It is an understatement to say that Barbara Niven is a busy lady. Not only is she an actress and mother, she is a media trainer, motivational speaker, video marketing expert, and the author of several books, among many other things.
She just wrapped up her third season on Cedar Cove on the Hallmark Channel, and is currently starring in Murder, She Baked and the upcoming Chesapeake Shores. Barbara has also served on the National Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild and has appeared in over 100 television and film roles, as well as over 2,500 radio and television commercials.
She has been on NCIS, Cold Case, Charmed, The Bold and The Beautiful, and One Life to Live, but her most memorable role was playing Marilyn Monroe in The Rat Pack. Barbara has always loved watching Monroe in the movies, appreciating her vulnerability, but she always wished she could have met her, and perhaps helped her a bit, too.
One of her speaking topics is Eating Disorders and Pressures to Be Perfect, where she shares her battle with bulimia. With a shiny white toilet on stage, she shares her story to help others beat eating disorders. She is also profiled in the book, Feeding the Fame: Celebrities with Eating Disorders.
She also has a video production studio in Los Angeles that provides one-on-one coaching, custom video production services and video boot camps. A media trainer and video marketing expert, she created a home study course, Unleash Your Star Power, to help people hone their professional images. Her clients include CEOs, entrepreneurs, authors and speakers.
Barbara is the author of 111 Star Power Tips: Insider Secrets From a Hollywood Pro, Get Your Woman On, and How Did You Do That. She is also a celebrity speaker on many business and motivational topics, including Be a Video Marketing Superstar, and ACT As If It’s Already Happening Until It Is.
She created the Dreamers Network on Facebook, with over 14,000 followers, a positive place where people share inspiration, dreams and goals. Barbara calls it, “paying kindness forward.”
One of Barbara’s favorite quotes is “The cockpit gets the shakiest just before you break the sound barrier,” by Chuck Yeager. She says if you’re going through something difficult, just know your breakthrough is going to be right there, and that’s the point where you can’t give up, just five minutes before the miracle, because it will happen.