Chiba was born in Osaka, and raised in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. She was a model in her teens, and made her J-Pop debut on 7 April 1993, but retired from the entertainment industry in 1995. Her hobbies included computer games and online communications. She was featured in a nightly radio show "Akihabara Young Denkikan". Chiba did a cameo voice appearance as herself in the anime movie Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
One of Chiba's most notable roles was Mei/PteraRanger in the Toei Super Sentai series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger and Cham Cham in the Samurai Shodown series.
Since her 1998 marriage and the birth of a son in 1999, Chiba has adopted a more mature public persona. She is now active as a certified yoga instructor, teaching yoga classes and issuing a series of instructional books and videos. She is also the public face of the corporation Cherrybabe, Inc.