HUMAN POTENTIAL SPECIALIST
DR. KINNEY'S MISSION IS TO HELP PEOPLE STOP PLAYING SMALL IN EVERY RELATIONSHIP TO ACHIEVE WILDFIRE SUCCESS THROUGH POTENTIAL ENGINEERING.
Who Is Dr. Barbara J. Kinney?
Dr. Barbara J. Kinney—known as Dr. Barbz—is a Human Potential Specialist, creator of FIRE Theory, host of Catch This Fire podcast, and founder of FIRE Live.
With a PhD, MBA, and elite certifications, she brings both academic rigor and real-world expertise to human potential development. As a senior leader who has led organization-wide transformation initiatives, Dr. Kinney has guided hundreds of high-performing professionals from undervalued potential to breakthrough results.
But here's what matters more than the credentials:
Dr. Kinney knows what it's like to be counted out.
Someone once told her she'd never amount to anything. They were wrong.
She knows what it's like to be told you're too much. Too loud. Too ambitious. Too yourself. To navigate systems designed to keep you small. To deal with the gaslighting—from bosses, colleagues, friends, even family. To dim your light just to fit in.
And she knows what it takes to say "enough" and catch your fire anyway.
That personal journey—from being dismissed to achieving the highest levels of academic and professional success—provides unparalleled insight into the forces that either ignite or extinguish potential.
That's why she created FIRE Theory.
What Is FIRE Theory?
FIRE Theory is a research-backed framework for transforming from someone who plays it safe to someone who burns bright. Unapologetically.
F - Fearless: Bold action despite obstacles
I - Irrepressible: Unstoppable resilience and momentum
R - Radiant: Authentic, unapologetic presence
E - Empowered: Strategic thinking and systems-building
It's not motivation. It's methodology.
Battle-tested with hundreds of people who were told to sit down and shut up—and chose to stand up and speak out instead.
What Is Potential Engineering?
Traditional personal development tells you to "believe in yourself" and "take the leap."
But what about the toxic boss? The friend who drains you? The parent who criticizes every choice? The sibling who undermines you? The colleague who takes credit for your work? The limiting beliefs you've carried since childhood?
Potential Engineering addresses the real challenges in every relationship:
See the game: Understand the systems, relationships, and dynamics working against you
Build real capabilities: Not what they tell you to work on—what you actually need
Navigate strategically: Handle the politics, the BS, the unspoken rules without losing yourself
Show up authentic: Stop dimming your light to protect their comfort
Dr. Kinney's expertise spans leadership development, organizational psychology, and the dynamics that either ignite or extinguish human capability—whether in the boardroom, the living room, or anywhere in between. It's not about working harder. It's about working smarter in relationships and environments that weren't built for you to thrive.
What Dr. Kinney Does
Catch This Fire Podcast
Raw conversations with people who burned it down and walked away—from toxic jobs, draining friendships, suffocating family dynamics, and anything that dimmed their fire.
Fire Collective
Get weekly FIRE breakdowns tackling real scenarios (toxic bosses, boundary-setting, making bold moves), mini-trainings on navigating difficult relationships, monthly live Q&A with Dr. Barbz, and a community of people on the same journey. Available on YouTube and Facebook for less than a coffee per month.
FIRE Intensives
A three-day virtual seminar that transforms your thinking, mindset, and approach to every relationship. Dr. Barbz will show you how to take bold action despite obstacles, build unstoppable momentum, show up authentically without apologizing, and strategically engineer wildfire success across every area of your life.
FIRE Live
The main event. Four-hour interactive experiences where real people answer YOUR questions about navigating difficult relationships—with bosses, coworkers, friends, family, partners, and yourself. Questions about making bold moves, setting boundaries, walking away, and catching your fire.
No prepared speeches. No generic advice. Just raw, unfiltered conversations.
12+ cities per year. Thousands of people. Real transformation.
FIRE Theory Book + Workbooks
FIRE Theory: Stay Lit and Detonate the Wildfire Within (the book) + 4 workbooks (one for each FIRE element: Fearless, Irrepressible, Radiant, Empowered).
Your complete system for transformation across every relationship in your life.
DR KINNEY’S PHILANTHROPY
Dr. Kinney also serves as CEO of SPARRKE (www.sparrke.org) a nonprofit organization that transforms lives through experiential education focused on leadership development and global citizenship.
SPARRKE creates immersive learning experiences that combine adventure, service, and cultural immersion to develop global citizens and leaders. Participants engage in meaningful action across diverse communities worldwide, gaining knowledge through hands-on experience while developing respect for diverse cultures and perspectives.
The SPARRKE Principles:
Service to communities worldwide
Purpose through meaningful action
Adventure that transforms perspectives
Responsibility as global citizens
Respect for diverse cultures
Knowledge gained through experience
Empowerment to lead positive change
Dr. Kinney believes that one transformative experience can ignite a wildfire of positive change that spreads across communities worldwide.
Same mission. Different application.
Why This Work Matters
Too many people are dimming their light.
Talented individuals stuck in toxic relationships—with bosses who gaslight them, friends who drain them, family members who undermine them, partners who diminish them.
Living by unspoken rules. Being told they're "too much" when they're actually exactly enough.
Playing small to keep the peace. Shrinking to fit into spaces that were never built for them.
Dr. Kinney is here to change that.
Through FIRE Theory and Potential Engineering, she provides the framework and tools people need to see the games being played, build real capabilities, and engineer breakthrough results—in their careers, their relationships, and their lives.
Your fire matters.
Stop putting it out for people who are afraid of the light.
