Barbara J. Hopkinson occupies Chapter 3 of the coffee table book of The Global Achievers - Influential Entrepreneurs and their Journey.
Barbara J. Hopkinson is a Grief Recovery Institute-certified Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist, best-selling author, and retired IBM corporate executive, who remains resilient after the loss of three children, her husband, her parents, and her sight in one eye. Barbara has led families through the journey of grief for more than seventeen years, founding The Compassionate Friends of Greater Newburyport, MA, in 2003, a chapter of the largest grief recovery organization in the world supporting families after the loss of a child. In 2013, Barbara founded A Butterfly’s Journey™, a 501(c)(3) non-profit for grief recovery and resilience after loss. In 2015, the year Barbara received her GRM certification, she also created ‘Faces of Resilience’, a mobile photo-shoot to encourage open expression of grief, loss, and love. In 2019, the photo-shoots went international, and photos were published in book form under the same title.
After enduring the loss of three children (a 21-year-old and two babies), and learning how to regain her resilience, Barbara decided to focus on giving back by helping other grievers to heal. One year after losing her older son, Barbara founded The Compassionate Friends of Greater Newburyport chapter non-profit in 2003. Barbara’s first book, “A Butterfly’s Journey: Healing Grief After the Loss of a Child”, a memoir, was released in 2013. Two years later, in 2015, she coauthored “FAITH – Finding Answers in The Heart -- Volume II”, an Amazon best-seller. Barbara co-authored two Grief Diaries anthology series books: “Will We Survive?” and “Surviving Pet Loss” in 2016.
Barbara believes her purpose in life lies in helping others find their resilience after loss, and that having endured so much loss herself makes her more effective.