About Barbara Sirois Babkirk:
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Barbara loves her work! She believes it is everyone’s right to have work that is engaging and healthy for mind, body and spirit. From the myriad stories she hears from her career counseling clients about their journeys to find work that aligns with who they are, to her dynamic and interactive presentations on relevant work-related topics, Barbara truly connects with her clients and her audiences. She considers it a blessing to assist individual's efforts to find meaning, balance, and wholeness through their work in the world.

Her work extends to all aspects of the career change process: from gaining clarity and direction and tailoring a resume to firming up an employment offer.

While she works with individuals of all ages, Barbara has a particular affinity for the second half of life challenges that include career transitions, defining and planning for life in retirement, and the quest for meaning through work.

Barbara brings to her work years of professional training and education in the field career development with a focus on empowerment, intuition development, balancing work and family life, and spirituality. Teachers and concepts of particular significance to her work include: Gail Straub and David Gershon and the empowerment model , Gene Gendlin and Robert Lee and focusing techniques , and poet David Whyte and his focus on being authentic .

Barbara holds a Master's Degree in Counseling from the University of New Hampshire, and the following certifications and licenses:   National Board Certified Counselor, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the State of Maine, certified administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Focusing trainer.

Well established in a private practice, she provides career counseling to individuals and business partners. An inspiring public speaker offering keynotes and workshops, she also offers annual women's retreats and individual three-day retreats for men or women in Provence.

Barbara's work-related blog is featured regularly on http://business.mainetoday.com -- the website for the largest newspapers in Maine.

To contact Barbara call (207) 775-6400 or email

Here's a sample of inspirational books:

Thinking About Tomorrow by Susan Crandell
The Second Half of Life by Angeles Arrien
Growing Whole by Molly Young Brown
Crossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte
Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer

The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things by Larry Dossey, MD
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Everyday Grace by Marianne Williamson
Work With Passion by Nancy Anderson
Do What You Are by Paul and Barbara Tieger

The Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges to Life in Your Twenties by Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner
Learned Optimism by Martin E. Seligman
Authentic Happiness by Martin E. Seligman
How to be an Adult: A Handbook for Psychological and Spiritual Integration by David Richio

About Heart at Work:

It was on her return from a sabbatical in France with her family that Barbara Babkirk decided to open her career counseling practice, Heart at Work. While the concept boldly came to her one winter’s day in 1988, it was not until the spring that the name became clear, while on her way to visit a friend in Minnesota. Upon reading an article on overwork titled "Heart at Work" in the airline’s magazine, she knew that was to be the name of her new venture. Heart at Work captures what her clients seek: work that is in alignment with who they are and what they value.

Opening her own business was not something Barbara had planned before she left for France. However, it clearly emerged as a compelling decision as soon as she returned to her work as a career counselor at an East Coast college. In her reentry she discovered first hand what she now tells her career counseling clients: it is when we change the context of our lives in a significant way that we often become clearer about our direction. The change need not be as dramatic as moving to a foreign country, but rather it can be any experience that shifts a daily routine for a period of time. In an unfamiliar setting we begin to rely on different resources within ourselves, including our intuition. We escape from ruts of thinking and behaving and allow new patterns to emerge. It is from these new patterns that ideas and possibilities take shape, and we move from our confused place to a more focused one.

People generally decide to work with Barbara because a trusted person referred them or because they resonated with what they read about her approach to career counseling or heard her speak publicly. Making the decision to call Heart at Work is often intuition at play.

Call Barbara today for a brief phone consult to assess whether the time is right for you to schedule a session.

207.775.6400