On October 28, 2022, I was saddened to read the following message posted on the Facebook page of Barbara J. Winter:
“We are sad to report that Barbara Winter has died after a long illness. We are currently working on putting together a celebration of life for later this year or early next. If you are interested in receiving updates email us at celebratingbabs@gmail.com I promised my mom I would create a post that got the most likes ever, so please let’s make that happen for her. – love Jennie Hinrichs and the entire Winter family.”
Barbara Winter was a wonderfully intelligent, curious, and kind human being who led what seems like (for many years) a quiet movement of creating a life and earning an income doing work that you love. Today our timelines are filled with the nomad life and freelance economy, but long before it was a trend, Barbara was traveling nationally teaching at adult learning/education centers as well as internationally promoting her book “Making A Living Without A Job” and other brilliant workshops and income-generating ideas. I happily subscribed to her Winning Ways (print) newsletter followed by joining her Joyfully Jobless email list and connected with her on Facebook. She shared amazing $100 ideas with me. Barbara gave us permission to dream even when we didn’t know that we needed it.
Here is my response to Barbara’s daughter. “My sincere condolences. She was such an inspiration to me from my days as her student at First Class, Inc. in Washington, DC easily a couple decades ago. Winning Ways was an amazing newsletter and Making A Living Without a Job is one of my favorite books. I remember listening to her cassettes. So glad we were able to stay connected on Facebook. Hugs to you and her other loved ones. 💜”
Barbara’s originality, presence and impact have woven a wonderful legacy of possibility, liberation, contribution, compassion, and adventure. She will truly be missed.
Nicki Sanders, MSW, ushers high-performing women of color in mid-level social work and human services leadership through promotion to senior leadership. As Founder and CEO of Nicki Sanders Leadership Consulting, her mission is simple – to eliminate toxic workplaces by developing skilled, empathetic, and goal-oriented leaders who have the vision, support, and resources to create a culture where business prospers, and employees thrive individually and collectively. Nicki has an extensive background in nonprofit management leading high-functioning, multi-disciplinary teams. She is an accomplished professor, coach, trainer, and group facilitator who has combined her gift for authentic relationships, Master of Social Work degree, and over 20 years of diverse work experience to create a life and career aligned with her values and purpose. Nicki is a lover of cupcakes, travel, and 80’s hip hop and R&B music.
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I only just found this out. I was also a subscriber to the paper newsletter – must have been way back around 2004 ish – twenty years ago! It was always a joy to receive, and Barbara was always a big source of inspiration. Sad news indeed.
Barbara was indeed an awesome human.