Our Team

We are proud to be a diverse team, rooted in the skills, values and solid working relationships of family members and trusted colleagues who have worked with us over these last six years. Networking and relationship building has brought us our team members and created a strong bond among members of our advisory network, whose story you'll find after we introduce our team members.

Meet Our Team Members

Managing Partner Susan Berg founded The Choose on Purpose Institute in 2008. She is the author of Choose on Purpose for Twentysomethings and the inspiration for our coaching and advising success. She manages research, the coaching and advising services, and writes articles for Choose on Purpose users on the website and in her blog. She is currently working on two new books—a guide for parents and a guide for employers and teammates working with twentysomethings. Connect with her at susan.berg@chooseonpurpose.com.

Chief Outreach Partner Kirstin Berg assisted in early research and organized focus groups for Choose on Purpose. Today she reaches out to new and current users, and serves as our media and news liaison as well as our marketing director. She also joins Susan occasionally in speaking engagements, balancing her mother's role as mentor and advisor with the perspective of the twentysomething in the thick of transition. Susan and Kirstin make a dynamic, fun, speaking duo by bringing real life dilemmas and humor to their audiences. Kirstin has a B.A. in sociology and political science from Dickinson College, and more than five years experience working in such diverse roles as health care consulting, interning on the Hill for her Congressman, and head coach for a youth swim team. Kirstin, a lifelong competitive swimmer, also volunteers with her college alumni organization and serves as "networking central" for her colleagues, sorority sisters, and friends. Connect with her at kirstin.berg@chooseonpurpose.com.

Chief Business Technologist Jim Berg makes the business tick. He provides the technical input and translates creative ideas into products and services for our users. Jim oversees our technology, our production and our finances. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, and has over twenty-five years experience as the connector between business and technology in companies ranging from defense contracting and pharmaceuticals, to health care and hospital patient records software. He is also actively involved in his community, through Rotary International, as a sports coach and referee, and in his church as an advisor to engaged couples. Connect with him at jim.berg@chooseonpurpose.com.

Chief Community Building Partner Sean McGowan is the creative force behind our major communication resources for users—the website, the blog, podcasts and videos. He makes sure our stuff stays down to earth, easy to get to, and relevant to what you need right now. An award winning ski racer and college lacrosse player, Sean graduated from Dickinson College with a B.A. in American Studies. He brings five plus years experience from the front lines, including customer service, and working at the hub of marketing, production and customer outreach for a sports equipment manufacturer. Sean volunteers as a youth lacrosse coach, and just launched a lacrosse alumni organization to promote networking and support among current and former college lacrosse players. Connect with him at sean.mcgowan@chooseonpurpose.com.

Erik Berg, Field Advisor is currently serving in the US Army. He provides insights into the world of military service and keeps us in touch with the challenges of people choosing this path to begin their lives. Erik is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Combat Engineer with the 10th Mountain Division. He enjoys the physical challenge of the service, bringing ten years of diverse athletic skills in sports ranging from soccer to crewing, and running to lacrosse.

Coaches and Advisors

Rounding out our team is a crew of experienced coaches and advisors who provide individualized coaching to twentysomethings, their parents and employers as requested.

In addition to our experienced, professional coaches, we are fortunate to have nourished a unique affiliation with our advisory network. Our success stems from the skills and passion of our advisors, the Group for Purposeful Solutions (our own special brand of GPS).

This dedicated crew helped cultivate the Choose on Purpose idea and provided much feedback along the way. They road tested it as readers, critics, and "coachees".

The team includes all kinds of people—from twentysomethings to fiftysomethings, career searchers to career builders, millennials to boomers, kids and parents, the shy and the assertive, the artistic and the analytical. They continue to serve as business advisors to the Choose on Purpose Institute, as well as mentors and peer-to-peer coaches.