in both business and education.
award winner
and
guest panelist
Speaker
author
Amazon best-selling
writer
barb is a:
Barb’s first book, I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body Have Always Wanted (having been cremated) hit number one status on AMAZON in just a few hours! She‘s been interviewed on CBC Radio and TV, numerous media, and a recent expert panelist for the Edmonton Opera’s Bluebeard’s Castle opera: A love story shadowed by dementia.
Barb plans to write more books and advocate for humanizing care for the growing number of Canadians diagnosed with dementia. She wants to spread awareness by raising her voice and compelling policymakers at every level of government to produce real change for the Alzheimer’s community. (She knows her mom is getting the cream pies ready!)
Barb's First Book
She wants to get her master’s degree, read more books, and maybe even learn how to take naps.
Oh, and...
Barb and Gord live in Peace River, Alberta where their four children: Annie, Emma, Harrison, and Clark also live.
Family
Barb and her husband, Gord, won the Premier’s Council Award for Employment Excellence with provincial recognition. They’ve demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in making positive changes that create inclusive, barrier-free communities where persons with disabilities can fully participate.
Awards
She holds certificates in cutting-edge techniques and programs that strengthen brain function for people with cognitive weaknesses, trauma, and those suffering from memory issues. Barb is certified as an SOI Practitioner and an IPP (Integrated Program Protocol) Specialist as well as a TLP (The Listening Program) Provider.
Education
When Barb isn’t taking online courses, writing, or researching Down syndrome or Alzheimer’s —she’s working with her husband to run their four Tim Hortons restaurants and an office complex. Barb is also a Board Director for the Canadian Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.
Tim Hortons
More about Barb
A wonderful friend once told me that “each word has to earn its keep” … that stuck with me! Whether I’m writing about Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome, family, a book review, or the absurdity of moments in my life, I want every word to matter—to make someone laugh, think, or feel.
That’s why storytelling is essential. Because words…the right words, told in the right way, don’t just entertain us—they change us—forever.
For me, storytelling is about honesty—with all its humour, heartbreak, and imperfections. I believe the most powerful stories are the real ones, the ones that make us laugh through our tears and remind us that even in life’s messiest moments, there is beauty. Sometimes my stories are silly, sometimes they’re sad, and sometimes they’re downright nonsensical—but isn’t that the point? Dr. Seuss got it right, and he wrote gibberish! Stories don’t have to be serious to be meaningful. They just have to make us feel something.
Stories show us who we are and who we can become. So many stories, so little time.
Stories shape us. They teach, inspire, challenge, and connect us. Long before history was written down, stories passed from one generation to the next, carrying our lessons, our values, and our understanding of the world. They make us feel—joy, sorrow, laughter, empathy—bridging the gap between strangers and reminding us of our shared humanity.
A powerful story can shift perspectives, spark movements, spread hope, and create change. It can make us question what we thought we knew or give voice to experiences that might otherwise go unheard. Stories help us find meaning in chaos, hope in anguish, and courage in uncertainty.
