EPISODE · May 13, 2026 · 48 MIN
105: Permission to be You with Guest Rambo Elliott
from Real with Rocky · host Rocky Garza
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 life00:02:00 – Getting stuck without knowing it00:02:30 – Autism diagnosis at 36 and the permission it gave00:16:00 – Curiosity as a ripe environment00:19:00 – Performance vs. genuine connection00:22:45 – Emotion as information, not the enemy00:28:22 – Crying fine, the lie we keep telling00:35:38 – Radical self-acceptance and moving on faster00:46:00 – What it means to be humanAbout Our GuestRambo 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/@ramboelliottWebsite: https://rambophotography.com/Join Rocky, LIVE on Zoom, in conversation about leadership, humanity, and everything in between: http://rockygarza.com/confidence
What this episode covers
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 life00:02:00 – Getting stuck without knowing it00:02:30 – Autism diagnosis at 36 and the permission it gave00:16:00 – Curiosity as a ripe environment00:19:00 – Performance vs. genuine connection00:22:45 – Emotion as information, not the enemy00:28:22 – Crying fine, the lie we keep telling00:35:38 – Radical self-acceptance and moving on faster00:46:00 – What it means to be humanAbout Our GuestRambo 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/@ramboelliottWebsite: https://rambophotography.com/Join Rocky, LIVE on Zoom, in conversation about leadership, humanity, and everything in between: http://rockygarza.com/confidence
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105: Permission to be You with Guest Rambo Elliott
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