Life Coach, Dating & Relationship Coach, Television Expert and Author of "Giving Up Junk-Food Relationships" Donna Barnes is the one to watch… and learn from!
Donna was an on-air Life & Relationship Coach for ABC News' top rated magazine series "What Would You Do?" for three seasons. She has been a contributor on numerous TV shows including Good Morning America and CBS this Monring. She has appeared on Fox News, dished on Fuse, and taught the girls how to "Rock at Love" on VH-1's Rock of Love Charm School hosted by Sharon Osbourne.
She's the author of the new book "Giving Up Junk-Food Relationships: Recipes for Healthy Choices" www.GivingUpJunkFoodRelationships.com Also e-book "It's All About You!: How to Use Your Power to get (and Keep) a Wonderful Man". Available at www.GetaWonderfulMan.com
Donna is also an expert for www.eHow.com & www.ExpertVillage.com
Growing up just outside Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love”, Donna became a hopeless romantic…utterly fascinated with dating and relationships. At age 18, a modeling agency moved her to New York City. She was thrilled to be in the heart of America’s biggest singles scene! In the dressing rooms of her modeling and acting bookings she listened with great intrigue to the other girl’s dating tales and disasters. Although personally, she was a serial monogamist (always had a boyfriend), she never managed to pick the “right” men. Then at age 30, the best thing that could have happened to her did. She had her heart badly broken. It was a first. And it gave her an epiphany! “If I was ever going to have a healthy relationship I needed to learn exactly what one was,” Barnes says. A girlfriend turned her on to self-help books, and she became a knowledge junkie! She refocused all her relationship curiosity into getting an education. Her turning point was when she came to realize the only way to have a healthy relationship was to first heal herself. She enlisted the help of a great therapist and started on the path towards a new career.
In 2001, Donna and her three close friends, affectionately known as The Barracudas, were recruited to star in a new reality television series about singles, aptly titled, To Live and Date in New York. In 2002, the show became a hit for Metro TV; then for WE: Women’s Entertainment as Single in the City; and for Bravo Canada and SKY Television all around the world as The Real Sex in the City. Episode by episode Donna attracted a following as she lovingly dished her relationship advice. The series re-airs on all the above networks at least once a year.
Metro TV watched Donna carefully, and along with the rest of New York, liked what they saw. They dubbed her the “Dating Expert” when they recruited her to co-host Naked New York with Bob Berkowitz, giving Donna the perfect platform to exercise her self-taught dating and relationship proficiency while interviewing some of the countries top sex and relationship experts. During its 205 episodes, Naked New York was Metro TV’s top-rated show, spawning Donna’s monthly relationship column in the start-up magazine New York Moves.
Shortly thereafter, Donna met a Life Coach at an audition. She knew immediately that was what she was meant to do. The next day she enrolled in the Personal and Life Coaching Certificate Program at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Naturally, her Coaching specialty is Dating and Relationships. Donna loves providing her clients with a positive approach to their life and liaisons. She also offers her advice in a weekly column for the syndicated paper The South Beach News. Now hailed as one of New York City’s top dating and relationship experts, Donna is the girl to call when in need of a helpful, healing and unique point of view.
Donna resides in Manhattan’s Upper West Side and is in a happy, healthy and committed relationship with a wonderful man she considers her best friend and the love of her life. She’s noticed that sometimes it’s hard for her friends and family to hear how amazing her relationship is, because they long for that same kind of love and happiness in their own life. Donna admits there is a shortage of truly happy couples in this world…their plight helps drive Donna’s strong intention to bring the romantic bliss (she’s blessed to enjoy) to the masses.