Are You Telling the Truth?

Some people refuse to fit neatly into standard categories, and Dr. David J. Lieberman is one of them. He’s a PhD psychologist who doesn’t want do therapy full-time, a former business major who didn’t want to go into the business world, a polished public speaker who claims to be an introvert, a centrist-leaning baal teshuvah who chose to settle in Lakewood, and an author who abandoned big-name publishing houses and secular fame to publish Jewish books under his own imprint.

A mass of contradictions? Not really, if you know the twists and turns of his unusual career path, which have ranged from consulting for the FBI to constructing personality-based shidduch databases. By staying true to his own interests, adapting them as he veered into Torah Judaism, and applying a lot of savvy on how to market himself, he’s managed to construct a unique and idiosyncratic career, even make himself into a brand.

Many readers may recognize Dr. Lieberman as “Dr. Dave” from the self-help style video clips he does for kiruv website aish.com; he also pens a weekly column for the Jewish Press. Others may know him from his numerous self-help books, such as Real Power: Rise Above Your Nature and Stop Feeling Angry, Anxious or Insecure; Never Be Lied To Again; Get Anyone to Do Anything; Make Peace with Anyone; How to Change Anybody; You Can Read Anyone; and Find Out Who’s Normal and Who’s Not.

On video, he presents with a friendly smile but a focused energy. In person, he’s much more retiring and relaxed, looking young and fresh for his 46 years. While he claims to be a natural introvert — his twin brother, he says, is the extroverted one — today it takes just a few questions to coax him into loquaciousness.