Broken to Brave: The Love Coach Donna Barnes | Dedicated to fixing what is broken in your love life

An introduction to me, The Love Coach Donna Barnes, and my new Broken to Brave podcast, dedicated to fixing what is broken in your love life. If you're going through a breakup, in a bad relationship that needs fixing, or your dating life isn't going the way you want, ask me your questions! I'll be answering your questions to help you fix what is broken and transition from feeling broken to being brave.

I have a lot of compassion for people. I've actually walked in many of your shoes. I fully understand feeling broken, and my intention is to help people feel whole.

The desire to be loved is universal, but the knowledge to create a lasting partnership isn't clear-cut. Relationships frequently fail. I myself have struggled with abandonment issues and have endured more than my share of loss and heartbreak, even abuse. But I've also lived a very charmed and exciting life, filled with love. I am a New York University Certified Life & Love Coach, however, I can promise you there has been no better teacher than my personal experiences.

You see, I suddenly lost my Mom as a teenager, when we'd had a difficult, complicated relationship. So I escaped to New York City with a modeling agency, in the 80s, when Manhattan was a pretty wild place. I studied acting, and human behavior, then moved to Los Angeles in the 90s, when "Me Too" was accepted as the casting couch. I had a lot of fun and selfishly broke a lot of hearts, until I had my heart ripped out by a man I thought I was in love with, at age 30, before "ghosting" was even a term and there was no internet to search for answers.

In 2001, I went to a party, and it changed my life. I was asked to be in a reality show called, "The Real Sex & the City". That lead to co-hosting 205 episodes of a talk show called Naked New York, about sex & relationships, and by the end of that decade I was writing my first magazine column, had been through NYU and was now coaching others how to have better relationships. I published my book, Giving Up Junk-Food Relationships, and became the relationship expert for Good Morning America.

I'm not a therapist, but I did have a great one, and I have studied psychology. Therapy focuses on 'why'. Coaching is about 'how'. I fixed my broken feeling by learning to truly love myself. I'd love to share all my secrets of wisdom with you!

My clients tell me I give them a unique perspective — a combination of practical hindsight, intelligence, and academic knowledge. It’s incredibly validating when they call to simply say, “You were right!” I can’t help but think, “It’s about time I got it right.” Five decades later, I feel I have earned the title The Love Coach. My favorite part is helping people make better choices than I did.