Check Out BARBARA WAINWRIGHT’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to BARBARA WAINWRIGHT.

Hi BARBARA, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Many years ago, before I began my coaching career, I was searching for something fulfilling—something that made a difference in the world.

I’m primarily a California girl. However, at age seventeen, my family moved to England for my father’s work. I attended North Gloucester College of Technology, where I studied computer programming. I met my first husband there, and by the time I was nineteen, we had our first baby girl.

At twenty-one, my husband, daughter, and I left England to start a new life in California so we could be close to my family. Not long after we arrived, I began working as a computer operator and soon became pregnant with my son. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out in my marriage, and we divorced nine months after my son was born. This was my first experience as a single parent with two children and a full-time job as a computer programmer.

Eleven years after my first divorce, I remarried and had two more children. During this time, I continued working in the software and technology industry. That marriage also failed, and that was when I took a deep dive into understanding people—behaviors, belief systems, psychology, and the effects that trauma can have on a person’s psyche. I was desperate to stop feeling “less than” and to find a loving, supportive relationship with a significant other.

I earned certifications in Crystal Healing, Pranic Healing, Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and Intuitive Channeling. I became a Certified Spiritual Counselor. I read personal development books by M. Scott Peck, Patricia Evans, Melody Beattie, Sylvia Browne, Gay Hendricks, Eckhart Tolle, Jane Roberts, and other esteemed authors. I also attended meditation classes at Long Beach State University with Dr. Martin Feibert. The meditations were long and intense and opened a strong field of energy that I have carried with me ever since.

I had a voracious appetite for learning about life and people. I joined a twelve-step group called Codependents Anonymous and attended meetings for many years. It took me three years to find a sponsor, but when I did, I worked the steps and found the process deeply healing. I began to understand people and how they think. I learned to listen and observe—to pay attention to what people say and then watch to see whether they do what they say. I discovered that integrity is revealed in one’s consistency of word and action. Are they true to their word?

During this time, I earned a living as a consultant, supporting my children by designing and developing software for various companies. As I grew spiritually and learned more about human behavior, a yearning began to stir in my heart and soul. I knew there was something else I was meant to do besides designing systems and writing code, but I couldn’t yet put my finger on it.

One day, while sitting at my computer, I stumbled upon a website describing life coaching. Immediately, something within me said yes. I checked in with my inner guidance and prayed about it. The message I received was a resounding “Yes.” With confirmation that this was my divine path and purpose, I jumped into the coaching industry wholeheartedly. I booked a flight to Canada and began my coach training.

I fell in love with coaching. However, within a few years, I realized that most coach certification programs were too expensive for the average person. Furthermore, the training requirements seemed unnecessarily drawn out, focused more on hours attended than on a person’s actual ability to coach. That didn’t make sense to me. My analytical nature as a programmer pushed me to find a better, more efficient way.

Over time, I designed a step-by-step system of coaching that could be used in any coaching niche and taught in only sixteen hours. I also developed an easy, proven method for obtaining clients.

Fast-forward to today: I now run Wainwright Global Institute of Professional Coaching (WGI). Through my company, we have certified well over 6,000 professional coaches. An independent researcher from Seattle, Washington, followed WGI graduates for several years and created case studies showing that our coaching system produces measurable transformation for clients. Subsequently, the WGI curriculum was accredited by the American Association of Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB) through the Business Program at Seattle Pacific University. A graduate-level leadership course at Seattle Pacific adopted my coaching curriculum to train leaders and executives at Boeing in coaching as a key leadership skill. Coaching is now widely recognized as an integral part of leadership and management. Employees who have coaches are more engaged, more productive, and tend to stay longer in their jobs.

After several years of leading WGI, I realized that my own life needed adjustment. I had been working long hours while also raising my children and taking them to school and their extracurricular activities. My days were long and exhausting. I decided to cut back my business hours and start taking some “me” time—a decision that proved invaluable.

To reduce my hours, I scaled back advertising, which is time-consuming to create, place, and monitor. For the past ten years, my company has been sustained primarily through referrals, and I am profoundly grateful for every one of them.

As a single parent and CEO, I hadn’t made time to pursue a relationship—I was married to my work. When I finally created space for myself, I became open and willing to explore love again. I tried a few dating apps, but I never went on a second date. It just didn’t feel like the right timing.

Eventually, my children grew up and moved out. I had never lived alone and didn’t particularly want to. When I sold my house, I decided to move into a room-share in a mansion—it seemed like an adventure! Around that time, I made a declaration: “God, I am now ready for my happily-ever-after relationship.” That was it. I didn’t complicate the prayer with conditions or parameters. God knew my heart, my mind, and my soul.

Six months later, the landlord asked me to meet a potential new tenant. I thought it was unusual—I didn’t know I had any say in choosing new roommates. But I went upstairs to meet him. I don’t remember if anyone else was in the room; all I remember is that when we looked into each other’s eyes and said hello, something shifted. We were immediately drawn to each other.

Thirty days later, we were a committed couple—and our lives just keep getting better. We both feel deeply grateful and blessed that we met that fateful day.

That brings us to the present.

Since 2020, I have hosted the podcast The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and Barbara. The show has nearly one million downloads and has recently been picked up by a radio station.

There are four coaching anthology books I’ve contributed to and published, available on Amazon. For years, people told me I should write a book, but I didn’t think I had one in me. Eventually, I decided that if I couldn’t write a whole book, I could at least write a chapter! In the past few years, however, I have made time to work on a book about spirituality. The title is The Six Stages of Spiritual Awakening, with chapters including “Awakening: Becoming Conscious,” “Searching for Truth”, “Testing the Truths,” “Practicing the Principles,” “Surrendering Your Will to God” and “Sharing Newfound Beliefs and Divine Gifts.” The book will be available on Amazon by December 1st, 2025

My life experiences have shaped the person I am today. I love my life and the beloved people who surround me. I feel blessed beyond measure and deeply grateful for everything that has happened—the good, the bad, the painful, the amazing, and the miraculous.

I believe that by sharing our strengths and our weaknesses, we help one another recognize that we are all connected. We each face experiences that shake our world and awaken us to the truth that we are invincible spirits having a temporary human experience. Our egos are easily threatened by almost anything. Yet, when we learn to quiet the ego, we can fully embrace this human experience for the beautiful gift it is. In the grand scheme of things, our time here is just a blink of an eye.

You are a beloved child of God, and your divine purpose is meant to be shared with the world. If you are not living a life you love—fulfilling your purpose here and now—I ask you: Why not? What is stopping you? When will you give yourself permission to do what you are called to do? If not now, when?

May God bless you in miraculous ways.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Barbara Wainwright is a Certified Master Coach, entrepreneur, author, and host of the popular podcast The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment with Gilda and Barbara, which has reached nearly one million downloads.

A lifelong seeker, Barbara’s journey from software developer to spiritual teacher began with a deep desire to live a life of purpose. Originally from California, her path took her to England at seventeen, where she studied computer programming, married, and started a family. After returning to California, she built a successful career in technology while raising her children as a single mother. Yet, despite professional success, she felt an inner calling toward something more meaningful.

That calling led her to an intense exploration of spirituality, psychology, and human behavior. She earned certifications in Crystal Healing, Pranic Healing, Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Intuitive Channeling, and Spiritual Counseling. Along the way, she immersed herself in personal growth work, meditation, and twelve-step recovery, cultivating a deep understanding of healing and transformation.

Barbara’s passion for personal growth and practical spirituality ultimately inspired her to create a coaching system that simplifies the process of learning to coach while maintaining professional rigor. She founded Wainwright Global Institute of Professional Coaching (WGI), through which more than 6,000 coaches have been certified worldwide. Her curriculum has been accredited by the American Association of Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB) through Seattle Pacific University, where it was adopted into a graduate leadership program to train executives at Boeing.

Today, Barbara continues to teach, write, and inspire others to live with intention and divine purpose. She believes every individual carries a sacred gift meant to be shared with the world—and that through awareness, compassion, and faith, we can each live a life we truly love.

Barbara lives in California, where she enjoys meditation, writing, and time with her family. She is currently completing her forthcoming book, The Six Stages of Spiritual Awakening.

How do you define success?
Success is an individual experience. For me, it is being able to spend quality time with family and people who love to help people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.LifeCoachTrainingOnline.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wainwrightglobalinst/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraGWainwrightMasterCoachAuthorSpeaker
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawainwright/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BWainwright
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lifecoachtrainingonline/playlists
• Soundcloud: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nvp4fZgOxSZYdLCRfQSiz?si=_HomKYK4SzunWLhm8O7aTw
• Other: https://amzn.to/4oEDCLs Books on Amazon