In this episode, Rocky sits down with creative director and photographer Rambo Elliott for a deeply honest conversation about identity, permission, and what it actually takes to stop performing your way into belonging. Rambo opens up about her autism diagnosis at 36 and how getting that word didn't mean something was wrong with her. It meant she'd needed different accommodations.

Together they dig into why curiosity requires rest, safety, and community before it can grow, why so many of us have learned to cry fine while everything's falling apart, and what radical self-acceptance actually looks like when you stop chasing people who can only handle you once every three months.

This episode invites listeners to examine the stories they've inherited about who they are, challenge what's actually theirs to carry, and consider what becomes possible when you decide to let you.

Episode Highlights with Timestamps:00:01:00] Intensity and sincerity as a way of life

[00:02:00] Getting stuck without knowing it
[00:02:30] Autism diagnosis at 36 and the permission it gave
[00:16:00] Curiosity as a ripe environment
[00:19:00] Performance vs. genuine connection
[00:22:45] Emotion as information, not the enemy
[00:28:22] Crying fine, the lie we keep telling
[00:35:38] Radical self-acceptance and moving on faster
[00:46:00] What it means to be human

About Our Guest

Rambo Elliott is a creative director and photographer with a decade of work documenting music, art, fashion, and celebrity. Her background as a neuromuscular massage therapist shapes everything. Her work puts a deep emphasis on connection and vulnerability, and it shows. She's been featured in GQ, Vogue, Rolling Stone, the NY Times, Billboard, Vanity Fair, Essence, and more. She's created album covers and videos for Leon Bridges, done documentary work with Jon Batiste and Takashi Murakami, and shot campaigns for Stetson, Dickies, Lucchese, and Tecovas.

Follow Rambo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rambo/

On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ramboelliott

Website: https://rambophotography.com/

Join Rocky, LIVE on Zoom, in conversation about leadership, humanity, and everything in between: http://rockygarza.com/confidence