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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices