November 2025 Member Spotlight: Barbara Smith
Barbara Smith
Barbara Smith has never been one to sit still for long—or play it safe. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she spent much of her career thriving in the fast-paced world of Silicon Valley, selling computers and software before most people knew what “the cloud” was. A born problem-solver with a streak of adventure, Barbara took a leap of faith in 2009, launching her first business, Ask Barbara, Inc., right in the middle of an economic meltdown. Against the odds, she grew it from nothing into a $250,000-a-year success story—then sold it just a few years later.
Her next chapter took her halfway across the world. In 2016, Barbara traded high heels for flip-flops and moved to Thailand, where she taught English in luxury hotels on Koh Samui and to private clients in Phuket. When wanderlust met entrepreneurship again, she co-founded VeganReady, a plant-based frozen food company that made microwavable vegan meals and meat replacements taste like five-star cuisine. After helping it become a hit, she took a buyout in 2021 and returned to the U.S. to help her sister and nephew, ultimately landing in Vancouver, Washington.
What began as a fixer-upper home renovation turned into her next great adventure: a career in construction. After hiring a contractor to overhaul her house, Barbara impressed them so much that they invited her to join the business. She soon bought out a partner and became co-owner of CHS Construction and Remodeling, where she now helps turn clients’ dream homes into reality.
Barbara is also the best-selling author of I Made Life My Bitch: How I Escaped Toxic Relationships, Outran Cancer, and Started Over in Paradise—a fearless, funny, and deeply honest memoir that’s inspired women around the world to take charge of their own reinvention.
A two-time breast cancer survivor (2014 and 2024), Barbara is currently undergoing reconstructive surgeries with her trademark resilience and humor intact. She’s a mother of two, a lifelong learner, and a believer that life’s best chapters are the ones you write for yourself—preferably somewhere sunny, with a good story to tell.
www.chsconstructionremodeling.com
503 516-1565