Erica Elliott:From Battlefield to Breakthrough, A Journey of Faith, Healing, and Empowerment
- Nov 6
- 5 min read
For Erica Elliott, life has never followed a conventional path. From enlisting in the military straight out of high school to becoming a counselor, author, entrepreneur, and trauma therapist, her story is a testament to divine guidance, resilience, and the unshakable belief that one’s legacy can be rewritten through faith and purpose.
Erica’s journey began when most teenagers were still deciding their futures. Drawn to both psychology and service, she joined the Delayed Entry Program during her junior year of high school. Shortly after graduation, she entered basic training and later completed her technical education at Fort Sam Houston Army Medical Training Center. There, she earned 23 college credits toward her psychology degree, an achievement that became the foundation for a lifelong calling to understand and heal the human mind.
After returning from training, Erica completed her bachelor’s degree in record time, just two and a half years, before earning her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Southern Nazarene University. Her passion for counseling was not a passing interest but a divine assignment she felt called to pursue at just twelve years old. Becoming a counselor was her goal from the start because she knew she was meant to help others change their legacy.
Even as a child, Erica was naturally creative and driven. She began writing poems, songs, and short stories to process her experiences, using the written word as a healing outlet. Her entrepreneurial spark also appeared early. At ten years old, she was selling Christmas cards to neighbors and earning money by putting price stickers on merchandise at a local store. By her senior year of high school, she was working five different jobs. For Erica, work was not just a means of survival; it was a tool for self-expression and a pathway to independence from a tumultuous upbringing.
Her decision to join the military came from a place of faith and practicality. Determined to find a way to fund her education, she began speaking with recruiters about available programs. When she learned about the Army’s Behavioral Science Specialist role, it felt like destiny. But it was not an easy road. There was a ten-year waitlist for the program. Erica remembers telling her recruiter that if it was not meant to be, she would not force it. Then, in what she describes as a divine intervention, her recruiter called months later saying, “You must have some power with God, doors have opened for you.” And indeed, they had.
That moment marked the beginning of a life filled with faith-driven miracles. Even when bureaucratic delays threatened to derail her plans, Erica’s patience and spiritual conviction carried her through. Looking back, she recognizes that God’s hand was guiding her every step of the way. In her darkest moments as a child, she asked God why she was placed in such an abusive environment. He always reminded her that He had a plan and that He would use her pain for purpose.
That unwavering faith became the cornerstone of her personal and professional life. Through years of service, study, and healing work, Erica developed a unique understanding of how faith and psychology intertwine. Her approach to helping others is both scientific and spiritual, a reflection of her own journey of transformation.
It was the ocean that offered her one of the most profound lessons of her life. Erica describes her time at sea as magical and deeply humbling. You cannot help but feel small in the middle of the ocean, she says. It is there you realize how vast God’s creation truly is.
Sailing through the Bahamas, encountering sea turtles, dolphins, and even circling sharks, she experienced nature’s raw majesty. Sunrises and sunsets over open water became sacred reminders of divine order. These moments inspired her to write Breath of Heaven: Manifesting God’s Way, a book exploring how faith and neuroscience work together to bring God’s promises to life.
As she wrote, Erica experimented with prayer, meditation, and manifestation, inviting God to perform miracles throughout the process. Each time, she witnessed blessings unfold in ways that defied logic. Her faith journey evolved into a spiritual-scientific exploration, testing scripture through the lens of brain science and discovering how divine wisdom and neural programming work hand in hand.
Her writing journey took another transformative turn when she connected with She Rises Studios Publishing. Initially self-published, Erica prayed for divine guidance to find a company aligned with her mission. That prayer led her to a Coffee Chat hosted by She Rises Studios founder Hanna Olivas.
Erica was immediately drawn to Hanna’s authenticity and generosity. She was not just a leader, Erica reflects. She was a woman of integrity, teaching others how to build blessed, successful businesses with heart.
Through her partnership with She Rises Studios, Erica’s book was republished and went on to win 18 awards across multiple countries. Beyond the accolades, she gained a community of women who embodied the values she cherished, collaboration over competition and service over self. They are creating a legacy movement for women, she says with gratitude. We are building businesses beside one another, encouraging one another, and changing the world together.
Now, Erica is preparing to bring her message to television through her upcoming series, The Masterpiece You Are. The show explores the rich tapestry of human experience, how culture, trauma, and belief systems shape our lives, and how we can transcend those patterns. We are all intricately connected, she explains. When we remove the blinders of fear and limitation, we discover entire realms beyond what we thought possible.
Her goal is to inspire curiosity about both the inner and outer worlds, blending science and spirituality to explore the mysteries of existence. There is a borderland between the known and the unknown, Erica says. When we allow our conscious and unconscious minds to communicate freely, we uncover incredible truths about ourselves and the universe.
With 13 national and international bestsellers to her name, Erica’s creative process remains rooted in service. Her books are written with one purpose, to help readers feel seen, understood, and equipped with tools for healing. Every time we help one person, she says, we help the world. That is the ripple effect of compassion. Her storytelling weaves the emotional resonance of literature with the practicality of psychology, painting vivid pictures that draw readers into a shared human experience.
As a Brain Code Strategist and trauma therapist, Erica’s approach to healing is both holistic and empowering. She focuses on helping individuals break free from the past and step into transformation without relying on endless therapy sessions. The brain is capable of incredible change, she emphasizes. When you know how it works, you can use it to rewire your thoughts and reclaim your life.
Her toolbox includes hypnotherapy, EMDR, NLP, tapping, somatic therapy, REBT, and CBT, along with customized meditations designed to accelerate neural rewiring. Her sessions are intentionally solution-oriented, helping clients move from trauma and limitation toward joy and fulfillment.
Beyond her one-on-one work, Erica is also a passionate transformational speaker and workshop facilitator, serving organizations, churches, and communities. Whether through her books, coaching, or upcoming television show, her mission remains constant, to help people elevate their lives, reconnect with their divine purpose, and realize that they are, indeed, masterpieces in progress.
As Erica often reminds her audience, when we align with faith, understanding, and love, we not only change ourselves, we change the world.
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