I brought Christmas giving tree tags to my son's classroom so students could wrap a gift for a child in need. Teaching them to help where Santa cannot is one of my proudest achievements.
Barbie Ray · In Her Own Words
Her Story
About Barbie
Barbie Ray is an entrepreneur, humorous motivational and inspirational speaker, TEDx speaker, and executive AI strategist dedicated to helping leaders and organizations navigate growth, complexity, and uncertainty. She is the Founder and Executive AI Strategist of How to Train Your AI™, where she helps $10 million–$25 million founder-CEOs and leadership teams install AI as executive infrastructure rather than simply using it as a tool. Her work integrates Executive AI Strategy, AI Governance, decision architecture, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and leadership-scale implementation systems to reduce decision overload and strengthen strategic clarity. Alongside her AI work, Barbie owns BGR Productions and has built a diverse entrepreneurial career spanning marketing, sales, broadcasting, collision repair, modeling, and makeup artistry. She previously operated a marketing and sales company that created radio commercials, produced public service announcements, and helped small and medium-sized businesses access effective advertising without the resources of large agencies. She later entered the collision repair industry with her husband, helping transform their body shop through updated equipment, certifications, training, and a strong focus on customer satisfaction. Her experiences have shaped her philosophy that resilience, adaptability, perspective, and gratitude are essential to both professional and personal success. Barbie brings those principles to her speaking and educational work, using humor and deeply personal experiences to inspire audiences to recognize their own capacity to adapt and overcome adversity. Her TEDx talk, When the Data Disappears—published by TEDx as How Adaptability Defines Humanity in the AI Era—explores the difference between AI's ability to work with patterns and the uniquely human ability to improvise when those patterns disappear. Known as “The Grim Reaper’s Favorite Chew Toy™,” Barbie draws on a lifetime of challenges and near-death experiences to encourage people to believe in themselves, embrace uncertainty, and keep moving forward. Through her speaking, AI education, and leadership work, she seeks to empower people to reclaim their confidence, develop their adaptability, and use their strengths to create meaningful impact. View her TEDx here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vuedk10U6c&t=1s
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Barbie
01What do you attribute your success to?
My drive comes from surviving multiple near-death experiences including being crippled for a year and a half after falling down stairs and having a spike in my sciatic nerve. After surgery restored my mobility I realized I am here for a purpose and need to serve it by sharing my message on adaptability and resilience.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Really believe in yourself and your ability to adapt and pivot. Never go into panic mode. Hardship is just a stepping stone. Don't let it break you. The only barriers in life are the ones we place in front of and above ourselves. You've got this!
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Perspective and gratitude are the most important things in life. No matter how bad a day you think you've had there is a handicapped child somewhere that would trade your worst day and it would be their best day.
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