We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lorraine Berg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lorraine , appreciate you joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

There’s a myth that success happens in a straight line—that you start something, work hard, and eventually “arrive.”
 Grin and bear it. Make it happen. Take the risk. Figure it out. Burn the midnight oil. Sacrifice. Sound familiar?


We live in a “just do it” culture that celebrates hustle at the expense of human wellbeing, leaving sacrifice and burnout in its wake. These words have become so common they almost feel inevitable.

Human Centered Workplaces didn’t emerge from a single idea. 
It evolved from over two decades of leading teams, managing businesses, navigating global industries, and witnessing firsthand what works—and what quietly breaks—in leadership and workplace culture.
I didn’t just want to create another typical consulting firm. I wanted to solve the root issues leaders face: disconnection, misalignment, and wasted human potential.

One of the biggest patterns I witnessed—and personally experienced—was the consistent failure of plug-and-play, one-size-fits-all consulting models. These models often treat people and businesses as interchangeable units, offering surface-level advice or generic playbooks.
 But quick solutions without depth rarely lead to sustainable success.


Complex human systems require more than data points and standardized frameworks.
They require an understanding of the nuances of differentiation—how leaders are naturally designed to lead, how teams are wired to function, and how stakeholders—the most valuable asset of any business—must be engaged, supported, and truly understood.
 Without that perspective, implementation falters, team dynamics fracture, and leadership burnout escalates.

That’s why the science of differentiation became the foundation of Human Centered Workplaces—giving leaders and organizations an objective, measurable way to understand themselves, each other, and how to work together sustainably.

When it came to scaling HCW, the biggest shift wasn’t external—it was internal. 
I had to choose depth over speed. But perhaps most importantly, I had to connect with the right allies who could support the vision with clarity, care, and personal ownership. 
Having the right people in the right roles is the real magic in managing and scaling teams.

Scaling Human Centered Workplaces meant creating a new kind of ecosystem—one that honors individuality within collaborative work. 
It required deep respect for the uniqueness of each contributor, and a flexibility not often found in traditional business models. 
It was a risk, stepping away from conventional structures of “teamwork,” but it has become the single greatest support in HCW’s ability to scale intentionally.
 When people collaborate toward a shared vision while staying true to their own design, true synergy happens.

I focused on working directly with decision-makers and business owners, refining offerings based on real needs, not trends. HCW offer services that flex between one-on-one consulting, digital self-study, and collaborative leadership development pathways—designed to meet leaders exactly where they are, and equip them for what’s next.

I built Human Centered Workplaces the same way we consult our clients:
 Recognizing that every business, every leader, and every team is unique. No two are alike.
 This is a classic viewpoint that may resonate with you or not, depending on your level of experience, why some teams work really well, and others don’t. At HCW, these are the business insights you gain when you engage us.

What works for me is not what will work for another—because each leader has their own signature style.
 And that is the secret sauce: knowing your differentiation and leading from it. Every leader has their own style. Do you know yours?

The attention to detail, the care in understanding individual design, and the refusal to treat humans as interchangeable parts is what makes HCW a quiet revolution in the leadership and consulting industry.
There is no other system like the science of differentiation—because it’s not a traditional formula. It’s the future of leadership.

Today, Human Centered Workplaces offers personalized leadership analysis, skill development pathways, strategic consulting for teams, and practical insights designed for a rapidly changing world.
Growth is steady, intentional, and aligned with the original purpose:
To create workplaces where leaders and teams thrive through clarity, not chaos.
Know yourself. Know your allies. Lead with clarity and confidence.

Scaling has been less about “winning the race”—and more about building something worth sustaining, with the right allies by your side.
 Because at the heart of every business are the humans—the people—who power it to success.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Lorraine Berg—founder of Human Centered Workplaces, leadership strategist, business consultant, and builder of ecosystems where business owners and executives can thrive sustainably, not just survive.

Before I founded HCW, I lived the full spectrum of leadership firsthand.
I launched and scaled businesses. I led diverse teams across industries and countries.
I succeeded, I failed, I rebuilt.
Through it all, I learned that true leadership isn’t taught in a manual—and that the biggest gaps in business aren’t tactical—they’re human.

I saw a pattern across every success and every breakdown:
Most businesses don’t fail because they lack effort.
They fail because business owners and executives are disconnected from their own design—and from the people they rely on most.

That realization is what ultimately led me to create Human Centered Workplaces.
HCW is not a traditional consulting firm. It’s a new model built on the science of differentiation—helping business owners and executives understand how they are uniquely wired to succeed, make decisions, build teams, and scale consciously.

Today, Human Centered Workplaces offers:

High-touch 1:1 consulting for personalized leadership and business transformation
Team consulting and organizational alignment strategies based on real human dynamics
Self-study courses and professional development pathways to support every stage of growth
Skill competency development training for leaders and employees, strengthening the essential capabilities needed for sustainable workplace success
Signature group programs such as Master Leadership Distractions in the Workplace and Master Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace, addressing the unseen factors that silently erode team effectiveness
Whether through individualized consulting, dynamic group programs, or self-paced professional development, every offering is designed to meet leaders and organizations exactly where they are—and equip them for sustainable growth in a rapidly changing world.

What sets us apart is not just the depth of what we offer—it’s how we deliver it.
We don’t start with cookie-cutter strategies.
We start with the human blueprint—because when you lead from who you truly are, everything you build has a stronger foundation.

My own lived experience across decades of leadership doesn’t exist to teach others “my way.”
It exists to support the resonance, the trust, and the recognition that sustainable leadership is personal, not prescriptive.
At Human Centered Workplaces, consulting is about helping business owners and executives discover how they are naturally designed to lead and succeed—not fitting them into a predefined mold.
Because real leadership isn’t about imitation.
It’s about differentiation.

I’m most proud that HCW exists because of lived experience, not theory.
It was born from firsthand understanding of what leadership demands—and what traditional consulting often misses.
It exists because I know the exhaustion of leading alone.
Because I know the collapse that can come from trying to fit into systems not built for real humans.
And because I know the transformation that happens when leadership becomes an act of alignment, not just effort.

Human Centered Workplaces is for business owners and executives who are ready to build consciously.
For those who want resilience, not just short-term wins.
For those who understand that their greatest asset isn’t just strategy—it’s the people who bring that strategy to life.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

Yes, I have. It was the largest acquisition I’ve ever made—and one of the most defining experiences of my leadership journey.

Before the acquisition, I had already built a long-standing career as an entrepreneur. I had launched businesses, led teams, and navigated the real complexities of growth, leadership, and sustainability.
When the opportunity came to purchase a well-established business with 28 employees in the retail and service industry, I saw its potential immediately. I bought the company with a clear vision: to modernize operations, strengthen the team, and significantly grow its market presence.

Over the next five years, we did exactly that.
We improved revenue by 300%, expanded our service offerings, and built a brand reputation that earned national recognition—including being named one of the Top 200 businesses in North America.

The acquisition process itself was intense.
It required detailed due diligence, strategic restructuring, cultural leadership, and long-term vision—not just short-term financial wins. I took on not just a business, but a legacy—and that responsibility shaped every decision I made.

Then, in 2020, COVID-19 changed everything.
Like many service-based businesses, we were hit hard by circumstances no strategic plan could have fully anticipated. Despite pivoting, adapting, and exhausting every available option, the prolonged economic impact was overwhelming. I made the difficult decision to close the business and file for bankruptcy—a decision I faced head-on with clarity, grace, and leadership.

And I don’t view that chapter as a failure.
You can have all the experience, all the plans, and all the right strategies—but sometimes, life delivers circumstances beyond your control.
For me, the bankruptcy became a badge of honor—a testament to taking the risk, leading with integrity through adversity, and exiting with as much care as I led during growth.

I learned profound lessons through that process—lessons many leaders never get to face firsthand, including how to exit a business when conditions are at their worst.
While I hope none of my clients ever have to experience that, it’s one more layer of lived wisdom I now bring to my consulting work:
Understanding not only how to enter and scale a business consciously—but also how to prepare for the realities of leadership across the full business lifecycle.

Having lived both the growth and exit sides of business, I guide leaders not just in building success—but in building resilience for whatever the future may hold.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the most defining experiences of my leadership journey came when I was managing teams across multiple geographical locations, each shaped by different cultural influences, operational styles, and expectations.

At the time, I was leading projects that spanned across states and countries, balancing not only time zones and logistics, but the more subtle dynamics of communication, leadership expectations, and workplace culture. What motivated one team wouldn’t necessarily motivate another. What built trust in one environment could create distance in another.

Instead of imposing a single leadership style, I took the opposite approach:
I listened. I adapted. I made it a priority to understand the human dynamics first, before moving into systems and strategies.

There were times it required deep patience—navigating language differences, honoring different cultural definitions of “success,” and balancing varied paces of decision-making.
There were moments where efficiency had to take a back seat to trust-building, and moments where I had to stand firm in direction while still honoring individual autonomy.

Through it all, resilience wasn’t about pushing harder.
It was about holding steady—leading with grace, flexibility, and a clear vision that could adapt without losing integrity.
It was about knowing when to act, when to hold space, and when to empower others to rise in their own way.

What emerged from those experiences were stronger, more resilient teams.
Teams that could move through challenges with trust.
Teams that felt seen and respected—not managed into compliance, but led into collaboration.

That experience deeply shaped how I lead today and how Human Centered Workplaces was ultimately built.
True resilience, I learned, isn’t about rigidity.
It’s about clarity, compassion, and the strength to lead people—not just processes—through complexity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.humancenteredworkplaces.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humancenteredworkplaces/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@HumanCenteredWorkplaces