Barba Stembergar Zupan was born in 1962 in Slovenia. She was brought up in a family that loved art, and she was heavily influenced by her mother’s passion for painting. Surprisingly, even though her mother supported Stembergar’s investigations with clay, she opposed her daughter’s wish to commence a full-time career as a ceramicist. Heeding her mother’s advice, Stembergar instead embarks on a career as a professional swimmer, becoming the Balkan champion over a period of nine years, and 200 medal-winning performances, in 1977. She then went on to study sociology but after two years, leaves to marry the man she loves, and takes up a position in a bank for the following nine years.