If you’ve been on the Internet at all over the past decade or so, you’ve likely been influenced by Rozalia Russian who I feel comfortable calling one of the OG influencers of our time. While many of us embraced the mirror selfie and Valencia filter from the beginning, not all of us transformed into one of the country’s most sought after opinion leaders, brand ambassadors and dare I say “icons” with over a quarter of a million followers hanging onto her every move.

What I love most about Roza, though, isn’t her effortlessly immaculate style or perfect grooming (although I do screenshot her tips on pretty much everything), it’s the lesser known parts of her story that make her perhaps more down to earth than you might first expect... Arriving in Australia with two suitcases and $250, early life in ESL classes, her hilariously refreshing approach to motherhood and the most well adjusted approach to trolling that I’ve heard.

Fun fact? I’ve actually been there for most of this ride, knowing Roza not only since before social media during our clubbing days that were so much fun to relive (and before her surname became Russian which, yes, was a total coincidence) but since our teeny tiny ballerina days at the Australian Ballet School. So, it’s with a weird sense of pride that I’ve watched her flourish but also use her influence for wonderful causes over the years.

This year, Roza is one of the ambassadors for the Witchery White Shirt Campaign supporting ovarian cancer research. One woman dies every 8 hours and less than half of those diagnosed will live beyond 5 years so the work of the OCRF is crucial. Last week, we celebrated the tally for this 17th year of over half a million dollars bringing the total to over $17.6 million to date. We are both wearing the beautiful shirts designed by Viktoria and Woods in this episode and they’re still on sale while stocks last even though the campaign has ended, so get yours below.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

FOLLOW ROZA HERE.
GET YOUR WHITE SHIRT HERE.

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