Erica Peng works with business leaders and social entrepreneurs as a leadership coach and faculty member at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business where she teaches her course “Interpersonal Skills and Embodied Systems Leadership.” An MBA student once referred to her as a “Freedom Fighter.” The heart of Erica’s work is helping people break free from unconscious reactivity and limiting beliefs that undermine collaboration and potential. The cornerstones of her approach are interpersonal and whole body somatic practices that disrupt unhelpful habits through neuroplasticity. 

She has worked with over 1500 leaders, MBA students, and CEOs, guiding them through her neuroscience-based methodology, Designed For Connection. Erica equips them with concrete skills and systems awareness for navigating the inner terrain of sustainability – how our automatic and unconscious fight-flight-freeze neurobiology supports – and sabotages – our energy, motivation, and capacity, to accomplish shared goals together in personal and professional lives and relationships. 

Erica’s current work applies neuroscience to understanding the emotional, physiological, and psychological impacts of on-going fire threat, including how our unconscious survival neurobiology prevents us from taking proactive steps towards preparing for fire and crisis. 

From 2002-2005 she designed and built her own strawbale home acting as General Contractor, with help from Janet Armstrong Johnston of StrongArm Construction and John Swearingen of Skillful Means design + build. Athena and Bill Steen were her earth/lime plaster mentors. Her home was on the first Build it Green Home Tour in 2005.