She holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York.

Barbara has been practicing Vipassana meditation for many years as well as other forms of meditation. Her experiences as an academic, practitioner and activist for gender equality, animal rights and the environment have led her to embrace mindfulness. She believes that meditation and mindfulness bring the inner peace and clarity which are needed to live a fulfilling life. Her experience working in leadership  positions in the European Commission and in European non-governmental organizations have taught her that stress at work is one of the major causes of suffering, not only of the persons experiencing stress, but also those around them.  Her mindfulness courses focus on such stress situations, particularly as they may unfold for women trying to attain a healthy work-life balance.