Cameron Rogers approaches health, wellness and cooking with an unfiltered lens----and that makes her recommendations good as gold. Her openness and authenticity have inspired many to join her community-- and during these tough times, she’s thoughtfully curated and executed a constant stream of impactful, COVID-19 support programs that have convinced many (including us!) to take action.

You started your career on Wall Street and followed a passion after a life changing event. How did your experiences shape Freckled Foodie? What thought process or event specifically helped you make the jump?

As I’m writing this, I am approaching my 2-year anniversary of being my own boss, so there has been quite a lot of reflecting lately. My corporate background on Wall Street instilled a work ethic in me that has helped me succeed while running Freckled Foodie. It also has helped me bring a business mindset, especially financially, to my company and assist in the back-end work I do when negotiating with brands and other partnerships. For me, my “wake up call” that helped me realize it was time to make the jump was my accident in March 2018. I was hit by a car while crossing the street and suffered from a pretty severe concussion. This led to a lot of time alone in my apartment meditating, journaling, and really reflecting on everything. It became less of a “should I leave my job to do this?” to “I have to leave my job and give this a shot”.

You’re a Certified Health Coach and take a very authentic approach to health, cooking and nutrition--how did this passion (and approach) for wellness come about?

I never grew up interested in cooking or “wellness”, but fitness always played a large role in my life through sports. Because I played sports all throughout high school and college, I never really had to question my fitness routine or the food I was consuming since I was so active. Once I graduated from college and began working in the corporate world, I realized how differently my body felt after being sedentary at a desk for so long. At that same time, I began struggling with digestive health issues and being forced to adapt to elimination diets to try and find my exact triggers. With all of this, I began to experiment in the kitchen and realize how much I enjoyed making new creations. Similarly, I noticed how much better I physically, and mentally, felt when I was eating food that I had personally cooked and regularly exercising. This was when my wellness journey really began!

Your love of food is well known. Where do you draw inspiration in the kitchen?

A lot of my inspiration comes from recreating dishes that I grew up eating and loving or from menus of restaurants I have eaten at. During my days in the corporate world, I would scour restaurant menus. Whether I was eating at the restaurant or not, I loved to know what the new spots were offering. I take inspiration from a lot of flavor profiles or combinations at restaurants and then recreate them with ingredients I’m able to seasonally source.

"I take inspiration from a lot of flavor profiles or combinations at restaurants and then recreate them with ingredients I’m able to seasonally source."

You respond to every direct message and email you receive, which is amazing and rare. Why is this so important to you? What is the best part of connecting with your community? 

For me, the most important aspect of my business is my community. Without my “FF Family” (as I call them), I wouldn’t be able to do any of the incredible things I’ve had the opportunity to do. While it is taxing to respond to every single DM, I personally am still at a place where I am able to prioritize it and manage the process. To me, it is important to make sure that people in my community feel heard and respected and that this is a two-way street. The best part of connecting with my community is realizing that my words carry value and to see the positive impact I am having on people. It makes my day!

You’re known for your amazingly organized lists of recommendations. Where do you discover the things you try (and ultimately end up recommending)?

I am, and always have been, a big keeper of lists. Whenever I travel anywhere I make sure to keep an extremely organized and detailed itinerary of everything done. There is nothing more frustrating to me than asking someone for a recommendation of a city they recently visited and for them to respond that they don’t remember! I discover a ton of things through my community, trade shows, and exploring Instagram and the web. I love that people in the FF Family send over recommendations of products they are loving and think I would too!

"There is nothing more frustrating to me than asking someone for a recommendation of a city they recently visited and for them to respond that they don’t remember!"

You have made it a point to activate your community and organize weekly programs for people to contribute and help a variety of organizations during COVID-19. Where did the desire to help in this way come from and how can people learn more?

Since a very young age, my parents have shown me the importance of giving back and encouraged involvement in charities through leading by example. While I always felt I made a small impact on my own, I had a feeling that there was more that could be done. Once I had the platform of Freckled Foodie, I knew this was my opportunity to help spread awareness of different charities I am personally involved in. Given everything that is going on with COVID-19 and how many people are in need of assistance, there was no question in regards to whether I would use my platform to assist in this. I believe with a following comes responsibility and that if you have the power to enact positive change and assistance, you should be using it. If people want to learn more they can go to: https://www.freckledfoodie.com/freckled-foodie-blog/coronavirus-ways-to-help

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Cameron. We love what you’re doing for the community and will support in any way we can. We can’t get enough of your “My Favorite Online Shops For Loungewear and Cozy Sets” list as an amazing guide to expand our new work wardrobes!