Barbara: poet, holistic coach, and endurance runner currently in Minneapolis. A middle child of twelve from a small town in rural Western Massachusetts, Barbara connects with the need to speak up and stand out. Her writing tends to explore her growing relationship to herself and the ever-shifting world around her.

She spent time at the University of Minnesota completing her Master’s Degree in Integrative Health and Well-being Coaching. Before that, she graduated from Bentley University in Massachusetts with a B.A. in Marketing and English Creative Writing.

In 2019 she co-founded the Minneapolis-based culture blog, Not Quite Sunday, where her writing served as a bridge between the arts and wellbeing.

In her early professional life, Barbara was a Marketing Rep with Nike in NYC and then a Sales Manager for Skechers Performance.

After realizing she craved a deeper connection to life through her work and wanted to impact lives for the better — she followed a winding path away from Sales & Marketing and shifted into Health & Wellness. Since then, she has offered emotional wellbeing support via Speakeasy, integrative coaching for those with chronic pain through PACE, partnership with the YMCA, and coaching support for Minnesota Independence College and Community employees. She is now a Holistic Performance Coach with LT Mind.

Committed to health and well-being, she is an avid fitness enthusiast, completing eleven plus marathons, many Ragnars & adventure races,  and twice qualifying for the Boston Marathon. She has coached high school cross country athletes. Now, she is interested in ultra endurance events with many a 50k and beyond in her future.

A California friend recently described her as “Non Stop. Eclectic. Adventurous. And Spunky.”

Another, perhaps more truthful, friend from NYC described her as “Passionate. Purposeful. Pursuant. And Impulsive. F*ck, that’s a lot of P’s.”

Follow Barbara on Instagram @barbara.mary.powell