Meet Dr. Barbara Mark

Dr. Barbara Mark has a deeply held passion for working with women in the prime of their lives and has built a decades long career as an elite leadership, career and life strategies coach and advisor to senior executive women. She is a recognized expert on the psychology of women and is the leading authority on the midlife stages of adult development and how these stages impact a woman's career development and life choices. As a result, Barbara is a sought-after coach by women who are looking to make appropriate and actionable personal and professional decisions at critical stages of their lives and careers. Barbara has been brought into the confidence of hundreds of professional women seeking to maintain inner balance while facing diverse external demands, personal ambition, and the desire to feel satisfied and fulfilled personally and professionally. She has worked with women across all industries from small-business to Fortune 100 companies as well as non-profits and has supported their success in the constantly changing landscape for professional women.
Determined to see more women at leadership tables, Dr. Barbara Mark chose to use her clinical psychology training to support the continuing development of leadership skills and resilience in executive women. She uses her insights into human thought and behavior along with her decades of working with women in various settings across industries to listen, guide, support and cajole them to clarity and decisive action as well as fulfillment and deep satisfaction. "Today's environment requires that we work together for the betterment of all. Leadership in the 21st Century requires an awareness of social impact in the areas of gender equality, diversity and inclusion, racial equality, anti-ageism and anti-racism. Women naturally bring skills to the table that are invaluable on the current global playing field. Life serves up many changes, opportunities, and challenges; my goal is to help and inspire women to face them with courage, passion, grit, wisdom, and grace."
"On a personal note: My work, my education, and my personal experiences that have brought me to this point in my life and career are deeply rooted in mindfulness, positive psychology and neuroscience as well as solid business/leadership frameworks. I work from a foundation of love and a respect for who you are and how you want to express yourself in the world as a mature and wise woman. To work with me is to take a deep dive into your experience and rise to the surface with clarity and appreciation for all that you are and all that you bring to the world. I want you to surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.”
Dr. Barbara Mark completed her masters in Humanistic Psychology with a focus in adult development and the psychology of women and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a focus in human potential and leadership. She is also certified in meditation instruction, stress management, and Interactive Guided Imagery - a process of creating change through visualization and focused attention.
Barbara continues her professional training and personal development on a regular basis to stay current with local and global trends in leadership as well as staying at the top of her own game. Her areas of particular interest are neuroscience, happiness research, positive psychology, emotional intelligence and social impact. As a result she remains a thought-leader in the areas of personal and professional development, and leadership.
Barbara is a past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (2007-2011 president). She is a past-president of the International Association of Coaching, one of the two international certifying organizations for professional coaches (2003-2006). As the organization's 2nd president, her work was foundational and influential in the development of the coaching profession. Barbara also spearheaded the IAC's development of their globally-informed certification criteria. She has served as a president of SFCoaches, the local chapter of the International Coach Federation; the president of Imagery International (the professional organization for practitioners of Interactive Guided Imagery); the vice-president of The Friends of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, on the board of the Women’s Global Leadership Initiative and on the advisory board of AnnieCannons.
Dr. Barbara Mark is the recipient of the "2010 History Maker - Most Powerful Women of the Bay" Award, the 2011 National Association of Women Business Owners Business Woman of the Year Award, the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to The Advancement of Coaching in 2017 which has only been given to two recipients in the history of the organization, the 2019 Bay Area Powerful Women Award, and is a frequent keynote speaker.
These days, Barbara fulfills her professional and personal passion and calling by working with a small number of individual clients who are in mid to late career and are feeling their own urge toward living a health and happy life of deep meaning and personal fulfillment. Barbara is lit from within by a fire that burns brightly with her passion to pass that light along to other women.
Dr. Barbara Mark is also developing programs to bring Menopause Awareness into corporate and professional settings. She is educating leadership and helping them to develop a Menopause Policy so that women going through this time in their lives are supported rather than misunderstood and potentially suffer career derailment as a result of the symptoms of menopause.
She lives in San Francisco, California with her (rock and roll!) musician husband and their idiosyncratic cats. In addition to her work, Barbara loves reading, photography, fresh-baked croissants and morning walks.
Determined to see more women at leadership tables, Dr. Barbara Mark chose to use her clinical psychology training to support the continuing development of leadership skills and resilience in executive women. She uses her insights into human thought and behavior along with her decades of working with women in various settings across industries to listen, guide, support and cajole them to clarity and decisive action as well as fulfillment and deep satisfaction. "Today's environment requires that we work together for the betterment of all. Leadership in the 21st Century requires an awareness of social impact in the areas of gender equality, diversity and inclusion, racial equality, anti-ageism and anti-racism. Women naturally bring skills to the table that are invaluable on the current global playing field. Life serves up many changes, opportunities, and challenges; my goal is to help and inspire women to face them with courage, passion, grit, wisdom, and grace."
"On a personal note: My work, my education, and my personal experiences that have brought me to this point in my life and career are deeply rooted in mindfulness, positive psychology and neuroscience as well as solid business/leadership frameworks. I work from a foundation of love and a respect for who you are and how you want to express yourself in the world as a mature and wise woman. To work with me is to take a deep dive into your experience and rise to the surface with clarity and appreciation for all that you are and all that you bring to the world. I want you to surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.”
Dr. Barbara Mark completed her masters in Humanistic Psychology with a focus in adult development and the psychology of women and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a focus in human potential and leadership. She is also certified in meditation instruction, stress management, and Interactive Guided Imagery - a process of creating change through visualization and focused attention.
Barbara continues her professional training and personal development on a regular basis to stay current with local and global trends in leadership as well as staying at the top of her own game. Her areas of particular interest are neuroscience, happiness research, positive psychology, emotional intelligence and social impact. As a result she remains a thought-leader in the areas of personal and professional development, and leadership.
Barbara is a past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (2007-2011 president). She is a past-president of the International Association of Coaching, one of the two international certifying organizations for professional coaches (2003-2006). As the organization's 2nd president, her work was foundational and influential in the development of the coaching profession. Barbara also spearheaded the IAC's development of their globally-informed certification criteria. She has served as a president of SFCoaches, the local chapter of the International Coach Federation; the president of Imagery International (the professional organization for practitioners of Interactive Guided Imagery); the vice-president of The Friends of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, on the board of the Women’s Global Leadership Initiative and on the advisory board of AnnieCannons.
Dr. Barbara Mark is the recipient of the "2010 History Maker - Most Powerful Women of the Bay" Award, the 2011 National Association of Women Business Owners Business Woman of the Year Award, the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to The Advancement of Coaching in 2017 which has only been given to two recipients in the history of the organization, the 2019 Bay Area Powerful Women Award, and is a frequent keynote speaker.
These days, Barbara fulfills her professional and personal passion and calling by working with a small number of individual clients who are in mid to late career and are feeling their own urge toward living a health and happy life of deep meaning and personal fulfillment. Barbara is lit from within by a fire that burns brightly with her passion to pass that light along to other women.
Dr. Barbara Mark is also developing programs to bring Menopause Awareness into corporate and professional settings. She is educating leadership and helping them to develop a Menopause Policy so that women going through this time in their lives are supported rather than misunderstood and potentially suffer career derailment as a result of the symptoms of menopause.
She lives in San Francisco, California with her (rock and roll!) musician husband and their idiosyncratic cats. In addition to her work, Barbara loves reading, photography, fresh-baked croissants and morning walks.