The Hoffman Podcast

Our guest today, Ezy Finkel, did the Hoffman Process in March of 2023. Ezy shares with us his intimate story of recovery from addiction with honesty, humility, and light. Ezy grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community and shares his difficulties living within this community. Eventually, he was asked to leave. Then, years later, he was asked to come back to be a source of healing there. Ezy’s story touches on many points of the human experience and reflects a journey of recovering his true nature, his Spiritual Self. His family had a strong pattern of perfectionism. During his Process, he discovered that he also rebelled against this pattern, needing to be different. One day at the Process, Ezy discovered a stand of trees on the land. One tree was still bare while the others were evergreen. He realized that he was like that bare tree, that he was uniquely himself. Ezy sees now that he has seasons and that change is ongoing in a human life. One thing Ezy wanted to gain from the Process was rediscovering his playful, fun-loving nature. After his Process when his daughters noticed that he now is like a little kid, he realized that he had gained exactly that. As Ezy shares this story with us, you can hear the love and joy in his voice. Sharing about his life in recovery, Ezy says that his life now with his wife and children is a whole different life and is “chaos-free.” What really stands out is Ezy’s love and humility as he shares about working with others in recovery. Content Warning: This episode mentions substance abuse. Please use your discretion. Discover more about substance abuse at the Substance Abuse Hotline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish,.. Discover more about Ezy Finkel: A creative, friendly, and passionate person, Ezy Finkel is deeply committed to his family, making a positive impact in the world, and conducting business with honesty and integrity. He is a managing member of Gem Consulting Group, a firm specializing in investing in behavioral health real estate and operations. Ezy grew up in Lakewood, NJ, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and children. He cherishes his family life in which they love to play and engage in various sports activities. Dedicated to making a tangible difference in the lives of those in need, Ezy spends a significant amount of time volunteering at local organizations and utilizing his professional skills to drive positive change. As mentioned in this episode: The Quadrinity Check-In Learn more about the Quad-Check and other Hoffman Process tools here. Join us on Instagram for a daily Quadrinity Check at 8:00 a.m. PT and an Appreciation & Gratitude practice at 6:00 p.m. PT.

Chip Conley, a co-founder of Modern Elder Academy (MEA), joins us today in conversation with Drew. Chip is not a graduate of the Hoffman Process, but the work of MEA and the work of the Process both beautifully support growth and change within. ** (See below for the next community conversation with MEA and Hoffman.) Content warning: This episode mentions suicide. Please use your discretion. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Listen in as Chip shares his life journey of learning on many levels. In mid-life, Chip’s world was rocked when he lost friends to suicide. He had his own suicidal thoughts. Realizing that the human changes we go through in mid-life are not supported by our culture, he began to consider what humans really need to navigate the twists and turns of life. Out of this, Modern Elder Academy was born. In his exploration of mid-life, elderhood, and growing wisdom, Chip has come to see that the ultimate spirituality is one that “actually helps you to show up with the most humanity in this lifetime.” Our humanity can be deepened and ripened through life if we engage in an exploration of and conversation in an understanding of our own spiritual nature. As Chip wisely says, wisdom isn’t taught, it’s shared. **While the vast majority of our guests are Process graduates, we occasionally host experts in other modalities of healing that align with the work of the Process. Join Chip in conversation with Liza and Raz Ingrasci: Chip, along with Liza and Raz Ingrasci of the Hoffman Institute, hosted another live event – a community conversation with MEA and the Hoffman Institute. These conversations offer insights and powerful approaches for deepening our spirituality and humanity. Please watch the replay here. Discover more about Chip Conley: Chip Conley is on a midlife mission. After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the U.S., and then as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Conley co-founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018 in Baja California, Mexico. Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a ‘modern elder’ at Airbnb, where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary transformation from a fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand, MEA is the world’s first ‘midlife wisdom school’ and has a campus opening on a 2,600-acre regenerative horse ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico in early 2024. Dedicated to reframing the concept of aging, MEA supports students to navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. A New York Times bestselling author, Conley’s 7th book “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age” is about rebranding midlife to help people understand the upside of this often-misunderstood life stage and he was asked to give a 2023 TED talk on the “midlife chrysalis.” Discover more about Chip here. Follow Chip on Instagram and LinkedIn; and follow MEA on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Mentioned in this episode: Three founders of Airbnb Blake Mycoskie, MEA Faculty Lynne Twist, MEA Faculty Liza Ingrasci, CEO Hoffman Institute Foundation Esalen Institute Omega Institute Blue Spirit, Costa Rica Kripalu Yoga Center Appreciative Inquiry Quote: “The purpose of life is to find your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give it away.” David Viscott Long Beach Polytechnic High School Stanford University • Stanford Graduate School of Business AIDS Epidemic Arthur Brooks: From Strength to Strength Burning Man Brian Chesky ROI: Return on Investment —> Ripples of Impact Prostate Cancer • Symptoms • Hormone Depletion Therapy The Hero Archetype Oprah interviews David Brooks Dacher Keltner, Berkeley & MEA Faculty Dacher Keltner’s Awe Walk (on YouTube with The OnBeing Project) BJ Fogg, Stanford & MEA Faculty Mantra Wisdom Well, Chip’s Daily Blog Esther Perel, Psychotherapist and Best-selling Author Matthieu Ricard, French writer, photographer, translator and Buddhist Monk Dan Buettner, Author, National Geographic Fellow, Founder of Blue Zones Michael Franti, Musician & MEA Faculty Pico Iyer, Writer & MEA faculty Aaron Taylor, Football Player & MEA faculty Essence (Your Essential Nature) Imposter Syndrome Growth Mindset • Carol Dweck, Stanford The Enneagram • Helen Palmer • More about the Enneagram: S3e27: Raz Ingrasci & Ward Ashman – Hoffman and the Enneagram on the Hoffman Podcast US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, on the Epidemic of Loneliness • Download PDF Report Robert Putnam, American Political Scientist • Harvard Kennedy School of Government • Bowling A

Dr. Richard (Dick) Schwartz, founder of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, kicks off our new season 7. While Dick is not a graduate of the Hoffman Process, we asked him to be on the podcast because his life’s work of IFS aligns beautifully with the work of the Process.** IFS was born in the 1980s when Dick began to work with clients in his therapy practice. Dick shares his story of how he came to see and work with the family system we each have within us. His discoveries about the inner landscape of human beings have helped thousands of people heal. You will hear Dick talk about parts and burdens. Parts are sub-personalities that, combined with the Self, make up who we are. Burdens consist of “extreme beliefs and emotions accumulated during intense experiences,” particularly in childhood. When parts are ready to release these burdens, hence the term unburdening, “they transform into their naturally valuable states.” This is akin to what happens in the Cycle of Transformation during the Hoffman Process. While developing IFS, Dick realized that at the heart of each person is the Self. He discovered that the Self is not a part like he was used to working with. The Self is the core Self of a human being. Eventually, the Self appears as the IFS work deepens. This is when healing truly begins to take place. Dick and Drew reference the Self, parts, the eight ‘C’s, exiles, protectors, and firefighters. Find out more about these terms in the As mentioned in this episode section below. **While the vast majority of our guests are Process graduates, we occasionally host experts in other modalities of healing that align with the work of the Process. Discover more about Dick Schwartz : Richard (Dick) Schwartz began his career as a family therapist and an academic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. While there, he discovered that family therapy alone did not achieve full symptom relief, and in asking patients why, he learned that they were plagued by what they called “parts.” His patients became his teachers as they described how their parts formed networks of inner relationships that resembled the families he had been working with. Dick also found that as they focused on and, thereby, separated from their parts, they would shift into a state characterized by qualities like curiosity, calm, confidence, and compassion. He called that inner essence the Self and was amazed to find it even in severely diagnosed and traumatized patients. From these explorations, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was born in the early 1980s. IFS is now evidence-based and has become a widely used form of psychotherapy, particularly with trauma. It provides a non-pathologizing, optimistic, and empowering perspective and a practical and effective set of techniques for working with individuals, couples, families, and more recently, corporations and classrooms. Currently on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, Dick has published five books, including No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. Dick lives with his wife Jeanne near Chicago, close to his three daughters and his growing number of grandchildren. Follow IFS on Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: Family Therapy Systems Thinking Attachment Theory IFS Terminology The Self: “One other key aspect of the IFS Model also differentiates it from other models. This is the belief that, in addition to these parts, everyone is at their core a Self, containing many crucial leadership qualities such as perspective, confidence, compassion, and acceptance.” Read more… The 8 ‘C’s: “The eight Cs of self-leadership include: calmness, curiosity, clarity, compassion, confidence, creativity, courage, and connectedness.” Read more… IFS Videos Shamanism Bob Hoffman, Founder of the Hoffman Process Kristin Neff • Listen to Drew and Kristin on the Hoffman Podcast Brené Brown Psychedelics • MAPS • Michael Mithoefer, MD Parentified Child or Parentification Myth of the Mono-Mind Fractal Systems Alters in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

In our season 6 finale, we host producer, songwriter, musician, author, and keeper of the American blues music flame, Shawn Amos. Shawn came to the Hoffman Process feeling like he was living his life while “… at the whim of all of these unseen forces and past traumas, and unconscious reactions to my parents…” A couple of days into the Process, Shawn realized he had to stop being cynical of the work if he was going to get the most out of his week there. He went all in, which opened him to the profound possibilities available for lasting change. Through the work of the Process, Shawn says he was able to “get control over” himself. He realized that the Process offered him an owner’s manual to himself, to his unique way of being. He shares that the tools and transformation he found at his Process have stayed with him over these 15 years since. In his words, the transformation from healing the pain of his past “was profound.” He now operates from a more grounded, conscious aware presence. Shawn also shares his inner conflict around race and identity. For many years, Shawn played the Saxophone. Then, he started playing the blues harp and singing blues music. It was then he felt a profound reconnection with his Blackness and his lineage, both backward and forward. At around 22:00, Shawn plays a bit of the blues harp for us. Listen in for a taste of the music he creates as Rev. Shawn Amos. Content Warning: This episode mentions child sexual abuse and might not be suitable for all listeners. More about Shawn Amos: For Shawn Amos, it’s about the story. He’s made a name as both a teller of tales and an astute shaper of others’ stories. He comes by the storytelling chops naturally. The only child of William Morris agent-turned-cookie entrepreneur, Wally “Famous” Amos, and singer Shirley “Shirl-ee May” Ellis, young Shawn spent hours in shadowy nightclubs, on the funky streets of 70s Hollywood, and in his own broken home, listening intently to people’s stories. He helped make his father’s cookie hustle real. In young adulthood, he jumped from screenwriting for A & M Films to the stage, crafting acclaimed Americana music that wrestled with race and identity. On the other side of the microphone, Shawn oversaw soul icon Solomon Burke’s last three albums, and produced seminal CD collections Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones, and Grammy-nominated box set Rhapsodies in Black: Music and Words from the Harlem Renaissance, among others. Since 2014, as the Reverend Shawn Amos, with harmonica in hand, Shawn has brought blues to audiences from LA to Amsterdam, delivering unbridled joy – both live and through recordings. Blue Sky, the 2020 release by his band, The Reverend Shawn Amos & the Brotherhood, hit Number 6 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart and scored four out of five stars from American Songwriter magazine. For his 2022 debut novel, Cookies & Milk, Shawn delves into his past to concoct a wildly entertaining story about the strength of family and the power of forgiveness – plus just the right amount of semisweet chocolate – to mend hearts. Shawn’s doppelganger, Ellis, embarks on hilarious and sometimes harrowing misadventures as he helps his dad open the world’s first chocolate chip cookie store in the multi-hued 70s landscape of music, ambition, and often-challenging elders. The book was awarded the NAACP Image Award in 2023. Discover more about Shawn: At his website, Facebook and Instagram, and YouTube. As mentioned in this episode: William Morris Agency Simon & Garfunkel The Animals Rona Elliot and Roger Brossy, Shawn’s dear friends. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Buddhism Taoism The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk Hillsong Church Documentary: The Secrets of Hillsong In America, the Richter-tuned Harmonica is called the Blues Harp. Bob Dylan Paul Simon Joan Armatrading        

Eighteen years ago, faced with a painful change coming in his life, Erik Larson knew it was time for change within himself. He came to the Hoffman Process. Eight days later, upon his return home, he told his two small children he had been at Better Daddy School. He told them things were going to be different. From that day forward, they were because he had changed. This was the beginning of his new life, a life Erik now deeply loves. In this conversation, Erik and Drew go deep into the transformation that is possible through the work of the Process. Erik takes us through his experience of taking a painful moment of his life and using it to do the work to become the man, father, and businessman he knew in his heart he could be. Erik speaks about two pivotal moments of his Process. The first was when a few of his fellow Process mates offered reflections on what they saw when they looked at him. He had seen a similar image when looking at himself and wanted to change it, but did not know how. It was then that something amazing happened, something he could not explain but knew was profound. The other pivotal moment was during a heart-to-heart exercise. Suddenly, his confusion and feelings of ‘not getting it’ disappeared and he began to Erik apply himself completely to the work. Hundreds of people found their way to the Hoffman Process through Erik’s recommendation and how he speaks of the change that is possible. Life is a process of coming back to the Right Road again and again, and as for each of us, Erik’s is no exception. He speaks of his life, including the hard parts, with honesty, gratitude, and love. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Erik and Drew. More about Erik Larson: Erik grew up in the Pacific Northwest where he learned to love the outdoors. After graduating from the business school at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, he moved to San Francisco where he began his first career with Ernst & Young. He raced Sailboats on a national champion yacht for 5 years before relocating to Aspen, Colorado for the next 27 years. Erik became a partner in a firm in Aspen. He was married and has two magnificent children who are thriving in university life in Sydney, Australia where Erik lives part of the year. Erik loves to be an inspiration and motivating force for people to become the best they can be. His tagline at Aspen CrossFit was “Igniting Human Potential” and Erik did just that for thousands of people along the way. Now, Erik is in the process of figuring out what his next chapter in life holds. He is obsessed with photography and is self-taught. Take a look at Erik’s photography on Instagram to see what he has accomplished. Erik’s favorite mantra is “I LOVE MY LIFE!!! And it certainly is evident. As mentioned in this episode: SealFit US Tactical CrossFit CrossFit Kettlebell swings Thrusters Burpees Hoffman Graduate Groups The primary purpose of grad groups is for graduates to do their Hoffman tools work together. Each group has a Hoffman-trained volunteer group leader. This leader oversees and leads the programs in alignment with the principles of the Process and Hoffman grad group protocols and standards. Daily Instagram Live Quad-checks and Appreciation & Gratitude Practices with Hoffman teachers and teacher candidates. Hoffman Q2 Intensive: Beyond Mom and Dad    

Britt Lightning, the lead guitarist for the all-female, Platinum-selling, 80’s rock band Vixen, is our guest this week on the Hoffman Podcast. Listen in as Britt regales us with stories of how the guitar and playing music came to be her life’s work. Her journey to playing guitar was supported by many, including her parents, and spotlights many synchronistic moments. In wonderfully uplifting ways, her story highlights how when we follow our inner calling, we find that the Universe is indeed conspiring on our behalf. Britt came to the Hoffman Process because she was feeling creatively stifled and felt a sense of stuckness in her life. She heard herself thinking, “This can’t be it” about her life. And even though she’d been on stage for years, Britt still wasn’t comfortable expressing herself with her voice. As she tells Liz, expressing herself through music has always been easier than through words. At the end of her Process after doing all of the cathartic expressive work, Britt shares how her voice finally broke through in a wholly authentic way. This capped off her Process journey and carried her forward into her life post-Process. A few days later, directly following the Process, Britt and her band played on stage. She shares how she stood on stage with complete self-confidence and ease. A few days later, Britt found her creativity renewed and flowing in powerful ways. Finding her Spiritual Self in the Process is something that now guides Britt in her life. Her image of her Spiritual Self is a beautiful being, goddess-like, dressed all in white. Now when Britt is faced with life choices, she thinks of her Spiritual Self’s goodness and makes her choices accordingly. She chooses not to do things that she cannot envision her Spiritual Self doing. We hope you enjoy this wonderful conversation with Britt and Liz. Our creativity is a vital aspect of living joyful lives. And as Britt shares, it’s all within you. More about Britt Lightning: Britt Lightning is the lead guitarist for the all-female Platinum-selling 80’s rock band Vixen. She is also the Musical Director at Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp. During COVID Britt hosted and helped to produce over 160 online Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp masterclasses with legendary artists including Roger Daltrey (The Who), Alice Cooper, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), and more. From 2015 to 2016, Britt played guitar for Rachel Platten, performing live at festivals and on national TV shows promoting the single “Fight Song”, which charted at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Britt performed live on Good Morning America, the Today Show, Live with Kelly and Michael, VH1, the Teen Choice Awards, and Nickelodeon. She also performed on the 2016 finale of America’s Got Talent, which took place at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall. Britt also performed on Live with Kelly and Michael with Jason Derulo to promote his new album “Tattoos”. From 2012-2015 Britt performed for 22-time Grammy Award-winning artist Alejandro Sanz in his stadium-level world tour. She is featured in Sanz’s “La Musica No Se Toca – En Vivo” CD/DVD. Britt joined Sanz at the 2013 Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas performing the single “No Me Compares”, and performed with the band at prestigious festivals, venues, and international TV specials. Britt recorded “Live At The Roxy”, a live CD/DVD with Alejandra Guzman, an iconic Latin artist who has sold over 30 million records. Labeled the “Closer” by Lady Gaga, Britt has followed her dreams by striving to grow and evolve as a musician while simultaneously earning a degree in Music Business from Northeastern University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude. Britt continued her education at the Berklee School of Music. She also has experience working in the music industry with Live Nation and Universal Music Group. Follow Britt on Instagram and Facebook. Follow Vixen on Instagram. As mentioned in this episode: Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp Van Halen Alejandro Sanz Barcelona, Spain Jaded Lady Gaga    

A world-renowned expert in the mind-body connection, Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., completed the Hoffman Process in 1990. This conversation with Joan and Sharon is a deep exploration into the nature of callings through the lens of Joan’s life. The callings of her Spirit first showed up early in her life. At the age of ten, Joan experienced a very difficult journey through childhood OCD. At one point, she had profound realizations of how she could help heal herself and did so. Through this, as a child, she realized she would become someone who could help others heal from similar challenges. Through the wisdom of her Spiritual Self, Joan has been guided into and along a life of self-discovery and deep service to the world. Joan became one of the first to work directly with AIDS patients, even when we didn’t yet know much about AIDS itself. She tells us that her courage to step into this role without medically knowing the risks came from listening to Spirit. Her story is a moving recollection of this time when so many suffered greatly from this epidemic. Joan has been on the cutting edge of scientific inquiry into Mind-Body well-being. With clarity and candor, she shares how her journey has been a labor of science and Spirit. As Joan shares, our calling isn’t a single thing. Our calling changes as life changes. Our job is to listen deeply and to allow our Spiritual Self to flow through us into the world. As she has for many years, Joan leads Hoffman’s Advisory Council acting as its Chair. Content warning: This episode mentions experiences with OCD and suicide, and may not be suitable for all listeners. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. More about Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.: Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and Harvard Medical School trained cell biologist with postdoctoral fellowships in cancer cell biology, psychoneuroimmunology, and behavioral medicine. She synthesizes cutting-edge science and practical tools for well-being with deep humanity. Joan, a sought-after international speaker, is a New York Times bestselling author of 17 books. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Public Television, and numerous websites. She is president of Mind-Body Health Sciences, LLC in Santa Fe, NM -the Land of Enchantment- where she lives and tends her outdoor gardens, indoor gardens, and gardens of the heart with her husband Gordon Dveirin, EdD, and their two standard poodles, Mitzi and Lola. You can register for her live online course series, the Gifts of Spiritual Memoir, and find out about other courses and appearances at her website, www.joanborysenko.com. Joan is also Chair of the Hoffman Institute’s Advisory Council; learn more about Hoffman’s Advisory Council here. As mentioned in this episode: Advaita Vedanta Hinduism Buddhism Mind Body Medicine at Harvard Medical School Herbert Benson (the first person to introduce meditation into medicine) Meditation Goes Mainstream, Washington Post – 1987 Jon Kabat-Zin, His mindfulness mind-body meditation clinic. 1982 AIDS Epidemic Positive Psychology and Character Strengths LGBTQ Community OCD Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception Lisa Miller, Psychologist at Columbia University    

Nationally recognized thought leader, Bernard Franklin, completed the Hoffman Process in June 2022. As Bernard shares, he was a man who had blocked his emotions, feelings, and energy, and “all of those channels were ready to explode.” He was shaky. He wasn’t comfortable in his own skin. And having arrived at the world’s best educational institution and at the height of his career, he found himself profoundly needing something he could not yet name. He found it at the Hoffman Process. At Bernard’s Process: Bernard beautifully shares a story from the first night of his Process. In the first few hours, something did not sit right with him. Old childhood memories were triggered. At that moment, Bernard spoke up from his belly. He said what he couldn’t say as a child. And at this moment, he was met by his Process teacher with kindness, gentleness, and the invitation to look deeper. Bernard stayed and had a profoundly transformative experience. His story is an example of how surrender to the Process does not imply or insist on acquiescence. The recurring theme woven throughout this rich conversation with Bernard and Sharon is that of healing the wound left by a father who could not love his son in the way his son needed. Bernard takes us into the journey of healing his relationship with his father and in turn with his own masculinity. Through his Process, Bernard was able to truly embrace the reality of his parents’ lives as they were, not as he’d wished they’d been. In this embrace, he found a deep and lasting compassion for both his parents. Consequently, the direction of his life’s work has changed. After integrating the work of the Process, Bernard realized he must follow a new path. He is now bringing his lifetime of work and his open, vulnerable heart to what he names “our world’s toughest men.” Content Warning: This episode does mention abuse and might not be suitable for all audiences. More about Bernard Franklin: Dr. Bernard Franklin is a nationally recognized thought leader on issues confronting urban trauma and violence, mental health, resilience, boys’ and mens’ development, and K-12 and higher education issues. His 40-year career includes leadership at five higher education institutions and a Kansas City philanthropy. In 2022, Bernard completed a Fellowship with Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative focused on urban mental health research, specifically on violent and marginalized urban individuals. He is the Managing Director of Uncornered, a Boston-based organization transforming urban communities into violence-free neighborhoods. Bernard earned an MS in Counseling and Behavioral Studies from the University of South Alabama. He obtained a Ph.D. in Counseling and Higher Education Administration, with an outside emphasis in family studies from Kansas State University. Bernard earned a master’s Professional Training Certificate focused on the trauma/resilience theory model of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) from Texas Christian University. He has been a speaker, taught courses, and consulted K-12 and higher education organizations on social-emotional teaching and learning, trauma, attachment disorder, resilience, and neuroscience. Bernard served as Chaplin and a member of the NFL Kansas City Chiefs professional counseling team. He is a member of the distinguished advisory board of The Center for Law, Brain & Behavior at Harvard. Bernard is a widowed and proud father of a daughter and three sons; and has seven adorable grandchildren. Discover more about and connect with Bernard on LinkedIn. Among Bernard’s many awards and honors: Bernard was twice honored among the 100 Most Influential African Americans in Kansas City (1998, 2009). The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce honored him with the Distinguished Leadership Award for contributions to urban education. The Kansas City Downtown Council awarded him “Urban Hero” for his urban public education work. Morehouse College Research Institute presented Bernard with the “Vision Award” for “pioneering work in the area of educating men on the importance of fatherhood.” As mentioned in this episode: Hoffman’s tagline: “When you’re serious about change.” Bernard had arrived at the world’s best educational institution, Harvard. The Korean War    

Natalie Lumpkin, the creative force behind Finding You, a gathering dedicated to Anti-Oppression work for Black Women, completed the Hoffman Process in early 2020. Content warning: This episode does contain a discussion of racial violence and the use of the N-word and may not be suitable for all audiences. After experiencing betrayal and doing the work to heal this betrayal, she came to the Process to understand the patterns of her relationships. Indeed, Natalie was serious about change. On day one of the Process, Natalie felt the deep and painful experience of entering an unknown group and seeing, after scanning, that she was the only Black person there. Even though she was part of a group of people doing their deep work together, as the only Black person present, Natalie immediately knew she would be doing her personal work alone in a way she was all too familiar with. Then, on the second day after doing her morning check-in, she heard a powerful message. “I am carrying the weight of my ancestors and it’s embedded in my bones. This is deeper than just your parents.” She drew a visual picture of the message (see below). After sharing this message with her teacher, Natalie followed their guidance to focus on the parental patterns. Upon completing the Process, she came away with a new sense of who she truly is. Natalie then began the journey of healing the patterns of her ancestors. After her Hoffman work and the events of 2020, Natalie’s work in the world deepened. She honed her ability to create and hold gatherings for Black women to awaken, heal, and see their conditioning. This work is the most important way she can use her voice and the most powerful work she can do. More about Natalie Lumpkin: Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Natalie worked for some of the most iconic brands of our generation. Natalie uses her life and career experience to inform the arc of her program, Finding You. She creates a space for Black Women to explore the ways we are prepared for racial oppression, and uncover survival tactics learned early in life. They spend time identifying social narratives, orientating their internalized conditioned biases, and naming invisible generational traumas carried and passed forward in their lives. With a foundation in various wellness modalities and continuous education, Natalie equips attendees with valuable tools for regaining balance and a sense of their truth when they complete this deep work and re-enter the ongoing systems of oppression. Gatherings are held a few times per year. Participants are curated through an interactive registration process. Groups are kept small so attendees are safely able to create new ways of seeing themselves and seeing each other. The objective of Finding You is to create a safe space for internal reflection, group connection, and deep awakening that allows Black women to take their intended shape, and share their unique gifts in the world. We collectively heal our past while simultaneously establishing a legacy for future generations by identifying and deprogramming the effects of conditioned oppression. Natalie lives in the Seattle area. When she’s not working one one-on-one with clients in her coaching practice The Art of Whole Being, or guiding small groups of women through Finding You, she’s most likely traveling, spending time with family or friends. She enjoys the natural beauty of her surroundings, writing, and making pottery in one of her local art studios. Discover more: Natalie on Instagram, Btrayed on Instagram, The Art of Whole Being on Instagram, and Finding You on Instagram. As mentioned in this episode: Natalie’s message from her Spirit Guide on Day 2 of the Hoffman Process. Umi – Mother of Mothers, origin: Arabic, Japanese Tara Brach, Meditation Teacher, Psychologist, and Author The Office TV show Jen Atkin, Hairstylist, Influencer, and Entrepreneur Jen on the Hoffman Podcast: My Rise to the Top The Infidelity Project, Anonymous sharing for those who are experiencing betrayal. George Floyd Kwanzaa Artful Belonging Natalie’s mission at Artful Belonging is “to strengthen the sense of belonging we have to each other and to ourselves through the creation of safe spaces for honest conversations about our collective Black experience, which includes celebrating the beauty of our culture. Through the study and creation of art, we instill a deeper sense of self that results in true belonging for Black youth.”    

  Sheila Ohlsson Walker, Ph.D., who graduated from the Hoffman Process in 2019, shares her sense of what purpose is and how we can come to know it. Content warning: this episode does contain references to child sexual abuse and may not be suitable for all audiences. Sheila shares how purpose can change over time, meaning we can have many purposes in our lifetime. In this warm and uplifting conversation, Sheila gives tangible examples of what she means by this definition by sharing her own personal and professional life story with all of the twists and turns that a human lifetime contains. It is clear that Sheila is passionate about guiding children through the power of sports to find their YODA code (Your Own Decision Advisor) so they can grow into adulthood and live their lives with this ‘personal GPS.’ When we have our own YODA code, we can find our way back home when we get off track, something that happened to Sheila at a young age. In response to this event, through her resilience and the help of caring adults, she found her way. Sheila lives a purposeful life of service, learning, and joy. Accordingly, her work is focused on parents, sports coaches, teachers, and other adults who impact youth during powerful developmental chapters when lifelong habits are most seamlessly embedded. Relatedly, she seeks to empower young people with mindsets, knowledge, and skills that support them in building self-narratives that catalyze holistic flourishing across life. More about Sheila Ohlsson Walker, CFA, Ph.D. : A competitive tennis player since childhood, Sheila Ohlsson Walker, CFA, Ph.D. knows first-hand the power of sport to embed life skills and mindsets that transfer into careers, relationships, and wellness habits that foster health and well-being across life. She knows that adults can activate passion, possibility, and a sense of purpose in young people through the relationships they form with them. Dr. Walker received a B.S. in Finance at the University of Colorado, Boulder. After a career as a portfolio manager for a buy-side investment firm in Denver, she pivoted to academia. She earned a doctorate in Behavioral Genetics from the Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at Kings College London, where she learned that the headline of biosocial science was clear: nurture (the environment) shapes nature (DNA) across life. Dr. Walker is a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She serves on the boards of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation and the Youth Performance Institute, is a trustee of the Kent Denver School, and is a member of the United States Tennis Association’s Sport Science Committee. Sheila lives in Denver. Her greatest pride and joy is being a mother to her three sons, Jack, Charlie, and Wyatt. Learn more about Sheila here.www.sheilaohlssonwalker.com As mentioned in this episode: Joan Borysenko Ph.D., Chair of Hoffman’s Advisory Council The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk MD Quote: “Don’t worry that your child isn’t listening to you; worry that they are always watching you.” Robert Fulghum Pretoria, South Africa Apartheid Outward Bound PsyD Program, University of Colorado at Denver Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Protective and Compensatory Experiences (PACEs) Wise Decisions: A Science-Based Approach to Making Better Choices by Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker Human Performance Institute Amanda Visek, Ph.D., Associate Professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Fun Maps by Dr. Visek  

In the Fall of 2022, Richard Raymond, British Filmmaker, graduated from the Hoffman Process. Yes, Richard is a filmmaker, but as you’ll discover listening to this conversation with Liz, Richard is a masterful storyteller, and he has stories to tell. From a very young age, films enthralled Richard. When he realized he wanted to be involved in making films, he took action. To that end, he made his own introduction to the world of filmmaking. Then, as he followed his heart’s vision, he learned from amazing actors, directors, and other filmmaking artists (see some listed below). Eventually, his vision led him to Australia and then America. Two main threads weave this conversation together. The threads are finding where we belong and learning to trust one’s creative voice enough to give it free rein. Through his rich storytelling, Richard takes us along on his journey of finding belonging from childhood to those seven days at the Process. Eventually, at the end of this conversation, you’ll hear the wisdom of belonging Richard has discovered. You’ll also hear how he came to trust in himself and his voice as an artist through the deep work of the Process. This was one of the biggest gifts and takeaways from Richard’s week at the Hoffman Process. More about Richard Raymond: Richard Raymond is a British filmmaker known for his visually striking and emotionally impactful works. Born and raised in London, to a Jewish Indian family, Raymond developed a love for film from a young age and began making his own short films at the age of 15. In 2015, he made his feature film debut with “Desert Dancer,” starring Freida Pinto, a biographical drama about the Iranian dancer Afshin Ghaffarian, which premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and received critical acclaim. Raymond’s follow-up film, “Souls of Totality”, was released in 2018 and starred Tatiana Maslany. It was the first film in history to be shot during a real solar eclipse. The film won awards at 12 International Film Festivals and was long-listed for the Oscar. In 2020, Raymond directed “A Million Eyes”, which was released to widespread praise for its thought-provoking and visually stunning portrayal of a young gifted photographer. As a filmmaker, Raymond is not only dedicated to his craft but also to giving back to the community. Through organizations such as YoungArts, he is a fierce advocate for arts education for young people in underprivileged areas and has taken on the role of mentor to many young artists who may not have had access to guidance and support otherwise. Additionally, Raymond has made a significant impact in the autism community through the creation of the Celebrity Chef Gala for Autism Speaks. Over the past 15 years, this event has raised $16 million to support its efforts to provide solutions for individuals with autism and their families throughout all stages of life. Richard Raymond resides in Malibu with his better half, Nousha, and their two children, Rumi and Bodhi. Learn more about Richard and his work here. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter. As mentioned in this episode: Bhagdadi Jews: “The former communities of Jewish migrants and their descendants from Baghdad and elsewhere in the Middle East are traditionally called Baghdadi Jews or Iraqi Jews. They settled primarily in the ports and along the trade routes around the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.” Wikipedia Bombay/Mumbai, India Hertfordshire Countryside Pinewood Film Studios / Shepperton Studios – London, England Fox Studios Australia /now Disney Studios Australia Sundance Film Festival Paravision Film Equipment Akram Kahn, Choreographer Hoffman Part 2: Toward the end of this conversation, Richard mentions that he is looking forward to doing “Part Two.” The next step for Hoffman graduates is to do the Hoffman Q2 Intensive- Beyond Mom and Dad, a three-day retreat that takes you beyond the Mom and Dad patterns and into a deeper vision for your life. The Q2 is also offered in a virtual format. Hoffman terminology: Awareness Hell: In awareness hell, we know we are aware of our patterns and the things we do we wish we didn’t do, but we are still unable to change. We understand but feel stuck in this place of hell even though our awareness keeps expanding. To get out of awareness hell, our work to grow and transform must include three additional steps for change to take place. These three steps are Expression, Compassion, and New Ways of Being. All four make up the Cycle of Transformation. Actors, Directors, and movies Richard has worked with: Blake Edwards (Pink Panther Movies) Roberto Benigni (Son of the Pink Panther, Life is Beautiful) Dick Pope, Director of Photography Neil Jordan, Interview With the Vampire Agnieszka Holland, The Secret Garden Derby (Luc) Besson, The Fifth Element Anthony Hopkins, Richard Attenborough, Shadowlands James Cameron Richard Donner, Superman Movies Tim B

Mary Arden, a beloved Hoffman Process teacher and coach, taught the Process for nearly 30 years. In this spirited and delightful conversation with Drew, Mary shares her experience taking the Process, teaching the Process, and working directly with Bob Hoffman. She also, lovingly, shares her experience of being with her beloved partner, Jim, while he was alive and now after his passing. Mary bridges Earth and Spirit as she speaks of her life, relationships, and work to help facilitate wellness and healing in people so that our world can know this profound and practical relationship between the two, between Earth and Spirit. One of Mary’s profound experiences during her own Process was feeling deeply rooted in the Earth. The work she did there brought her into her own body and a direct embodied relationship with Earth. Mary also shares that the Process teaches us “that there is a whole realm that is a spiritual realm and we get to be in that by choosing.” From an early age, Mary learned that we are here to be of service. Her older sister had an intellectual disability. (Mary uses the term, mentally retarded, which was the predominant term used in Mary’s early years as a child in the 1940s.) She shares how very different things were then and how remarkable her parents were in their response to how to raise Mary’s sister, during this time. Her parents’ response had a direct impact on Mary and her life. Those of us who know Mary, and truly all who have taken the Process since Mary started teaching and working to help shape the Process into what it is today, have deeply benefited from her dedication to serving her students and this beautiful relationship between Life and Spirit. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Mary and Drew. More about Mary Arden: Mary Amrita Arden holds a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities, a certificate in Secondary Education, and a Master’s degree in public health. She is also a certified Neuro-Lingustic Programming coach. Mary taught the Hoffman Process from 1991 to 2019. She once shared that what was most meaningful for her about teaching the Hoffman Process was “facilitating people to a healthy way of holding their life – listening to their inner wisdom, finding strength in their essence/spirit, learning true self-compassion, and living a fulfilling life of connection, love, and presence.” In Mary’s own words, what she got from taking the Process was “a deep sense of my essential worthiness, separate from any role or achievement, and a way to live passionately with an open heart, connected to spirit.” Mary is now retired and lives in California. As mentioned in this episode: 1970 Book, Diet for a Small Planet Bob Hoffman, Founder of the Hoffman Process The Negative Love Syndrome: Watch this video Describing the Negative Love Syndrome Download A Path to Personal Freedom and Love, which describes the Negative Love Syndrome Book by Bob Hoffman: No One is to Blame Human Potential Movement An awakening to the understanding that… “we are more than just these human beings who have a job and raise a family. That we’re spiritual beings having a human experience.” Mary Arden Enneagram (Type2): THE HELPER The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Generous, Demonstrative, People-Pleasing, and Possessive Francis Weller Francis Weller, MFT, “is a psychotherapist, writer, and soul activist. He is a master of synthesizing diverse streams of thought from psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, indigenous cultures, and poetic traditions.” The Wild Edge of Sorrow and the First Gate of Grief: Mary reads a section on the first gate of grief from Francis’ book, The Wild Edge of Sorrow. You can learn more about these stages of grief from Francis Weller here.  

B David Cisneros, professor and author, shares that the Hoffman Process, without question, was the single most impactful thing I’ve ever done for myself.” The Process put David on a “path to happiness, to joy, to finding joy.” When speaking of his childhood, David shares with Sharon that blame was a deep familial pattern. In his family, “any problem you had was someone else’s fault.” But in the Process, David quickly came to see that blame was no longer an option if he truly wanted to meet the challenges he was facing. He credits the Process with opening him to the power of taking responsibility for his own life, one of the cornerstones of the foundational work of the Hoffman Process. After the Process, David followed his heart and found his new career teaching at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). It was his work at the Process that gave him the confidence to apply for this job even though he was sure didn’t have what they were looking for. He followed the guidance he got and was hired. David did in fact have what they were looking for. David also speaks of the beautiful angels in our lives. He shares a story about his roommate at the Process who helped him through a difficult moment during the week. David expands on this, sharing how others are angels for us and we can be angels for others as we navigate life. He highlights this wisdom in his book about reincarnation, “Between Here and There.” This beautiful book was the result of a spirit-led dream he had years after completing the Process. More about B David Cisneros: David grew up in a small farming town along the Central Coast of California. Then and there, he learned about hard work by watching family members rise before the sun to break their backs in the fields. Spiritual but not religious, David somehow found his faith by surfing up and down California’s coastlines, searching for the perfect wave. David received a degree in economics from San Diego State University. After college, he worked in the tech and gaming industries at companies like Oracle and IGT. All the while, David struggled to connect the corporate world with his spirituality. Today, he considers himself a Silicon Valley refugee. He lives in the high desert of Northern Nevada, teaches at the University of Nevada, Reno, writes as much as possible, and spends his free time cycling on the road and mountain trails, playing with his Vizsla, listening to his vinyl collection, sipping fine tequila, and laughing with friends and family. And David is still searching for that perfect wave. More about David’s book: David’s recently published book, “Between Here and There,” is a tale of a hero’s journey of spiritual growth … about a boy searching for the meaning of life. He learns about Love, forgiveness, and trust. But he also discovers what happens to us in the afterlife. David shares that the story came to him in a dream. However, he could never have written it without the emotional and spiritual growth he developed from the Process. And he still remembers the Love and the support he received all those years ago. As mentioned in this episode: The Dark Side – Learn about the Dark Side and Hoffman Tools and Practices here. Larry Ellison, Founder of Oracle The Gaming Industry Rate My Professors Gratitude Tune into Hoffman’s daily Gratitude and Appreciation practice at 6:00 pm PT on Instagram.

Natalie Kuhn is Co-CEO and a founding teacher of The Class. Listen in as she shares about spirituality, the human body, and the incredible healing power of expression. While Natalie grew up with Catholicism and Buddhism, it was in her biology class that she realized the profound power of the spiritual nature of life. Natalie saw the power of the human body to heal as a doorway to the mystery of the unseen power of spirituality. In her work today, the power of her spiritual insight has come full circle in her work in The Class. It truly is a physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual expression of the reach of Natalie’s love’s everyday radius. In this conversation with Liz, Natalie speaks a lot about the power of expression. During her week at the Process, she discovered that all of her emotions were finally set free when she was able to express the fullness of her anger through her cathartic work there. She goes on to tell us how expression frees emotion, which frees our vitality, life force, and creativity. In other words, it frees our Spirit. Natalie found that her work at the Process brought even more of her vitality and joy to her work with people and The Class. Tag along on this joyful ride with Natalie and Liz, and stay with them to the end. You’ll be glad you did because Natalie has a special gift for you. More about Natlie Kuhn: Natalie is Co-CEO and a founding teacher of The Class, a global digital wellness company whose innovative workout combines fitness and mindfulness in order to strengthen the body, become aware of the mind, and create a deeper connection to self. As the first employee of the business, she helped grow it from its inception in 2013 when it was originally taught in the founder’s apartment building to what it is today. Natalie is known for being the category creator of mindful movement, practiced in-person in NY & LA, and digitally in 71 countries across the globe. As mentioned in this episode: The Cycle of Transformation Expression: “To let go of our patterns, we must exercise our free will – choose to step out of a pattern and take action using our Voice, Body, and Intention. We use our Voice to say “No” to the pattern and “Yes” to what we are moving toward. We use our Body to physically express ourselves. All the while, our Intention is to free ourselves of the pattern(s) we are working with and get back in touch with our aliveness and authenticity. Our expression is not necessarily about anger – it’s about “claiming” your life. It’s about taking a stand. Sometimes that includes anger, but it can also be about joy, love, commitment, and empowerment.” Learn more about the power of Expression through the Hoffman Process by downloading this PDF. Qigong Yoga  

In his youth, Bobby Africa, business mentor and ultra-endurance athlete, earned his nickname “Too Fast Africa” racing motocross for Kawasaki. Ironically, and perfectly, it was Regina‘s (his Process teacher) loving invitation to, “Slow it down, Bobby” that opened the door, even wider, to the healing that took place during his Process. In the first few days of his Process, Bobby (Bob’s childhood nickname) began to feel safe and content. He realized he didn’t have to be anything or anyone but simply himself. It was in this safety that he began to slow things down, feel his feelings, and dig into this profound healing work. Bobby courageously and vulnerably began to shine a bit of light into what was and what is in his words, “very dark.” As he shares his story, you can hear, feel, and sense the profound Light within him that he re-discovered through the work of the Process. Bobby goes on to share with us how in his post-Process life he is using the Process tools to heal trauma and the associated patterns. Some of the deep understanding he came to realize at the Process – safety, loveable exactly as he is, and deep contentment – now support him as he heals even more within himself. Content warning: This conversation mentions violence and sexual abuse, and while not explicit in nature, may not be suitable for all audiences.” More about Bobby Africa: Bobby Africa has been moving fast most of his life. Born in Pennsylvania as the youngest of three, he spent most of his time outside or playing competitive ice hockey, soccer, and racing motocross. His love for the outdoors took him to Colorado, where he earned degrees in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Planning to attend medical school, Bobby deferred to travel the world for a year, spending nine months climbing, surfing, and working as a mountain guide in Africa and another three months in Europe. While in Europe, he visited Salomon, a company he was product testing for, and, as they say, the rest is history. He moved to France to work for Salomon and race professionally as a mountain athlete finding himself on a new path combining his love for playing in the mountains, product creation, and business. Bobby went on to hold key positions and lead companies such as Pearl Izumi, Kidrobot, Roofnest, and PopSockets. While at PopSockets, he was instrumental in their extraordinary growth from a small garage operation to the second fastest-growing company in the country in 2018. After leaving PopSockets in 2020, he had his “kitchen coffee moment” that ultimately led him to the Hoffman Process. Bobby continues leading businesses, mentoring leaders, and fostering authentic connections through TFA (TooFastAfrica) Strategy Partners. In addition, he co-founded Suffer Better, a Colorado-based nonprofit offering the endurance athlete community opportunities to preserve and protect their natural environment and support local communities. Most importantly, he continues to play in the mountains and be a dad to his daughter Sophia. Discover more about Bobby: Bob Africa on LinkedIn Interview with Bob at PodiumRunner.com Life Lessons with Boulder Athletes at DailyRunner.com Leadville Race Series: Meet your run camp guides with Bob Africa As mentioned in this episode: Leadville Race Series Safety Bobby and other Process graduates talk often about how safe they felt at Hoffman Process. Safety in healing work is absolutely necessary. Often, people haven’t ever really felt safe in their lives. Read more about psychological safety here… Contentment A quote from Bobby about the contentment he found… “Contentment is a practice. It’s not a feeling of accomplishment from doing something. Contentment is just being complete in the moment. In the moment there is just presence, no future, no past – just happy to be here, in the moment. Contentment is an attitude of the soul.” ~ Ram Dass  

Linda Hartka, beloved Hoffman teacher, shares her story of how doing the work of the Process healed her seemingly intractable self-loathing. As a therapist for years, Linda did many workshops and types of training to deepen her capacity and ability to hold others in their healing. And yet, her tendency to feel self-loathing didn’t budge. Through the Process, she was able to finally melt away the patterns that held it in place. This same outcome has been true for so many who do the Process. The tendency to feel self-loathing is common. The Process can get to the heart of it. Linda grew up during the rise of the human consciousness movement. As a young girl, she was deeply religious until she had a realization that caused her to leave religion at eleven years old. Something didn’t sit right with her big, compassionate heart and she said no and walked away. As she grew into adulthood, her heart took her deeper into compassion and spirituality, leading her to a beautiful life in service to the healing and realization of many human beings. In 1998, Linda became a Process teacher. She led students through the Process until she retired at the end of 2022. This episode gives us a glimpse into the deep love that Linda has for her family as well as for those she has worked with and continues to support. She’s worked with many different communities, including women at the City of Hope in the Congo. Linda is not only a natural facilitator of healing but also a storyteller extraordinaire. Listen in as she shares fascinating, heart-opening stories about her life and the lives of those she has been fortunate to know and work with, both at the Hoffman Process and other places around the world. More about Linda Hartka Linda has been with the Hoffman Institute since beginning her training in 1998, as a teacher, coach, and program designer. She holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychotherapy and has studied and worked in psychology and spirituality for over forty years. Before she found Hoffman, she began her career as a childbirth educator and doula, trained as a Waldorf Education teacher, and settled into a private transpersonal therapy practice specializing in Psychosynthesis until taking the Process in 1996. The transformative impact of the Process was so life-changing, that Linda wanted nothing more than to bring that change to as many as possible. Her years as a teacher have been filled with love, joy, and miracles! Linda lives in rural upstate New York, surrounded by her large family of five children, their spouses, eight grandchildren, and abundant birds and wildlife. She semi-retired in December 2022 to enjoy her family and artistic endeavors. She continues with her private practice and occasionally guest teaches for the Hoffman Institute. As mentioned in this episode: Consciousness Revolution Doula Transpersonal Psychology and Psychosynthesis Unlocking Futures (previously Youth At Risk) John Bradshaw Sharon Kennedy, Hoffman teacher/coach Barbara Comstock, Hoffman teacher/coach Listen to Barbara on the Hoffman Podcast Kani Comstock, Retired Hoffman teacher/coach Listen to Kani on the Hoffman Podcast Negative Love Syndrome: The Negative Love Syndrome is the adoption of the negative behaviors, moods, attitudes, and admonitions (overt and silent) of our parents to secure their love. It includes the subsequent compulsive acting out or rebellion against those negative traits throughout our adult lives. Download: The Negative Love Syndrome: A Path to Personal Freedom and Love Self-Realization Fellowship Buddhism Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach City of Joy, Congo The Alternatives to Violence Project – USA    

Susan Beaulieu, Healing Justice Director, is Anishinaabe and an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation. Listen in as Susan shares her powerful healing journey, including her journey at the Hoffman Process. Content warning: this episode mentions suicide. Susan has worked directly with Indigenous communities for over 17 years. For the last seven years, her focus has been helping others understand the impacts of unresolved individual, ancestral, and collective trauma, and developing strategies to support healing. When Susan came to the Hoffman Process, she was well-versed in the ways to heal trauma. Susan’s Experience during the Process: What called Susan to come to the Process? She heard Hoffman grad Tim Harjo speak about healing our connection with our child within. When she heard his words, she felt a deep longing to reconnect with this child within her. At this moment, she could see that it was “a critical next step” in her healing journey. In the Process, Susan did reconnect with this little one within her. She didn’t expect to find her in the ways she did. This little one was carrying so much rage and terror within her. The cathartic work was a doorway to a new relationship with her little one. Susan also experienced a pivotal moment in the Process when she found herself drumming and singing back her Spirit. Susan was given her Spirit name when she was about twelve. She shares with us, “I could feel my Spirit starting to come back in as I was drumming and singing that name, Niigaani-Binesi-Ikwe, Niigaani-Binesi-Ikwe. This is a beautiful, rich conversation with someone who has done a great amount of work to heal herself and now shares not only her own experience but also her vast knowledge about healing. Susan shares that her work at Hoffman helped give her a more grounded healing language to share with those she serves. We hope you enjoy this beautiful conversation with Susan and Drew. More about Susan Beaulieu: Susan Beaulieu (She/Her), Healing Justice Director, is Anishinaabe and an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation. Susan has worked directly with Indigenous communities for over 17 years in a variety of capacities including project development, training, and facilitation. Her primary focus for the last seven years has been helping communities, organizations, and individuals understand the impacts of unresolved individual, ancestral and collective trauma, and develop strategies to support healing. Susan is passionate about creating opportunities and encouraging processes for reconnecting to the mind, body, heart, and spirit to support well-being. She was a 2016 Bush Leadership Fellow, is an ACE Interface Master Trainer, and is a certified Mind-Body Medicine Facilitator. She has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota. Discover more about Susan on LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: Susan’s Spirit name: Niigaani-Binesi-Ikwe or Niigaanibinesiikwe (Leading Thunderbird Woman) ACE Interface: Dr. Robert Anda, Co-founder ACE Interface Laura Porter, Co-Founder Ace Interface Dr. Bruce Perry, Child Trauma Academy University of Minnesota, Humphrey Public Policy Institute Zero Foundation The Horizon’s Program/Project Tim Harjo – Listen to Tim’s episode on the Hoffman Podcast Susan’s earrings:  

Eliot Wajskol did the Process in 2022. Listen in as he shares an intergenerational story of hardship, a desire to build a better life, and the hope to one day live fully alive. Eliot’s grandparents’ and parents’ lives were filled with persecution and hardship during the holocaust beyond anything most of us will ever know. Somehow, his father and mother, and her mother, survived. Eventually, they made the journey to America as refugees in 1968, with no money and very few belongings. Growing up in Ohio, one of the things Eliot struggled with in his youth was the feeling of not belonging. He realizes his parents had this feeling, too. Here in America, there was no place where they could fit in. Their experiences prior to coming were so different than everyone around them. Eliot shares that one thing he learned from Hoffman was that no matter how unique your story we all share similar feelings and emotions that are like threads through our lives. Eliot came to the Process because he felt like he had never truly lived. He shares that on the surface, everything in his life looked wonderful. But underneath the surface, there was turmoil. He was going through a divorce, hadn’t been able to foster strong relationships with his two children, and was trying to rebuild his business after the Covid lockdown. Eliot shares that “…the more he was trying to hold everything together, the more he was losing absolutely everything.” Just before coming to the Process, Eliot immersed himself in things that could support him in what he was feeling. He had a vision of who he knew he was deep inside but couldn’t find a way to actually be. At one point, three things happened that all pointed him to the Hoffman Process. Listen in to discover more about Eliot’s journey to, through, and after the Process. More about Eliot Wajskol: Eliot lives in Portland, Oregon. Woven into his weeks, you can find him at 6 am cross fit workouts, hiking, catching special moments with his high school daughter, traveling, and living life more and more fully. You can learn more about Eliot and his work helping businesses implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System here and follow him on LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: The USSR: “The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.” The Lódz Ghetto: History & Overview (1939 – 1945) Auschwitz and Bergen Belson Escaping 1968 Poland In 1968, Poland’s communist government forced Jews to leave. Eliot’s parents had to leave with only a few belongings, no passport, no documents, and were stateless. Relatives sponsored them and his Dad had to begin again in obtaining his medical license as an anesthesiologist.    

Barbara Burke, beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, is committed to helping people reconnect to their authentic selves. Content warning: This conversation makes reference to self-harm, eating disorders, child sexual abuse, and contains explicit language, and may not be suitable for all audiences. Barbara took the Process in 1996. She credits her work at the Process as a major contributor to rediscovering her creativity. Also an author, multimedia artist, and educator, Barbara became a Hoffman teacher in 2007. She says, “My Process changed the trajectory of my life, and I feel so privileged to witness others on this journey of a lifetime.” As so often happens with graduates’ Process journeys, the story of how Barbara came to Hoffman in the first place is a story of sibling love and care. How Barbara was able to do the Process is a story of a mother’s love. Barbara’s sister, Sally, did the Process first. Sally’s healing led to Barbara’s own Process journey and healing, which eventually became a family healing when multiple siblings and spouses found their way to the Process as well. Listen to this beautiful story of a family’s healing that came through doing the powerful healing work of the Process. **Barbara’s sister, Sally, has given her express permission to share her story here on the podcast. More about Barbara Burke: Barbara earned a BA and B-Ed from the University of Toronto. She taught for 29 years in the Toronto school system before becoming a Hoffman Process facilitator, initially for The Hoffman Institute Canada. In her lifelong pursuit of spiritual wholeness, Barbara has pursued a wide range of interests. Her experiences studying various modalities inform her current work. Her studies have included Dr. Helen Schucman’s A Course in Miracles (Temecula, CA: Foundation for Inner Peace, 1976), mindfulness meditation, energy healing, and most profoundly her work with the Hoffman Institute. In addition to enjoying words, she appreciates the intrinsic healing power of color. She is the author and illustrator of I Am Divine, a boxed set of 52 beautifully illustrated cards. The accompanying book of meditations expands on the affirmations from the cards. I Am Divine is now available through the Apple iTunes Store as an app that will work on the iPhone, iTouch, and iPad. Barbara’s also published an inspiring 12-month journal titled, “A Year of Living Your Divinity“. This unique journal includes beautiful watercolor mandalas, prose, and poetry to support each person to connect more fully to their divine essence. Barbara’s most recent creation is a set of children’s I Am Divine Cards, which are now available for purchase. Each set contains 32 beautifully illustrated cards and an accompanying booklet with a meditation for each one. These cards are guaranteed to bring a sense of wonder, spirituality, and mindfulness into the lives of children. Barbara has created an app for the children’s edition as well. Barbara lives in Toronto, Canada. As Mentioned in this Episode: A Course in Miracles “This course can be summed up very simply in this way: Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God Discover more here: A Course In Miracles Text Eckhart Tolle Spiritual teacher and NYTimes Best-selling Author. “Eckhart’s profound, yet simple teachings have helped countless people around the globe experience a state of vibrantly alive inner peace in their daily lives.” Read more… High Park, Toronto Hoffman Tools & Practices: Bashing/Expression Transference The need for Self-compassion Also: Listen to Self-Compassion with Kristin Neff on the Hoffman Podcast Working with Shame Listen to The Antidote to Shame with Chris Germer on the Hoffman Podcast Family photos and the Note From Barbara’s Mother: As Barbara shares, she supported her sister, Sally, in coming to accept there she needed healing. Sally learned about the Hoffman Process and was the first to do it in their family. Barbara’s mother paid for Barbara to attend the Process, in spite of their relationship difficulties at the time. This is the card Barbara’s Mother sent her. It contained payment for Barbara’s Process as well as her wishes for Barbara. Eventually, more of Barbara’s siblings and some spouses of their spouses completed the Process. A Sample of Barbara’s Photography:

Kurt “Big Boy” Alexander, The Voice of L.A. and the host of the wildly successful “Big Boy’s Neighborhood,” did the Hoffman Process in July of 2022. There are many themes in this beautiful conversation with Kurt and Drew. One theme is Kurt’s realization that he knew very well who “Big Boy” is but didn’t know who Kurt really is. He continues to be determined to do the deep work to come to know Kurt. Another theme is the power of coming to see the unconscious and compulsive patterns we adopt to navigate our family systems and survive the difficulties of childhood. Kurt never knew his father so logically it would make sense that he didn’t even know where to begin to name the patterns he adopted from his dad. As you’ll hear, the very nature of absence creates deep unconscious patterning. Kurt’s story of how he came to see these patterns in his Process is poignant and tender. This conversation spirals through layers of understanding, echoing the nature of transformational work. As it goes deeper, the understanding Kurt shares about his life and who he is does, too. His generosity of Spirit shines through as his vulnerability gives us a glimpse into both his inner child and his Spiritual Self. More About Kurt “Big Boy” Alexander: “Big Boy” was born in Chicago and moved to California at the age of two. He became acquainted with the music world while DJing at parties. Today, “Big Boy” is The Voice of L.A. and the host of the wildly successful “Big Boy’s Neighborhood,” every morning on iHeart Media’s Real 92.3 the home of Hip Hop music in Los Angeles. He has dominated the ratings in all of the timeslots he has occupied ever since he first started his career in radio, from nights, afternoons, and mornings. The National Association of Broadcasters has recognized “Big Boy”s exceptional talent with the Marconi Award, a very rare three times. He is also an awarded member of the Radio Hall of Fame. “Big Boy” has been featured on many television shows including “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and “HBO’s Entourage.” He also debuted his own radio station in the wildly successful “Grand Theft Auto” video game and his YouTube channel, “BigBoyTV” has more than 200 million views of celebrity interviews. Along with various other charity work, “Big Boy” stepped up for his community during the COVID-19 pandemic. He fed hundreds of frontline essential workers at hospitals all over Los Angeles. As Mentioned in this Episode: Augie Johnson & Side Effect “Side Effect was an American disco and jazz-funk band that recorded between 1972 and 1982. The group was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1972 by Augie Johnson who became their leader.” Rick Dees “Rigdon Osmond Dees III…, best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the 1976 satirical novelty song “Disco Duck“. Scooter Braun “Scott Samuel “Scooter” Braun…, is an American record executive, talent agent, and entrepreneur. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber…” Listen to Scott ‘Scooter’ Braun on the Hoffman Podcast The Hoffman App The transformational journey to discovering your authentic self does not end after the completion of a Hoffman program. Rather, it is just beginning. That is why we created this app, full of guidance, practices, and visualizations to inspire and help you achieve your personal goals. We like to think of it as “Hoffman in your pocket. Version one of our app is only available in the iOS App Store for all devices, but the same 30-day integration program is available here, on a mobile-optimized page, for all operating systems. Coming off the hill… Kurt is referring to our beautiful new retreat site in Petaluma, California. Our center sits atop a hill on 180 acres. Surrounded by nature, Hoffman Process students spend their seven days held deeply by the land. You can learn more about how the land at our retreat site creates a container for transformation from this beautiful episode with Trecey Chittenden, “Land as a Container of Transformation.” (We also hold the Process in Connecticut.)    

  Kani Comstock, beloved Hoffman teacher, first learned about the Process in 1985 from her brother who was working with Bob Hoffman. Her brother gave her Bob’s book to read. “Blown away‘ by what she learned, Kani completed the Process in January 1986. Kani became the Hoffman Institute’s Director shortly after and, together with Bob, started Hoffman International a few years later. Following this, she became a Hoffman teacher and taught until her retirement almost three decades later. Kani on the Yangze River Kani’s whole family has done the Process, including her mother, her three siblings, and some of her in-laws. She shares a particular moment from her Process when she fully realized the powerful hold negative patterns have on us. As she worked to release the patterns she had taken on from her mother, she realized they kept trying to reassert themselves within her. She was able to see and feel their tenacity. She came away realizing just how important the work of the Process is in helping people find the freedom to live from their own essential nature. Kani’s effervescent spirit and joy are evident in this conversation with Sharon. Kani has loved the Hoffman Process from the day she first learned of it. She loves that the Process offers a place where we can come to know ourselves as our true selves. Educated as a scientist, Kani shares how she has learned to listen to and follow the voice of her Spiritual Self or Essence as she sometimes refers to it. More about Kani Comstock in her own words: Kani and Bob Hoffman As a driven workaholic, I discovered an ease I had never known before when I completed the Hoffman Process. It was February 1986, just months of the new 7-day Process residential format. Soon after that, I was asked by Bob Hoffman to direct the Institute, organize its growth, bringing it to other countries around the world. In 1990, I also became a Process teacher which became my true love. I slowly transitioned into full-time teaching and coaching. Bob was delighted when Marisa Thame, Director of Hoffman Institute in Brazil, and I collaborated to write, Journey into Love: Ten Steps to Wholeness. Journey into Love is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Later in collaboration with my sister, Barbara Comstock, also a Hoffman Teacher, we wrote, Honoring Missed Motherhood: Loss, Choice, and Creativity. Initially, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s in cell physiology and biochemistry. I was working on my Ph.D. when a personal tragedy led me to dramatically change my path. I moved to Tokyo to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) and eventually became the first non-Japanese to direct the Japanese school. Four years later and back in the United States, I founded a college-based ESL center and internationalized the college curriculum. Next, as Vice-President of a student exchange organization, I designed programs and traveled regularly to Asia, finally experiencing China, a childhood dream As mentioned in this episode: Barbara Comstock, Kani’s sister and Hoffman teacher Ashland, Oregon What is Hospice? Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.    

Chris Germer, Ph.D. was terrified of public speaking and thought he had an anxiety disorder. He soon discovered, though, that what he had was a shame disorder. Through developing a self-compassion practice, Chris was able to heal his fear of public speaking and the shame that was behind it. While Chris’ personal story is remarkable, what is even more so is what he came to learn about healing shame. He shares that healing our negative core beliefs (like we do in the work of the Process) heals shame because they are one and the same. Healing our relationship with love and with ourselves and others leads to self-compassion. By developing this practice of self-compassion, we can know again our natural joy and playfulness. As a renowned clinical psychologist specializing in self-compassion, Chris’ work with self-compassion is well-aligned with the work done at the Hoffman Process. Prior to this conversation with Drew, he studied the research that has been done on the efficacy of the Process and the amazing results the Process brings about. Chris shares with us a bit about why the Process is so effective at healing what gets in the way of our relationship with love. More about Chris Germer: Chris Germer, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010. Together, they wrote two books, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. MSC has been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. Dr. Germer is also the author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion. He’s also a co-editor of two influential volumes on therapy, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. He is a founding faculty member of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, at Harvard Medical School, and the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, Cambridge MA. Dr. Germer also maintains a small psychotherapy practice in Arlington, Massachusetts, USA. Learn more about Chris, here. Follow Chris on Instagram and the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion on Facebook and LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: Compassionate Friend exercise: You’ll find the Compassionate Friend exercise Chris mentions, along with other meditations you can use to deepen your self-compassion practice, here. The instructions can also be found in The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, pages 134-137. Kristin Neff: “Kristin Neff is an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s department of educational psychology. Dr. Neff received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley, studying moral development. Read more… Listen to Kristin Neff on the Hoffman Podcast Harry Harlow: “…an American psychologist best known for his maternal-separation, dependency needs, and social isolation experiments on rhesus monkeys…” Learn more… Brené Brown podcast with Chris Germer    

Beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, Chris Sansone, completed the Hoffman Process in November 2013. Chris came to the Process feeling challenged in every area of his life, except for his good health. After doing deep work in the Process, Chris experienced a profound simplicity in how he healed his past and forgave his parents. Before Hoffman, Chris was in commercial real estate. He was well-educated and highly qualified and experienced great financial success. But, he wasn’t happy. As Chris thought about his career moving forward, he remembered the calling he felt when he first started working – helping guide people through transformational growth in some way. Once he landed at the Process, he felt that call again and answered by applying to become a Hoffman teacher. Now, Chris lives connecting to the frequency of his Soul. He shares that we each have a longing that can feel like melancholy, loneliness, and even wistfulness. As he says, we must attune to our Soul by attuning to this longing. By doing so, we learn to follow the call of our Soul. Listen in and hear how Chris connects with this longing and to a poem he wrote while in deep contemplation with his Soul. More about Chris Sansone: As a Hoffman teacher, Chris says, “To serve and see others open up to who they truly are is a remarkable experience. Students reach inside and find answers within themselves for living fully and authentically.” As for his own Process experience, Chris shares: “I unearthed two gifts – knowing that my own happiness truly is a personal choice, and deep forgiveness for both my parents and, of myself. These have opened me to loving and living as I had only previously imagined possible.” He adds, “Years ago I had a personal awakening about my role, as a highly advantaged cis-gendered white male in racial and gender inequities. That has broadened my own sense of responsibility and spawned greater personal and spiritual growth in my life.” Chris holds a doctoral degree in Human and Organization Development. He is blessed with his life partner and wife, Maria Velasco, two sons Kellen and Andrew, and stepdaughter Carina. He lives in Longmont, Colorado, where he enjoys the outdoors, especially fly fishing. As mentioned in this episode: *Rejuvenated Process: Originally, Bob Hoffman did the work that happens at the Process with people in individual sessions. Then, in the early ’70s, the Process was done in a group setting for the first time, with participants meeting weekly as they did the work of the Process. A few decades later, the Process became an in-person retreat with participants coming together for eight days. In 2013, the Hoffman Process was rejuvenated into the seven-day Process it is today. Hoffman Process Visioning: Visioning is a powerful aspect of the work you do at the Process. “Visioning can transform your life. Your life can expand and become more vibrant than you thought possible. You can call forth a vision for your life from your Spiritual Self – your essence.” continue reading and download here. CTI (Co-Active) Model of Coaching: “Since 1992 CTI has been working with coaches and leaders around the world, helping them navigate toward stronger relationships, integral solutions, and creating meaningful impact in the world.” Read more here. Sicilian: A Sicilian is a native or inhabitant of Sicily or a person of Sicilian descent. Sicily is one of the twenty regions of Italy. An island in the Mediterranean, it is located near the “toe of the boot” of Italy. Learn more… Fielding Institute Doctoral Program: Chris mentions the Fielding Institute where he earned his Doctorate in Human and Organization Systems. Discover more here. Myers-Briggs: “The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives.” Discover more about Myers-Briggs here. I Ching: “The I Ching or Yi Jing … is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics.” Learn more here.  

A leading researcher on self-compassion, Kristin Neff’s work is closely aligned with the work of the Hoffman Process. In this engaging, inspiring, and educational conversation, Kristin shares her research, deep knowledge, and life experience with us to illuminate why self-compassion is such a powerful practice for human beings. Drew and Kristin speak to the understanding that what happens to us when we are young isn’t our fault, but our healing is our responsibility. As Kristin shares, “…there’s no other body/mind and particular point in time and space that’s in the right position to take responsibility other than you.” This succinctly and clearly sums up the practical reason why it is up to each of us to take responsibility for our own lives. Going deeper into Self-Compassion: Listen in as Kristin shares a powerful story about her son who is autistic. He was in a very emotional state while on an overseas flight with her. Through this story, Kristin explains how the neuroscience of emotional regulation helped her to help him regulate his emotional state. Kristin shares that compassion has three components: kindness, mindfulness, and humanity. “Compassion is grounded in a sense of shared humanity.” At its core, compassion is the understanding that we are doing the best we can, moment to moment. That we are human beings. We are part of a much larger whole. Moment by moment, we are doing the best we can, learning and trying with care and love. If we learn this, things become much easier to deal with. Drew and Kristin then move into a discussion of how self-compassion supports us in the areas of global challenges such as climate change and social justice work. This is where Kristin begins to speak about the two aspects of compassion – tender compassion and fierce compassion. Fierce compassion is needed in all of us to help create a world that is just, safe, and supportive for all. More about Kristin Neff: Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion nearly twenty years ago. Kristin has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide. She is the author of the bestselling book Self-Compassion. Along with her colleague Chris Germer, she developed the empirically-supported Mindful Self-Compassion program and co-wrote The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook. Her latest book is Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. For more info go to www.self-compassion.org. As mentioned in this episode: Thich Nhat Hahn: “Ordained as a monk aged 16 in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh soon envisioned a kind of engaged Buddhism that could respond directly to the needs of society. He was a prominent teacher and social activist in his home country before finding himself exiled for calling for peace. In the West, he played a key role in introducing mindfulness and created mindful communities (sanghas) around the world. His teachings have impacted politicians, business leaders, activists, teachers, and countless others.” read more… Internal Family Systems: “Internal Family Systems is a powerfully transformative, evidence-based model of psychotherapy. We believe the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Our inner parts contain valuable qualities and our core Self knows how to heal, allowing us to become integrated and whole. In IFS all parts are welcome.” Continue reading… Kevin Eyres: Kevin Eyres is a Hoffman Process teacher and coach. Discover more about Kevin here and listen to his Hoffman Podcast episode with Drew, Beyond the Intellect. Chris Germer, Ph.D.: Chris, who will be on the podcast in a few weeks, is “a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010 and MSC has since been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. They co-authored two books on MSC, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program.” Continue reading…   The fierce self-compassion graphic that Drew and Kristin mention.                            

We wrap up season five with A Taste of 2022! Co-hosts, Drew Horning, Sharon Mor, and Liz Severin come together to reflect on magical moments from the episodes they hosted this year. Together, they share the podcast moments that shine a light on the magic that so often happens during the Process. In A Taste of 2022, our co-hosts weave together Process memories our guests shared with the wisdom our co-hosts have gleaned from teaching the Hoffman Process and hosting this podcast. Specifically, Drew, Sharon, and Liz touch on various subjects, such as the power of cathartic expression, the need to clear away what gets in the way of living as our true nature, and the reclaiming of lost parts of ourselves. They even highlight one graduate’s fearless reckoning with God. Like every episode of The Hoffman Podcast, these stories highlight how graduates’ lives and the lives of those around them are changed as a result of their work in the Process. In listening, we bear witness to how change ripples out into the world through the everyday radius of one person’s life. Our podcast offers beautiful windows into the healing that happens in the Process. Intrigued by what you’ve heard in the clips? Then listen to the full episode of each Hoffman graduate highlighted. Meander through this list of episodes to discover more about graduates of the Process and how taking the Process supports the kind of change within you that transforms your life and the lives of those around you. The Hoffman Podcast will be back for season 6 on February 16th. See you in 2023! Clips shared in ‘A TASTE OF 2022’ S5e7: Amanda de Cadenet – A Vegan Protein Bar in a Snickers Wrapper S4e13: Arielle D’Angelo – Coming Out and Coming Into Self-Love S5e11: Monique Petrov – Waking Up With New Eyes S5e13: Anne Hockett – The Body Expresses What We Repress S4e04: Ken Druck – Leaving a Legacy of Love S5e5: Ian Salvage – Aligned in the Goodness That I Am S5e9: Jeff Snipes – Awakening Spirit, Reimagining Education S5e3: Ryan Miles – Love is a Birthright S4e02: Katie – My Sobriety & The Hoffman Process S4e01: Liz Severin – I Know We Will Get Through This        

Dr. Michelle Robin, chiropractor, author, and healer, completed the Hoffman Process in 1997. After decades of a life of service to humanity’s well-being, Michelle has a lot of wisdom to share. In this conversation with Liz, Michelle reflects back on her time at the Process and the 25 years since. Michelle came to the Process because she realized she’d lost her sense of joy. She left with the profound realization that she isn’t broken and never was. She shares that she left no longer carrying that dark cloud of not-enoughness. Michelle shares her sense of and vision for a life of well-being. One of the beautiful takeaways from Michelle is how vitally important it is to be part of a community, especially one that is vibrantly alive and caring. Listen in to hear this wisdom about living a vibrant life. And listen all the way to the end to hear Michelle’s wishes for you and the coming year. More about Michelle Robin: Michelle is the founder of Small Changes Big Shifts®, Big Shifts Foundation®, and the Kansas City Wellness Consortium®, but more importantly, she is a visionary for the well-being of many generations. With a 30-year chiropractic practice in Kansas City, Michelle has become a national influence and memorable leader in the wellness industry. Her simple framework – called the Quadrants of Well-Being – is the key to what many people have been looking for when it comes to discovering their best life. Michelle has spent the majority of her career helping people make small changes that ultimately create the biggest shifts in their well-being. As a chiropractor, author, teacher, holistic healer, podcast host, unshakable optimist, international speaker, and passionate advocate for generational change, Michelle has left an impression on thousands of lives by helping them find their unique path to wellness and enriching their purpose in life. Learn more about Michelle on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Find out more about Your Wellness Connection on LinkedIn and Facebook.   As mentioned in this episode: Crystal Jenkins: Michelle’s partner is Crystal Jenkins, Hoffman teacher and coach. Crystal holds a B.S. in education and a Master’s degree in counseling. She is trained in EMDR and the Enneagram and is a certified Daring WayTM facilitator. Read more about Crystal here. A Path to Personal Freedom & Love: Written by Bob Hoffman, this booklet offers substantial insight into the principles upon which The Hoffman Process is based. Read or download the booklet here. Chiropractic: In the chiropractic model, people are sick for three reasons: Thoughts, Trauma, and Toxins. Read more about these here. Dr. Richard Yennie: “In 1968, Dr. Yennie founded the Acupuncture Society of America, which was the first professional acupuncture association in the USA (NCCAOM was founded in 1982.) During the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Yennie brought in the best teachers and healers from China, Japan, and Korea to teach acupuncture classes to healthcare professionals in the chiropractic, medical, osteopathic, and veterinary fields.” – Miridiatech.com Chinese Medicine & Three Sources of Chi (or Qi): Original Lifestyle Chi, Soul Chi, and Chi from our parents. Learn more about Chi/Qi here. Qigong: “Qigong, pronounced “chi gong,” was developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being.” – National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health Feng Shui: “Feng shui, sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is an ancient Chinese traditional practice that claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term feng shui means, literally, “wind-water”.” Wikipedia Pickleball: “Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport where players hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a 36-inch-high net using solid-faced paddles.” – Wikipedia  

Hoffman Grad and former Hoffman teacher, Devi Cavitt Razo, did the Hoffman Process in 1996. She went on to teach the Process for 17 years. During her time at Hoffman, Devi also served as Process and Faculty Director, VP, and Director of Teacher Training. In this episode, Devi shares a pivotal moment from her Process. It was a particularly difficult day during her time there. Devi noticed that she wasn’t crying nearly as much as her Process mates. They all seemed to be shedding many tears. Then, later that day, Devi fell to her knees, weeping deeply as she realized how much she wanted things to be different in her life and how much she loved her parents. This was a huge breakthrough for her as she realized that our feelings don’t come when we think they should. Rather, if we stay open with the intention to heal, things move and change in their own time. How did she first hear about the Process? Upon leaving the Process, Devi’s friend came to visit her to tell her she just had to do the Process. Hearing this, Devi immediately knew it was right for her and signed up. During her Process, it became clear to Devi that she was meant to teach the Process. Fast forward about 20 years later, although Devi was happy and felt fulfilled in this work, she began to hear the small voice within telling her there was something new on the horizon. The only thing was – she loved her work teaching the Process. How do we decide to go when we love something so much? That’s a question so many of us ask at least once in our lives. Devi did indeed follow her inner voice to set out to create something brand new. Listen in as Devi shares how she views change and our relationship with it. Although we often fear change and the unknown it brings, with self-trust, self-knowledge, and support from others, we can step out into action on the path to our vision. More about Devi Cavitt Razo: Devi Cavitt Razo Devi Cavitt Razo is the president and co-founder of Aurum Leadership. An international consulting, training, and coaching firm, Aurum is focused on bringing greater aliveness, human connection, and creativity to organizations, teams, and leaders. Devi’s work spans the globe, from the US to Europe and Asia, with offices in California and the Netherlands. Devi created Aurum to bring to life her vision of leaders, organizations, and teams where trust, respect, and relationality are the norms. Her vision to create Aurum grew during her 17 years as a Hoffman Teacher. Devi holds degrees in psychology and organizational systems. She has a passion for doing transformative work with mission-driven groups, teams, and organizations, starting with the leaders. Devi’s worked with leaders and organizations from around the world, ranging from tech startups to global accounting firms to non-profits, to spiritual communities. Her work is dedicated to creating organizations where both mission and humans can thrive. Devi lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three beloved stepdaughters. When she’s not traveling, facilitating, envisioning, and creating, you will find her hiking in the redwoods of Northern California. You can learn more about Devi on LinkedIn. Learn more about Aurum on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Learn about Aurum’s EoS – Essentials of Self: A Breakthrough Training for Leaders. As mentioned in this episode: Hoffman Teacher Training: Here you’ll find general information about being a Hoffman teacher and what a typical teacher training program entails, as well as information on how to apply when we begin our next hiring process. Please note: You must be a graduate of the week-long Hoffman Process to apply to the Teacher Training Program. Hoffman Leads Harvard Graduate Students Explore the Inner Side of Leadership: For several years, a diverse group of Harvard Graduate students participated in the Hoffman Leadership Path, with outstanding results. In 2005, Harvard’s world-renowned Kennedy School of Government (KSG), in conjunction with U.S. News & World Report, conducted a study that concluded that the majority of today’s leaders are poised to work well within the system, rather than being poised to exceptionally lead the system for the common good. Continue reading here. The Hyde Schools and Hoffman Transforming Lives & Building Community: Joey (Gauld) completed the Hoffman Process in 2007, at age 80. Since then, many Hyde parents, administrators, and teachers have become Process graduates. Hoffman teacher Linda Hartka-Reiss spoke with Joey and Hyde School administrators/staff members Pam Hardy, Laura Gauld, and Joanne Goubourn (each of whom is a Process graduate) about the positive changes at Hyde since the Process was introduced. Continue reading here. Listen to Joey Gauld on the Hoffman Podcast.    

  Frankie Olivieri is a third-generation Italian-American and third-generation owner of historical Pat’s King of Steaks. Listen in as Frankie and Drew talk about family history and doing the Hoffman Process. People come to the Process when they are serious about change and Frankie is no exception. He believes in the importance of wanting to better oneself and the power of surrounding oneself with those who want to do that, too. In the Process, Frankie saw that his life could take two very different paths. In his work through the Process, Frankie chose, and continues to choose, the Right Road, the road of compassion and taking responsibility for one’s life. This is the life he wants to embrace. Frankie also shares with us the fascinating family history behind the birth of the Philly Steak and Cheese Steak Sandwiches and his famous restaurant. More about Frankie Olivieri: Pat’s King of Steaks was established in 1930 by Pat Olivieri. A humble hotdog vendor who wanted something different for lunch, Pat Olivieri made a sandwich of chopped steak and onions on a crusty roll. When a cab driver said he wanted to give it a try, Pat gave him half of his sandwich. The cab driver loved it and the Philly Steak sandwich was born in South Philadelphia. President Obama orders a Philly Steak Sandwich from Frankie. Over 90 years old, Frankie’s Great Uncle Pat’s legacy lives on in Pat’s King of Steaks. This famous restaurant has been owned and operated by the original Olivieri family since its inception. Frankie E. Olivieri is the current owner of Pat’s King of Steaks. After graduating from Friends Select School in 1982, Frank was accepted to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. He was ready to follow his dreams of a culinary degree and four years in Paris, but he got sidetracked. Frankie went on to manage his family’s business. With still unfulfilled dreams of being a Chef, Frankie enrolled in The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. There, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts and Sciences. Next time you’re in Philadelphia, stop by Pat’s King of Steaks, 1237 E. Passyunk Ave (at 9th & Wharton Sts), and say Hi to Frankie! As mentioned in this episode: Pat Olivieri: Along with his brother, Harry Olivieri, Pat Olivieri created the Philly cheesesteak. The brothers opened Pat’s King of Steaks in 1930. Pat Olivieri died in 1970. Harry’s grandson Frank Jr. (Frankie!) now runs the business. The 1st Rocky Movie and the Orange Toss: When Rocky runs through the Italian Market, one of the vendors tosses Rocky an orange. This was a completely spontaneous moment. Read more about it here. World Famous Italian market, continuously running for 127 years. Quaker School, Friends Select, est. 1869 Frankie and his wife Nancy The Hoffman High: Spending seven days in the Hoffman Process is quite powerful. There are no phones and there is no driving in cars. Guided by teachers, you’re engaged in many immersive, outdoor, and deep experiences that can change your nervous system. By the last day, the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of the work have an impact. Often, the result is the sense of a peak experience. While that Hoffman high realistically cannot last forever, it does provide the impetus to continue the work once you leave the Process. Post-Process weekend: Participants often feel very different after completing their Process, almost like a new self who is inhabiting a new life. In order to orient and synthesize everything you have experienced and learned, we strongly recommend taking the weekend for yourself as a time for quiet integration. Hoffman Process tools: Recycling/Pre-cycling The Q2 Intensive Retreat: In the Q2: Beyond Mom & Dad, we meet you where you are today. The Q2 is all about your current life, looking at and transforming the challenges that hold you back from what you want now. We’ll also look at what’s in the way of being fully alive and living your vision.

Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, Seamus Mullen, is our guest today. Seamus shares how realizing he is not his patterns led to profound healing. Identification with our patterns can perpetuate suffering. When we realize our Spiritual Self can never be patterned we find freedom and a genuine willingness to take responsibility for our lives. Growing up on a rural farm in Vermont, Seamus and his brother cooked meals alongside the rest of the family. Seamus learned early on that he could make others happy if he cooked good food for them. Eventually, his career became an extension of this early learned pattern and belief. When he arrived at the Hoffman Process classroom, Seamus noticed a wall poster that said, “I am not my patterns.” Seamus took this in as he looked back over his life. Twelve years earlier when he was working to heal from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Seamus’ new functional doctor helped him see that “he wasn’t sick but he had this illness.” This is the difference between identifying with sickness – I am sick – versus having an illness. Through the Process, Seamus worked to heal through the cycle of transformation. Another big learning at the Process for Seamus was how compassion must be the precursor to forgiveness. Through the Process, he forgave his parents, which brought him freedom and peace. Listen in as Seamus shares a beautiful story of healing and forgiveness that happened post-Process with his father and family. More about Seamus Mullen: Seamus Mullen is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. A health crisis nearly ended his career in 2012. A dramatic re-evaluation of his lifestyle and relationship with food led to a total transformation. In twelve months, he reversed an “incurable auto-immune disease, lost over 80 pounds, and returned to being an active and healthy human. As a nationally recognized leading authority on health and wellness, Seamus is on a mission to help as many people as possible take control of their own health and embrace the remarkable healing power of Real Food! Seamus can often be seen as a featured judge on the popular Food Network series “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” and is a frequent guest on programs such as The Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, and CBS This Morning where he shares his knowledge of cooking and nutrition. In 2012, Seamus published his first cookbook, Hero Food. In 2017, he released his second cookbook, Real Food Heals. Seamus lives in sunny Malibu, California, and is the Culinary Director for the Rosewood Sandhill Hotel. You can find him swinging kettlebells, riding bikes, and hiking in the coastal mountains when he’s not cooking or writing. You can learn more about Seamus here, and follow him on Instagram and Twitter. As mentioned in this episode: Pattern Ping Pong: Patterns feed off each other and reactions lead to escalation. Functional Medicine: “The functional medicine model is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach. This approach empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness.”    

  Do you wonder why the Hoffman Process works so well on many levels? Listen in as Volker Krohn, psychotherapist, Director of Hoffman Centre Australia/Singapore, and Director of Hoffman International shares his experience of and insights into the Process. Born in Germany, Volker found his way to Australia after spending a short time in the United States. In the late ’80s, he attended the second Process ever held in Byron Bay, New South Wales. Bob Hoffman was his Process teacher as well as his Process teacher trainer. In this conversation between Volker and Drew, we learn some fascinating things about the Process. Volker reminds us that the Hoffman Process is a psycho-spiritual process. As such, it supports the integration of the psychological and spiritual natures within us. With a background as a psychologist as well as his studies in spirituality, Volker shares his sense of what happens underneath the surface of the Process. Through his experience of decades of teaching the Process, Volker speaks to the heart of what the Process does. He says the Process helps each of us come to live by the intrinsic values of our hearts. He goes on to add that we aren’t our thinking and we’re not our feelings, rather these are aspects of our ego structure. Ultimately, the Process helps us come back into Presence and back into peace with ourselves. Volker beautifully encapsulates the Process as one that re-initiates us into our own humanity and into the family of humanity. Settle in for this beautiful conversation. Be prepared to come away with a deeper sense of your place in the family of humanity. More about Volker Krohn: Volker Krohn is an accomplished psychotherapist and has been the director of the Hoffman Centre Australia/Singapore since 1991. He is also the director of Hoffman International. He was personally trained by Robert Hoffman in the late 1980s and is a senior supervising facilitator of the Process. Volker’s extensive professional background includes Family Therapy, Self-Psychology, and Creative Arts Therapy as well as organizational development. He also speaks and writes widely on emotional healing, re-education, and spiritual renewal, through the exploration of early childhood conditioning. Volker is passionate about helping people improve their emotional and spiritual intelligence and has inspired thousands of Hoffman graduates in Australia and worldwide to live from a place of self-acceptance and gratitude claiming compassionate leadership in their lives. As mentioned in this episode: The Arakwal and Bundialung Nation: Hoffman Centre Australia’s retreat site is part of the Arakwal national park. The Arakwal are part of the Bundialung Nation. Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young The lyrics that Volker mentions: Teach your children well Their father’s hell did slowly go byAnd feed them on your dreamsThe one they pick’s the one you’ll know by Read the full lyrics here and listen on YouTube. Two Spiritual Paths: The Yana Path – the path of understanding. For instance, Zen Buddhism follows the Yana path. The Bhakti Path – the path of devotion. For instance, Sufism follows the Bhakti path through prayer, dancing The Enneagram: 3 basic human instinctual drives, Claudio Naranjo, and the 27 Enneagram sub-types. How climate change is affecting us: Climate Anxiety and Climate Depression University of California research on the Hoffman Process: Several different scientific research studies have been conducted about the Process – on the methodology and its aftereffects. One of the most significant studies was done by Professors Michael R. Levenson and Carolyn M. Aldwin, of the University of California, Davis. Their three-year, grant-funded research study shows that Hoffman Process participants experienced lasting significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and obsessive/compulsive tendencies, coupled with lasting significant increases in emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, compassion, vitality, and forgiveness. Further information on the study can be found on our website here, downloaded here, and in the Nov/ Dec 2006 issue of the scientific peer review journal, EXPLORE, The Journal of Science and Healing. A worldwide search of the research literature shows no other treatments or interventions that produce lasting, significant reductions in negative effects while simultaneously producing such increases in positive effects.  

Anne Hockett calls herself a gut geek and a lifelong learner – and, she is so much more than that. Anne’s story is a powerful testament to our spiritually human capacities of resiliency, adaptability, and deep capacity to return to trusting in the unknown and the knowing that comes from deep within. Anne’s background is in public health and medicine. She is a proponent of western medicine. But when she found herself diagnosed with a major cardiac diagnosis and prognosis with little hope for a long life, she turned toward eastern medicine and alternative modalities. With these, she began to heal. Anne found herself with a new capacity for knowing things about people just by looking at them, things that one hundred percent of the time turned out to be true and supportive of that person’s healing. Anne did the Hoffman Process in 2016. Through doing the Process, she found the ability to love herself. She left the Process with a deep understanding of who she was without the degree of shame she had around her shadow patterns. Anne tells us her experience of open-heartedness and lack of judgment during the Process allowed her to know them much more than simply as ideas. She now feels them because she received them during her Process. One other big result from doing the Process was solidifying her knowledge of her life purpose. More about Anne Hockett: For over four decades, Anne’s work has concentrated on the healthcare field. She has applied her work experience, research, and teaching skills in Asia to better understand how modern medicine and traditional, gentle, natural approaches can be most effectively integrated. Since 1983, Anne has worked in a variety of capacities with children and adults with physical and emotional needs. She specializes in the care of those managing cancer and heart disease, but her practice has broadened considerably over the years. Before moving to Asia in 1989, Anne worked with the Ford Foundation, The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. She has a Master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Anne also has a variety of training and certification credentials in other health care and healing modalities including homeopathy, Bach Flowers, therapeutic yoga, plant-based medicine, healing breath work, meditation, guided imagery, past life regression, hypnotherapy, and Reiki. She’s years into a Ph.D. she might never complete in plant-based medicine and also halfway through excelled training in Functional Medicine. You can learn more about Anne at YouHealing.org. As mentioned in this episode: Shadow patterns Rishikesh is a city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India. Pacemakers and ‘pacing’ Near Death Experience (NDE) Other healing modalities explored by Anne: Reiki BodyTalk Harvard Study on crying and good health Anne’s exercise: “In a world without judgment, what is the most self-loving thing for you to do, right here, right now?”    

You don’t want to miss this episode with Neil Strauss, ten-time New York Times best-selling author, contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and a former music critic, cultural reporter, and columnist at The New York Times. Neil did the Hoffman Process just before the pandemic hit in very early 2020. In this conversation, he weaves together pivotal moments of and insights of his Process with his deeper life insights. Neil talks about how doing personal healing work is often stigmatized. For him, doing healing work such as the Process is something important to share with others, something to wear as a badge of honor. In this conversation, Neil and Drew cover a lot of territory on relationships, healing, writing, and the creative process. A prolific writer, Neil generously shares his writing process in depth. He shares how all four aspects of our Quadrinity can inform the creative process. Listening to this conversation is almost like taking a short writing class. Toward the end, Neil turns the tables on Drew and asks Drew questions. Be sure to listen to the end for this fun back-and-forth between them. More about Neil Strauss: Neil Strauss is a ten-time New York Times best-selling author; a contributing editor at Rolling Stone; and a former music critic, cultural reporter, and columnist at The New York Times where he won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism. In 2018, he was honored with the Los Angeles Press Club’s Journalist Award for his Rolling Stone 50th anniversary cover story, “Elon Musk: The Architect of Tomorrow.” Coaching and mentoring have always been a passion for Strauss. His love of learning and teaching propels him to speak at conferences around the world. He formed an exclusive, high-level, international personal growth, networking, and mastermind group called The Society International in 2011. The Society International continues to grow as a one-of-a-kind global group of like-minded people. Neil personally mentors its members, comprising award-winning artists, international entrepreneurs, tech CEOs, professional athletes, and visionaries who defy categorization. Neil resides in Malibu, California. You can learn more about Neil here and here. More about Neil’s Writing and Books: Hollywood hails him as one of the most sought-after ghostwriters in town. His books include The Dirt with Motley Crue, hailed by Q magazine as “the most unputdownable rock book of the year, or possibly any year,” while Publishers Weekly cited The Long Hard Road Out of Hell with Marilyn Manson as “possibly the highest-selling rock biography of all time.” A feature-length film of The Dirt was recently released on Netflix, directed by Jeff Tremaine, which propelled the book back into the New York Times bestseller list. His recent book collaboration, Kevin Hart’s I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons was both a #1 New York Times bestseller and topped the most downloaded audiobooks list at the same time. In his own books, Strauss is renowned for going undercover to explore controversial subcultures. The Game and Rules of The Game, for which he went undercover in a secret society of pick-up artists for two years, topped The New York Times best-selling list and were #1 on Amazon. He then completely revamped his perceptions of dating and relationships when he went undercover to explore trauma, healing, and intimacy disorders with The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book about Relationships. In this best-selling book, he explores the hidden forces that cause people to choose each other, stay together, and break up. As mentioned in this episode: Letters Neil received from Process Graduates: In the Process, students write letters to express gratitude to those who have supported them in their healing journey. Carl R. Rogers: American psychologist and one of the founders of the humanistic approach in psychology. “What is most personal is most universal.” ― Carl R. Rogers Sex Addiction & Treatment Post Induction Therapy: “Post-Induction Therapy is a therapeutic modality developed by Pia Mellody in the 1970s. Specifically, Post-Induction Therapy treats the effects of childhood trauma and the resulting developmental immaturity and codependency. Post-Induction Therapy integrates elements of Gestalt Therapy, Family Systems Theory, Person-Centered Humanistic Therapy, and others.” Neil on Relationships as Growth: Is My Relationship Working? by Neil Strauss Helpful aids that support more productivity, focus, and creativity: Kitchen Safe and the Freedom app Trauma & High School P.E.: Articles: “Gym Class Trauma Leads to Future Health Problems“, “The Trauma of High School Gym Class” Vicious Cycles: A way patterns manifest in cycles and a tool to help disconnect from this cyclic nature of pattern activity. De-tox from phone and media: To get the most out of your Process, and to create an environment where each person gains the maximum benefit from their work, we

Monique Petrov is a former All-American triathlete. She qualified for five Ironman World Championships and ranked among the top female age-group triathletes worldwide. Just three weeks before what was to be her ninth Ironman, a disastrous accident ended her career. What brought Monique to the Hoffman Process? As she shares with Drew, the physical trauma she has endured would become emotional trauma, which would sneak into how she related to those she was most intimate with. Through the Process, Monique found the healing she was looking for. She found the playful, curious, loving, kind soul she’d hidden inside long ago. Since the Process, Monique now makes time for this fun-loving part of herself. Listen in as Monique shares her story of the tragic accident that happened just three weeks before what was to be her 9th Ironman. Monique has been reluctant to share her story, never wanting the accident to define her. But today she shares all that she’s been through, the depth of her healing, and the incredible journey her life has been and continues to be. Be sure to listen all the way to the end. Monique shares her story about how she healed a big ball of shame in the Process. More about Monique Petrov: Monique had a serious accident three weeks before the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, which was to be her 9th Ironman. She was struck almost head-on by a van while finishing a long training ride a few miles from home. After six days in a coma, followed by six weeks in a hospital, Monique underwent eighteen hours of surgery to stabilize her vertebrae which burst upon impact. Suffering a traumatic brain injury, shattered knee, leg, arm, scapula, ribs, and blood-filled punctured lungs, she needed more surgery to piece her body (bones) back together. Monique had no idea how surviving this near-death experience would alter her life. The following thirteen months – and thirteen years – took her through a journey of recovery that has taught her more about resilience and strength than her entire career as a world-class athlete. Oddly, she forgave the driver almost immediately. It was herself she could not forgive because of shame. Splitting open more than her physical body, she eventually discovered it was the deep reflexive shame (which controlled her) or (within her) that needed to heal. Monique Petrov is a former All-American triathlete. She qualified for five Ironman World Championships, ranking amongst the top female age-group triathletes worldwide. Monique had been a triathlon and strength & conditioning coach. She became a NICU (neonatal intensive care) nurse after her life-threatening accident. Monique has a passion for using her life experience and relationships as data. She examines them for clues – even amid anguish, isolation, loneliness, and shame. Looking for hope, inspiration, and the ultimate connection with one’s own self, while developing and emerging with a brand new level of self-trust and security to step forward more boldly in the world. She delves into her ongoing recovery. Monique shares how she was able to survive, heal, rebuild, and continually reinvent herself. As mentioned in this episode: Intubation and Extubataion Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) 2-Day Hoffman Essentials program The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk    

Just five months ago, Jack Rafferty did the Hoffman Process, graduating only weeks shy of his 91st birthday. Jack shows us that you’re never too old to do the Process. Listen in to hear this beautiful sharing of love, friendship, and what it means to be real with each other. Over the last 50 years, Jack did a lot of work on himself but procrastinated on coming to the Process. Eventually, he felt the call to go and jumped in. Jack felt he was in good shape but thought he might tweak some things while he was there. As he shares, though, that idea went out the window in the first minutes of the Process. Jack now says the Process changed his life and that he is a different person for having done it. Jack speaks to living in a posture of love and how the Hoffman Process helped him deepen his capacity for awareness, vulnerability, and even more love. This phrase, the Posture of Love, describes the work Jack has been involved with over the many decades of his career. We hope you enjoy this beautiful conversation with Jack and Drew. More about Jack Rafferty: As an innovator with forty-two years of experience as a relationship guide and course facilitator, Jack has developed simple techniques that are easy to understand and put into practice. He has worked with thousands of people who have an interest in creating more conscious, fulfilling relationships. Jack’s mission has been to expand the horizons of this knowledge. In 1971 Jack was one of the founders of est, a preeminent organization in the human potential movement. In 1980, Jack turned his focus to relationships. Through years of research, presenting courses, and coaching, he has developed a unique approach that produces results that make a difference in people’s lives. Jack has taught his course, The Art of Relating, for 42 years. Now, together with a fellow Hoffman graduate, he is offering a new course, Born to Love. As mentioned in this episode: Psycho-Cybernetics, by Matthew Maltz. Loneliness and Health: Jack and Drew talk about the importance of having lasting, deep friends. Drew mentions how loneliness can be deadly, but connection creates longevity. Read more about the correlation between loneliness and health at Nature, the CDC, and the Campaign to End Loneliness. Creating Deep Friendships: An abundance of articles can be found on how to create deep friendships. Here are a few: Tiny Buddha: 7 Ways to Form Deep Meaningful Friendships The Atlantic: The Best Friends Can do Nothing For You NYTimes: How to Have Closer Friends (and Why You Need Them) Charles “Raz” Ingrasci, Hoffman teacher and Founder of the Hoffman Institute Foundation Liza Ingrasci, CEO of the Hoffman Institute Foundation, has been with the Hoffman Institute since 1990. Hoffman Scholarships: The Hoffman Institute provides over $400,000 in scholarships annually, with over 22% of Hoffman graduates being scholarship recipients. You can apply for a scholarship here and donate to the scholarship fund here.    

Jeff Snipes’ experience, during the Hoffman Process and after, shines a beautiful light on why we call this podcast, Love’s Everyday Radius. As a result of doing the Process, love’s extension and enlargement into the world can be unlimited in possibility and scope. Jeff’s story is one vivid example of this. In his early forties, Jeff experienced what he calls a ‘starburst of awakening.’ He couldn’t satisfy his hunger for books, podcasts, retreats – anything he could find – on spirituality and awakening. He followed every impulse within him as made this spiritual journey. The Hoffman Process was one stop on this journey. But it was more than that, too. The Process was a catalyst that would launch Jeff into the new direction his life was asking him to take. Jeff wondered why we aren’t taught to live filled with love, self-awareness, and a sense of purpose. Eventually, he created a new way to educate, one filled with spirituality, love, and purpose. Listen in as Jeff recounts his journey with Sharon in this remarkable episode of Love’s Everyday Radius. More About Jeff Snipes: Jeff is most passionate about the intersection of spirituality and education. He believes the current system of education has abandoned what’s needed most: cultivating the inner life of students. So together with a truly inspired group of educators, he serves as the Founder & Chairman of Millennium.org, a non-profit lab school and teaching institute advancing conscious well-being. Jeff and Whiskey In a previous life, Jeff spent 20 years in corporate leadership development. He served as the CEO of Ninth House and Co-Founder of PDI Ninth House (now Korn Ferry Organizational Consulting), the largest leadership assessment, consulting, and development business in the US. Over the years, he has been grateful to learn from many others who knew what they were doing. These include the boards of Mindful Schools, The Fetzer Institute, Challenge Success, the Learning for Well-Being Foundation, the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education, Education Superhighway, The Tugboat Institute, Circl.es, and Marin Montessori School. Along the way, he told bedtime stories, helped with homework, and sat in countless bleachers, doing his best to assist his indefatigable wife in raising three amazing young adults. Most mornings today, he’s likely to be found recovering by wandering among the redwoods on Mt. Tam, only slightly lost, and chasing after their dog Whiskey. You can learn more about Jeff on LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: Millennium School in San Francisco Hoffman tools and practices: Left Road, Right Road Quadrinity Check-In YPO: A global leadership community of chief executives driven by the shared belief that the world needs better leaders. YPO Forum practice Circle Method    

Andy Milberg, beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, has been teaching the Hoffman Process since August 1991. Bob Hoffman taught in Andy’s Process and trained Andy to become a teacher. Andy tells us it is a privilege and an honor to stand beside students who are committed to making a lasting change in their lives. As he says, “They’ve made a serious commitment in preparing for the Process.” He goes on to add that most of the time people get “more than they even know they want” from the Process. While the Hoffman Process is deeply grounded in science, something we know from scientific studies, the spiritual part of the Process can be difficult to define. Andy shares that the structure of the Process supports things to happen that he cannot explain or understand. The Process structure also supports him as a teacher to show up in a way that he can neither strategize nor plan for. Andy calls it the “magic of the moment.” This magic, mystery, and the miraculous go hand in hand with science to produce the amazing results we experience during the Process. In the late ’90s, Andy wrote a portion of the Process that happens at the very end as we say goodbye to those we’ve become so close with. He refers to it as, “I Am, We Are.” Listen to this beautiful conversation with Andy and Drew to learn more about what it’s been like for Andy to teach the Process. More about Andy Milberg: Andy did the Hoffman Process in July of 1990. He was immediately inspired to become a teacher, completing his training in August of 1991. “Although I had done a lot of personal growth work before”, he says, “the Process went deeper in so many ways, showing me my blind spots and then teaching me how to move beyond them into my authenticity. It was an amazing gift I wanted to share with others, and still do, 32 years later.” Four years ago, Andy moved from California to Ajijic, Mexico, with his wife and dog. He commutes to teach several times a year, while also coaching and leading online courses. Andy is a writer and has written his first book, Inspiration for Writers Who Don’t Write, and Want To. As mentioned in this episode: Ajijic, Mexico: A small town on the north shore of Lake Chapala, just 35 miles (56 km) south of Guadalajara. Bob Hoffman was the founder of the Hoffman Process. Andy describes Bob’s teaching style as “fearless and totally committed to helping people get free of their patterning.” Bob’s mission was “Peace on Earth, one person at a time.” Learn more about Bob here. Introversion and Extroversion: Andy speaks of being an Introvert at his core, but having had patterns of extroversion. Johanina Wikoff, Ph.D. The Dark Side: Andy describes the Dark Side as “the energy system of all the patterns that takes us back to the past, and doesn’t change, learn, or grow.” Kani Comstock, Retired Hoffman Teacher: Kani taught the Process for many years after training directly with Bob Hoffman. She co-authored Journey Into Love, a book about the Hoffman Process, with Marisa Thame  

Our conversation with Amanda de Cadenet is deeply nourishing and a swim upstream against the status quo. Amanda and Drew touch on many different topics in this rich, hour-long conversation. As you’ll discover, Amanda’s work touches many areas of life and so many lives. After becoming sober from alcohol and drugs at twenty, ten years later, Amanda did the Hoffman Process. Today, ten years later again, Amanda says her Process work has been an integral part of her recovery journey. It can be hard to put tangible results into recovery work, yet Amanda’s Hoffman work has helped give her the tangibility she had looked for. Amanda’s work at the Process allowed her to own that she has beautiful, big feelings. As she shares, big feelings are often frowned upon by the culture. But in the Hoffman Process, we learn that our feelings are vital to living our humanity. As the host of many conversations over decades, Amanda creates a safe space where challenging the status quo is possible. Listeners can feel their own feelings in response. These conversations are ripple-like making them conversations that are changing our world. Amanda says she learned to talk to people in Juvie (the English Juvenile Justice system) at fifteen. This survival skill became a great asset as she started her first job as the host of “The Word.” She would become famous for interviewing the biggest names in music at an incredibly young age. We hope you enjoy this compelling, dynamic, love-filled conversation with Amanda de Cadenet. More about Amanda de Cadenet: Amanda de Cadenet is a multifaceted talent, celebrated global media personality, and was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.” de Cadenet became a household name at age 15 as host of “The Word,” the UK’s hit late-night music show, interviewing the biggest names in music. She is the creator, host, and executive producer of “The Conversation,” an interview series best known for interviewing bold women with boldface names, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Lady Gaga, Hillary Clinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Tarana Burke, and the 3x best-selling author of “It’s Messy: On Boys, Boobs and Bad Ass Women,” “Girlgaze – How Girls See the World,” and “Rare Birds.” de Cadenet is also a founding member of the new Victoria’s Secret VS Collective, and proudly sits as an ambassador alongside Naomi Osaka, Stella McCartney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Megan Rapinoe, Hailey Beiber, Bella Hadid, and others. She hosted Victoria’s Secret’s first-ever podcast, “Voices” (June 2022), where she connected with trailblazing women all over the world to celebrate the multifaceted nature of the female experience. Following that, de Cadenet launched two additional podcasts exclusive to iHeart Radio, “The Conversation: About The Men” and a new season of “The Conversation” (Fall 2022.) de Cadenet is also the Founder of Girlgaze, a media and jobs platform that connects a network of female-identifying and non-binary creatives with companies who want to hire diverse creative teams. She is also involved in a number of efforts to protect women’s rights. She frequently collaborates with the #MeTooMvmt around initiatives focused on ending sexual violence toward women. de Cadenet lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Nick, and her three children. Find out more about Amanda de Cadenet here. Her online community is called The Conversation Community. You can also find Amanda on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: ‘Juvie‘ is the slang word for a Juvenile Detention Center. Find out more about both the British and American juvenile justice systems. Quad Check and Tools Amanda mentions Q1, which = The Hoffman Process Q2 = Hoffman’s Q2 Intensive: Beyond Mom and Dad When Amanda says ‘OG,’ she’s referring to our old retreat site, White Sulphur Springs, which burned in the Glass Fire of 2020. Recovery Raz Ingrasci: Hoffman teacher and coach, and Founder of the Hoffman Institute Foundation. Richard Schwartz, Ph.D.: The Founder of Internal Family Systems. Gabor Maté: Canadian Physician, Hoffman Process Graduate, and a leading authority on many topics including addiction, trauma, and childhood development. Bessel van der Kolk, MD: develops and studies a range of treatments for traumatic stress in children and adults. Peter Levine, Ph.D.: The Founder of Somatic Experiencing. “Trauma is not what happens to us. But what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”

Mike Robbins was twenty-five years old when he was injured playing in the Minor Leagues, an injury that ended his dream of making it to the Majors. He’d been playing since he was eight years old, eventually playing at Stanford University. The loss of Mike’s dream was devastating, but, step by step, he found his way to the work he does now as a speaker, consultant, coach, and author. He learned early how to prepare for the game of life. Listen in as Mike shares his hard-earned life wisdom with humility, vulnerability, and candidness. Mike heard about the Process many years ago, but it wasn’t until he experienced a great amount of loss and pain in a compressed period of time that he came to the Process in 2016. He lost both his mother and sister to cancer and realized that the Process was exactly what he needed to address his grief and the family of origin healing he was looking for. Through beautiful, generous storytelling, Mike shares stories of great loss while speaking to the power of many aspects of the Process. He talks about the importance of having places of safety to do this kind of healing work to feel safe telling the truth about ourselves and our lives. He considers how to care for all aspects of his Quadrinity and speaks to the nature of growth and being human. Mike hasn’t pitched in a game for twenty-five years, but he still, to this day, considers himself an athlete. Through this lens, he considers what he needs to do to prepare to be in this game of life. More about Mike Robbins: Mike Robbins is the author of five books, including Nothing Changes Until You Do, and his latest, We’re All in This Together. He’s a sought-after speaker who delivers keynotes and seminars all over the world. Some of his clients include Google, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Gap, Schwab, eBay, the NBA, the Oakland A’s, and many others. Mike and his work have been featured in the New York Times and Harvard Business Review, as well as on NPR and ABC News. He’s a regular contributor to Forbes. Mike hosts a weekly podcast and has given three TED talks. His books have been translated into 15 different languages. Mike did the Hoffman Process in December of 2016. He has been a personal and spiritual growth student his entire adult life. Mike, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Samantha and Rosie, live in Novato, CA. As mentioned in this episode: Baseball: Major League and Minor League Stanford University The Enneagram: Type 3 Rich and Yvonne St. John-Dutra “Founded in 1987 by Rich and Yvonne St. John-Dutra, Challenge Day started as a Bay Area organization. Now Challenge Day serves over 49 U.S. states, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Challenge Day is on a mission to create a world where every person in our communities feels safe, loved, and celebrated.” Read more… Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Gilbert: Mike shares Elizabeth’s quote: “You have to take care of your animal.” Read Elizabeth Gilbert’s article here… Psychological Safety “Psychological safety is the ability to show and employ oneself without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status, or career. It can be defined as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted and respected.” Wikipedia Brene Brown‘s new book, Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience  

Ian Salvage, beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, is our 100th guest on the Hoffman Podcast. What better way could we celebrate reaching our 100-episode milestone than with this vulnerable, wise, and insightful conversation with Ian and Drew? Ian completed the Process three different times, the first time when he was twenty-four years old. Listen in to discover why he did the Process two more times. Ian shares about his journey to healing the ‘shame message that he was bad.” As a child, he felt bad. As he explains, children internalize their experiences. Since he felt bad, he came to believe he must be bad. One of Ian’s main survival strategies as a young child was to disassociate from his body because the emotions he was feeling were just too big for him to feel. As an adult, he found it hard to be present and connected to others. Ian shares that childhood strategies are very helpful, but as adults, they really get in our way. He discovered had to come back into his body and to know he is safe there. In other words, Ian says he needed to come back into “an adult nervous system.” In doing the physical work of expression at the Process, Ian heard his body come to understand that he is, “to his bones,” innately good. Through this, he allowed his body to “align and connect to what his intellect thought and knew, to what his emotional self felt, and to what his Spiritual Self is.” Through his work at the Process, Ian’s Quadrinity became aligned in the goodness that he now knows he is. We can all learn a great deal about our own journey from Ian’s very human experience of healing. More about Ian Salvage: Ian Salvage holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in trauma-informed Somatic Therapy. Before being certified as a Hoffman Teacher in 2019, Ian began working in the Hoffman Institute’s Enrollment Department in 2011. Ian holds a small private practice where he works with clients remotely from Maui. You can learn more about Ian here. As mentioned in this episode: Two of Ian’s sisters have been guests on the podcast: Katie Salvage: Episode 4: Katie Salvage Oliveyah Fisch: S3e14: Oliveyah Fisch – Lean Into Your Courage Dōjō: “A dōjō is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts… The term literally means “place of the Way” in Japanese.” Wikipedia William Lewis: Spiritual Teacher, Lightworker and Energy Channel The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk Quote shared by Ian: “We are hurt in relationship and we heal in relationship.” – Unknown    

Gerald Harris, Father, Hoffman Board Chair emeritus, and Energy Economist is our guest today. Gerald shares his journey from growing up in rural south Georgia to his life today with his sons in Northern California. He shares his Hoffman Journey of transformation. Listen to the end for Gerald’s powerful reflections on forgiveness and transformation. Born and raised in Hapeville, Georgia until he was six years old, Gerald talks about what it was like to grow up in a village of extended family. His family was poor but he didn’t know it. At the age of six, he and his mother moved to Chicago for work. Suddenly, it was just Gerald and his mother. Gerald shares how he suffered abuse from his single mother. The Process helped him take his mother down off of the pedestal he’d learned to put her on as a child so he could squarely look at what had really happened in his childhood. He was able to see the patterns he adopted from her and release them through the Process. By completing the Hoffman Process, Gerald was able to heal the pain of his childhood so that this past pain would not affect his sons. Generational healing releases generational patterns and the painful emotions they cause. When patterns are released, our own lives and our children’s lives can hold more Light and Love. Gerald’s world at the Process made it possible for his sons’ lives to be freer of generational patterning. One of the other places the Process supported Gerald through transformation was in his sense of spirituality. As a child, he grew up Christian. Prior to doing the Process, Gerald was reading Buddhist thought and other kinds of thought as well. After the Process, Gerald came to understand that spirituality is not about any particular religion. He found it is about love, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, and justice. The Process supported Gerald in discovering a heart-centered way of communicating that he uses in all his relationships, both personal and professional. More about Gerald Harris: Gerald Harris is president of the Quantum Planning Group (QPG), which he founded in 2009. His company specializes in assisting businesses and non-profit organizations in strategic and business planning using the tools of scenario analysis. He works extensively with companies in the energy sector, particularly gas and electricity. Gerald received his BA in economics from Morehouse College, where he graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA in finance and business economics from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Gerald’s first book, The Art of Quantum Planning, Seven Ideas from Quantum Physics for Breakthroughs in Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership, was published by Berrett Koehler Publishing in August 2009. Gerald joined the Board of the Hoffman Institute in 2007, after completing the Process in December 2002. From mid-year 2012 until April 2022 Gerald served as Board Chair, working cooperatively with the entire leadership team. He now serves on the Hoffman Institute Advisory Council. Gerald also serves on the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Club of California. He leads the Technology and Society member-led forum where he produces programs for the Club. He is the father of two adult sons. More is available at his website: www.artofquantumplanning.com. As mentioned in this episode: Download The Quadrinity Process paper Gerald mentions: A Path to Personal Freedom and Love. Projection: “The process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person, animal, or object.” – Psychology Today The Great Migration: “The Great Migration was one of the largest movements of people in United States history. Approximately six million Black people moved from the American South to Northern, Midwestern, and Western states roughly from the 1910s until the 1970s. The driving force behind the mass movement was to escape racial violence, pursue economic and educational opportunities, and obtain freedom from the oppression of Jim Crow. – National Archives Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Morehouse College The Right Road Choice: “The path we take when we are in patterns is the Left Road – the habitual ways of being that we learned in childhood. We don’t do things from choice, we do them because of “that’s the way I’ve always done it” thinking. This is not free will choice; it is the path of least resistance, of familiarity. The Right Road is your new way of being – acting out of awareness, action, and will. This is the path of curiosity, responsibility, openness, and adventure. It is the path of choice: how you will live, and how you will act in your life in the face of adversity. You, not your childhood programming, are taking responsibility for your life.” Shawn McAndrew, Hoffman Blog    

This conversation with Ryan Miles and Drew is not to be missed. Ryan is vulnerable, raw, and so deeply grounded within himself as he shares his experience before, during, and after graduating from the Hoffman Process. Ryan tells us the big pain point that brought him to the Process – the inability to feel empathy for others, including family and friends. He felt very alone, didn’t know why he felt so alone, and had no idea what was causing him to feel that way. He wanted to care about people and didn’t know how to. When you listen to Ryan talk about his experience post-Process, you can sense the immense transformation that took place during his seven days at our California Hoffman Retreat Center in Petaluma. During his Process, Ryan did indeed come to understand why he could not find empathy for others; he felt no empathy, or love, for himself. Ryan considered himself selfish, but he discovered something ironic about this belief. He says he now sees that selfishness is that “your self-view is so small that all you can see is yourself.” By day two of the Process, he realized that his whole idea of love had been backward for most of his life. Ryan realized that Love is indeed a birthright. He found that love is waiting for us within. All we need to do is come home to that Love. More about Ryan Miles: Ryan was raised on a dairy farm near the small town of Weippe in northern Idaho. His parents, Grant and Sharon, ran the dairy as second-generation owners. Ryan was the youngest of four boys. He grew up in an environment of a strong work ethic and a conservative Christian belief system through the Wesleyan church. After graduating high school in 1996, Ryan moved away from home and into the world at large, which was the custom of his family. Thus began his adventure of survival and personal development. In 1999, Ryan married his life companion Elissa. In 2010 they had a son Cash followed by a daughter Sunny in 2013. Ryan started a business in the European Auto Repair world called Peak Euro in 2007. Today, they have 12 employees and are experiencing strong growth. However, the pursuit of perfectionism and financial success didn’t lead to attaining Joy and Inner Peace. Ryan began to think there had to be more to life. The world of auto repair led Ryan to Hoffman through industry coaching and other personal development workshops. One such workshop was the Hoffman Process. At the Process, Ryan did the life-changing work that can be done in just one week. Ryan’s favorite authors include Eckhart Tolle, Anthony de Mello, Richard Rohr, Michael Singer, and Paulo Coelho. As mentioned in this episode: Eckhart Tolle    

This episode with Felipe Jain, M.D. is so full of amazing things, that it’s hard to describe all you’ll hear. Felipe did the Hoffman Process when he was twenty-five. He was in his third year as a medical student at Harvard Medical School. He was driven and ambitious, but found relationships a challenge for him. One of the wonderful moments Felipe remembers from his Process is when his emotional self finally got to speak up for himself and stand up to his intellect. He shares how amazing it was to experience the magic of this child within himself – a wonderful, beautiful, and fun child. Now, many years later, Felipe is a Psychiatrist, a Researcher, a Neuroscientist, and a Professor at Harvard Medical School. As you’ll hear in this episode, Felipe, through the Process, found and continues to develop a beautiful balance between all four aspects of his Quadrinity. He also has been able to use aspects of his Process experience as well as some of what he learned there in his work as a Psychiatrist. One magical part of this episode is how Felipe describes his experience of Being. A meditator for over thirty years (he started at age 13 or 14), he has deepened his relationship with people and nature by coming to know how to shift perspectives and learn to truly take in what another is experiencing. Felipe describes the evolution of Being and the nature of Being through metaphor and physics. You’ve got to listen to and feel what he shares. Be sure to take time to discover more about Felipe’s work and the resources he’s made available to us all. More About Dr. Felipe Jain, M.D.: Originally from San Rafael, CA, Dr. Felipe Jain, M.D., is the Director of Healthy Aging Studies at the Depression Clinical Research Program of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. His research group aims to develop new guided imagery and mindfulness tools for people caring for loved ones with chronic illnesses. Additionally, his lab studies objective brain connectivity, stress hormones, and other biological markers of psychotherapy treatment. This research is funded by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health and private foundations. Dr. Jain also treats patients – predominantly with treatment-resistant depression – in private practice. He is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Felipe teaches medical students tools for resilience and serves on the MD Advisory Board of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He also supervises psychiatry trainees in the number-one ranked Massachusetts General Hospital-McLean psychiatry residency program. Dr. Jain’s most recent endeavors include studying smartphone delivery of psychotherapy, researching brain activity occasioned by psychedelics, writing a book on guided imagery and mindfulness, and creating a startup based on his mobile application platform development. When not working, he enjoys meditating, crafting poetry, reading sci-fi, playing tennis with his two children (ages 7 and 9), hiking in the Middlesex Fells, and laughing for no reason on his back porch. Dr. Jain is also a Hoffman Institute Foundation Board Member. We are grateful for his willingness to share his expertise, experience, and love to further Hoffman’s goal of bringing peace to the world one person at a time. Find out more about Dr. Jain here. As mentioned in this episode: 14 Billion years: the age of the Universe Quark: “A quark (/kwɔːrk, kwɑːrk/) is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter.” Wikipedia Lao Tzu (or Laozi): 6th-century BC ancient Chinese philosopher and writer Lao Tzu, is believed to be the author of the Tao Te Ching. He is also “the founder of philosophical Taoism and a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.” Wikipedia The Tao Te Ching: “The Tao Te Ching, along with the Zhuangzi, is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism.” Wikipedia FernHillCenter.org: Free resources that Felipe mentions in this episode. Fernhill Center is “dedicated to freely spreading practices that bring greater joy, compassion, and connection.”    

We begin season five with Scott “Scooter” Braun. You might know him as Scooter Braun, one of the most prolific entrepreneurs and innovators in entertainment, music, tech, and beyond. Yet, during the Hoffman Process, Scooter reclaimed himself as Scott, the young boy he once was and the person he has always been. Photo by Bradford Rogne Photography Scooter shares that both sides of his familial line experienced great trauma and struggles. He was aware enough to know that his life as a child was good. Through the Process, he came to realize that he felt guilt for having struggles because his paled in comparison to those his parents and grandparents experienced. Through the Process, Scott was able to heal the pain of his past, understanding that we all face human trauma and challenges. Sharing about his upbringing, his loving parents, and what he learned through his Process, Scott cogently shines a light on the Path to Personal Freedom and Love. One beautiful thing Scott offers to us in this episode is the understanding that once we do the deep healing work of childhood, we can then step forward to discover who we really are, now, in the present day. From this present moment, we can continue to reclaim more and more of who we truly are. Scott recommends the Process to many of those he knows. When people remark about how much he has changed and want to know how this happened, he suggests they attend. More about Scooter Braun: Scooter Braun is one of the most prolific entrepreneurs and innovators in entertainment, music, tech, and beyond. Braun is the Founder and Chairman of Ithaca Holdings LLC., now a part of the HYBE America portfolio, a wholly owned subsidiary of HYBE, a South Korean entertainment lifestyle platform company. Braun is CEO and board member of HYBE. Ithaca Holdings LLC. is a fully integrated holding company, which invests in some of the largest management, media, and rights companies in the industry. Ithaca Holdings LLC has built an elite portfolio of acquisitions and partnerships including Big Machine Label Group, Mythos Studios, unscripted content studio GoodStory Entertainment and Atlas Publishing, among others. chine Label Group, Mythos Studios, unscripted content studio GoodStory Entertainment, and Atlas Publishing, among others. In addition, Braun is co-founder and partner of TQ Ventures, a leading investment firm focused on early-stage and growth-stage companies. Braun is also the Founder of SB Projects, a diversified entertainment, and media company with ventures at the intersection of music, film, technology, brands, culture, and social good. In addition to managing a robust roster of some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, J Balvin, Idina Menzel, Ashley Graham, and Tori Kelly, SB Projects has grown its film and television division to include a prolific slate of projects including the FX Network’s most-watched comedy series “Dave,” YouTube’s record-breaking docuseries “Justin Bieber: Seasons,” CBS’s “Scorpion,” Ariana Grande feature documentary “Excuse Me, I Love You” with Netflix, “Never Say Never,” which remains the highest grossing music documentary in domestic box-office history and most recently, YouTube’s critically acclaimed four-part docuseries “Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil.” The company also has a multitude of projects in active development. As mentioned in the episode: The Holocaust: Scott’s paternal grandparents survived the Holocaust. His grandmother survived Auschwitz while his grandfather survived Dachau. Cheshta Buckley: Cheshta is a Hoffman teacher and coach. Find out more about Cheshta here. Liza Ingrasci: Liza is CEO and President of the Hoffman Institute Foundation. She hosts a free, 45-minute live weekly Intro Call for those who want to know more about the Process. Rashi: “Rashi’s surname, Yitzhaki, derives from his father’s name, Yitzhak. The acronym “Rashi” stands for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, but is sometimes fancifully expanded as Rabban Shel YIsrael which means the “Rabbi of Israel”, or as Rabbenu SheYichyeh (Our Rabbi, may he live).” Wikipedia Stoic Philosophy (or Stoicism): Stoicism flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the 3rd century AD, and among its adherents was Emperor Marcus Aurelius. – Wikipedia More about Marcus Aurelius: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (the book Scott mentions) “Amor Fati.” (Latin for love of one’s fate.) “The suffering and the joy you must love the same because everything is for you.” From the Tao Te Ching: “What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher? What is a bad man but a good man’s job?” “Rejection is God’s protection:” Sometimes the moment that hurts deeply we find out later was a moment that was made for us. Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer  

We complete season four with this lively conversation between Drew and beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, Marissa Ingrasci. Marissa grew up in a Hoffman home. Her parents, Raz and Liza Ingrasci, founded the Hoffman Institute. Marissa shares a sweet memory of when she was first taught about the Light and the capacity we have to claim our own agency and connection to the Light. Fifteen years ago, Marissa came to the Process feeling lost and disconnected from herself. At the end of her Process, she felt happy and bursting with love for her parents in a way she didn’t know she could. Through the Process, Marissa connected to herself and the Light in a deeper way. Marissa shares some deep wisdom about how to live a Right Road life with compassion for self and others, as well as equanimity and joy. In living on the Right Road, we still have challenges. Days will be hard, but with access to Process tools and an integrated Quadrinity, we can meet any challenge with love. Marissa touches on the dramatic creative change and growth the Hoffman Institute went through when Covid hit in March 2020. She was teaching the last Process before everything shut down for Covid. Marissa shares how it was clear that the students in that Process were going to be released into a very different world than the one they left behind when they entered the Process. What might it mean to be ready to do the Process, or in Marissa’s words, “step into the mystery?” It might not mean what you think. Take a listen to hear more about what readiness looks like, especially in these times of great change. We’ll be back with season five in August! As mentionedMore about Marissa Ingrasci: Marissa Ingrasci is a Hoffman Process teacher and coach. She manages the Marketing department at Hoffman and is a Faculty Manager. Marissa holds a BA from Emerson College and received her coaching training through the ICF-approved Academy of Leadership Coaching & NLP. She is also a certified NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) coach. As mentioned in this episode: Matt Brannagan: Matt is Vice-President and Director of Faculty at Hoffman Institute Foundation. Discover more about Matt in his Hoffman podcast episode, Communities of Meaning. Left Road/Right Road: Marissa shares a unique way she often works with the Left Road/Right Road practice. Hoffman Essentials: A live, virtual 2-Day Hoffman Essentials program. Hoffman teachers will guide you in an insightful and interactive intensive. Through experiential activities, individual assignments, engaging discussions, and connection with a community of learners, you will have the experience of bringing more love and aliveness to yourself and your life while increasing your awareness of, and ability to dismantle, the barriers that stand in the way of living your best life. The experiences and learnings from this program are designed to provide useful tools and practices that you can carry with you for a lifetime.(Please note: This course is for people who have not participated in the Hoffman Process.) Instagram Lives: Each day, we host two Instagram lives. Join our virtual community Quad-Check at 8:00 am PT on Instagram. A Quad Check is a practice to support you in integrating and honoring all four parts of your Quadrinity: Spiritual Self, Intellect, Emotional Self, and your Body. Come be a part of our daily Appreciation and Gratitude practice at 6:00 pm PT on Instagram. You’ll find the Appreciation and Gratitude practice to be a beautiful way to reflect on your day. This practice will support your Spiritual Self’s natural desire to appreciate and give thanks for all that life brings you. Quote on change mentioned by Drew: “Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”― Tony Robbins  

Alana Hadid – designer, business owner, and social media influencer – completed the Hoffman Process in the Fall of 2021. Listen in as she shares her experience during the Process as well as her life after the Process with Hoffman teacher and coach, Liz Severin. People decide to do the Process when they are serious about making changes in their lives. For Alana, it was wanting to do the ‘self-work’ that would bring about healthier romantic relationships in her life. She’d been in a relationship that didn’t feel healthy and knew that the change she was seeking had to happen within her. Listen in to see how doing this deeply transformational work within and for herself is improving how she relates to everyone. As a designer, Alana found that doing the Process helped strengthen her creative capacity. As a result, Alana now hears her creative ideas more clearly with less negative inner talk. Toward the end of her Process, Alana had a creative idea spark in her. She pursued it and as a result, she has designed clothing merchandise in partnership with the Hoffman Institute. When you come to do the Process or the Q2 weekend intensive, you’ll be able to purchase these bright and colorful tee shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. Toward the end of the conversation, on a really lovely note, Alana speaks about her mother attending the Process. In preparation for her mother’s own Process, Alana helped guide her mother through her pre-Process work. Truly knowing that “everyone is guilty and no one is to blame” transforms families and transforms our world. The healing that happens in families due to doing the Process is truly foundational familial healing. More About Alana Hadid From a young age, Alana loved fashion and wore and constructed crazy and unique clothes. After studying political science in college, she moved to Los Angeles where she had many jobs, including a T-shirt line, Better Bacon, and running her father’s art gallery. In 2013, Alana began styling and personal shopping and found her true passion in design. She came up with the idea for La Detresse after an interesting dream and a difficult client fitting. Alana works as a designer and co-owner of her label, La Detresse. In addition, she’s on the board of Shroomboom as well as a consultant for multiple businesses. A social media influencer, Alana has been featured as a designer, influencer, and contributor in Vogue Japan, Grazia, Who What Wear, WWD, Angelina Magazine, and W Magazine. Head over to Instagram to discover more about Alana and La Detresse. As Mentioned in This Episode: Hoffman Process Retreat Center, Petaluma CA Narnia (the Hoffman Process Retreat Site): If you listen closely, you’ll notice that Alana refers to our new retreat site as Narnia. It is a beautiful and magical place. Liza Ingrasci and Hoffman Live Weekly Intro Calls: Alana shares that she had wonderfully productive calls with Liza Ingrasci, President and CEO of the Hoffman Institute Foundation. At the time, Alana was unaware she was speaking with the CEO. Liza holds free live weekly intro calls to learn more about the Process. Find out more here. Ways to keep the Process alive: Physical Expression: Physical Expression is used in the Process as part of the Cycle of Transformation. Expression is a necessary part of disconnecting from Negative Love patterns in order to heal the pain of the past. There are many ways to physically express the patterns in order to disconnect from them. Quad Check: The Quad Check is a practice to support you in checking in with all four parts of your Quadrinity: Spiritual Self, Intellect, Emotional Self, and your Body. To practice Quad Checks with others, join our virtual Quad-Check at 8:00 am PT on Instagram. Visualization: A practice used often during the Process, you’ll find audio recordings of various visualizations for download here. Recycling: Recycling is a powerful tool that’s part of the Cycle of Transformation. Once you’ve identified, expressed, and traced a negative pattern, recycling transmutes it into a new way of being. This new way is in alignment with your Spiritual Self.

There’s so much goodness in this conversation with Brian Buckley, Executive Director of The Southwest Native-American Foundation. From varied points of view, Brian focuses on the fullness of what it means to be human. From the practical to the sublime, he takes us along as he recounts his life story. As he talks about his life path and the wisdom he’s gained as a result of reflection and contemplation, it’s easy to sense the depth and vastness of Brian’s heart. Consistent throughout this conversation is the sense that Brian was deeply impacted by his Irish immigrant roots. His grandparents emigrated to the United States. Raised in an Irish enclave in a Boston neighborhood, Brian shares his childhood experience of being in a clan of children of Irish immigrants. This theme recurs again when Brian shares a poem by Seamus Heaney. Brian had an opportunity to experience Buddhism and meditation when overseas as a volunteer for the Peace Corps. He speaks about the contrast in his experience between Buddhism and Irish Catholicism. The Hoffman Process helped Brian discover the depth of his emotional self and the impact of his Irish-rooted emotional patterns. Brian speaks about both the spiritual and practical aspects of the Process. He shares about the nature of his Spiritual Self and also speaks about the practical nature of the gifts of the Hoffman Process. He came home with learning skills for day-to-day that he can bring to the dinner table, both literally and metaphorically. MORE ABOUT BRIAN BUCKLEY: Brian, the son of Cathy and Paul Buckley, was born in West Roxbury, MA. As a young child, he witnessed Boston tear itself apart over issues of race and equality. These themes would inform much of his later life. After attending the Roxbury Latin School and graduating from Harvard College with a degree in psychology, Brian began teaching social studies at Franklin K.Lane High School in Brooklyn. Following his time teaching, Brian served in the United States Peace Corps in Udon Thani, Thailand. Upon returning to the States, he instructed at Harvard University as a Teaching Fellow for Dr. Robert Coles’ course, The Literature of Social Reflection. Brian received the Derek Bok Award for Excellence in Teaching. He received an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an M.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts. Poetry informs much of his inner landscape. Brian continues to teach as an elementary school special education teacher at a public Montessori school. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian founded the Barbara Henry Courage in Teaching Award to honor the work of Barbara Henry. Barbara was the only teacher to report to work to welcome and teach Ruby Bridges. Ruby, a six-year-old first-grade student of African-American descent, was the only child to come to school on the first day of de-segregation in 1960 New Orleans. Fulfilling a Personal Call: Brian served as a high school teacher and United States Peace Corps Fellow on the Navajo Nation. At the end of this time, he founded the Southwest Native-American Foundation (SWNAF). The Foundation assists students of the tribes of the Southwest in gaining greater access to higher education. As Executive Director of SWNAF, Brian, along with the SWNAF Board and Donors, has assisted in the matriculation of 500 students to college and graduate school. Learn more about The Southwest Native American Foundation here, and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. As Mentioned in This Episode: Ruby Bridges and Barbara Henry: Read more about Ruby Bridges at RubyBridges.Foundation. Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day: Discover more about Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. United States Peace Corp: The Peace Corps was started by President John F. Kennedy in the early sixties. The Peace Corps the opportunity to serve others through immersion in a community abroad. Working side by side with local leaders, they work on the most pressing challenges of these times Volunteers are sent to one of 88 countries. Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography, Born to Run. The poem Brian shares with us: Watch Brian read the poem, A Kite for Michael and Christopher by Seamus Heaney, here. The book Drew mentions: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make us Whole, by Susan Cain.  

Beloved Hoffman Process teacher and coach, Max Gaenslen, holds this question as the focus for his life and life’s work: “What is the difference between people who really connect to that divine spark within them and find fertile soil for that seed to grow in the world – and people who don’t?” The question first came to him in 2004 while riding on a Greyhound bus. Once it hit him, he immediately knew he needed to live this question. Today, the common thread running through all that Max does is the belief that the Light exists in everything and that we all have innate genius and gifts. In conversation with Sharon, Max explores what lights him up – human potential and the journey of awakening into the body. He shares a multitude of viewpoints from which to look at the process of spiritual awakening and emphasizes awakening our body and heart. You will hear Max’s infectious love of his life’s work. One of Max’s other joys is drumming. At the age of eleven, Max first heard the drum solo in All the World’s a Stage, by Rush. It was then that he decided he wanted to become a drummer. More About Max Gaenslen: Along with being a Hoffman teacher and coach, Max Gaenslen is a Senior teacher and trainer of George Leonard and Michael Murphy’s Integral Transformative Practice and George Leonard’s Leonard Energy Training. He is the Coordinator of Esalen Institute’s Center for Theory & Research. Max is also a California state-certified “Education Specialist.” Max is also a drummer and percussionist. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in creativity and entrepreneurship, Max began his career in business consulting. Max did the Hoffman Process in 2005, then shifted his career direction to focus on transformative education and workshops for adults, and working extensively with adolescents in a therapeutic context. He worked for thirteen years in San Mateo County’s Therapeutic Day School program and has taught workshops and programs for such organizations as Esalen Institute, ITP-International, Greenheart Transforms, and The Institute of Noetic Sciences. As Mentioned in This Episode: The Future of the Body: Explorations Into the Further Evolution of Human Nature, by Michael Murphy. Quotes Max shares: “The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail.” — Ramakrishna “The flesh, itself, is waking up.” — Michael Murphy Transcendence (“Up and out”): When we transcend, we move up and out of the body. Embodiment (“Down and in”): Moving down into the body and deeper into its interior. Drumming as a way to bash! Max talks about drumming as a way to bash negative patterns. Bashing is one told to use during Expression, how we let go of our patterns. We exercise our free will – choose to step out of a pattern, and take action using our Voice, Body, and Intention.  

April McDaniel, Founder of woman-owned and minority-led, Crown + Conquer, came to the Process to do the deep work she knew she was ready for. In this conversation with Drew, April speaks candidly about needing to be honest with herself. She touches on this many times. What brought April to the Process? April shares that she saw she had a pattern of being cold when relating with others. She felt closed off and wanted to do something that would help to open her up again. Being ‘cold’ with others is often a pattern learned in childhood that helps us feel safe and secure. In the Process, April learned a lot about trauma and witnessed how each everyone has work to do to heal. As a result of her work there, the Process helped her find empathy for herself and for others. April chose to be more vulnerable at work as a way to integrate her Process experience. She shares that showing vulnerability, especially in the Black community, is viewed as weak. April showed her strength by being vulnerable and says it was well-received. More About April McDaniel: April McDaniel is the owner and founder of Crown + Conquer, a trailblazing agency partner to global brands with a current client roster that includes Spotify, Amazon Studios, and Google. Woman-owned and minority-led, Crown + Conquer has quickly and quietly made a name for itself, scaling rapidly in just five short years to 32 employees plus numerous freelancers. April’s team at Crown + Conquer is unapologetically authentic. They push brands outside their comfort zone, connecting brand truths with human truths to bring them to life and forge real connections with consumers. April began her career at Strategic Group. While there, she worked directly for Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg as they built the company into one of the most powerful brands in hospitality. With an innate ability to find the through-line that resonates with audiences, April drove event strategy for clients including Nike, Coca Cola, and Sprite; executed pioneering brand collaborations including Hennessy Artistry and Heineken Red Star; and played a key role in the grand openings of Las Vegas Tao, Tao Beach, LAVO, and Marquee Nightclub & Day Club at the Cosmopolitan. Subsequently, she led the nationwide expansion of Game Seven as Director of Operations. April also served as point person for influencer and experiential strategy on the Beats by Dre account. April is fiercely private and passionate about giving back. Recently, she launched the Chase the Crown Business Summit. Through the summit, small businesses and innovative brands have the opportunity to win seed money and gain unparalleled exposure. April lives in Southern California with her two sons. She earned her BA from Temple University. Find out more about April on Instagram. Learn more about Crown and Conquer here and on Instagram. Hoffman Process Terminology: Awareness Hell: In awareness hell, we know we are aware of our patterns and the things we do we wish we didn’t do, but we are still unable to change. We understand but feel stuck in this place of hell even though our awareness keeps expanding. To get out of awareness hell, our work to grow and transform must include three additional steps for change to take place. These three steps are Expression, Compassion, and New Ways of Being. All four make up the Cycle of Transformation. As Mentioned in This Episode: Trauma: In the Process, you learn about trauma as you do the work to heal the pain of the past. If you’d like to hear more, listen to this in-depth podcast episode with Cynthia Merchant on Trauma and the Process of Healing. Cynthia was a Hoffman teacher for twenty years.    

Coach and consultant, Natalie Vanderpump, is our guest today. Natalie’s process of getting to the Process was a journey in and of itself. She registered in February of 2020 for the May Process, which was postponed after the outbreak of COVID-19. Determined to begin her work, Natalie signed up for the first Hoffman Essentials virtual course. When the Hoffman Institute resumed offering the Process in person the following September, Natalie was there to begin the Process. Life had other plans as our beloved retreat site, White Sulphur Springs burned and Natalie’s group was evacuated. She had to return home to wait, again. Natalie completed her Process in person as part of the first graduating class at Hoffman’s new retreat site in Petaluma. What kept Natalie so motivated? When she completed the initial homework early that Spring, she felt a jolt to her Being. Through the months of waiting, Natalie had a heightened awareness of her patterns and how they had affected her life up to that point. Once she arrived in Petaluma, she was truly ready to do the deeply impactful work of healing the pain of her past. Natalie came to the Process because she felt like she’d done everything she was ‘supposed to do’ to be happy, but she wasn’t. For twenty-five years, she’d been on a journey to find a place of peace in herself that she knew was possible but didn’t know how to find on her own. Doing the Process helped support Natalie in finding the peace she was looking for, as well as much more. More About Natalie Vanderpump: Natalie was born in the West Indies on the island of Jamaica. As a child she lived in many places, finally settling in Miami, Florida for college. After seventeen years, a failed marriage, two engineering degrees, and an MBA, she moved to the Pacific Northwest with her son. In addition to her corporate career in Fortune 100 companies, Natalie has a passion for supporting people in organizing their time, finances, and physical space. Today, Natalie is a Holistic Wellness Coach and a KonMari-certified organizational consultant. As a coach and consultant, she helps people manage the stuff that impacts our ability to thrive. This includes what we put in our bodies, allow into our hearts and minds, and accumulate in our homes. Everyone’s path to wellness has twists and turns. Natalie loves helping others progress on their unique journey while continuing on her own. You can learn more about Natalie and her work here. Follow Natalie on Instagram and LinkedIn. As Mentioned in This Episode Hoffman Essentials 2-Day Virtual program: Through experiential activities, individual assignments, engaging discussions, and connection with a community of learners, you will have the experience of bringing more love and aliveness to yourself and your life while increasing your awareness of, and ability to dismantle, the barriers that stand in the way of living your best life. Practices & Tools: Quad Check: Join our virtual Quad-Check at 8:00 am PT on Instagram. The Quad Check is a practice to support you in checking in with all four parts of your Quadrinity: Spiritual Self, Intellect, Emotional Self, and your Body. Appreciation & Gratitude: Join our virtual Appreciation & Gratitude practice at 6:00 pm PT on Instagram. The Appreciation and Gratitude practice supports you in dropping into your heart. From here, you can see and realize what you are truly grateful for and what you appreciate in and about your life. This practice deepens your connection to your body and your Spiritual Self. Recycling Recycling is a powerful tool that’s part of the Cycle of Transformation. It’s used to recycle a negative pattern that you’ve identified, traced, and disconnected from and into a new way of being. This new way is in alignment with your Spiritual Self. Vicious Cycle A collection of negative patterns that keep you in a cycle of negativity. They work in a cyclical manner and feed upon themselves. They are profoundly negative to your life and relationships.    

Tim Laurence, Hoffman teacher and author, did the Process in 1989 with Bob Hoffman as his teacher. Tim’s journey to finding and completing the Hoffman Process is a fascinating story. As a child, Tim was very curious. As a young adult, he traveled the world looking to learn from both the East and the West. The burning questions within him were, “How does this system work? How are we as human or spiritual beings meant to look at it? Am I missing something?” Eventually, after years of travel and inquiry, life led Tim to the Hoffman Process. “It wasn’t just a vale of tears, it was also a hill of laughter.” is one way Tim describes his time during the Process, reflecting the profound rage of human emotions we get to experience through the Process. Six years later, after being trained by Bob to be a Hoffman teacher himself, Tim co-founded Hoffman Institute UK. Tim shares stories about what Bob was like, and how the whole of who he was shines a light on how we are as human beings. He tells stories about the earlier times of the Hoffman Process when Bob still played an active role in ‘bringing peace to the world one person at a time.’ And, Tim offers insights into the different ways people from around the world approach doing the Process, including a difference he sees between people from the U.S. and Britain. More About Tim Laurence: Tim Laurence is the Founder of Hoffman Institute UK and former Chairman of Hoffman International. Tim is also the author of The Hoffman Process: The World-Famous Technique That Empowers You to Forgive Your Past, Heal Your Present, and Transform Your Future. Photo of Bob by Tim As Mentioned in This Episode: Bob Hoffman Tim shares about the time he traveled to Wales with Bob after they finished teaching a Process. This was when the Hoffman Process was still called the Quadrinity Process. Listen in to hear what Bob considered calling the Process instead.