The Hoffman Podcast

“Oddly enough, it’s the vulnerability that connects us. It’s not the perfect; yeah, that’s like Teflon.” – Mike Depatie Mike Depatie Mike Depatie, Founding Partner of KHP Capital Partners, attended the Hoffman Process in 2005. At the Process, Mike looked around the room and felt like he didn’t belong. He wasn’t even sure it was right for him because he felt he had a kind of Leave-it-to-Beaver childhood. Mike stayed through that discomfort and came to understand that even though he felt he had nothing in common with those he was with, he had come to love them. He realized that everyone is lovable if you really get to know them, including himself. Mike came to the Process through his role as President and CEO of Kimpton Hotels. Kimpton leadership encouraged employees to connect with themselves, so they would ultimately connect at a deeper and more effective level with their teammates and customers. To that end, employees were given the chance to do the Hoffman Process. Mike agreed to come. After attending, he says the Process helps people discover the best version of themselves. The business advice he offers is to “figure out who the hell you are, and then fully step into that.” Mike is the informal leader of Qfish, an annual fishing trip whose members are all Hoffman Process grads, including Raz Ingrasci, a long-time participant. They called themselves Qfish, like the Hoffman Q2 retreat. For the past 20 years, they’ve fished together and processed things like they’d learned to do at their Process. Both Raz and Drew Horning have attended these Qfish gatherings. We hope you enjoy this engaging conversation with Mike and Drew. Listen on Apple Podcasts More about Mike Depatie: Qfish Mike Depatie is a seasoned hospitality and investment leader best known for serving as President and CEO of Kimpton Hotels, which he led for over a decade before its sale to IHG in 2015. Under his leadership, Kimpton became the world’s largest boutique hotel company with over 60 hotels and a celebrated workplace and brand. Kimpton was named one of Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Places to Work multiple times. Mike is now a Founding Partner of KHP Capital Partners, an active investor in hospitality real estate. With a Harvard MBA, he has held senior roles across hospitality, real estate, and technology. He’s served on multiple boards. Mike lives in Napa with his wife, Holly, and their 16-year-old yellow lab, Cabo. As mentioned in this episode: Qfish, including Drew, Mike, Raz, and other Hoffman graduates. Raz Ingrasci: Raz, along with his wife Liza Ingrasci, founded the Hoffman Institute Foundation. Raz passed away on December 31, 2025. •   Listen to Raz on The Hoffman Podcast •   Watch Raz on The Oprah Podcast David Bork Founder of the Aspen Family Business Institute, David was a pioneer in the field of counseling family-owned businesses for over 25 years. Integrating Family Systems Theory with sound business practice, he had in-depth, long-term involvement with some 350 families in business. He was the author of Family Business, Risky Business. David passed away in 2025. Fly-fishing Hoffman Q2, graduate intensive Zen (as an adjective) The Enneagram Leave it to Beaver Joseph Campbell •   The Hero’s Journey Davos ‘takeaways’ on YouTube The All In Podcast Peter Diamandas •   The X Prize •   The Moon Shot Awards Watch Raz on The Oprah Podcast Zig Ziglar •   See You at the Top, by Zig Ziglar  

“Welcome your enemy, welcome the darkness. Let everybody come and sit with you at the table. Welcome with open arms, with love, with light. …That is when everything dissolves, and you are free.” – Tamsyn Strydom Before discovering the Hoffman Process, Tamsyn Strydom shares that her life had “quietly begun to shut down.” She felt overwhelmed, facing unexplained health challenges and struggling to get out of bed after relocating to a new country. Coming to the Process with a Hoffman scholarship and a quiet, desperate urgency to heal, Tamsyn felt hope. She knew that doing the Process would mark a profound turning point in her life. At the Process, Tamsyn gave it her all. She met all parts of herself, the light and the dark. She faced everything with a willingness to change. Tamsyn left feeling incredible. Yet it only took a week back home for her to fall back into the darker patterns that had brought her to Hoffman in the first place. Once home, Tamsyn had shared with others how good she felt. Now, she felt shame that the patterns had returned. Rather than saying anything to anyone, she began to isolate. This is when she found a profound willingness within. With nowhere to run to, nowhere else to go, she had to surrender again as she’d done at the Process. Now, she had to do it on her own. It was time to sit with the darkness, time to come to know and love herself deeply. Listen in to hear how Tamsyn made her way through this challenge and into her new life. She credits the Hoffman Process as a pivotal catalyst that helped her reclaim her capacity, deepen her self-trust, and step fully into this next chapter of her life. Content Warning: This episode references disordered eating. Listen on Apple Podcasts More about Tamsyn Strydom: Tamsyn is the founder of Radiant Growth and Khanyisa Institute, and the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Lo Sono Integrative Health. All three are dedicated to functional medicine, well-being, longevity science, and leadership evolution. Through her work in clinical and integrative health environments, she has supported thousands of patients. She brings a rare blend of medical insight and performance-driven leadership. Drawing on her background in integrative health and experience within clinical environments, her work bridges the realities of business demands, health, and human performance. She partners with physicians and clinical teams, serving as the bridge between patients and providers to integrate the often-missing “healing from within” dimension alongside medical care. Tamsyn – Cape Town, South Africa A keynote speaker and leadership performance expert, Tamsyn Strydom helps high-performing founders and leaders elevate business results, performance, and health. Most leaders try to think their way through burnout, culture issues, and performance gaps. But real change starts on the inside. Tamsyn works with those who appear successful on the outside but feel disconnected, reactive, or stretched thin behind the scenes. She equips them to rebuild self-trust, emotional resilience, and clarity so they can lead more effectively and create real impact without burning out. Personally trained and certified within Dr. Joe Dispenza’s authorized practitioner network, this is one of several dimensions that inform her approach. Originally from South Africa, Tamsyn is building a life in the U.S. that feels like a story worth telling. A story of new countries, getting intentionally lost in new cities, and deep talks at 1 AM about purpose, passion, and why we’re really here. Learn more at TamsynStrydom.com. Follow Tamsyn on Facebook and Instagram. As mentioned in this episode: Willingness:  Willingness is a concept and a corresponding skill that supports healing. When we are willing, we choose to be and engage with what we are experiencing. We don’t have to like it. We don’t have to believe that what is here is okay or even good. It’s the choice we make to be right here, right now, with everything just as it is, even if it means feeling pain or discomfort. Our instinct might be to pull away, yet we can develop the skill of willingness. Self-compassion: “I define self-compassion as the ability (and practice) of holding myself amidst failure, disappointment, and suffering of any kind, and in the face of these life contractions, to still be able to offer myself love and kindness. …It is the practice of loving ourselves out of shame and into wholeness – the place where we can connect to and embody our own capacity for radical self-love.” Jasin Deegan (Read the full quote here.)

“I used to believe that I needed to transcend being human to be enough, and now I see that being human is the sacred experience.” – Alyssia Sheikh Beloved Hoffman Process teacher and coach, Alyssia Sheikh, is our guest today. When she did the Process eight years ago, Alyssia’s sense of self, her sense of ‘me,’ changed dramatically from her time there. Out of this new sense of self, profound change and transformation came to both Alyssia and her post-Process life. Now, with a master’s degree in Mindfulness Studies, she is also a certified life coach, speaker, and trauma-sensitive meditation teacher. As Alyssia states, “Who I am today is really thanks to my Process experience.” On the first day of her Process, Alyssia entered brand new territory when she was handed the ‘Hoffman feelings list.’ Feelings weren’t a part of her childhood. She’d been “living, waiting to feel, and not knowing how to do it.” But now, immersed in awareness of this deeper part of herself, Alyssia sensed a “rich intelligence” new to her. Before her eyes, life went from grayscale to full color. She was shocked, intrigued, and profoundly curious about these deeper capacities of being human. Alyssia awakened to what it means to be a human being rather than a human doing, now fully aware that being human is messy – and that isn’t a problem. Exploring shame in her Process was pivotal and held a profound lesson. Now, as a Hoffman teacher, shame is Alyssia’s favorite part of the Process to teach. Shame’s lessons have brought Alyssia liberation. In moving toward it, she realized that shame is not her and she is not shame. She would never have become a Hoffman Process teacher if she hadn’t learned shame’s lessons. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Alyssia and Sadie. More about Alyssia Sheikh: Alyssia Sheikh holds a master’s degree in Mindfulness Studies and is a certified life coach, speaker, and trauma-sensitive meditation teacher. Her work centers on presence, emotional awareness, and helping people move out of autopilot and into a more connected, alive experience of being human. Drawing from mindfulness, neuroscience, and embodied practice, Alyssia supports individuals in relating to themselves with greater clarity, curiosity, and self-trust. Alyssia is also the host of the Relish podcast, where she explores joy, presence, and meaningful living beyond self-improvement and fixing. Through personal storytelling and practical insight, her work invites people to savor life as it is and reconnect with the inherent wholeness of being human. She is a Hoffman Process teacher and continues to be deeply shaped by the work—both personally and in how she guides others. Find out more about Alyssia and follow her on Instagram. Follow the Relish Podcast on Instagram. Listen on Apple Podcasts As mentioned in this episode: The Relish Podcast, with Alyssia Sheikh Hoffman Process Feelings and Sensations List The Quadrinity – body, intellect, emotional self, and Spiritual Self. Watch the video Alyssia references on our website. “We teach what we need to learn.” – Gloria Steinem •   Full quote: “I began to understand with a terrible sureness that we teach what we need to learn, and write what we need to know.”

“Trust in your inner knowing. Absolutely. And know that your angels do have your back.” – Nicole Olivier photo by Jonathan Condit Screenwriter and Hoffman Process graduate Nicole Olivier has a profound ancestral history. As a daughter of families active in France and Norway’s WWII Resistance, she grew up hearing family stories of moral courage and being of service. Nicole has woven these ancestral stories into her life’s work and art. Nicole is mindful of her ancestral patterns and epigenetics; how trauma was passed down and lives inside of her. During her childhood, she witnessed what was going on and attuned to the power dynamics playing out amid her parents’ divorce. As we all do, she developed patterns to get her through these early years. What’s beautiful about Nicole’s story is how she has worked and studied to understand the origins of those dynamics. The Hoffman Process, understanding somatics, and knowing the lineage of ancestral history supported her in releasing the power of those patterns. Transforming them and realizing they are not who she is supported a deeper capacity to witness and honor her ancestors’ profound courage and strength. Through her dedicated drive to understand how the unconscious is shaped in our early years and foster tools to cultivate compassion, Nicole now brings her wisdom more fully to the current focus of her art, screenwriting. Most recently, Nicole attended the Hoffman Q2 after the loss of her mother. Caring for her mother after a stroke until her peaceful passing was a deep act of service for Nicole. Now an ancestor, her mother is inspiring Nicole’s next screenplay. Her wish is to honor her mother and her mother’s life. Photo credit: Jonathan Condit Content warning: We hope you find this conversation with Nicole and Sadie insightful and inspiring. Please be aware that this episode mentions and includes stories of genocide, World War II, and the devastating events of these times. It describes the experience of a young child participating in France’s WWII Resistance. Please use your discretion. More about Nicole Olivier: Fascinated by human behavior and how the subconscious is shaped in formative years, Nicole Olivier majored in psychology at Mills College, studied at the Sorbonne, spoke about maintaining morale at the Western Psychology Association’s Convention, and participated in Stanford University’s inaugural Compassion Cultivation program. After a brief but award-winning career as an advertising copywriter in Manhattan and San Francisco, inspired by childhood influences from international cinema to sitcoms, Nicole wrote her first feature script in seven days – a spontaneous creative outpouring that launched her screenwriting path. She then reached the second round of the Sundance Screenwriting Competition twice and was selected as one of twelve writers for the Olympic Valley Community of Writers Screenwriters Workshop. Her mentor there was the gracious, Oscar-nominated Tom Rickman, founding Creative Advisor of the Workshop and the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. The daughter of families active in France and Norway’s WWII Resistance, Nicole developed a keen sensitivity to power dynamics and hypervigilance amid shifts sparked by her parents’ divorce. She channeled insights into her screenwriting, weaving in Thomas Hübl‘s epigenetic work, Peter Levine‘s somatics, EMDR, and tapping. Learning meditation in the early ’90s from spiritual mentor Jack Kornfield offered Nicole a model of benevolent leadership. In the film world, this was echoed by dear friend and mentor, Tom Luddy, founder of the Telluride Film Festival. Working alongside Christine Aylward, CEO of the former filmmakers’ forum, MakingOf, co-founded by Natalie Portman, underlined the importance of connecting with positive, values-based people. Caring for her wise, vibrant mother after a stroke in San Francisco until her peaceful passing nearly four years later inspired Nicole’s next screenplay, honoring the life of this heroic, service-oriented dynamo. Nicole welcomes new connections with creative allies and benefactors drawn to champion female filmmakers writing with levity about love, courage, and intergenerational healing. Follow and connect with Nicole: You can connect with Nicole on Facebook and LinkedIn, or by writing to her at writenicoleolivier {at} gmail {dot} com. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify As mentioned in this episode: The Hoffman Q2 Intensive White Sulphur Springs, Hoffman retreat site, lost in the Glass fire. WW2 Resistance The Bolshevik Revolution “Your issues are in your tissues.” A definition of Epigenetics Somatics Scarlet Fever Nice, France Palo Alto, California •   Silicon Valley •   IBM (International Business Machines) Fight, Flight, Freeze YouTube videos of fainting’ goats. Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 •   Editorial Correction (13:40): Nicole Olivier intended to reference 1974. Airline policy for unaccompanied minors “Everything is either love or a call for love.” A Course in Miracles Have recommended the Hoffman Process: •   Dave Richo, book: When the Past Is Present •   Pawan Bareja, PhD, Somatic Therapist Expression: Expression (also called cathartic work or bashing) in the Hoffman Process is about “claiming” our life. It’s about taking a stand. Sometimes that includes anger, but it can also be about joy, love, commitment, and empowerment. The Hoffman Centering Practice Hoffman Coaching Fall of the Berlin Wall Coit Tower, San Francisco        

“Just like I can choose to stop making that line on that canvas, I have choice to stop making that pattern in life.” – Veta McFall Professional artist and Hoffman Process graduate Veta McFall felt a growing call for change within as she approached her 40th birthday. Until then, she’d been a commissioned portrait painter of people and animals. This was a call for deeper creativity. It started a mysterious process as she began to paint with her hands and watch the abstract art appear without any expectations. Veta had no idea what the paintings would eventually become. These new abstract paintings “would literally be a visual representation of her personal inner transformation.” More than Veta’s painting changed; her relationship with her husband changed, too. As a couple, they had been in a multi-year cycle of tumultuous upheaval. Veta felt compelled to stop that cycle. That was “the most difficult winter of our, and our whole family’s, life.” This was when both Veta and her husband came to the Hoffman Process. Veta attended in April 2025, and her husband came seven months later. They now have a shared Hoffman experience and profound spiritual connection. As Veta tells us, “It’s like the artwork started, and the artwork had to be this catalyst for change for me, and I thought it was just in the artwork, but it led to change within me as a person. It led to change within my relationship. It’s like I understand all of it now.” Listen in to hear the lessons Veta’s art taught her post-Hoffman. We hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation with Veta and Sadie. More about Veta McFall: “What’s my medium? Life.” For Veta McFall, art is the act of bringing something into existence that did not exist before, allowing creation to emerge directly from the soul. Veta is a lifelong professional artist who built a thriving career creating large-scale, black-and-white commissioned portraits of people and animals. Known for their precision and emotional depth, her dramatic works, where every eyelash and reflection mattered, moved audiences deeply. Alongside her studio practice, she taught portrait drawing and painting at a Waldorf high school for over a decade. As she approached 40, Veta felt a growing call for change. While her work was successful, she realized it was shaped largely by the expectations of others rather than her own inner truth. This pivotal moment coincided with her discovery of the Hoffman Process, marking the beginning of a profound personal and artistic transformation. Out of this shift emerged The 1985 Series, a collection of 100 large-scale paintings defined by color, freedom, and expression. Each piece is titled only by the number in which it was created, intentionally leaving meaning open to the viewer. Midway through the project, after completing Painting Fifty, Veta traveled alone to the woods of rural Canada, an experience that became a turning point in her life and work. After completing the Hoffman Process in April 2025, her art evolved again, revealing deeper coherence and clarity, as if the messages within the work had finally been fully understood. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and raised in the Waldorf education system, Veta comes from a multigenerational family of artists. Today, her work reflects an integrated life, where inner transformation and creative freedom meet, and where life itself becomes the medium. Learn more at www.vetaart.com. Follow Veta on Instagram. Listen on Apple Podcasts As mentioned in this episode: Hoffman’s Canada site: Sanctum Retreat, Calgary, Alberta, Canada  

“By doing this work, we know there’s something powerful about how the human heart opens in the presence of other open-hearted humans.” – Matt Brannagan, CEO, Hoffman Institute Foundation Photo by Sam Comen We open season 12 of The Hoffman Podcast with Matt Brannagan, Hoffman Process teacher and Hoffman Institute’s new CEO. In conversation with Drew, Matt reflects on this moment of transition and the thoughtful leadership handoff shaped by Raz and Liza Ingrasci. Their generosity, wisdom, and long-term vision laid the foundation for what Matt terms “Hoffman 3.0.” It’s an evolution rooted in continuity, care, and purpose. Hoffman 1.0 was the creation and first few phases of this powerful work by Bob Hoffman. The Hoffman Process started in Bob’s office in Oakland, California, in 1967. He shepherded it through its first iterations, beginning with one-on-one clients, then a series of weekly group classes, and finally the week-long Process we know today. Hoffman 2.0 began with Raz and Liza establishing the Hoffman Institute and creating the non-profit it is today, increasing capacity so more people could attend the Hoffman Process. They laid the foundation for incredible growth and transformation. Now, on that strong foundation, Hoffman 3.0 takes flight. Matt steps into this role after 18 years at the Hoffman Institute, serving as both teacher and leader. Before Hoffman, Matt served in the military. He deployed to Iraq shortly after completing the Process in 2004. For more than two decades with Hoffman, Matt has lived and honed a life of service and leadership. Currently, he’s a doctoral candidate pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Matt brings a steady, embodied presence to this new Hoffman era. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Matt and Drew, the first of this season. We have many great guests ahead that we know you’ll love. Setting an important context: We offer this context to help frame the conversation you’re about to hear. In this episode, Drew and Matt discuss the legacy of Raz Ingrasci, founder of the Hoffman Institute Foundation. We recorded this conversation on December 19. With great sadness, we share that Raz passed away unexpectedly on December 31. This was the same day he formally stepped back from his day-to-day role at Hoffman, alongside his wife, Liza. More about Matt Brannagan: Matt Brannagan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Hoffman Institute Foundation. He joined the Institute in 2007 and has previously held the roles of Chief Operating Officer and Director of Faculty, in addition to serving as a Teacher and Coach. Matt is a retired veteran and former Master Resilience Trainer for the U.S. Army. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Clinical Psychology and holds both a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology.   Matt learned of the Hoffman Process at the age of 20 after recently completing three years of active military duty. While examining his direction in life, he was inspired by those he met who had attended Hoffman. It became the logical next step on his growth journey, and he completed the Hoffman Process in 2004, unexpectedly being deployed to Iraq shortly after graduation. While holding a senior role in his unit, it was his Hoffman community that challenged him to continue his personal work during that crucial time, and he enrolled in Hoffman teacher training shortly after returning home. Extensive leadership training allows Matt’s work as a Hoffman faculty member to be grounded in clarity, compassion, and accountability, led by the belief that organizational culture is strengthened when people feel empowered, supported, and connected to purpose. In his work with students, “I love that moment when it all clicks, and the students begin to take on the tools and practices for themselves. They offer such great insights, and I get to deepen my learning as I teach.” Committed to guiding Hoffman’s evolution, Matt is focused on ensuring sustainable long-term growth. He is honored to usher the Institute into its next chapter and holds deep gratitude for the opportunity to carry forward the work stewarded for decades by Liza and Raz Ingrasci. Watch and listen to Matt & Drew:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03FNQBZKBeM Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify As mentioned in this episode: Listen to Matt on The Hoffman Podcast: S2e22: Communities of Meaning. Our new California retreat site is Santa Sabina. Our first Process at Santa Sabina will be in April 2026. The Q2: Beyond Mom and Dad – Our 3-day Hoffman graduate program. Listen to Tim Callan on The Hoffman Podcast: S2e14:  A Journey Through Grief to New Love    

“In the Process, I came to realize … how nature in my own life had been such a healing force.” – James Bonilla We wrap up season 11 with New York-born Puerto Rican writer and retired professor emeritus, James Bonilla. James’s story is filled with transformation, healing, and wisdom. Born with congenital cataracts, at the age of nine, his right eye was injured in school by a fellow student’s actions. For over ten years, James was blind. At the age of 19, doctors removed the cataracts (although the childhood injury remained). On his way home from the hospital, he remembers seeing the world in Technicolor through his own eyes. As a writer, James was comfortable writing about his identities as a Puerto Rican and a person with impaired sight. But it wasn’t until he did the Process that he could accept his family’s struggle with mental illness. He released patterns of shame that stemmed from his experiences of abandonment as a young child. In accepting his own mental illness, James found deeper healing of those issues through the power of nature. He realized that nature had been a constant source of healing throughout his life. Upon graduating, James felt called to share his experience healing mental illness with others. Because of his work at the Process, James emerged emboldened to share this experience in his new memoir, An Eye for An I. We hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation with James and Drew. We’ll be back in early 2026 with season 12 of the Hoffman Podcast. Content Warning: This episode mentions suicide and includes intense emotional content and targeted racism. Please use your discretion. If you or someone you know is suicidal, reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. More about James Bonilla James Francisco Bonilla is a New York-born Puerto Rican writer and retired professor emeritus of cultural competence and leadership at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. James was born with congenital cataracts and has never had sight in his left eye. Following a racially-motivated assault at age nine, he lost much of his remaining sight in the right eye. Ten years later, a medical breakthrough restored sight to his right eye. Seeking relief and inspiration, he found unexpected solace in the natural world. This discovery led him toward both personal healing and advocacy work. Due to his experiences, James was drawn into the early disability rights movement and community organizing. This helped shape his work as a nationally recognized social justice educator and environmentalist. James received his doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, School of Education in Organizational Leadership. He is a former Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee to the National Conference on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in American Higher Education. He has made hundreds of presentations to universities, conferences, and human service organizations in the area of diversity, including outdoor education and environmental programs. His memoir, An Eye for An I: Growing Up With Blindness, Bigotry, and Family Mental Illness, was just released by the University of Minnesota Press. In it, he invites readers to empathize and consider their own potential to be of service in a broken, yet beautiful world. Read more about James’ memoir on Hamline University’s site. Follow James on Facebook and LinkedIn. Learn more about James here. Listen on Apple Podcasts As mentioned in this episode: Nuyorican: “The Nuyorican movement is a cultural and intellectual movement involving poets, writers, musicians, and artists who are Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent, who live in or near New York City, and either call themselves or are known as Nuyoricans.” Read more… Congenital Cataracts New York Association for the Blind Lisa Wenger, Hoffman teacher and coach •   Listen to Lisa on the Hoffman Podcast – The Sparkle in Her Eyes Judy (Judith) Heumann •   Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist •   Judy Heumann interview on YouTube Crip Camp Documentary Barack and Michelle Obama were executive producers under Higher Ground Productions. Jerry Brown, CA Governor White Sulphur Springs – Hoffman’s old retreat site Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Hoffman Webclass Calendar Quad-Check, and Appreciation and Gratitude Instagram Lives: Join our virtual community, Quadrinity 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. 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.  

“So much of what I was trying to address was so buried deep within me. It was like scratching an impossible itch, and then, finally, I got to Hoffman, and I was like, Oh my gosh, I can reach the spot. Wow.” – Emma Swift Singer-songwriter Emma Swift sits down with Sadie to talk about her time at the Hoffman Process, a time she says was “utterly magical.” Emma’s story incorporates many lands. Her homeland is Australia. Her new home is Nashville, Tennessee. The rolling hills of Northern California and White Sulphur Springs are where Emma did her Process. And, then, the land within Emma – a deep interior she would need to excavate to heal. Living among highly creative musicians, and as a singer-songwriter, Emma’s career counts on her creativity and ability to feel deeply. Before Hoffman, she felt repressed. She would go to write songs, sitting with her guitar, singing them, and feel very uncomfortable. She felt sad and longed to do what she saw other songwriters doing. Emma now realizes that what she saw in others provoked a deep longing in herself. Emma enrolled in the Process to break through her writer’s block. But once there, she realized she had come for a deeper issue – her relationship with her father. He had passed away, and Emma had been carrying a feeling inside that something was not right and couldn’t be set right. It was an “unresolved tension” that she feared was “never going to go away.” Through the power of the Process and Emma’s deep work, she was finally able to have a healing conversation with her father. When we’re willing to travel to unexplored lands, beautiful and even unexpected, healing can occur. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Emma and Sadie. More about Emma Swift: Emma Swift is an Australian-born singer-songwriter. She lives in Nashville, TN. Emma describes her music as indie-folk, with her biggest influences being Marianne Faithfull and Sandy Denny. Her new album, “The Resurrection Game,” was released in September this year. It explores themes of love, loss, and transcendence.  Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify As mentioned in this episode: The Resurrection Game: Album and Song Calistoga, California Indie Folk Genre •   Bob Dylan •   Joan Baez Nashville, Tennessee Sydney, Australia Eucalyptus trees

Brian James Daly, somatic healer, men’s team leader, and addiction coach, shares his Process journey and his following journey of embodiment. Embodiment is where it’s at for Brian. He calls it the ground game because it took him deep into himself to see those parts of himself that he’d been carrying hidden for so long. And once seen, they can be integrated and somatically expressed. Brian shares that where he came from, “everything looked really good on the outside.” Often, it is hard to comprehend that people from a good-looking life can have traumatic experiences. When he arrived at the Process, he realized he felt out of place because others in his class had seemingly experienced greater trauma. Brian’s teacher helped him see that he did, too, but that Brian was never able to acknowledge and own it.  When Brian was young, he kept everything inside but wore a mask that told the world he was okay. His escape was going into creative realms through writing and creating his own reality. During and after Brian’s Process, he followed the ground game that brought him back into his body. This journey of embodiment helped him reconnect with parts of himself he had lost and learn to express those parts in a creative way. Now, after years of full-time transformation work, he can express his true nature in the world without needing to escape. He’s being who he truly is, doing what comes from that embodiment, to have what his Spiritual Self has designed. This mirrors the Be-Do-Have practice he learned at his Process. Listen in as Brian shares many powerful experiences of his journey. We hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation with Brian and Sadie. More about Brian James Daly: Brian James Daly is a guide and leader devoted to helping people break free from limiting patterns and beliefs to find authenticity, purpose, and freedom. After two decades in the entertainment industry as a successful entrepreneur and award-winning creative and seven years in a think tank focused on systemic transformation in education and health, Brian felt called to bring his lifelong journey in wellness and spirituality to others ready to live lives beyond their dreams. Brian is a trained somatic healer, men’s team leader, addiction coach, retreat facilitator, writer, and speaker. With a grounded and spiritual presence, Brian creates safe spaces for deep healing and personal awakening. He says every engagement is unique, and that you should reach out if you’d like to learn more. Discover more about Brian at brianjamesdaly.com and follow him on Instagram. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify As mentioned in this episode: Be-Do-Have vs. Do-Have-Be: The life we long for comes from Be-Do-Have; the life we are taught we should strive for comes from Do-Have-Be. Somatics Sound Baths Ecstatic Dance Chakra System Kundalini Alchemy, Alchemize    

“It is my life that I claim. That sense of empowerment wouldn’t have happened without the Process.” Ana Bok Today’s conversation with Hoffman graduate Ana Bok begins with Ana sharing a story that happened three years after her Process. Her week at Hoffman provided a powerful foundation that would come to help guide her through a tough time. Since childhood, Ana’s dream has been to become a doctor. At age fourteen, she came to the United States. After graduating with her undergraduate degree in  Neuroscience with a concentration in Behavioral Studies, Ana planned to attend Yale Medical School. But first, she was a post-graduate research associate at a child psychiatry research lab at the Yale Child Study Center. She was on her way to her long-held dream. But there, Ana found herself in inner turmoil and conflict. Already a Hoffman grad, Ana had thought to herself that after the Process, she was on her “right road” and that everything was “supposed to work.” She didn’t know what was wrong, but she knew her Quadrinity was out of alignment. Listen in to hear Ana tell about this pivotal moment along the journey of her life. The Process offers a powerful foundation for navigating life. Ana found hope at the Process. Hope and her Spiritual Self guided Ana through this difficult time. Ana’s story is powerful because it reminds us that after doing the Process, life is still life. How life works hasn’t changed, but we have. We hope you enjoy this deeply vulnerable and moving conversation with Ana and Drew. More about Ana Bok: Ana was born in Korea, raised in China, and moved to the U.S. alone at age fourteen. She studied Neuroscience with a concentration in Behavioral Studies at Columbia University and spent five years researching molecular pathobiology and pain mechanisms during and after college. In 2022, Ana attended the Hoffman Process, which affirmed her deep interest in child and adolescent mental health.  Ana recently completed two years of postgraduate training at the Yale Child Study Center. She continues her research on obsessive-compulsive disorder at the Yale School of Medicine. Fascinated by the intersection of science and spirituality, Ana hopes to one day integrate spirituality into early mental health interventions. Alongside her research, Ana has mentored middle and high school students, supporting their academic and personal growth. Ana served as a NYC Hoffman Graduate Group Leader in 2022–2023 before her fellowship at Yale and recently returned as a co-facilitator for the NYC Uptown Hoffman group. She welcomes connections from fellow Hoffman graduates and can be reached at [email protected]. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify As mentioned in this episode: Left Road/Right Road: The left road represents repeating patterns from your past, while the right road is the path of authenticity, choice, and self-responsibility. The Quadrinity™ Symbol Bob Hoffman designed the Hoffman Quadrinity™ Symbol in 1967 to represent the wholeness of Self. The circle represents the Body; the large vertical diamond in the middle represents the Spirit; the 2 smaller horizontal diamond shapes represent the Intellect and Emotions. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.   Korean fortune-telling: “Saju” is a traditional Korean fortune-telling system that analyzes an individual’s birth year, month, day, and hour to create a personal profile. It is a widely practiced cultural tradition for seeking guidance on personality, relationships, career, and life path. It is often used for entertainment as well as for serious life decisions. Rooted in ancient Chinese metaphysics, saju calculates cosmic energy at the time of birth to provide insights into one’s destiny.