Give us a quick overview
Carol Barnier is a fresh, fun and popular Christian conference speaker unlike any you’ve heard before. Her objective is to have the wit of Erma Bombeck crossed with the depth of C.S. Lewis, but admits that on most days, she only achieves a solid Lucy Ricardo with a bit of Bob the Tomato.
While her humor will have you leaning sideways, her faith is solid stuff. She may speak about her first born son’s 13 surgeries, her own family’s many ADHD challenges, or her personal faith walk from being a God-denying atheist to the most grateful recipient of God’s amazing grace. But whatever the topic, this woman speaks from the heart. She knows why she knows what she knows.
Where is she from?
If you ask Carol where she’s from, she seems to stammer a bit. She was born in Germany to a military family. When she was 15, her military father retired and became a pastor. Since neither of these professions lends well to a childhood rooted in one location, the most recent count shows Carol as having had 22 different addresses, the last of which has her currently living in Connecticut with her husband of 25 years and three children. These are not complaints; to the contrary, more than two years in virtually any location has her itching for a move.
Why did she start writing and speaking?
She would love to share that it was a dream since childhood to be a writer. It sounds so purposeful, even noble. But it’s closer to the truth to say she fell into it. She gave birth to a very ADHD child. Once she learned some valuable things about how he learned and thought, she felt they were worth sharing, but only via a sweet and humble little website. And, as can sometimes happen, one thing led to another (the website led to books which led to speaking invitations) and a new career path was formed. To her surprise, she found she had a lot to say about a lot of things. But as Shrek says, “Sure, he talks. It’s gettin’ him to shut up that’s the trick.”
For more information about where Carol has been heard and what topics she covers, check out her Writing & Speaking page.
Weird Stuff About Carol
She’s short. No really. She doesn’t even break 5 feet tall, which means there are actually amusement park rides she’s not allowed to go on. It also explains why one of the audience surveys she once received read, “Good speaker, great information. It’s just too bad she sat down the whole time.” (Carol: I was standing. . . really.)
She lived for three years in a town called Killbuck (which she regularly explains “is next to Shootgoose” for the uninitiated and gullible in the crowd).
As a little girl she was once photographed standing with a Marine in dress uniform in front of the Statue of Iwo Jima for a postcard.
Once upon a time, she was a music major. As a result, she sings, writes music, has played 10 instruments including the trombone, the playing of which requires that she catch the slider bar with her toe for some notes. Her arms just aren’t long enough. <sadly, this is true>
