Coaching is in Eric Severson’s DNA. His journey as a coach began at just sixteen, on the small horse farm where he grew up in Pennsylvania. As a young equestrian himself, Eric discovered that teaching others to ride was about far more than balance and reins—it was about cultivating discipline, grit, self-awareness, and the courage to keep getting back on the horse after a fall. Coaching those young riders gave him joy, but it also sharpened these traits within himself. From the barn to the boardroom, that early lesson has guided Eric’s life: coaching is both a gift to others and a path to personal growth.

That passion for helping others achieve their potential continued through college. To help pay tuition, Eric continued to coach riders and then, during graduate school, he began teaching writing at Arizona State University. In the classroom and in office hours, he quickly became known for his ability to support students who struggled, guiding them to breakthroughs in both skill and confidence. He discovered that he loved not just teaching content, but coaching people through the challenges that held them back.

Yet Eric also learned a difficult truth: a writing instructor’s paycheck did not cover the cost of his student loans. Necessity pushed him toward a new field, but purpose kept him there. Human Resources became his new arena for coaching, leadership, and innovation. Over the next three decades, Eric built a career focused on making work more humane and effective. He designed pioneering work-from-home programs before they were commonplace, introduced systems to interrupt bias in hiring and promotion, and created performance management practices rooted in neuroscience and Growth Mindset. Each initiative was designed to unlock potential—not just for individuals, but for entire organizations.

Still, the moments that meant the most to Eric were never about policies or programs. They were about people. He found his deepest fulfillment in coaching leaders one-on-one—assisting them to achieve clarity, conquer inner barriers, and unlock new possibilities for themselves and their teams. For Eric, the ripple effect of that work has always been the ultimate reward. To know that a leader he coached now inspires, supports, and uplifts hundreds—or even hundreds of thousands—of people is, for him, the most meaningful measure of success.

Eric brings to his coaching practice a unique blend of executive experience, technical expertise, and human insight. He is a three-time Chief People Officer and Hudson Institute-certified Executive Coach with over 30 years of experience at some of the world’s most respected organizations. Most recently, he served as Chief People, ESG & Belonging Officer at Neiman Marcus Group, where he helped lead the company through a successful transformation and monetization, in part by establishing a world-class in-house coaching consultancy. Before that, he was Chief People Officer at DaVita Inc. and Co-CHRO at Gap Inc. He began his career in HR and operations leadership at Macy’s.

Eric’s influence extends well beyond the companies he has served. In 2014, he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (NACIE), advising the federal government on policies to spur growth and innovation. His board service reflects a commitment to bridging sectors—corporate, non-profit, and public alike. He has served as a Director on the boards of HR People + Strategy; the Society for Human Resource Management Executive Council; The Felton Institute; La Napoule Art Foundation Advisory Board; and the IM Human Advisory Board.

As a thought leader, Eric has shaped conversations about coaching, the future of work, belonging, and leadership across multiple platforms. His insights have been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Business of Fashion, Women’s Wear Daily, HR Magazine, HR Executive Magazine, and People + Strategy Journal. His work has been featured in several books, including Choosing Greatness, Future Work, The Diversity Advantage, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It, and Pull: The Power of Magnetic Leadership. His voice has reached global audiences through podcasts such as Living Corporate, Purpose at Work, Talent Talk, We’re All In This Together, Pop Health, and Next Wave Leadership.

Eric’s academic foundation—a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in English from Arizona State University—still informs his work today. His training as a writer deepened his ability to listen closely, frame powerful questions, and help leaders rewrite their own narratives of possibility and growth.  As a current faculty member at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Eric teaches People Strategy as part of the Chief Human Resources Officer Executive Development Program.

At the heart of Eric Severson’s story is a simple but profound belief: coaching changes lives, and leaders who grow through coaching change the world. From the farm in Pennsylvania to the C-suites of global companies, Eric has remained committed to one mission—helping people discover the best in themselves so they can bring out the best in others.