Author Biography
Joan Barnes is an entrepreneur who built two consumer companies from the ground up. She founded and served as CEO of Gymboree, an international network of franchised play programs and company-owned retail stores. In 1993, Gymboree enjoyed one of the most successful consumer IPOs of the decade. Later, in 2010, Bain Capital took Gymboree private for $1.8 billion. Ms. Barnes was the principal owner of San Francisco-based YogaStudio for over a decade, pioneering yoga lifestyle in the mainstream. Her yoga business was acquired in late 2008 by Yoga Works, a chain of nearly 30 yoga studios, which in turn was sold in 2014 for $50 million. She also founded Begin from Within through the Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, which features programs dedicated to people with food, weight, and body image issues. A native of suburban Chicago, Ms. Barnes received a B.A. in dance and English from Briarcliff College in Briarcliff Manor, New York. She is the mother of two grown daughters and grandmother of two granddaughters and one grandson. Michael Coffino spent 36 years as a successful business litigator, trial attorney, writing coach, and mentor to young attorneys. During his legal career, he was a trusted advisor to CEOs, Boards of Directors, and General Counsels of public companies. He also had a 23-year career as a basketball coach, primarily in high school. He led several teams to league championships. Born in the Bronx, Mr. Coffino graduated from the City University of New York with a B.S. in Education and went on to earn his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He is the father of two adult boys.
