ALL ABOUT BOBBIE

the early years

I was born in Providence, RI in the 70s and was raised bi-coastally between Rhode Island and Los Angeles after my parents divorced. As a teenager, I decided to make LA my home base, where I attended Simi Valley High School and became deeply interested in fashion and beauty.

I made my own prom dress (pictured in the slideshow) and spent most of my minimal high school income on Wet 'N Wild and hairspray. I went on to attend UC XX and then transferred to the University of Idaho where I graduated in 1997.

An Accidental Psychologist

I moved to the University of Idaho with my then-fiancé from sunny Southern California in January of 1996 without much of a plan, not to mention a serious lack of cold weather attire. (Moscow, ID is basically Canada, by the way.) 

Shortly after moving, my relationship unfortunately became abusive and I called off the engagement. One day quite literally by accident, I found myself in the psychology building on campus, and thanks to a chance encounter with the department chair, shortly thereafter enrolled as psychology major.I learned a lot about myself during this time, and became passionate about contributing to my community—and possibly helping other women in similar situations. I left Idaho and went on to pursue my master's degree in counseling from California State University Northridge and work at the Valley Trauma Center, a rape crisis facility, as a counselor and advocate for survivors.

This intense and immersive work opened my eyes to the power that self care, style and beauty can have on a person's self-worth and the perception of who they are. It was the catalyst for everything that came next...

The hollywood YEARS

During the late 1990s, while I while still largely headquartered in LA, I had many good friends who were part of the "celebrity scene". Even though it seems like forever ago, there are plenty of people (mainly women born in the '80s) who still recognize me as the girlfriend of JC Chasez (from *NSYNC). If that is how you ended up here, kudos to you for your great memory, and please enjoy some "vintage" photos from that time to take you back. 

Not only was this a formative period in my life due to my age and the beginning of my career, but I was also fortunate to travel the world and have access to opportunities I may not have had otherwise. One in particular opened up the door to my time spent as a national columnist. 

I was with *NSYNC at a photo shoot for a major teen magazine at the time and someone had written an article on Britney Spears with the caption, "fake or real?" It got me fired up. What a missed opportunity for this influential pub to send a positive message, instead of opening up judgement or criticism. I brought up my viewpoint to one of the editors and this encounter eventually lead to my own advice column, and thus, Bobbie's Buzz (originally "Bobbee's Buzz") was born. I faxed my first column in on paper towel from a tour bus (true story) and suddenly my personal and professional lives were intertwined—I got to interview celebrity friends like Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Pink and of course, the boys of *NSYNC, about real issues and invited them to offer real, genuine advice to the teenage girls who adored them.

It was this experience, writing for a national magazine, that helped me begin to envision a career where I could share meaningful information and insight with more than just a few people at a time.