In this week’s episode of Not Alone, Valeria sits down with lifestyle photographer, cookbook author, and content creator Chloé Crane-Leroux for an inspiring conversation about art, food, and finding balance in a world that never stops moving.

Chloé opens up about her early years growing up in Montreal, always driven by a “five-year plan,” and a desire to create beauty. She shares her journey from the highs and challenges of the fashion industry to discovering a more soulful creative outlet in food photography and storytelling. Together, she and Valeria dive into burnout, creative ruts, and the pressures of the internet, while also exploring the rituals and meditations, like cooking, that ground her in joy.

Chloé reflects on the vulnerability of sharing her life online, the profound loss that shifted her perspective, and why she no longer clings to rigid plans for the future. At its heart, this episode is a reminder that your life is your art and your canvas, and that creativity thrives not just in output, but in presence, connection, and growth.

Follow Chloe on Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chloecleroux/?hl=en

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chloecleroux?lang=en

Website: https://www.chloecraneleroux.com/

Get Chloe’s Recipes: https://www.chloecraneleroux.com/recipes

Shop Chloe’s Essentials: https://www.chloecraneleroux.com/chloes-essentials

Chloe’s Book Recommendation: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Shop my look from this episode: https://shopmy.us/shop/collections/2357926

Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/valerialipovetsky/ 

What we talked about: 

0:34 - Valeria sets up episode

1:03 - Introducing Chloe Crane-Leroux

2:19 - Start of interview

5:27 - Growing up in Montreal surrounded by art

7:35 - “I’ve had a 5-year-plan since I was 5-years-old”

8:01 - Wanting to create beauty and share it

9:10 - The toxicity of the fashion industry

11:29 - Switching to food photography

13:03 - Going in front of the camera

15:10 - Creating cookbooks with her mom

16:20 - Teaching herself to cook

20:06 - Reaching burnout

22:39 - Creative Ruts

23:18 - Getting caught up in the likes and followers

24:41 - AI making Valeria optimistic 

26:24 - Creativity being down right now

29:29 - Rituals that help her slow down

31:00 - Her love of Pinterest

32:50 - “For me, cooking is meditation”

35:13 - Touching different aspects of her job, and growing within that

37:40 - The balance of being vulnerable online

39:08 - Her year of loss and how it changed her

41:20 - Thoughts on the “30 under 30” Forbes List

44:33 - Not having a 5-year-plan anymore

46:52 - “Your life is your art” / “Your life is your canvas”

47:39 - Rapid Fire Round

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