As a child, Ellie believed she was destined to save the world. But as she grew up, the world conditioned her to believe that she was unworthy of the heart that beat in her own chest. The pressure of the status quo intensified in college where she sough solace in substance abuse, a reckless pursuit of validation, and a tough-as-nails exterior. She graduated, convinced that she was destined for mediocrity.
She became connected to the heroism community in 2014 and two years later she has transformed. Ellie credits her current well-being to the development of heroic consciousness: awareness of and the use of the hero’s journey as a tool to navigate the world. She now shares what she has learned with service providers, youth, parents, and teachers in personal development trainings. She uses the hero’s journey to provide a meaningful framework for abstract concepts such as “leadership”, “self-efficacy”, “optimism”, and “resilience”, giving this less tangible knowledge a greater context of utility and applicability for individuals. She has taught heroism in Flint, Michigan, one of the poorest and most racially segregated places in America, as well as in Geelong, Australia and has successfully co-founded two Hero Towns that currently operate in Flint and Geelong. These organizations continue to service clients through heroism education programs today.
She wishes to drive the research behind her conviction that heroic consciousness can save the world by empowering individuals to be their own heroes - to create positive change, make values-driven decisions, and cope effectively - as well as act heroically on behalf of others.