The Hoffman Podcast

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.    

Arielle D’Angelo, LGBTQ+ Self-Love and Empowerment Coach and Founder of WeTheRainbow, serves up wisdom, kindness, and helpful guidance for the coming out journey. Arielle was fighting the idea that she was queer. She came to the Hoffman Process in 2016, hoping to find a way not to be gay. In a pivotal moment of her Process, Arielle remembers standing under the redwood trees at White Sulphur Springs, on the bridge looking out at the water, and feeling, for the first time in her life, full acceptance for all that she is. She left the Process with complete self-acceptance and self-love for all of who she is. Arielle’s message is for all of us. As Sharon, Arielle’s host for this conversation, offers, this message can be helpful for anyone. So many of us are on a journey to complete self-acceptance and self-love. This is a process of coming out to ourselves first and then to others. More About Arielle D’Angelo Arielle is an LGBTQ+ Self-Love and Empowerment Coach, Multi-Media Creator, and Founder of WeTheRainbow, an LGBTQ+ Personal Development Organization. Her mission is to help LGBTQ+ humans live empowered and liberated lives rooted in radical self-love and authenticity. After graduating from Tulane University in 2017, Arielle was certified as a Master Practitioner in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Clinical Hypnotherapy, EFT & Time Techniques. Additionally, she is a Trauma-Informed Practitioner, a Certified Reiki Practitioner, and a Certified Holistic Health Coach. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Arielle is passionate about guiding others to speak, live, and embody their truth. Furthermore, she believes everyone deserves to live a joyful life where they can live and love authentically. Arielle founded WeTheRainbow to bring connection and healing to the LGBTQ+ community through transformational events, coaching, and community. Through the wide range of her work, Arielle inspires queer humans to live with more compassion, acceptance, and love, while embracing every aspect of their LGBTQ+ identity. Find out more about Arielle on Instagram and TikTok. Learn more about WeTheRainbow on Instagram. As Mentioned in This Episode: LGBTQ, LBGTQ+, and Queer – Arielle mentions both in this conversation. Read more about these and their meanings here at ok2beme.ca. Coming Out – “Coming out is a lifelong process that has both intrapersonal and interpersonal components, although most people have an initial phase where they are first coming out to themselves.” – https://lgbtq.unc.edu/  

Chris Pan has already led a full life. When asked about his fascinating journey from a young boy in Taiwan who moved to the US without knowing English, to Harvard Business School, and to working as an early employee of Facebook, he references the game, Zelda. Chris explains that life is a journey in which you pick up a tool with each chapter you live. Eventually, all the tools support you in the ultimate purpose you are here to live. Chris now joyfully engages in his life purpose. As a result, he uses the tools he found along the way, in service to the joyful, powerful work he does in the world. Chris attended the Hoffman Process in 2013 after a difficult relationship breakup.  A friend told him about the Process and that it can provide deep healing, quickly. Wanting to be out of the pain he was feeling, Chris registered right away. Post-Process, Chris started this new life of spreading joy and healing. This episode of Love’s Everyday Radius is full of delights. Chris’ engaging life story, his commitment to bringing more joy and play into the world, and his generous singing and guitar playing (you’ll hear him sing two songs), are examples of how the change that happens within each of us as a result of doing the Process can ripple out into the everyday radius of our lives. More About Chris Pan: What’s Your WORD? Chris Pan is the founder of MyIntent.org. He has helped millions of people find their intentions, including Beyonce, Elon, and Melania.  VOMO (VOICE MOVEMENT), Chris’ new project, makes group singing fun, uplifting, and cathartic.  His vision is to have the world sing together and live with intent. Chris has an MBA from Harvard. He started his career as a senior consultant at McKinsey, marketing director at PepsiCo, and an early employee at Facebook.  He attended the Hoffman Process in 2013 and realized how emotionally constipated and spiritually disconnected he was.  After graduating, he set the intention to help others become more emotionally and spiritually connected.  Find out more about Chris on Instagram and Linkedin. Find out more about VOMO on Instagram. As mentioned in this episode: The quote Chris refers to: “In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions. When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence? Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul. Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.”― Gabrielle Roth Healing Rain: One of the songs Chris sings comes from a popular song by Prince. Chris changed the title and lyrics to reflect the healing during the Process and in his work. International School of Beijing    

Trecey Chittenden, Hoffman grad and the previous Facilities Director at Earthrise Retreat Center, now Hoffman Process Retreat Center, shares a bounty of stories about the land and history of our new retreat site. Trecey discovered the Process while working at Earthrise long before it became Hoffman’s new home. Three years later, she was struggling and decided to do the Process. It had a profound effect on her. Two eventful years ago, Trecey reached out to the Hoffman Institute to share that Earthrise was available for the Process after White Sulphur Springs was lost in the Glass fire. Listen as Trecey shares the amazing connection and synchronicity between the Hoffman Process, Astronaut Edgar Mitchell (a Hoffman grad), and Earthrise/IONS. Thank you, Trecey, for your help in bringing Hoffman to Earthrise. Something amazing to witness is how Hoffman students transform over the week during the Process. Trecey shares with Liz the joy she experienced witnessing their transformation. When new students would arrive, Trecey would help to get them settled into their rooms for the week ahead.  As she says, often during the first two days, people can look sort of stiff and unsure. By day three, students begin to relax and find their footing. And by day seven, it’s hard to recognize them they’ve changed so much. Trecey wonders if all the different kinds of work and the energy of the land both play a role in students’ transformation.  More about Trecey Chittenden: Born in Los Angeles in 1969, Trecey moved with her family to Hawaii when she was six months old. At eight, Trecey moved to New Hampshire where she lived until she was eighteen. She attended Waldorf schools from pre-K through 12th grade, which set the stage for her to be a more creative and imaginative person. After graduating High School, Trecey traveled around Europe and the Caribbean for the next few years before moving to San Francisco for work. Three years later, she moved to Stinson Beach, a small town outside of San Francisco, to raise her son. She came to work in the kitchen at EarthRise IONS through her work in restaurants. Trecey worked for IONS on the retreat center side for fourteen years as the Executive Chef for nine years, then as the retreat center Assistant Director, then as Facilities Director. This is how she came to hear about the Hoffman Process. You won’t see Trecey at the Hoffman retreat site in the future. She’s moved to Maine to be closer to family. As mentioned in this episode: White Sulphur Springs and the Glass Fire Astronaut, Edgar Mitchell: A crewmember of Apollo 14, Edgar Mitchell was the 6th man to walk on the moon. On his return to Earth during the Apollo 14 flight, it is said that Mitchell had a powerful savikalpa samādhi experience. Mitchell did the Hoffman Process in 1987. IONS: Institute of Noetic Sciences Waldorf Education A three-day residential, or virtual, retreat to continue the deep transformational work you did at the Process. Norse Mythology The legacy labyrinth at Hoffman’s retreat site is one of six labyrinths worldwide to be named a legacy labyrinth. Trecey mentions the beautiful oak trees at our Hoffman Retreat Center, sharing that they have amazing personalities, are full of wisdom, and are great partners in healing.