Bernadette Boas | Executive Leadership Coach, Author, 25 Years Corporate Leadership · 400+ Leaders Developed
My Philosophy: Life is 80% mindset/20% skillset
but few talk about it, let alone work on it.
Bernadette spent nearly a decade as a Vice President at Teradata, a global Fortune 500 technology leader, where she led global teams, oversaw a 2,500-person professional services organization, drove one of the company’s top five strategic initiatives, and was designated among the company’s Top 100 Leaders.
She has spent the 16 years since coaching 400+ executives, managers, and HR leaders across retail, technology, financial services, manufacturing, and professional services; from emerging managers to C-suite executives.
Here’s her story:
I spent 25 years climbing the corporate ladder — working harder, delivering more, proving myself at every level. I had the title. The corner office. The track record.
And then my mentor of 12 years handed me a pink slip.
Standing in that parking lot, I wasn’t just devastated, I was blindsided. Because I genuinely didn’t understand what had gone wrong. I had produced results. I had hit every target. I had given that company everything I had.
What I hadn’t done was lead.
I had confused performance with leadership. I had confused output with influence. I had managed through fear, hidden my insecurities behind demanding behavior, and called it high standards. My employees feared me. My peers avoided me. And I had no idea because no one around me had ever told me the truth.
That moment cost me everything. And it gave me everything.
Because rebuilding from that experience; excavating who I really was, confronting what had held me back, and learning what it truly meant to lead, gave me a clarity and depth of understanding about leadership that no MBA or certification ever could.
For the past 16 years, I’ve dedicated my work to making sure other high-potential professionals never have to learn these lessons the hard way.
I know where you are. I know what’s holding you back. And I know exactly how to get you where you want to go.
After all, it wasn’t my inability to do my job or even produce significant results that got me canned.
It was my complete failure to trust my employees to do their job, treat others with compassion, empathy, and respect, and to consider the ideas and opinions of others.
All due to my crippling fear that my peers and bosses would see how insecure and intimidated I actually was. Those were my internal bitches that I needed to shed. We all have them, those insecurities, fears, self-doubts, and imposter syndrome that wreak havoc on our confidence and mindset.
They are also things I see in so many capable, high-potential professionals, and unless they are willing to discover, confront, and shed them, they will struggle to create and accelerate the goals they have for themselves.
And, that’s where I come in.
Today, I partner with HR leaders, executives, and corporate professionals to transform themselves, their teams, and the business, so everyone takes part in achieving massive success.
It's a win-win for everyone!
What clients consistently say about working with Bernadette:
- They realize measurable improvement in how they're perceived by their teams, peers, and senior leadership.
- Clearer communication style that builds trust rather than creating friction.
- Faster advancement and recognition with their organization.
- Teams that shifted from disengaged and reactive to aligned and high-performing.
- The ability to lead through difficulty and change without defaulting to fear-based management.
What you get when you partner with Bernadette
- 25 years of Fortune 500 executive experience brought directly into every coaching engagement, not theory, but lived corporate reality
- A proven diagnostic framework that identifies exactly what is holding a leader or team back and maps a clear path forward
- Direct, honest feedback that high-performing leaders rarely get from anyone around them, delivered with precision and without judgment
- Creativity in asking questions that guide clients to self-sufficiency
- 16 years coaching and skill training expertise resulting in powerful transformation and growth for individuals and teams
- A structured while flexible engagement with clear milestones, accountabilities, and measurable progress markers
- Current, relevant, and relatable dialogues impacting leaders right now.
- Deep familiarity with the organizational dynamics that make or break leadership effectiveness at the Director, VP, and C-suite level
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.
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.
My father always said
"Leave people and places better than you found them."
Those words drive me each and every day. 
Nothing gives me more pride and fulfillment than witnessing the aha moments and achievements of my clients. 