Erika Backberg
Social Impact Solutions Executive Leader, Advisor, & Coach
Erika is deeply curious about and committed to the well-being of humanity and our planet.
Her work lives at the intersection of well-being design strategy, social impact, leadership, and coaching— where vision meets reality, where strategy meets humanity, where the right idea finds its moment.
For over two decades, she’s moved between worlds—coaching leaders, designing systems, supporting teams through change. She’s been the strategist mapping the big picture and the hands-on collaborator bringing ideas to life, piece by piece.
Erika doesn’t believe in top-down leadership. Real transformation happens at the speed of trust—in rooms where people feel heard, in structures that hold complexity with care. Whether she’s supporting a founder through a pivotal shift, helping a team move from concept to execution, or quietly strengthening the unseen threads that make an organization whole—she’s there to build with, not over.
Some people lead with a power-over approach. Erika leads with presence, listening, decolonized data, and deep trust in the collective. She moves fluidly between leading and supporting, visioning and refining, holding space and making space. Whatever the moment calls for, her focus is the same: to custom-create the conditions for people to do their best, without burning out (burnout is a major component of the hegemonic status quo of our time).
If you’re tending to something meaningful, if you’re building something that needs care, if you’re moving through change and want to do it mindfully —
let’s build together!
On a more personal note…
Erika loves playing soccer, a good thunderstorm, and she’s physically run into Pierce Brosnan three times! Once in Hong Kong at a 007 movie premiere, on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, and on her honeymoon in Kauai.
Artistically, Backberg’s creativity and interpersonal wizardry have earned her accolades, including three short films screened at the Festival De Cannes, a Super Bowl commercial for CareerBuilder, and ‘Best Children's Educational Computer Content’ by Wildscreen for my interdisciplinary research in watershed education. Erika was named one of the Top 100 Creatives of the Twin Cities, coupled with her success as the founder and namesake designer of Erika Bee, an eco-ethical jewelry brand.
Spotlight Projects.
Select a logo below to explore the story behind the work and see how each project unfolded
These case studies highlight how Erika partners with public and private sector organizations to design strategies that advance meaningful social impact. Drawing on design research, community-centered design, and systems thinking, her work helps organizations clarify complex challenges and move bold ideas into action.
Each project represents a collaboration grounded in listening, experimentation, and thoughtful design.
