Daily Inspiration: Meet Elley Ringo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elley Ringo.

Elley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a professional geologist and an actress. And through combining my two passions, I own my business, have a successful YouTube channel, and take on leading roles in feature films.

I started out acting when I was a young kid of 7 almost 8 years old. I was in a play, and I fell in love with the stage. That soon led to roles in movies. While that passion is blooming a lot of life happened and I decided to go to college to become a Geologist. I’ve always had a deep interest in rocks and minerals as a kid, but never really knew what to do with that interest. So one day I went hunting for precious fire opals in the Virgin Valley of Nevada at the Peacock, opal mine, and from there I was hooked.

I took that passion for minerals and rocks and focused it on my college degree and eventually my career. I have been practicing geology and have been a professional geologist for over 10 years. The past 2 1/2 years is when I started my business and my YouTube channel about geology, and if I’m not in the field actively making a video about geology. I am acting in leading and supporting roles in feature films across America.

My love of acting is what led me to pursue the reality TV show Frozen Gold on the weather channel. I left for Greenland for three months to film a 12-episode series about 6 Americans, leaving their homes in the United States and moving to Greenland to look for gold in one of the first Placer mines in Greenland.. since taking that leap of faith and moving out of the country, I have been chasing both my acting and Geology dream.

I would love to ask that you guys look me up on IMDb to see what I have created. You can find me using the name Elley Ringo. You can find me on every social media platform: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok @elleyknowsrocks @elleyringo, or @model.elleycat.

My Etsy, where I sell minerals that I find and 3-D printed mineral stands and mineral identification kits is ElleyKnowsRocks.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing worth fighting for is easy. I’ve had big dreams my entire life. Whether it be seeing my name in lights on the big screen, or being a world-famous geologist. With big dreams come big obstacles. I would say that some of the largest things that I’ve overcome in the geology world are that since I don’t look like a typical geologist, and I am a pretty girl, I get looked at as if I don’t know what I’m talking about. And I get undermined by men in the industry. But I’ve always held my voice strong and fought for my theories and opinions. And even though I’ve been bullied and had the worst things in the world said to me. I overcame it by continuing to show a good work ethic, knowledge of my skills, and just pure tenacity.

On the acting side of things, everybody is pushing for the same dream and the same goal for the most part. I find where I struggle the most and the things that I’ve had to overcome is that I am a friendly, trusting, very loyal person, so if somebody shows loyalty to me, I show it right back to them. And it often times comes to bite me in the ass because I trust people more than I should. On the flip side, though, for the person that betrayed my trust, it is a fatal mistake confusing kindness for weakness because I am one of the strongest people that you’ll ever meet. And no matter how many times you tell me no I can’t do it, I will still pop up.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
By degree, I am an economic geologist, and I specialize in mineral assemblages, mineral identification, geomorphology, and structure, and the scary part about all those gigantic words is that it takes an entire book to describe exactly what they are. And I am more than thrilled when somebody asks me to break down what one of those terms is.

I have offered this to my followers many times, to send me a picture of a mineral they need to be identified. my mineral identification skills have grown to be something that sets me apart, so people will send me pictures of strange minerals, sometimes I ask them to do different physical tests on the mineral so that will help me identify it, as well as give the general location because regional geology is extremely important when identifying specific minerals.

When it comes to acting, I love a role that I can fully immerse myself in, I love suspense and drama and intense scenes. But I would love the opportunity to do a comedy. It’s something I haven’t done yet. For acting, I don’t have any formal training, Such as college. But I have taken many acting classes from wonderful people years of theater, as well as just the school of hard knocks, I have a lot of life experience that I bring to the table and one of the best compliments that I get while I’m on set in many cases is that people are appreciated, how hard I work, and that my acting abilities steal the show.

My latest feature film, Alien Storm directed by Adam Werth produced by Mahal empire productions, where I play opposite Tom Arnold, in an alien invasion thriller.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was the kid with nine lives. There was nothing I wouldn’t try or do. My daily life routine was unlike most children, some days when I was lucky I got to ride my horse to school, which made everybody very jealous lol.

Sometimes on the weekends, I would tell my mom that I was going on a horseback ride and I would take off with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a water bottle. I’d be gone all day and I’d be back before dinner, and if I wasn’t on a horse on the weekend, I was begging my dad to take me to the beach to look for agates in the rocks. My dads and my trips to the beach really solidified my love for minerals and rocks, although at the time I had no idea it was going to be so impactful.

I was always the kid that was way too curious for her own good. I was the kid dragging tools from the garage and building a fort in the trees. I was the kid collecting nails from a worksite my dad was on just so I could flatten the nails back out to take them home and use them to help me build a bigger fort.

When it came to more formal stuff, every time, I got the chance I would be putting on plays with my friends, or singing for church, or making up songs to play on the piano. Growing up my parents rescued exotic animals and still continue to do so I literally was raised in a zoo with lions and tigers and kangaroos, and at least 3 to 4 horses in the barn. I’ve always lived my life with no stone unturned.

Contact Info:

• Website: Elleyknowsrocks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Elleyknowsrocks/
• Facebook: @elleyknowsrocks
• Twitter: @elleyknowsrocks
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/ElleyKnowsRocks
• Other: https://etsy.me/3F2jlIg

Image Credits
Dave Kelley, Alexis, and Elley Ringo