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

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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

The pressure to perform your way through being alive is real. And most of us have been doing it for so long, we don't even notice anymore.

We optimize. We refine. We show up steady. We process the grief privately. We hide the confusion because clarity is mandatory and doubt is weakness. We believe, somewhere beneath the surface, that we have to arrive at some perfected version of ourselves before we are worthy of belonging.

Just Be Human is Rocky's pushback against all of it.

Not a lowering of the bar. Not settling. Not pretending things don't matter. Just the honest, grounding truth that you are a person before you are a performer. And that who you are, in the tension, in the mess, in the tired, is enough to take the next step.

In this In-Between, Rocky sits with the question most of us are afraid to ask: What if the goal was never to outperform being human but to finally stop trying?

What you'll hear:

• Why the world's reward for polish comes at the cost of wholeness

• The difference between indulgence and honesty and why Just Be Human is neither an excuse nor an escape

• What it looks like to feel the grief, admit the confusion, and take the next step anyway

• The reminder: Be there. Be honest. Be present. Be imperfect.

"Who you are, even in the tension, even in the mess, is enough to take the next step."

Once a month, Rocky hosts Somewhere in the Middle, a gathering for people who are done performing and ready to be real. Link in show notes. Come be human with us.

Get To Know Rocky

Rocky Garza is a keynote speaker, executive coach, and host of Real with Rocky. He helps leaders trade performance for presence and to lead like themselves, not someone else.

Connect with Rocky

Come be human with us at Somewhere in the Middle: https://www.rockygarza.com/confidence

Follow Rocky on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockygarza/

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rockygarza/

Visit the website: https://www.rockygarza.com/

In this episode, Rocky sits down with entrepreneur and creative Hance for a deeply honest conversation about identity, belonging, and the stories we carry about ourselves. Together they unpack the tension between wanting connection and avoiding vulnerability, how childhood experiences shape present-day behavior, and why many of the narratives we believe about ourselves aren’t actually ours to carry. Hance opens up about feeling like an outsider in everyday environments (from youth sports to community spaces) and the internal battle between comfort and growth. This episode invites listeners to examine the stories they’ve inherited, challenge what’s actually true, and take small, courageous steps toward connection and authenticity.

Episode Highlights with Timestamps:

00:00:03 — The stories told about us vs. the stories we tell ourselves—and where they collide.

00:02:21 — Navigating social anxiety and feeling like an outsider in everyday environments.

00:03:54 — The tension between comfort in isolation and pressure to connect with others.

00:07:58 — The internal narrative of not belonging—and how it shapes behavior.

00:10:04 — What do you actually want: connection, comfort, or control?

00:12:25 — Recognizing when your thoughts about others aren’t rooted in reality.

00:15:14 — Why you can’t expect an invitation if you never put yourself in a position to receive one.

00:17:24 — The difference between being needed vs. being wanted—and why it matters.

00:19:43 — Taking small, intentional steps to create connection and rewrite your story.

00:29:33 — Reframing your past: separating your identity from the stories others placed on you.

About Our Guest

Hance Taplin is a Dallas-based designer, photographer, and creative director originally from Denver, Colorado. He is the founder of By Way of Dallas, a creative platform focused on connecting communities and reshaping the city through design and culture. His work has led to collaborations with brands like Nike, Neiman Marcus, The Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, D Magazine, Dallas Market Center, 7-Eleven and The Dallas Mavericks, making him a distinctive voice in the Dallas creative scene.

Follow By Way of Dallas @bywayofdallas

Follow Hance @hancetaplin

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