Greetings and Salutations!
I’m Rochelle – A neurospicy, chronically ill woman on a mission to help others heal and maintain their mental-wellbeing through creative writing.
I have all too often let myself become depleted and kept trying to fit my moon-shaped peg into society’s square hole. I’ve felt lost many times in my life and only three things have helped me find my way; writing, dogs and music. I tried the music route in my early teens and as much as I may quote a random song lyric or sing in my home, dogs and writing seemed the better options to pursue.
In 2012 I was diagnosed with several chronic illnesses and only found out I was neurodivergent at the beginning of 2022, at the age of thirty-four.
I believe in life you have to be certain of your ‘why’; it’s the only part of a story that doesn’t change and is the foundation for every other decision. My ‘why’ comes from my experiences, especially after living with chronic illnesses and it is this:
My goal is to become a voice for others that I have needed many times on my path in this crazy, beautiful life.
I want to show people how creativity can help heal and unite and I want to give inclusion and a safe place for those who, like me, have felt like they’ve never really ‘fit’.
I’d love to help you find your ‘why’ and be a pal for you on your healing journey.
Here’s what I do
I became Ambassador for M.E Support UK in 2015 in my pursuit to help others in the chronic illness community and raise awareness through writing articles for the website and I became the sole contributor to the M.E Support Blog in January 2021. Today I continue to be an advocate for chronic illness, neurodiversity and mental-wellbeing for all.
I am a self-published author and published my first booked in December 2020. After losing my ‘Doggy Soulmate’ Vader in November 2018 and having to explain it to our very young children, It became obvious to me that there was something very taboo around pet bereavement in society and decided to write my own children’s book “How to Rest on a Rainbow”. From there I have written its sequel “How to Fix a Rainbow” and “Buck Aye the Coo, Who Are You Noo?”.
Currently, I am working on a memoir, my own poetry collection, a short story collection for adults and have several more children’s books planned for future release.
I have written for publications such as:
as well as guest blogging for the likes of:
I am a qualified Animal-Human Bond Specialist and in my project “Create to Heal”, I’ve developed my own unique approach of counselling and creative writing to help those who are feeling the grief of animal loss and pet bereavement.
I believe writing can be incredibly healing and should be a staple in any ‘Mental Health Toolkit’, I will soon be launching two different projects that will be downloadable workshops, so anyone can take part in their own time at their own pace called “Ticket to Write” and “No-Pens-Barred”.
You can keep updated on all I’m doing through my newsletter ‘Horns High’. You can sign up here.
Core Values
I am very straight up and forthcoming with all aspects of my life but will always endeavour to handle it with kindness, compassion and respect where possible.
If you aren’t feeling something we’re working on I am open to discussing this and would prefer honesty from the get go. My goal is to to give the same from the start of our time together and throughout.
If I’m not feeling in a place to work with you mentally or physically, I will be open about this and try my best to rearrange our session right away to the best of my availability.
I am someone who understands more than most that life gets in the way. I will make sure to give the flexibility needed while still remaining true to my boundaries so would expect the same level of flexibility and communication around planned appointments from you. I also ask for flexibility in return; I do what I can within my control to keep my illnesses and mental health balanced but I am only human and can’t always guarantee these things.
I don’t want anyone to feel unsafe, unheard or unseen in any space I host or any project I undertake. I always want to do the best I can with the knowledge and tools I have to make it inclusive for all. Anyone is welcome regardless of race, gender, sexuality or disability in my space; your life choices are yours and yours alone to own and as long as you respect me, my values and boundaries I will do the same.
If there is certain language you prefer to use in regards to pronouns or in how you describe yourself, I am happy for you to share those and will endeavour to use those terms or words.
I try to cater all my projects for my fellow neurodivergent and chronically ill pals as well as anyone who is dyslexic and visually impaired. Accessibility is paramount and I am hoping to build on making everything I do accessible to a wide an audiance as possible.
Not everyone will agree on everything and that’s a healthy sign of diversity. What I won’t tolerate is anyone pushing their lifestyle on me or others in my space or any negative, threatening or derogatory language. We can differ in opinions but it should be handled with maturity, compassion and understanding.
There is always room for growth and you are always a beginner at something. I’ll always be open to learning more about subjects and adapting my narrative accordingly. I acknowledge I won’t always get it right and that you can’t please everyone.
I can assure that there is never malicious intent behind any slip-up or mistake, however, if you feel there is an issue or subject you would like to highlight please do so with respect, kindness and compassion in mind.
I'm for you if...
You have often felt like you don’t have a place where you ‘belong‘ or ‘fit‘.
You want to do something fun and productive with your time.
If you want to write more or use creativity to find your ‘why‘ and heal yourself.
You want to learn long-term and creative ways to maintain your mental-wellbeing.
If you want to gain more confidence and start showing yourself some love.
You feel ready to make changes but don’t know where to start.
You want a pal who is a safe place, gives you a virtual, wordy indulgent hug but also isn’t afraid to nudge you in the right direction.
I'm not for you if...
Our values don’t align and you like to push boundaries.
You’re not ready to be open and honest on your journey.
If you aren’t prepared to put in the work needed outside of our sessions.
You are looking for a “Traditional“, “Corporate” or pay by the hour service.
If you want someone to “Sugarcoat” things or beat around the bush.
You don’t like being asked tough questions!
If you have an issue with tattooed woman.