Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Cordeiro Rocha.
Hi Michelle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Long before I imagined building a career in wellness, I was a teenager in Rio de Janeiro whose life revolved around the ocean. Surfing became a defining part of my adolescence, and I competed in national-level events during an important period of growth for women’s surfing in Brazil. I also worked at a local surf shop and was interviewed about this new generation of women in the sport, women showing that strength, courage, and femininity could coexist in the water. I still have a photograph from that interview, and it represents a meaningful chapter of my life.
Surfing also shaped the beginning of my life in the United States. My husband and I came here planning a surf trip to Hawaii followed by Indonesia, but life unfolded differently, and that adventure became the beginning of a new life. Indonesia remained part of our dream, and ten years later, we finally made that trip together, a reminder that some dreams take a different route but can still become real.
As I adapted to a new country, I began exploring yoga more deeply. A personal practice gradually became a path of study and teaching. Over the years, I studied different traditions, including Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Bhakti, and traveled to India to deepen my Ashtanga practice. Yoga became more than physical exercise; it became a practice of awareness, resilience, and connection.
Teaching led me to become curious about what happens beneath the poses, how the body adapts and how movement can support people through different phases of life. That curiosity led me to study kinesiology and become certified as a personal trainer and health coach. Today, I work in San Diego as a yoga instructor, personal trainer, and Integrative Wellness Coach, bringing movement, strength, breath, and lifestyle support together.
Motherhood has added another dimension to my work. It taught me that intensity is not always the answer and that consistency can look different in every season. My journey has not been linear, but it has shaped my belief that movement does not need to be perfect or extreme to be transformative. Sometimes, it simply offers us a way to return to ourselves and stay steady as life changes.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth or linear road. Building a life in a new country required patience, courage, and the willingness to begin again. Language remains one of the most persistent challenges. I am comfortable communicating in English, but there are still moments, especially in academic and professional settings, when I cannot express an idea with the same depth and personality I have in Portuguese. I have also felt underestimated or treated differently because of my accent and immigrant background. Those experiences made me determined not to make myself smaller in order to belong.
My husband and I lived in San Francisco for ten years before moving to San Diego four years ago. We have worked hard, lived far from family, and rebuilt our community more than once. Maintaining our marriage through cultural adaptation, financial responsibilities, relocations, and parenthood has required intention, honest conversations, shared sacrifices, and a continued belief in the life we are creating together.
Education has been another important part of this journey. I studied Environmental Engineering in Brazil, but in the United States, I had to navigate a new educational system and begin a different academic path in kinesiology. After completing my associate degree, I am now pursuing my bachelor’s degree at California State University San Marcos. Studying in my second language while working and managing family responsibilities has required persistence.
Motherhood has brought a new kind of adjustment. Continuing to study, teach, and work while caring for a young child means that some days, my professional life happens during a nap or between family responsibilities. It has taught me that progress does not always need to be fast or visible to be meaningful.
We’ve been impressed with Michelle Rocha Wellness, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Michelle Rocha Wellness is my professional practice in San Diego. As a yoga instructor, personal trainer, and Integrative Wellness Coach, I work with individuals and groups through yoga, strength training, movement education, and lifestyle support.
My approach brings together movement science and the deeper awareness of yoga. I believe wellness should support real life rather than become another source of pressure. Instead of assuming that more intensity is always better, I help people build strength progressively, develop greater body awareness, and create practices they can sustain through different seasons of life.
What sets my work apart is the way I consider each person as a whole. Movement is connected to stress, energy, daily habits, and personal circumstances, so I take time to understand the person in front of me and adapt the experience to their needs. In my yoga classes, I am known for thoughtful sequencing and for creating an environment that feels grounding, welcoming, and purposeful. My Brazilian background also brings warmth, creativity, and connection to the spaces I create.
“Stay Steady” expresses the philosophy at the heart of my work. Progress can be consistent without being extreme, and strength can include the ability to listen, adapt, and begin again. I am proud to offer an approach to wellness that feels personal, sustainable, and rooted in real life.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I do not see luck as completely separate from courage, preparation, and relationships. Some of the most meaningful opportunities in my life have come through teachers, clients, friends, and community members who encouraged me, recommended my work, or opened a door. Even this interview began because someone in my community thought of me and shared my name.
There have also been moments when an opportunity did not work out or progress felt slower than I hoped. What initially seemed like bad luck sometimes redirected me toward a better environment or a clearer understanding of my path.
Luck may present an opportunity, but we still have to recognize it and be willing to step through the door. I try to honor the opportunities I have received by staying prepared, supporting others, and becoming someone who can open a door for another person too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msha.ke/michellerocha
- Instagram: @michellerocha.well
- Other: https://share.google/xFQZ7UTDQOuTiCf8B
