Next Brave Thing Podcast

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” — Brené Brown

In this episode of The Wholehearted Series, we explore the foundational guidepost of living a brave, connected life: Cultivating Authenticity by letting go of what people think.

Authenticity isn’t a personality trait—it’s a daily, courageous practice. It requires self-awareness, self-acceptance, and the willingness to disappoint others rather than abandon ourselves.

We’ll dive into:

• What happens when we lack self-awareness and self-knowledge
• How our need for belonging can lead to self-abandonment
• Toxic guilt, false responsibility, and people-pleasing
• Why spiritual formation starts with knowing and accepting yourself
• How self-acceptance sets you free from performance and perfectionism
• The cultural and church dynamics that can cause us to mask our true selves
• My personal stories of coming back to Australia, navigating cultural differences, and relearning what it means to belong without betraying myself

This episode weaves in wisdom from saints, mystics, therapists, and theologians—from St. Teresa of Ávila to Thomas Merton and Pete Scazzero—alongside practical insights on how guilt, fear, and inherited expectations shape our identity.

We ask deep questions like:

• Who did I learn I had to be in order to be loved?
• Where am I still waiting for permission to be who I already am?
• How do I come back to myself after years of self-abandonment?

And we land in this truth: Your true self is the most generous, humble, and powerful version of you. When you live from that place, you stop performing and start becoming.

This episode is an invitation to take up your space, tell the truth, and be who God always dreamed you to be.

Get your free Wholehearted Living journal prompts. https://calm-sun-843.myflodesk.com/x5yo2oyoyu

Book a free discovery coaching call: www.ella-hooper.com

Follow me on Instagram:@ella.hooper__

The Wholehearted Series – Inspired by Brené Brown

Welcome to The Wholehearted Series on The Next Brave Thing podcast.

This special season is a deep dive into what it means to live from the inside out—with integrity, alignment, and courage. Inspired by the transformative work of Dr. Brené Brown, we’re exploring the ten guideposts for wholehearted living from her book The Gifts of Imperfection.

Often, when we're trying to find balance and healing, we find ourselves swinging between extremes. This series is about learning to live from your core values—not the ones handed to you by culture, family, or fear—but the ones that arise from your truest self. It’s about replacing the old operating system of punishment, people-pleasing, and perfectionism with one built on compassion, trust, and authenticity.

Living wholeheartedly means getting our soul, body, and spirit on the same page—no more compartmentalizing, no more hustling for worth. It’s learning to recognize the difference between sacrifice and self-abandonment, and letting go of black-and-white thinking in favor of something deeper, slower, and more whole.

Throughout the series, we’ll unpack these ten guideposts:

1. Cultivating Authenticity – Letting go of what people think
2. Cultivating Self-Compassion – Letting go of perfectionism
3. Cultivating a Resilient Spirit – Letting go of numbing and powerlessness
4. Cultivating Gratitude and Joy – Letting go of scarcity and fear of the dark
5. Cultivating Intuition and Trusting Faith – Letting go of the need for certainty
6. Cultivating Creativity – Letting go of comparison
7. Cultivating Play and Rest – Letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth
8. Cultivating Calm and Stillness – Letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle
9. Cultivating Meaningful Work – Letting go of self-doubt and “supposed to”
10. Cultivating Laughter, Song, and Dance – Letting go of being cool and always in control

My hope is that as you listen, your heart would widen, your body would relax, and your spirit would sit up taller. May you reconnect with emotions like joy, wonder, and peace—feelings that don’t need to be earned, just remembered.

Brené’s words have served as a kind of midwife in my own life—delivering me into deeper truth, integrity, and freedom. This series is my way of passing on that gift to you.

Let’s walk the wholehearted way—together.

Get your free Wholehearted Living journal prompts. https://calm-sun-843.myflodesk.com/x5yo2oyoyu

Book a free discovery coaching call: www.ella-hooper.com

Follow me on Instagram:@ella.hooper__

Today I’m wrapping up Season 5 with an episode all about understanding your emotions. Emotions can often feel abstract and ambiguous, so in this episode, I’m sharing some of the foundational things I’ve learned that can help make sense of them.

I’ll be back in a few weeks with Season 6—and I’m excited to bring you a new series on how to live wholeheartedly!

Check out my website or book in a coaching session here: https://www.ella-hooper.com/

In this episode of The Next Brave Thing, I sit down with the insightful and compassionate Hannah Wilson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, to explore the deep and often tender intersections between trauma, emotional health, and spirituality. We talk about how trauma shows up in our relationships, shapes our personal growth, and influences our spiritual journeys.

Hannah shares powerful insights on the importance of self-compassion, the process of healing, and how trust—especially in our relationship with God—can lead us to deeper freedom. We explore what it means to let go of control, how surrender can be a gateway to emotional resilience, and the subtle ways control can sneak into our relationships and decisions.

Together, we unpack the impact of unresolved trauma on our discernment, the role rest plays in emotional regulation, and the beautiful connection between emotional and spiritual wholeness. We wrap up with a prophetic word on restoration and a heartfelt invitation to bravely release what no longer serves us.

Learn more about Hannah and her work at horizonspiritualcoaching.com, and connect with her on Instagram @_hannahlwilson.

Is “doing your best” actually just fear in disguise? In this episode, I unpack the subtle but powerful difference between wholehearted living and perfectionism. We explore how striving to be perfect often stems from fear, shame, or a need to prove ourselves—and how living from love, grace, and authenticity sets us free.

From religious pressure and wellness culture to motherhood and Christian performance, I share personal stories and spiritual insights around what it means to stop performing and start becoming. This episode is for anyone who feels exhausted by the pressure to be more, do more, or get it all right.

✨ You’ll learn:

• Key differences between perfectionism and wholeheartedness
• How fear disguises itself as “trying harder”
• The invitation to live under the law of love, not performance
• Why failure isn’t a threat—it’s a teacher

Let’s trade fear for freedom and choose to live from a place of grace, not grit.

🎧 Listen now and take your next brave step toward wholehearted living.

Check out my website: www.ella-hooper.com

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In this episode of The Next Brave Thing podcast, I have a heartfelt conversation with Lara Pilcher, diving deep into creativity, vulnerability, and personal growth. Lara opens up about her artistic journey, the challenges she faced while building her career in London, and the transformative experience of becoming a mother.

We talk about the importance of embracing imperfection, staying authentic, and grieving the seasons we leave behind. As we explore Lara’s experiences, we reflect on what it means to live a creative life and the power of self-acceptance.

Lara shares so openly about her journey of self-discovery, what it’s been like to embrace change, and why visibility matters so much in creative work. We talk through those moments of feeling stuck, finding the courage to be seen, and how our dreams evolve over time. Lara reminds us of the role grief plays in the creative process and encourages us all to keep showing up as our full, authentic selves.

Lara Bianca Pilcher is an accomplished Australian actress currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. With a rich background in both theater and screen, she has captivated audiences around the world through her compelling performances in stage productions, films, and television.

In addition to her work as an actor, Lara is also a wife, mother of two, author, and a professionally certified coach for artists. She is passionate about helping performers, writers, and visual artists reignite their creativity and take bold, meaningful action in their creative lives.

Follow Lara on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larabiancapilcher

Check out her website: https://larabiancapilcher.com/

In this episode, I unpack a quote I stumbled across: “What is yours will find you.” It hit me in a tender, grounding way—like a deep breath I didn’t know I needed. It brought up some honest questions about control, striving, and self-preservation. Am I holding on too tightly? Trying to force things in my own strength?

This quote offered me a kind of assurance—that maybe I can trust the timing of my life, that there are good things with my name on them. But it also brought up a tension: Do we just sit back and wait for life to happen? Or do we chase down our dreams, fight for opportunities, and knock on doors until they open? How do we know when to rest, and when to rise up?

I also explore how true opportunities can’t really find us when we’re masked up in people-pleasing or performing for acceptance. The real you—the one under the roles and expectations—is the one meant to be found.

Also, small disclaimer: I have no idea who originally said this quote! If you do, please send me a message—I love giving credit where it’s due.

Follow me on Instagram: @ella.hooper__

Book a 1:1 Coaching Session: www.ella-hooper.com/life-coaching

In this episode of The Next Brave Thing, I talk with Chris Cruz—creative director and former pastor—about identity, reinvention, and the courage it takes to start over.

Chris shares his journey of leaving ministry to pursue his creative passions, the challenges of navigating societal pressures, and the healing that comes with embracing authenticity.

We explore the tension between art and commerce, the power of self-expression, and the hidden growth that shapes our most meaningful transitions.

Chris Cruz is an author, creative director, and former pastor known for his passion for spiritual formation and creativity. After 15 years in ministry at Bethel Church, he now works with Harbor + Union, a creative agency. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife, Lana, and their three kids.

Follow Chris Cruz on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscruz/

This week, I had to let go of something—doubt. Not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I didn’t like the one I knew deep down was true. That tension pulled me into the tender terrain of surrender—a word we throw around often but rarely sit with long enough to understand.

Surrender isn’t weakness. It’s not giving up or caving in. It’s arriving at a moment in your soul, in your body, where you stop striving and start trusting. For me, surrender feels weighty and tender. It’s not something I can force. It only comes after the obsessive overthinking, the looping, the internal wrestling.

In this episode, I unpack what surrender has looked like for me lately—why it’s so hard to reach, how our subconscious blocks and early stories keep us holding on tight, and why letting go is actually an act of deep care, not defeat.

I share how I’ve been growing my trust muscle with God, slowly learning that if I’m not ready to surrender, there’s probably a really good reason. That resistance isn’t failure—it’s a signpost.

Letting go isn’t the end. It’s a sacred act of renewal. Just like autumn doesn’t fight winter, I don’t want to fight the shedding either. Nature makes room for new growth, and so will I.

Follow me on Instagram: @ella.hooper__

Book a 1:1 Coaching Session: www.ella-hooper.com/life-coaching

Are you waiting for something? Many of us can relate to the in-between season—the space where what we’re hoping for hasn’t arrived yet, while everything else seems to be falling apart, crumbling, or being pulled away.

But this in-between isn’t a punishment; it’s a refinement. You are being shaped, molded, and prepared.

Your subconscious is recalibrating because the life you’re stepping into requires a greater capacity than the one you’ve been living in. Right now, your job isn’t to force, fear, or grasp for control—it’s to stay the course. To surrender. To trust.

Something truly incredible is unfolding for you in this season. You’re releasing the need for external validation and stepping fully into who you are meant to be.

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @ella.hooper__

Book a 1:1 Coaching Session: www.ella-hooper.com/life-coaching