Born in New York City to an African-American mother and Jewish father,[1][2] Byer spent the first part of her career working in the entertainment industry.
She later studied acting and psychobiology at City University of New York and went on to earn a master's degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute in eco, liberation and community psychology.
[citation needed] Since then, Byer acted in features such as Disorderlies (1987), The Five Heartbeats (1991) as Baby Doll, Weekend at Bernie's II (1993), Eddie (1996), Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man (1998), and John Q (2002).
[3] Byer is an active member of Agape International Spiritual Center and an advocate for the foster care system—a system to which she herself once belonged.
[citation needed] Byer is also the author of two self-help books - How To Be Ex-Free: 9 Keys To Happiness After Heartbreak, and How To Be A Responsibly Powerful Bitch.