. companies

$1 trillion annually.

Bernadette Boas helps organizations stop the bleed.

77% of organizations report a critical leadership gap.
The organizations that close that gap don't do it with training programs,
they do it with the right coach.

Hi, I’m Bernadette Boas

I spent nearly a decade as a Vice President at Teradata, leading global teams, driving strategic initiatives, and delivering the kind of results that earn you a corner office and a seat at the table.

And then my mentor of 12 years handed me a pink slip.

Not because I wasn’t performing. Because I wasn’t leading.

I had spent 25 years confusing the two. I drove results through fear, I mistook control for standards, and I had absolutely no idea how my people experienced me, because nobody around me had ever told me the truth.

I was producing output and destroying trust at the same time, and I couldn’t see it.

But others certainly felt it.

That parking lot moment was the most humbling and most clarifying experience of my life.

It also became the foundation of everything I now do.

For the past 16 years, I’ve coached 400+ executives, managers, and HR leaders across Fortune 500 companies and high-growth organizations in technology, manufacturing, retail, financial services, and beyond.

I’ve worked with leaders at every level from emerging managers to sitting C-suite executives, and the pattern I see is almost always the same: it’s never a skills problem. It’s a leadership awareness problem.

I wrote about it in my book, Shedding the Corporate Bitch. I talk about it every week on my podcast of the same name. And I solve it every day with my clients.

If your organization’s leadership bench isn’t performing the way the business needs it to, I know exactly why, and I know exactly how to fix it. Because I’ve been on both sides of that problem.

Let’s talk.

→ DOWNLOAD a Free Leadership Gap Diagnostic

“Powerhouse leaders uniquely use their power of self-Awareness to ignite the strength, purpose, and success of those around them.”

–BERNADETTE BOAS

WHO WE SUPPORT

For Individual Leaders

You were promoted because of your results. Now you're leading people, and the skills that got you here aren't the ones that will get you to the next level. That gap has a name, and it's fixable. → Show Me How to Be a Powerhouse Leader

For Team Leaders

Your managers have the talent. What's missing is the development infrastructure, communication skills, and emotional intelligence to turn them into high-performing leaders and teams that drive consistent business results. → Build My High-Performing Teams

For HR
and Talent Leaders

Your organization needs a scalable leadership development operating system not another one-off training event. Let's build the infrastructure that develops, retains, and advances your people at every level. → Develop My Leadership Pipeline

For Event Planners and Leadership Conferences

Looking for a keynote speaker who brings 25 years of corporate executive experience and a story your audience won't forget? → Book Bernadette to Speak

Testimonials

I engaged Bernadette Boas to work with our leadership teams and emerging leaders as we navigated a range of challenges across our business; leadership capability gaps, communication breakdowns, cultural friction, and low engagement. What I didn't anticipate was how quickly Bernadette identified the true barriers holding our leaders back. She doesn't coach at a surface level; she goes deeper, building self-awareness and reshaping leadership behaviors that ultimately drive performance, alignment and culture. Throughout the engagements, I saw tangible change; leaders communicating more effectively, teams becoming better aligned, and managers stepping up with greater confidence and accountability. The impact extended well beyond coaching sessions; it showed up in how our teams operated day by day. She connects effortlessly at every level, brings more than 25 years of corporate experience, and holds people accountable while ensuring they feel genuinely supported. If you organization is serious about closing leadership gaps and developing leaders who deliver real, sustained results, Bernadette is exactly the partner you want by your side.

Sharon Noble SVP Global Human Resources at Huber Engineered Materials

I had the privilege of partnering with Bernadette for many years in my organization before engaging her as my own executive coach. Through that time she supported our teams in so many meaningful ways, from team building and leadership development to prioritization skill building and DISC workshops. When it came time to invest in my own coaching, there was no question who I wanted in my corner. When I stepped into my HR Director role in 2022, I was intentional about surrounding myself with the right people and resources to grow. Bernadette brought a level of insight, honesty, and expertise that challenged me to evaluate every dimension of my leadership and sharpen the skills I already had, from executive presence and strategic focus to navigating complex M&A activity. Most importantly, she helped me build on the confidence I already had and take it to a level that elevated everything else about how I showed up as a leader. The results spoke for themselves. My managers recognized how seamlessly I transitioned into the Director level, with one noting that many leaders struggle with that kind of step change. That recognition was a direct reflection of the work we did together.

Jessica CheekGlobal HR Executive, Huber Engineered Materials

"Participants started implementing the same day." - We engaged Bernadette for a Mindset Hacks for Success presentation. Her personal success story was honest, funny and resonated with many. As a follow-up, she prepared a Mindset Hacks summary with additional tips…and the survey results from the session were great. Most of the comments were how the participants started journaling for the first time the day of the session or shortly thereafter. We were very happy with the session.

Ann ClaesonManhattan Associates

"The difference is noticeable to everyone around me." - I have worked with Bernadette as my coach since 2016, primarily focused on my communication style and decision making, as well, as a sounding board on key situations, and more. The difference she has made is not only noticeable to those around me, but also to how I feel about myself and the improved results I see when speaking, and more importantly, responding and sharing information with others. Bernadette not only provides great tips and techniques, but also shares a great deal of wisdom about how to view conversations and situations. She truly knows how to dispel the bitches of fear and doubt and encourages you to climb those deep steps towards the riches of courage and confidence.

Dorothy O'MaraPfizer

Bernadette is “the ultimate expert on business coaching, leadership, and motivational speaking. I learn a lot every time I hear her speak and her in-depth knowledge and techniques for dealing with issues with your business or your employees work - take advantage of what she teaches you!

Deidra CunninghamIKEA

"She brought structure." - After being in Bernadette’s online group for a while and having the chance to talk to her in person several times, I finally took the leap to work with her 1:1. Bernadette Boas is such a truly caring person and coach! Every session with her brought me so much clarity as she was able to bring structure into my completely creative working mind. I started understanding why things in my business were working or not working, and I also became aware of many of my mindset blocks which I was not able to see before. Thank you, Bernadette.

Vreni RenggliVreni Renggli Art

Find Out Exactly Where Your Leadership Gap Is Costing You… FREE HERE

Most leaders don’t have a performance problem. They have an awareness problem. And it is costing their organization in ways that don’t show up on a spreadsheet until it is too late.

This free 25-question diagnostic was built from 18 years of executive coaching and 400+ leaders transformed. It takes 10 minutes and will show you exactly where your leadership gap is, what it is costing you, and what tier of leader you are operating at right now. Download it FREE. Complete it honestly. Then decide what you want to do about what you find.

1. Self-Awareness Do you know how your leadership is actually experienced by the people around you?

2. Communication and Trust Are the people you lead clear on what you expect, confident you will address their needs, and willing to tell you the truth?

3. Team Performance and Retention Are your highest performers more engaged today than they were a year ago?

4. Executive Presence and Influence Do others see you as a strategic voice worth including?

5. Accountability and Results Do you own your outcomes completely, model the standard, and lead in a way that makes accountability a shared commitment not a top-down demand?

Ball of Fire Coaching Programs are designed to Develop the Bench of Leaders You Need for the Future…

The hidden costs of Leadership Gaps

All of this amounts to STRESS, BURNOUT, TOXIC ENVIORNMENTS, and INCREASED TURNOVER.

Let me meet you where you are and guide you to where you want to go!

→ Download a Free Leadership Gap Diagnostic