The Hoffman Podcast

Get to know Nita Gage, a beloved Hoffman Process Teacher, and Coach. Before becoming a Hoffman teacher at 63, Nita had a long and distinguished career as a psychoanalyst and transformational retreat leader. Listen in as Nita shares about growing up on Native land and the many gifts of that time. She learned so much from her friend’s Grandmother, Grandma Wilson. Nita also speaks of how we must all stand up against the status quo and speak the truth. We can be part of a courageous ripple that brings good and necessary change to our world. One thing Nita shares is how she first came to the Hoffman Process, “kicking and screaming,” so to speak. She laughs as she shares that she understands how it feels to be a student on the first day of the Process and experience great resistance. More about Nita Gage Nita trained in psychoanalysis with R.D. Laing in London from 1970 to 1980. Upon returning to the United States, she pursued graduate degrees in clinical psychology and a doctorate in shamanic psychology. Nita has been leading transformational healing retreats for over 25 years, most recently with the Hoffman Institute. Before Hoffman, she founded the NeuroImaginal Institute and Healer Within Retreats, primarily working with physicians. She was the Executive Director of the American Board of Holistic Medicine. She also served clinical and executive positions in hospitals and treatment centers over the 40 years of her career. Growing up on a reservation in Arizona gave Nita a unique understanding of diversity. For many years, she worked in rural Arizona and Hawaii with diverse populations in addictions and mental health, initiating many innovation programs to address underserved populations. Nita has authored two books: Soul Whispering: The Art of Awakening Shamanic Consciousness and Women in Storage: How to Reimagine Your Life. Hoffman hosted our first-ever virtual conference, Embodying the Spirit of Change, on April 1-3, 2021. Nita was the panel moderator for the Indigenous Voices: Answering the Call to Mend Our World panel. If you’d like to know more about this panel, listen to the Indigenous Voices Hoffman Podcast episode with Tim Harjo, Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, and Anita Sanchez, Ph.D.

Karen DeGannes came to the Process when she realized she was not showing up for her life. She discovered just how capable she is of showing up after taking the Process when she faced serious life health challenges. Karen discovered a quiet, gentle, persistent life force within herself that when surrendered, supported her to meet her most difficult life moments. Karen’s story is one of learning to take responsibility for one’s life with a gentle and persistent resilience. Prior to the Process, she had lost touch with religion and spirituality. During the Process, Karen was reunited with her Spiritual Self. She realized that Spirit had never left her; instead, she had turned away from her Spiritual Self. More about Karen Degannes Karen is most passionate about resilient and adaptive infrastructure business models that center communities while sustaining and regenerating ecological and just socioeconomic systems. She works as a natural resource and environmental scientist; an organizational sociologist; an energy, climate, and environmental justice expert; a strategist, innovator, and trusted advisor to corporations, communities, and governments; and an entrepreneur. Karen treasures her deepening self-awareness and understanding of what it means to be alive as a human being. After surviving a grave illness, and in this age of the Covid-19 pandemic and social, economic, and ecological crises, she prizes her new-found courage to show up authentically and to have a voice in socially difficult spaces. Karen is passionate about creating concrete, innovative, implementable, and scalable solutions to our most exciting challenges. To do so, she says we must develop operational solutions that jointly center people, communities, and ecosystems. An aspiring meditator, Karen loves to read and write poetry. She’s a connoisseur of art and long walks in nature. She is now reacquainting with her love of photography, dance, and laughter.

Billy Bush is our guest today. Billy came to the Process four years ago when his life instantly plummeted into chaos. Listen in as Billy shares with us about his time at the Process and his life since. In his heartwarming and candid style, Billy tells his stories with vulnerability, humor, and a kind of confidence that comes when you’ve found your way back from being down. As Billy says, “There’s a lot of value in knowing what it feels like to be down when you’re talking to people because everybody is going to be down. I don’t care who you are; if calamity has not struck yet, it will.” Billy’s time at Hoffman proved to be a turning point. He survived it all by digging deep into himself, owning his flaws, and identifying the patterns in his life. There was a moment at the Process when he wanted to leave. But, he found by staying with himself long enough, he realized that the Process was indeed doing exactly what he came for.  In Billy’s words, “It was a successful reboot.” Billy Bush has had a long and successful career in radio and television. He currently is the host of Extra. Before that, he was the host of the Today Show’s 3rd hour and the host of Access Hollywood. He is the father of three girls aged 16, 20, and 22 which means “his hands are full.” Subscribe on Apple/iTunes https://media.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/content.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/Drew_and_Billy_Bush_Podcast.mp3

Dr. Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey is our guest today. Listen in as she articulates, in breathtaking ways, what it means to be human, sovereign, and one’s own authority. A Polynesian explorer, Elizabeth has spent her life exploring some of the world’s most remote regions. She shares with us just how important it is to also courageously explore one’s internal terrain. Elizabeth took the Hoffman Process over a dozen years ago. She says that the Process was, “quite profound”, and offers that it invited her “into deep and sacred places.” Growing up on a remote part of the north shore of Oahu, Elizabeth spent a great deal of time with her indigenous elders. She learned a love for the land early on. She shares her stories from this early time in her life. More About Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey Elizabeth is the first Polynesian Explorer and female Fellow in the history of the National Geographic Society. A cultural anthropologist and award-winning filmmaker, Elizabeth travels to the world’s most remote regions as a conservationist of indigenous wisdom and an advocate for social, environmental, and cultural justice. Her keen insights and first-hand accounts from the world’s most fragile regions are reshaping Western perspectives on global leadership. Elizabeth is also a filmmaker and an actor. In 1996, she directed and produced Then There Were None, a documentary chronicling the plight of native Hawaiians. She starred in Star Trek – The Next Generation and Magnum P.I., as well as many other shows. In 1978, Elizabeth was crowned Miss Hawai’i. She was “Woman of the Year” for The Big Island of Hawai’i in 2004. And in 2010, she was awarded the United Nations Visionary Award. Elizabeth is a member of the Hoffman Institute’s Advisory Council. Discover more about Dr. Lindsey here and here. Elizabeth was a panelist on our Indigenous Voices: Answering the Call to Mend Our World panel at our first-ever Hoffman Virtual Conference, hosted April 1-3, 2021.

Listen in as Karen Tiber Leland shares with us about the power of being tapped into your Spiritual Self. Karen went through a very rough time after doing the Hoffman Process. Through this time, she realized that her connection to her Spiritual Self was “hardwired in.” She realizes how this being so helped her to navigate such a hard time in her life. Karen also speaks about the power of being able to name your emotions in business. She tells us, “The Process isn’t about indulging your feelings and dramatizing them. It’s about the recognition and clear expression of them. And the responsible expression of them.” More about Karen Tiber Leland Karen is the best-selling author of The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build and Accelerate Your Brand. Karen is also president of Sterling Marketing Group, a boutique branding & marketing firm working on personal, business, and CEO branding. Her clients include LinkedIn, Google, American Express, and Marriott, among others. A best-selling author of ten traditionally published books, Karen’s books have sold more than 450,000 copies. Karen writes for Inc.com. and has spoken at Harvard, Stanford, and TedX. She’s also a frequent guest of the media and has been interviewed by CNN, CNBC, Fox, and Oprah. Karen currently serves on the Hoffman Institute Advisory Council. She’s a former board member and has facilitated board and staff retreats. Karen has also led leadership development programs and advised on Hoffman branding and marketing. Find out more about Karen, here.

  Ross Copperman is a singer/songwriter and music producer. In today’s episode, listen in as Ross shares his experiences at the Hoffman Process and what it has been like to integrate the work he did at the Process over time. The main themes in this conversation are authenticity, balance, fame, voice, artistry, and learning to trust and love your own way of living in your love’s everyday radius. photo by John Shearer Ross was born in Roanoke, Virginia, with a passion to create songs. After graduating from college, Ross signed a record deal with Sony Records in the UK. Despite success as an artist, Ross moved to Nashville. He wanted to focus on songwriting and production, recognizing this to be his specialty. More about Ross Copperman: Ross has written and produced upwards of 33 #1 singles, revolutionizing the sound of Nashville’s current country music. He has produced a wide range of country artists, including Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Eli Young Band, Jake Owen, and Brett Eldredge. #1 songs from these productions include “I Hold On”, “Drunk On A Plane”, and “Say You Do.” Blake Shelton’s “I Lived It” and Keith Urban’s “Female” demonstrate Ross’s talent for crafting sentimental ballads. In 2020, he topped the charts with hits “What She Wants Tonight” by Luke Bryan, “Catch” by Brett Young, and “I Hope” by debut artist Gabby Barrett. Ross has received multiple CMA Awards and ACM nominations. Ross received CMA Triple Play Awards for co-writing six #1 songs in 12 months. This earned Ross the title of ACM Songwriter of the Year in 2016. You can learn more about Ross and his career, hit songs, and awards won, here.

Listen in as Tim Callan shares his amazing journey through deep grief after the death of his wife, to find new love on the other side. Tim speaks of his experience of the power of grief willingly and fully met. He also tells us of the power of the Hoffman Process to open our hearts to the life that our Spiritual Self wants us to live. Tim shares that if he hadn’t been willing to walk through it all, his life would have been “an incomplete life.” Listen closely as he tells how he invited grief to take him where he needed to go and what happened when he did. More about Tim Callan: After completing the Process, Tim Callan came to work for the Hoffman Institute. He took on several administrative functions and became a Process teacher. Tim served as VP/Chief Administrative Officer of the Hoffman Institute until he retired in 2010. Prior to Hoffman, Tim served in the United States Army. He was a member of the California National Guard for 34 years. During his career, he had executive responsibility for the NATO Partnership for Peace/State Partnership Program with Ukraine and served as Military Aid to the Governor of California. A co-founder of a community-based transformational workshop/retreat nonprofit corporation, Tim served as a trainer, teacher, and ropes course facilitator. Tim was also co-founder and President/CEO of the New Mexico Chapter of Illuman. An international nonprofit organization, Illuman is dedicated to fostering male spirituality and healthy masculinity. Tim and his wife, Laurel, who was also a Hoffman teacher, now live in the high desert of Northern New Mexico. As Mentioned in this Episode: In this conversation with Drew, Tim reads the following poem by David Whyte. The Well of Grief Those who will not slip beneath the still surface of the well of grief turning downward through its black water to the place we cannot breathe will never know the source from which we drink, the secret water, cold and clear, nor find in the darkness glimmering the small round coins thrown away by those who wished for something else.  

Listen in as Lorenzo Jones, business coach, facilitator, and speaker shares his Process experience with Sharon. Through the dialogue he had with his Mother during the Process, Lorenzo experienced deep healing. She’s a very private person, he says, so through dialogue, he was able to answer questions he’d always held. Lorenzo also speaks to the power of forgiveness. He says that “forgiveness is like an arrow that goes both ways.” To forgive requires one to also release oneself. It was just this past year, though, that Lorenzo saw he was still playing a small game. In the midst of the racial upheaval in the Summer of 2020, he felt called to step forward. He knew he had to step up into a bigger game. Life responded with new opportunities to bring healing to others and his community by using his facilitation skills. More about Lorenzo Jones Compassionate, intuitive, and open-minded, Lorenzo has more than 20 years of experience in his field. He builds a high degree of connection and trust with his clients by creating a positive learning environment. Lorenzo’s clients include Marin County Government, Los Angeles Metropolitan Authority, The Boy’s and Girls Club, Nike, Levi Strauss, Wells Fargo, Hilton Hotels, and more. You can learn more about Lorenzo here.  

Stuntman, Ben Smith-Petersen, was originally a circus performer and flying trapeze teacher. Ben got his start in the stunt world after meeting a stunt coordinator who brought his children in to learn flying trapeze. In this episode, Ben shares vulnerably and beautifully about his time at the Process. Specifically, he talks about the moment when he was holding his ‘baby me.’ It was a moment of magical realization for Ben. He says in this realization within himself, that he is the one cared for and also the carer. “It’s like this real feeling of ‘You’ve got this. You have it all here to handle anything.'” Ben also shares about the healing he has experienced in relationships in general. He shares with us a bit about the stunt world and what it is like to be a stuntman. There is a real camaraderie in the stunt world and Ben shares how his Process work has already helped him draw closer to these colleagues. More about Ben Smith-Petersen Ben is originally from Australia and has been in the U.S. for the last seven years. He moved to the states after meeting his wife, Riley, on a film in South Africa. Follow Ben on Instagram.

For New Year’s Eve, 2020, we have an intimate conversation with our podcast co-hosts, Sharon Mor and Drew Horning. Listen in as they explore and share many aspects of their Hoffman experiences – as students, teachers-in-training, active teachers, and now as Hoffman Podcast co-hosts. TRANSFORMATION & LOVE What you’ll come to know from listening to this soulful conversation is how much Sharon and Drew love each other. They are friends, yes, but more than that there is a palpable sense of family between these two. This love is the kind of love we experience at the Process with our fellow Process mates. When we do this deep work together we come to love each other in a profound way. Sharon and Drew were also in Hoffman Process teacher training together, which, as they reflect on it here, grew them even closer. Sharon beautifully expresses her joy in realizing that, as teachers of the Process, they will grow old together. Drew speaks about how dangerous the Dark Side’s use of ‘weaponized awareness’ is and how the power of self-compassion is vitally essential to counteract this Dark Side tactic. Sharon talks about how, through the transformation she experienced at the Process, she is now the person she always wanted to be. SHARON AND DREW ALSO TALK ABOUT: The most powerful, pivotal moments in each of their Processes. Stories from their childhood years. How the transformation they experienced at the Process now looks in the day-to-day of their lives. What they would share with students as graduates on day six of the Process. A bit of what they’ve learned teaching the Process. Their insights and understandings about the power of the Process from the perspectives of both student and teacher. And…a little bit about podcasting! Toward the end, Sharon and Drew consider what it was like to share this time with each other and with you. They discover that intimate, soulful conversations help us learn more about each other in new and amazing ways.