The StartHuman Team
Rehumanizing the Workplace (and beyond)
Behind the scenes, StartHuman is a collection of avid researchers, learners, and critical thinkers who obsess over human interaction, specifically leadership. We think deeply about what makes humans tick, what truly influences behavior, and what it means to be human in the first place.
After years of education, research, and experience we have found one thing to be true—every workplace is dependent on human beings but the masses aren’t great at leading people. We are passionate about applying what we’ve learned to partner up with leaders and their teams to break down the barriers and bring out the best in their people. We believe that, by building a better workplace, we can build a better world.
Amber Barnes
Founder and Chief Education Officer
With over 17 years of experience in leadership development, Amber is a treasure trove of wisdom and practical know-how. She's here to bring that wealth of knowledge to you.
As the oldest of six, leadership has been a passion for as long as Amber can remember. Plus she's been in environments that truly nurture leadership development, and she's seen the opposite too. It was these experiences, combined with the stories she kept hearing about leaders and from leaders, that led her to create StartHuman.
Her mission? To be a helping hand for all of us humans, especially those of us leading people. She stands for our potential in a world where that's not always the norm. Since 2011, she's been a steadfast advocate for effective leadership and the effect leaders have on people. Amber firmly believes that what happens at work has a ripple effect into our personal lives, impacting our kids, partners, and communities. Work, in her eyes, ought to be a mutual exchange of value.
On our team, Amber takes the reins when it comes to strategy and relationship management with our clients. She's also a coach, facilitator, trainer, and speaker. And when she's not wearing her leadership development hat, she's out there seeking adventures, exploring the wilderness, and being a dog mom.
Practical Experience
Senior Manager, Learning and Performance, Veritas
Consultant, Coach and Strategist, Leadership Research Institute
Learning and Development Consultant, Wells Fargo
Branch Manager, Wells Fargo
Operations Manager, Walton’s Family of Funeral Homes
Funeral Director, Walton’s Family of Funeral Homes
Kickboxing Instructor, Various
Training and Education
BS Education
MS Organization Development
SLII® Facilitator
Authentic Relating Facilitator
Conscious Leadership Model
Internal Family Systems
Somatic Experiencing
Trauma Informed Coaching
Mindfulness
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Psychometric Tools
Enneagram
Clifton Strengths
MBTI
Strong Interest Inventory
TKI
CPI
Daring Leadership Assessment
Wholehearted Living Inventory
Certifications
Certified Co-Active Coach
Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
Certified Daring Greatly™ Facilitator
Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator
Certified Rising Strong™ Facilitator
Certified Conscious Leadership Coach
Certified Revelation Breathwork™ Facilitator (pending)
Who’s the “we” behind StartHuman?
Amber wants to deliver the best partnership experience possible, so she doesn’t do this work on her own. She has a great team of advisors and coaches who help her stay in integrity and provide valuable insight and support when she gets stuck.
Our team keeps StartHuman running and includes people from operations to tech. When we have a big project to work on, additional coaches and facilitators join Amber to support the work and ensure that you get the attention and value you’re looking for.
There are many organizations whose research and work guide what we do. You can see a partial list of them here:
Brené Brown Education and Research Group
Conscious Leadership Group
Susan Fowler
Ken Blanchard Companies
Dr. Kristin Neff
Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg
Dr. David Rock