The Hoffman Podcast S11e11: Jessica Harjo – My Ancestry Is My Soil, My Foundation
“I can only describe the Process in poetry, because it’s that spiritual for me.” Jessica Harjo
In July 2022, Jessica Harjo came to the Hoffman Process to learn how to parent after realizing the coping mechanisms she’d developed to help her manage the weight of motherhood and career no longer worked for her. And of course, she came for so much more than she could imagine.
As a Native woman with a complex multicultural ancestry – Indigenous, San Carlos Apache, Indigenous, Chicana, Mexican, Filipina, Japanese, and European – Jessica found the Process to be deeply spiritual. She shares that she likens her Process experience to a sweat lodge.
“Finding that moment where you’re in it and you’re closing your eyes, and you hear the songs, you can hear the prayers, and then you start to connect. You start to remember; you start to heal. And then when the flaps of that sweat lodge open, you crawl out on your knees, and when you come out into the life, you feel like you’re born again into the world. That was the experience of my Process. It reconnected me to my spirit in that way. It lit my inner fire.”
Before the Process, Jessica realized that stress had caused her to forget her past and past self. Coming out of the Process, feeling born again, she realized she now had “new eyes.” Going home, Jessica saw each member of her family as a spiritual being. She saw the light in nature. She’d found herself. A little over two years later, Jessica attended the inaugural BIPOC Q2, a weekend retreat. She worked to heal ancestral wounds. Over this powerful Q2 weekend, Jessica says she came home.
We hope you enjoy this powerful conversation with Jessica and Sadie.
More about Jessica Harjo:
Jessica Harjo is a soul embodied human being and lifelong learner. She’s a proud homemaker and mother of three daughters, three stepchildren, and four grandchildren. For the past eighteen years, Jessica has worked in the nonprofit sector as the Director of Operations for the Tribal Law and Policy Institute. Her multicultural ancestry (Indigenous/San Carlos Apache, Indigenous/Chicana/Mexican, Filipina, Japanese, and European) has been a source of strength in her life and is reflected in her work to recognize and uplift multicultural and Indigenous knowledge.
As a nonprofit leader, Jessica specializes in policy development, administrative infrastructure and team development, project management, HR implementation, business, and financial operations management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Film, Media, and Social Justice and a minor in Business Administration. Jessica also holds an MBA from Mount Saint Mary’s University. Mount Saint Mary’s is the only women’s university in Los Angeles, and is known for their annual report on the Status of Women and Girls in California.
Jessica has volunteered on numerous nonprofit boards that serve Indigenous communities. She’s an active volunteer for the Hoffman Inner Work for Indigenous Leaders Advisory Circle and the Indigenous outreach team. She provides support for other Indigenous Process fellows and graduates.
A student of Yoga philosophy, Nichiren Buddhism, and Indigenous Mindfulness, Jessica is currently working on her RYT500 Yoga Teacher Training. She regularly uses her Hoffman tools to continue healing, visualizing, and growing. This has been the journey of her lifetime. The Process brought her to herself, and the BIPOC Q2 brought her home.
Jessica and her husband, Tim Harjo, live in Oklahoma, where they balance their careers, family life, and running Sovereign Ranch, a first-generation, Native owned bison ranch.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
As mentioned in this episode:
Tim Harjo, Jessica’s husband. Listen to Tim on the Hoffman Podcast: Amplifying Native Voices
Asanas and The Eight Limbs of Yoga
The Conscious Parent, by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
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.