Not So Chic with Elli Freeman

Apparently being a big sister became my entire personality. This week we're talking about siblings, the people who become siblings, why I spent 23 years trying to save my little sister, and what happens when the caretaker finally learns to let go. Plus, Guest Therapy for anyone convinced they're behind in life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years I thought confidence came from fitting in. Dressing like everyone else. Dating the "right" people. Chasing validation from strangers, boys, and anyone willing to tell me I was enough. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. In this episode, I'm talking about the biggest shift I've made over the last few years: learning how to live a life that's actually aligned with my values instead...

I've been called an "old soul" for as long as I can remember, but for years it felt less like a compliment and more like a reminder that I never quite fit in. In this episode, I'm talking about what it was like growing up feeling different—being the kid who wanted tea at The Peninsula, spent recess in knitting club, obsessed over interior design before most people cared about decorating their bedr...

Body image isn't always self-hatred. Sometimes it's just constantly being aware of your body. In this episode, I share my experience with body image from ballet classes and dieting in middle school to gaining weight in college, losing it after graduation, and learning how to stop fighting myself every day. We talk about comparison, food noise, body neutrality, and why taking care of your body feel...

In this episode, I'm talking about dating, situationships, heartbreak, and learning how to be okay on my own. From my first kiss in Rome to college experiences that completely changed the way I viewed relationships, I share the stories that shaped my relationship with love, self-worth, and dating. We talk about rejection, healing, standards, and why being single no longer feels like something I'm...

Friendship breakups don’t get talked about enough. In this episode, I’m unpacking the pain of outgrowing people, the heartbreak of feeling misunderstood, and why friendships can feel so complicated in your twenties. I talk about trust, people-pleasing, learning to ask for what you need, and the quiet grief of realizing some people may not be your people after all. But more than anything, this epis...

In this episode, I’m talking about the summer that completely changed my life. After years of struggling with my mental health, convincing myself I was fine, and learning how to cope instead of heal, I finally got a level of help I didn’t think I “deserved.” I share what led me to outpatient treatment, what it actually looked like, and how I began to understand the difference between surviving, co...

In this episode, I’m talking about the kind of loneliness where you technically have friends, but never feel like you fully belong. I open up about being the “floater friend” in high school, feeling invited but not chosen, and how that quiet hurt followed me into adulthood. This one is for anyone who has ever felt outside of the group chat, the group photo, or the friend group entirely. You’re not...

You know the chic version of me, now meet the not so chic one. In my very first episode, I’m reintroducing myself beyond the polished online version and sharing how lonely college GRWMs, viral TikToks, dating chaos, and my lifelong need to romanticize absolutely everything somehow led me here. This episode is a little intro, a little unraveling, and the official start of the Not So Chic Club. For...

In this episode of Not So Chic, I’m talking about the weird guilt of feeling calm in your early 20s, living at home, not going out every weekend, watching everyone else’s life look louder online, and wondering if I should be doing more. I get into the difference between peace and complacency, post-grad comparison, FOMO, trusting your gut, and why a quiet season might actually be the thing that sav...

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