Ella Bleu Travolta, the daughter of John Travolta and the late Kelly Preston, was raised in an environment rich with creativity, familial affection, and the distinctive cadence of living in the spotlight. Born on April 3, 2000, her birth was a moment deeply valued, as her mother shared with heartfelt emotion how both she and John welcomed Ella into their lives. As a young child, Ella became a loving sister—initially to her older brother Jett and later to Benjamin, whose arrival brought fresh happiness to their family. Even as a little girl, she had a knack for performance, creating her own home shows before eventually appearing in films alongside her parents. As she matured, she broadened her artistic endeavors, including modeling and music, gradually cultivating a career marked by genuineness instead of external pressures.
Her transition to a plant-based lifestyle began in 2022 after a friend suggested a two-week challenge. What initially seemed like a temporary experiment quickly transformed into a significant change. Ella soon realized how much more vibrant and centered she felt, and her interest prompted her to explore the environmental advantages of minimizing animal product consumption. Through watching documentaries, conducting research, and her own experiences, she embraced a vegan lifestyle built on compassion, sustainability, and health. Nevertheless, she approaches the subject with a mindset of openness rather than pressure, sharing her positive experiences without pressuring others to adopt her path. Her gentle encouragement embodies her belief: meaningful change flourishes through inspiration, not coercion.
Ella’s passion for cooking with plant-based ingredients has emerged as one of her preferred outlets for creativity. She delights in energizing, straightforward breakfasts like peanut butter toast drizzled with agave and topped with pumpkin-spice seasoning, and she frequently experiments with vegan baking, crafting banana bread and a plant-based rendition of Tom Cruise’s famous coconut bundt cake—a dessert that her father enthusiastically endorses. In 2023, she launched her Instagram account @ellableubakes to share her recipes, highlight plant-based cafés, and celebrate the pleasures of food. Whether she’s enjoying her morning matcha or checking out the menus at her go-to restaurant, PLANTA, Ella’s attitude towards food is fun, inclusive, and inviting.
Life has presented both successes and obstacles, and Ella’s poise in managing her public life showcases her inner strength. Growing up in Hollywood exposed her to scrutiny from an early age, particularly regarding her appearance, but her journey toward wellness seems to have fostered a growing sense of self-assurance and equilibrium. Following the loss of her mother to breast cancer in 2020, Ella and John deepened their already strong connection. They travel together, participate in events, and continue to celebrate Kelly’s legacy while pursuing their mutual passion for storytelling and creativity. Today, Ella’s commitment to a plant-based diet symbolizes more than dietary preferences—it embodies a deliberate lifestyle that integrates health, ethical principles, and care for the environment. Through her cooking, optimism, and gentle encouragement, she invites others to discover plant-based eating at their own pace, presenting not strict guidelines, but opportunities for a more compassionate and healthier world.
Mariela Flores had always been “the big girl.”
Big-hearted, big-voiced, big-bodied — and, as her grandmother used to say, “big enough to hold the whole world without cracking.”
It was her favorite compliment, though it hadn’t always felt like one.
Mariela lived in the small coastal city of Estrella Brava, where the ocean was always loud and the gossip louder. She worked as a tailor from her home studio, stitching dresses for quinceañeras, suits for nervous grooms, and sometimes repairing old jackets that smelled like nostalgia and dust. People admired her work, even if they didn’t always understand the woman behind it.
She loved her craft fiercely. It came from her mother, who used to sew late into the night while Mariela sat beside her, pretending to do homework but really watching the magical way thread tamed fabric.
But when her mother died suddenly, sewing became both a comfort and a responsibility—Mariela inherited her clients, her patterns, her tools, and the little dream her mother never quite managed to chase:
competing in the annual Estrella Brava Fashion Gala.
This year, Mariela decided it was time.
The Dream
Her plan was simple:
Create a dress that felt like a story. A dress that could breathe. A dress that didn’t hide curves but celebrated them — because Mariela was tired of pretending bodies needed disguises.
She wanted to make a gown for someone shaped like her.
She wanted to make a gown for herself.
But dreams have weight, and while Mariela was strong, she was not invincible.
The Conflict
Estrella Brava wasn’t cruel, but it had expectations.
“You’re entering the gala?” her neighbor Señora Tascón asked. “But who will model the dress?”
Mariela smiled politely.
“I will.”
There was a pause. A heavy one.
“Oh. Well.” A forced smile. “How brave!”
The word stung more than it should have. Brave. As if simply existing in her body in public was an act of heroism.
But Mariela kept sewing.
And dreaming.
And doubting.
Nights were hardest. She’d sit in front of the mirror, trying on the half-finished gown, whispering every insult she had heard about her body until her vision blurred. Then she’d whisper her grandmother’s words instead.
“You hold the whole world without cracking.”
The Turning Point
One afternoon, a frantic knock came at her door.
It was Camila, her 16-year-old intern — a quiet girl who’d started working with Mariela after school.
“Miss Mariela,” she said breathlessly, “you need to go online. Right now.”
Mariela didn’t like the sound of that. But she opened her laptop.
A post.
A photo.
A badly lit snapshot someone had taken of her walking home with fabric rolls under her arm.
“The Whale Tailor thinks she can be a model now 😂”
Hundreds of comments.
Laughing emojis.
People she knew.
Her heart dropped to her stomach.
Camila clenched her fists.
“They’re idiots,” she said. “Don’t let them win.”
But Mariela felt cracked for the first time.
The Rebuild
She considered withdrawing from the gala. She even wrote the email.
But she didn’t send it.
The next morning, she walked into her studio and found Camila pinning a note to the dress form.
“Bodies don’t exist to be small. Dreams don’t either.”
Something inside Mariela ignited.
Not anger — determination.
If people were going to look, she’d give them something worth staring at.
The Gala
The night of the gala, the auditorium buzzed with energy. Designers, critics, photographers — everyone dressed in shades of ambition.
Mariela stepped backstage in her finished gown:
A deep emerald green dress that wrapped her curves like the ocean wraps a stubborn rock — not hiding, not softening, but honoring.
As she stepped onto the runway, silence fell.
Real, heavy silence.
She walked with slow, confident steps.
Her chin high.
Her dress shimmering under the lights.
She didn’t need to be thin to be powerful.
She didn’t need permission to exist beautifully.
Her presence was its own masterpiece.
Halfway down the runway, she saw Camila cheering wildly, tears in her eyes.
At the end, she paused — and smiled.
Not bravely.
Not defiantly
Just freely.
The Aftermath
She didn’t win first place.
She didn’t need to.
Her collection was requested by two boutiques.
A magazine wrote an article titled:
“The Designer Who Stole the Spotlight Without Shrinking Herself.”
And girls from all around Estrella Brava wrote to her asking if she could design dresses for them — dresses that fit their real bodies, not the ones they were told to wish for.
Mariela finally understood:
She didn’t carry the weight of the world because she was strong.
She carried it because she was meant to reshape it.
And she did.
One stitch, one curve, one fearless step at a time.
