Published October 15th, 2008 

Local Dynamo Woman: Cynthia Brian  

By Moya Stone 

Cynthia Brian is one busy bee. In addition to her regular gardening column for the 

Lamorinda Weekly, she is a bestselling published author, a life empowerment 

coach, a radio host, a professional speaker, and the founder of the local non-profit 

group, Be The Star That You Are. And all this is after making strides as a 

Hollywood actress, model, and journalist. She speaks four languages, and is a wife 

and mother. Cynthia has accomplished enough for many lifetimes, but she is in no 

way finished. With a genuine interest in people, Cynthia has made it her mission to 

help individuals, especially youth, discover their passion and then go out and live it. 

 Born and raised on a farm in Napa Valley, Cynthia grew up driving tractors, 

planting and picking vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the family garden, and 

raising chickens and goats. The family had little money for extras, so Cynthia, the 

eldest of five children, learned early on a strong work ethic, sewing her own 

clothes and selling chicken eggs for fifty cents a dozen. She earned her own money 

for college, eventually attending UCLA and UC Berkeley. "I grew up with my hands 

in the dirt," says Cynthia. "I was always taught to dig deep." Cynthia makes a 

philosophical connection between life and what she learned on the farm, believing 

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LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Local Dynamo Woman: Cynthia Brian 

that you have to dig deep to find out who you are. After she was voted 

Outstanding Teenager of California she was named teenage ambassador to Holland 

and served as foreign correspondent for several newspapers. It was this 

experience that laid the foundation for her media savvy. 

 Early in her adult life Cynthia carved out a career for herself as an actress 

working with such stars as Charles Bronson and Don Johnson. But she realized that 

the Hollywood celebrity lifestyle wasn't for her and decided to take what she'd 

learned in the business and become an acting coach. Since then she's coached 

hundreds of aspiring young actors, teaching them the ropes on everything from 

how to audition to getting headshots, and most importantly helping them connect 

to their star within. "Everyone is a star," says Cynthia. "We are all destined to live 

in star style. But what's important is to find out what makes us unique and 

special." Cynthia teaches that we have to be, before we can do. "Be who you are 

and everything else will follow," she says. 

 It is this philosophy that Cynthia imparts in her speaking engagements and to 

her clients. In her 2001 book, Be The Star That You Are: 99 Gifts for Living, 

Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference, she says: "No one has ever 

walked the earth with your exact combination of inborn and acquired strengths, 

weaknesses, skills, foibles, talents, frailties, and experiences. The synergy of all 

these forces is what makes you strictly one of a kind ... this mixture is the source if 

your power, providing all the raw materials you need to become a star."  

 Cynthia and her husband settled in the Lamorinda area 28 years ago, first 

living in Orinda and now Moraga. They have a daughter, Heather Brittany, who just 

graduated from San Diego State. On World Talk Radio, Heather and Cynthia co- 

host a weekly radio show on which they interview authors and conduct a little 

mother/daughter chat they call, Tea for Two. 

 In 1999, Cynthia founded Be the Star You Are, a non-profit all volunteer 

organization that collects books and other resources and distributes to hospitals, 

juvenile halls, and other designated charities. In addition, the organization offers 

the opportunity for local teens to volunteer reviewing books, managing the 

incoming stock of books, and fundraising. Currently Cynthia has 25 active teens 

and in keeping with her philosophy the kids decide for themselves how they want 

to help, "I don't tell them what to do," says Cynthia, "I give them the opportunity 

to discover their own interests and then watch them shine."  

 Next up for Cynthia as she continues to sparkle her own star, is the 

publication of her second book in the Be The Star That You Are series; this one is 

for teens. She is currently seeking submissions, particularly from teens. For more 

information about Cynthia and all her work, go to the website, http://www. 

bethestaryouare.org/index.html.  

Reach the reporter at: info.lamorindaweekly.com 

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LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Local Dynamo Woman: Cynthia Brian 

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