ABOUT
ELLIE
My name is Ellie Hollister.
I am a certified hypnotherapist and coach living a truly joyful fulfilling life,
but it took me years to get here…
In the past decades, I experienced challenges that gradually layered one upon another upon another, increasingly affecting my thoughts and emotions in a negative way. Ultimately, however, I overcame my obstacles and embraced my power.
Today, I experience deep joy, passion, and purpose, and I move dauntlessly through my days. I can tell you, it feels amazing! These experiences in my life, the challenges I have had and the growth that I have experienced are what drives me to help others who are struggling.
What are some of the challenges I encountered?
As a very young child, I experienced traumatic events concerning racism that made me feel “other.” As a result of this I began to struggle with my sense of belonging.
In my late teens, 20’s and early 30’s I experienced difficulties with intimate relationships which contributed to my feeling I was not enough.
And as a newly married woman and formerly single parent, the stress of a blended family’s significant growing pains left me anxious and sad, and feeling like I had failed my child.
But, as a second time mother, I went through my darkest times. I experienced the anguish of severe mental illness. I was hospitalized for postpartum OCD when my son was 3 weeks old.
Now, for the first 10 days of his life I marveled and felt great joy… but there were stressors simmering as well, and so one moment I was fine, and the next—like the drop of a curtain, I was horribly ill. Something was wrong with my brain. Terrifying images flooded my head fast and furiously like a rapid fire of photos constantly playing. The fear and shock that overtook me was the worst in my life, almost unimaginable. I loved my child deeply and to have this crushing experience was horrendous. If you have experienced significant postpartum mental issues though, you will understand how I felt.
And while I did get better alongside my loving husband, I was still not truly well, the anguish I felt over the trauma, and the feeling that I failed my infant son by leaving him for the hospital so early in life, was truly scarring. I got better on the surface however, I had not gotten to the root of the issue or learned the tools to really change the wiring in my brain that caused my collapse.
So although through the worst of it, I spent my nights worrying about my children, feeling guilt, shame, and regrets for actions I had taken in the past and things I did not protect them from. I berated myself every time I perceived that I had made another mistake. And each time I didn't forgive myself and there were then more worries added to my menu. So I lived my life primarily in the past and the future, and not in the present.
And I spent my days feeling I didn’t truly belong and therefore I didn’t have a home and so I ran away to various countries to try to find one. During these years I was blessed to be able to live in several beautiful countries, and the thrill of living in each new place was exhilarating, but after a short honeymoon period in each new place, soon enough I was back to that feeling of “homelessness.” This is because I hadn’t gotten to the root of what was causing these feelings.
But perhaps worst of all, is that whenever I experienced significant stressors, the OCD threatened to return, and I felt fear of what might be again, and that fear, in those instances, almost became self-fulfilling. It took effort to rouse me from it.
So, how did this all change?
Well, simply put, a bright moment occurred. I stumbled upon hypnotherapy, quite by chance, during the pandemic and immediately felt a shift towards joy. And with hypnosis, I didn’t merely get through—I abso-frickin-lutely conquered! I felt liberated!
With hypnosis, I trained my brain to rethink those negative beliefs and thoughts, to rewire those negative wirings in my brain. I did it! I was empowered! I learned to deal with stressful challenges in life in a much healthier way. I grounded myself and focused more on staying in the present. I discovered my purpose. I took bold healthy risks to move myself towards the life I wanted and realized my vision. Now I don’t let the stormy winds shift me. I am anchored. Now I feel whole. I radiate joy.
So, my mission now is to help others do the same.
Does any of my story resonate with you? If so, take the first step and book your free discovery call.
More about Rising Dauntless…
Mission • Beliefs • Logo & Name Story
My Mission Through
Rising Dauntless
Empower each client to succeed in realizing the authentic, purposeful lives they desire for themselves, by…
Increasing their feelings of safety, self-love, self-compassion, and self-trust
Shaping a deeper connection to community
Immersing themselves in nature
Nurturing and anchoring their body, mind, and heart
Giving rise to a playful, joyful, passionate, and dauntless life!
Beliefs
I believe that people should feel empowered to share all aspects of who we are, of our personalities, our desires, values, etc.
I believe that human beings are inherently playful and we need to nurture or revive that playfulness. We need to reconnect with our inner child.
I believe we need to purposefully practice self-care to counter the negative effects of the tech-heavy fast-paced world on our society; higher stress, overwhelm, feelings of inadequacy, and the weakening of relationships and community.
I believe that connection to nature is vital for a truly joyful life and that recent generations have become increasingly disconnected from it. We need to ground ourselves in nature.
I believe we need to focus on compassion and get to know other people whether it be through travel or right at our doorstep, in order to negate the divisiveness at the forefront of the news.
I believe when we do the work to lean into our best selves, the positive ripple effect is tremendous. And this ripple effect, this collective wholeness, will heal the world.
What’s the meaning behind the Rising Dauntless logo?
A logo expresses the values and character of a practice or other type of business. It should express the feelings that the creators want to impart and the values that they hold.
The Rising Dauntless logo represents empowerment and joy, and of course, a dauntless way of approaching our lives. It represents a playfulness that many of us lose sight of due to a multitude of demands in a fast-paced world.
The flower in the logo is a Black Eyed Susan. It is traditionally associated with several things, for example, strength as we come up against adversity. The Black Eyed Susan is a plant that is strong and can grow in a variety of conditions, just like us! It is also associated with hope, motivation, and encouragement which are so vital to us as human beings, and finally, it signifies the magic and wonder of childhood that many of us have lost.
The colors of the logo have significance as well…
Purple represents empowerment and is a rarity in nature so one should and must take notice of it. The yellow of the Black Eyed Susan petals represents joy. And the brown of the center represents grounding, stability, and connection to the earth.
These are the values of Rising Dauntless.
What’s up with the name?
According to Merriam Webster, dauntless means, “Incapable of being intimidated or subdued. Fearless.” Being dauntless means that you can move through life without fear, taking on challenges, not worrying about what others think of you, just being authentically you.
I want for my clients to elevate their lives and to be able to move through life in a dauntless manner, to let go of fear and other negative emotions, and to boldly and joyfully rise.
Ready to elevate your life?
