We have long admired Rochelle Auman and her bright and happy Instagram feed. We can scroll for days, taking in healthy snack inspo, moments shared with friends and some seriously impressive art projects. We had a little chat to Rochelle about some of the background gossip about our 5 favourite snaps from the ‘gram:
Such great heights, and look at that dreamy blue sky! What do you and your friends like to get up to on the weekends for fun?
This was taken on the walk to a smoothie bar my friends and I had gotten together to visit! If we’re lucky enough to find a day that suits all of us, we love café hopping and walking around to see the local sights, like the Wheel of Brisbane in this photo. My best friend and I also really love getting away from the city sometimes and catching the sunrise on the beach or going mountain climbing – there’s honestly nothing better than looking up and reconnecting with nature and your surroundings.
Cute outfit + delicious beverage = nailing life! You seem like one busy lady, how do you maintain balance amongst all your interests and activities?
I definitely do stay very busy! I remember this photo was taken on a particularly busy day, in between appointments. Pursuing my interests and taking on personal creative projects is very important to me and I always try to keep it a priority. To do that and still keep a balance, I like to roughly plan out my week by scheduling appointments, meetings and other activities into one or two days if possible, and leave the rest of the week flexible. This way, I get everything done and still have time for my projects. In the past, I found it stressful finding that balance, but once I learned to prioritise and I accepted that stress doesn’t get things done, it was easier to keep my head screwed on and stay realistic about my expectations for myself.
Chocolate soup – a forever-favourite recipe of Team Cocobella! Where do you find inspiration for these truly yummy culinary creations? And do you have a favourite recipe?
I follow a lot of vegan foodie accounts, so now and again I get insane cravings looking at their photos and decide to make my own version. Most of the time, though, I’m pretty boring – I’ve tried lots and lots of strange new things since becoming vegan and have figured out what tastes and flavours I like best, and tend to make things involving my favourites – fresh fruit, anything and everything acai, and of course, chocolate!
My favourite recipe is one I don’t photograph often and so it’s one I don’t get to share too often! It’s just a simple mango smoothie bowl: 2-4 frozen bananas, 2 cups frozen mango, 250mL Cocobella Straight Up coconut water, and 100mL coconut milk, all blended together and enjoyed with granola. I have this probably 2-3 times a week and just eat it straight out of the blender!
What a breathtaking view! We love all your beachside snaps, what are your favourite local beaches to hang in Brisbane?
One of my favourite, (sort of) local beaches is actually the one where this one was taken – Bulcock Beach in Caloundra, Sunshine Coast. It’s near another, more popular beach which I also I love, Kings Beach. Both places are gorgeous, especially at sunrise, because you can see the sun rise right out of the water – I spend a lot of time both at the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast just for these views, it’s insane! Always incredible.
We love this gorgeous candid shot of you Rochelle! Would you mind sharing your top 5 tips to keeping happy and smiley?
Thank you!
My top 5 tips to staying positive would be:
1) As I mentioned before, try not to get too stressed! Stressing doesn’t change things, it will only confuse you and push you towards doubt rather than faith in yourself. Stay focused.
2) Move your body! Dancing works wonders; never be too embarrassed to dance.
3) Express your appreciation. There’s enough fear and hate in the world already. Be the person that actually puts a voice behind their positive thoughts – tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them, say thank you to the people who serve you food, don’t be afraid to tell that person you think they’re brilliant.
4) Don’t water yourself down for other people. You are not going to be happy if you restrain your personality to make other people happy. Just be you; everyone else is busy figuring themselves out, too!
5) In whatever you do, choose to be open, curious and determined rather than afraid of failure or mistakes. Mistakes will always happen, but if you are always determined, your failures will only be stepping stones. Stay hopeful.
Thanks Rochelle! You can check out her beautiful Instagram account here.
