Meet Charlynne Boddie | International Speaker, Author, Model and Broadcaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charlynne Boddie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlynne, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I love taking risks and always ask myself what is waiting for me on the other side of my taking a certain risk.

Risks have always meant high adventures for me and the manifestation of many dreams come true from a very young age. I started taking big risks as a young 16 year old high school student. That first risk put me in front of the President of the United States. Ten years later, the next big risk put me in front of another US President but this time it was to be a Lead Press Officer for Bill Clinton’s Office of Environmental Quality at the White House. There were many risks I took while working as a federal press officer but I’d say the next big risk was leaving my cushy federal job and deciding to create my own production company with my sister and create a film review TV show with just $400 that caused Universal Pictures to give us our first big break in Hollywood. Suddenly 312 million people around the globe started watching our “Reel Sisters” film review show. Everyone from Anne Hathaway to Beyonce were on our show. Over 500 film stars and directors graced our segments. It was one of my childhood dreams come true!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been a media professional since I was a teenager and started producing news in Denver, Colorado at age 19. That is the same year that I wrote, produced and veejayed my first TV show for a Hollywood soap star. I was still in college and had not graduated when I wrote that show. I graduated with an honors degree in Communications with and emphasis in TV, Film, Radio and Journalism.

From there I edited a national food magazine and decided to start my own catering company: Charlie’s Chewies. It was something I had actually started in college that allowed me to fund my first summer trip to the UK, where I led a summer acting group. My love for baking is what actually opened the door for me to be interviewed for a post at the regional press office in Denver for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. I left the magazine and said yes to being a press officer covering six states of environmental news. While loving this job and believing I lived in one of America’s best states to protect the environment, I still had lofty dreams of having my own TV show in Hollywood. Who knew that Record Producer Jolie Jones, daughter of Music Producer Quincy Jones, would meet me through a national environmental conference and ask me to work with her on a Hollywood project for the environment at Warner Brothers! Jolie founded the Take It Back Foundation which was all about getting rid of solid waste. She and her husband Stewart Levine produced a music video on solid waste issues with luminaries like Bette Midler, Kenny Loggins, Ozzy Osbourne, Queen Latifah and even Bugs Bunny. I produced the commercials that went with this and the video was shown in every American movie theater. The US EPA had never done a project with Hollywood. I did my Denver job and my work with Jolie too. It was my second taste of working with an entertainment industry leader. And I loved every minute of it!

After seeing the success of my Hollywood assignment with Jolie Jones, I knew I wanted something more and so I wrote a letter to President Clinton asking for a job at the White House. My boss thought I was crazy but six weeks later, I received a call from the White House switchboard. One of the press officers said that they loved my letter and asked if I could report for duty in two weeks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…the address of the White House! I said yes and had two weeks to prepare for the job of a lifetime. My assignment was super exciting and lasted three years and landed me my first of two White House commendations. My second White House commendation came from President George Bush Jr. I was given another White House assignment when 9/11 happened. It involved me working with Hollywood again but this time for the sole benefit of raising funds for 9/11 victims and their families. Am so glad I could help.

In 1998, I left federal service and began working on creating my own production company with my sister Shaunya who is an award-winning screenwriter/director. We called our company ColorBlind Productions. Universal Pictures gave us our first big break in Hollywood when they asked us to interview Oscar-winner Kevin Kline for the film “The Emperor’s Club”. That interview with Kevin changed my life forever. I happened to be the only TV host that recognized it was his 50 birthday. I even brought him a mug and T-shirt with our company logo on them. He loved that! That was the beginning of four of the most exciting years of my media career and stars often asked me to do lunch with them or stay and chat with them after my interviews. Our presence amongst the stars became so well liked that the junkets began bringing folks to Denver to meet with us on our own turf. That had never happened before!

When I decided to leave Hollywood to move to the United Kingdom and get serious about my motivational speaking dreams, that began an 18 year stretch of me modeling, speaking internationally, life coaching all over Europe, writing my second book and even becoming a special ambassador to Israel. I also started my second catering company in the UK and called it: C.A.K.E. For Charlynne’s American Kitchen and Events. I consulted on American cuisine for numerous restaurants there and even did successful cooking classes for food festivals in West Sussex England where I lived. I also wrote a life coaching column for Fine Sussex magazine. It was a life of adventures and meeting with and coaching creative people from all over the world.

Now I have just returned to the US after 18 years away in Europe and am doing content creation, writing more books and have just created a publishing house with my sister called Junket Sisters Publishing LLC. And yes, I am always and forever creating in the kitchen.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some favorite restaurants in the Denver Metro Area:
Sam’s #3 – My favorite diner with four different kinds of cuisine: American, Greek, Mexican, Italian.
Original Pancake House for breakfast or brunch.
Las Delicias is my favorite Mexican restaurant
La Loma is great Mexican in Castle Rock.
View House in the Denver Tech Center has a great unobstructed view of the Rockies.
YaYa’s in the Denver Tech Center is great for brunch on Sundays and lunch and dinner any day.
Angelo’s Italian Restaurant on Santa Fe is my favorite Italian Restaurant in Denver. Sooooo delicious!!

Unusual Things To Do In Denver:
Visit the Lake Steam Baths near Sloan’s Lake for a phenomenal spa experience and great massages.

The Denver Center For The Performing Arts is also a must with Colorado Ballet, Denver Center Theater Company, Colorado Symphony Orchestra and all kinds of traveling Broadway shows. Denver has so much great culture.

These Denver Museums I love:
Colorado Heritage Museum’
Black Cowboy Museum
Denver Art Museum

Old Town Littleton is a great place to visit for fun food and fun shopping.

Outside of Denver:
I always take friends to Georgetown to ride the narrow gauge train and eat at the Happy Cooker Restaurant that is famous for its lunch and brunch. They bake yummy giant cookies and the best three-cheese caraway bread that you can take home by the loaf. This is a place our family has gone to since 1979.

Summit County is another hotspot to take friends to outside of Denver. Keystone, Breckenridge, Friscoe and Silverthorne are towns around Lake Dillon. You can sail on the lake or find a paddle boat in Keystone. Lots to do in and around Breckenridge.

In winter months, I have always done dinner sleigh rides in the Winter Park Area for 15-20 people in a sleigh with fabulous food and wonderful singing cowboys.

Some favorite spots to visit in Colorado Springs:
Flying W Ranch for a great cowboy/chuckwagon supper with award-winning singing cowboys.
Royal Gorge Train Ride for lunch or dinner. Incredible ride and yummy food.
Broadmoor Hotel for brunch or high tea.
Glen Eyrie Conference Center for high tea.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My faith in Jesus Christ

My Mom: Dr. Sandra Boddie, PhD

Morris Ruddick, Founder of the Global Initiatives Foundation

Robert Comstock, Fashion Designer Extraordinaire and Visionary

Website: https://Www.charlynne.com

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