The Hoffman Podcast

Ed McClune, beloved Hoffman Process teacher and coach since, the ’80s, is our guest today. As Ed and Drew share at the end, this conversation is a good Hoffman geek-out.* Even though they geek out over all things Hoffman, Ed’s whole Quadrinity* shows up in this one. His love shines through as he speaks about the Process, and about how those who come to do this deeply transformational work are courageous heroes. Ed also shares a bit about how the Process now appears in his everyday life. He speaks to the reason he feels we come to this life – to enjoy life in a human body. Ed calls this the sensuality of spirituality. An entire swath of experience has been denied to us because of our patterns; the Process opens us back up to a truly luscious embodied life. More about Ed McClune: Ed & Bob Hoffman Ed holds a Master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of San Francisco and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. What Ed likes about teaching the Process is: “Over and over again, through the years of teaching the Hoffman Process, I get to be present as people come into a greater experience of the Light that has always lived ‘far inside’ them.” “The summation of all the gifts of the Process comes down to self-love and self-compassion. I don’t need to be different, more refined, or successful to be lovable. The Light is the Light, and Ed is Ed. Falling down isn’t evidence that there’s something wrong with me, only evidence that I’m still alive.” Ed is the father of two sons and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. More about the show: * Geek out:  to become excited or enthusiastic about a favored subject or activity. First known use of geek out: circa 1990 * Quadrinity:  “I coined the word Quadrinity to represent the four aspects of a human being: the Emotional, Intellectual, Physical and Spiritual. The unique capacities and functions of each aspect can be considered separately, but it is the balance of all aspects working together harmoniously that fulfills us as human beings.” – Bob Hoffman Check out The Hoffman Connection, Hoffman’s radio show (2012) with Ed and Raz on Voice America.    

Dan Sterling and his story will open your heart in untold ways. A warm, vulnerable, caring man, Dan grew up in a very conservative family in Alberta, Canada where discipline and life were harsh. Two months before Dan came to the Process, he knew he “had a big problem.” In his job as a Canadian police officer, Dan was investigating a case that caused him stress. He realized he was having a breakdown – a silent, stoic one. He came to realize he couldn’t cry in spite of feeling great distress. At the start of the Process, Dan says he, “…almost felt like a pit-bull rescue.” Note: Dan speaks about the suicide of his friend and the attempted suicide of others. Please call the US National Suicide Prevention Program at 800-273-8255 if you need someone to speak with. Dan’s Story: Dan’s family was directly affected by the 1980s National Energy Program when the Canadian Government (Liberal) nationalized energy resources, causing great harm to the Alberta economy. His father’s service station was not able to stay open. His family was plunged into poverty in a region with few opportunities. Kids picked on Dan in school because they were visibly poor. As a result, he learned to cope by fighting and hanging out with other poor kids. Often reminded by his parents that Liberals did this to his family, Dan grew up with disdain for anyone who looked well off because they had a secure public sector job. By the time Dan finished high school, his parents had healed and clawed their way back to some semblance of prosperity. But Dan remained bitter, blaming his parents, treating them poorly, and talking down to them. One day, Dan’s father offered him an “olive branch with dollars on it,” meaning that the gift was valuable beyond words. Dan couldn’t accept it; but, after the Process, he found “massive forgiveness.” While at university, Dan joined the army reserve. After completing his degree and while waiting to become a police officer, he went into the army full-time. Dan left the military in 2006 and in 2007, started his career as a police officer in the north. After twelve years of busy police work as a frontline investigator, he now serves as a plainclothes investigator, starting three months after attending the Process in August 2019. As mentioned in this episode: Canadian Government 1980s National Energy Program Tim McGraw: Humble and Kind Tim McGraw: Live Like You Were Dying “…And I loved deeper, And I spoke sweeter, And I gave forgiveness I’d been denying” If you or anyone you know is dealing with issues of suicide, please reach out to the US National Suicide Prevention Program at 800-273-8255.  

Hoffman grad, Julie Faupel, the founder of REALM, a technology platform in luxury real estate, is delightful, warm, and open. Julie came to the Hoffman Process to heal her fear that there was something terribly wrong with her. As a member of YPO, she discovered many other YPO members had also completed the Process so she thought she’d give it a try. But, Julie really wasn’t sure what she was getting into. Her biggest fear was that she’d have to share her feelings and deepest secret with everyone else – her fear of unlovability. Once at the Process, Julie experienced a huge revelation. She shares: “I have wasted so much time dying for people to love me and they don’t even know me.” The grief of this made her feel physically sick. She realized that all the things she was doing to keep herself safe were really only keeping her small. The healing of this very human fear of unlovability is one of the profound outcomes of the Hoffman Process. After both Julie and her husband completed the Process, they hosted a reunion to bring their two Process classes together. Years later, they are still hosting this reunion. It has grown to include many other Process graduates who want the Hoffman connection. For someone who never felt she belonged, Julie now celebrates the “incredible fraternity of people” she calls her Hoffman family. More about Julie Faupel: Realm helps elite real estate professionals connect through a virtual community with properties throughout the world. She’s also the co-founder of Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates, the largest Real Estate Company in the Teton Region. Julie is a two-time recipient of the coveted Christie’s International Real Estate Global Affiliate of the Year award. Before founding Realm, Julie enjoyed a twenty-plus-year career in the luxury space working in operations at 5-star luxury hotels. As a result of her unique insight into what shapes consumer psychology in luxury buying, Julie is a frequent media expert and has been interviewed by: Wall Street Journal, Forbes, New York Times, Luxury Daily, and Leaders. Julie is a dedicated philanthropist. She serves on several boards, and along with her husband is an avid supporter of entrepreneurship. She participates in various organizations including the Jackson Hole Community Foundation Board, Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce Board, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Julie enjoys Jackson’s active lifestyle with her husband and their dogs Irving and George. She loves to ski, hike, bike, and paddleboard. Follow Julie on Instagram.

Meet Jon Hurry. Jon’s story is moving. His story of recovery and healing is captivating. His willingness to be vulnerable is inspiring. Jon’s story is one of loss and heartache, but also perseverance and resiliency. He admits he has had a lot of loss but he also reminds us that his life is a normal one, too – a different normal. Jon’s desired outcome from the Process was to trust in his wife’s love for him. During his Process, Jon came to see he is, indeed, loveable, and in seeing this he finally felt trust in his wife’s love for him. Jon had already done a great deal of work to heal the pain of his past and the habits he’d acquired to deal with that pain when he arrived at the Hoffman Process. After the Process, he now says, “Rehab was a necessity. EMDR was phenomenal. Hoffman’s [Process] is definitely the cherry on top. It really helped me to build up my confidence and see the good that I’ve done and the good things in my life.” Both Jon and his wife have done the Process. A few months after Jon’s Process, they participated in the Hoffman Couple’s Retreat. More about Jon Hurry: Jon Hurry is a father, husband, son, brother, and friend to many. He’s the founder of Propitious Technologies, BizBoxes, and Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships at Linear Labs.  Jon has spent twenty-five years as a strategic thinker and problem solver primarily in the automotive field. Jon is currently focused on building global relationships within the automotive industry. He’s helping to bring disruptive electric motor/generator/actuator technologies to the market to reduce the carbon footprint. As mentioned in this episode: HeartMath  

Julio Alvarez is a first-generation Latin American from the suburbs of New York. At age thirty-three, the Hoffman Process changed the course of Julio’s life. Julio came out as gay in high school and was ultimately kicked out of the house by his father. The President of the local Rotary Club took Julio into his home. In this episode, Julio shares his Process story with the kind of compassion and understanding that comes from doing deep transformational work. He shares with us his story of forgiveness. In doing so, we come to see the beautiful gifts that forgiveness has to offer. Julio didn’t speak to his father for more than ten years. Now he and his father are in a new and healthy relationship. Listen in as Julio shares beautiful wisdom like: “Life is always speaking to us so pay attention to the whispers.” He has learned how to shift his inner dialogue back to self-worthiness and self-love. This is the change that the Hoffman Process makes possible. More about Julio G. Alvarez: Julio earned a full scholarship to NYU. He has now spent more than a decade helping tech brands share their story, bringing products to life like Google Drive, Airbnb Plus, and Lyft Self-Driving cars. This year, Julio’s family members fell ill due to the anxieties and realities of COVID. In response, Julio turned to his Hoffman process work and tools to gain a deeper understanding of himself and what matters most in life. Follow Julio on Instagram to learn more about his journey.  

  Eboni K. Williams talks about the spirit of disruption in this week’s episode. Her work disrupts long and deeply-seated cultural norms and expectations. She shares with us how rewarding her work is as disruption is an essential part of change and change is constant. And yet, she also speaks of how heavy her work can be. “…people, we, don’t like change and aren’t comfortable around disruption.” Eboni came to the Process because, as she says, “I wanted family more than I was afraid of doing the work that it would take to get there.” She shares about her own Process and how her teacher, Regina Louise, was able to help her break through the resistance that showed up at the very first assignment on the first day of her Process. As Hoffman grads, we know change is vital to personal transformation. The Process itself is disruptive. The Process takes us out of our comfort zone and disrupts patterns. It opens us to the pain of our past so we can heal that same pain. Eboni is unapologetically driven to give voice to the voiceless through her platform – a tapestry of television, law, social justice, and entertainment. She knows her presence is power in the rooms where she has often been the first and only Black person. Positioned for disruption, Eboni enters these opportunities representing Black excellence intent on demonstrating and inspiring what is possible for Black people in America. Eboni is the newest and first Black cast member on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York. She’s also excited about her new iHeart Media podcast on the intersection of law and pop culture,  Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams. Uppity Productions, Eboni’s production company, produces the podcast. More about Eboni K. Williams: Williams educates and inspires audiences through the lens of a legal scholar. She exposes institutional racism, breaks down controversial issues such as judicial discretion, and expertly analyzes culturally relevant topics. She has served as the Host & Executive Producer of REVOLT Black News, which airs on REVOLT TV founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs. Eboni has also co-hosted REVOLT’S hip-hop talk show State of the Culture. Eboni is the best-selling author of her memoir, Pretty Powerful: Appearance, Substance, and Success. She holds a B.A. in Communications and African-American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Eboni clerked for the Louisiana Secretary of State and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office. She later specialized in family law and civil litigation. Eboni then transitioned into practicing as a public defender and a private defense lawyer in North Carolina, and throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Eboni also serves on the Board of Directors for Safe Horizon, which is the nation’s leading victims’ assistance organization. Find out more about Eboni here. Follow Eboni on Instagram. As mentioned in this episode: Tulsa/Greenwood Massacre Naomi Osaka speaking out Hand on Heart: A Hoffman Process practice of placing your hand on your heart center to bring you into presence and connection with yourself. Ally or Co-conspirator “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” Jack Kornfield    

We are fortunate to have Serena Gordon on Love’s Everyday Radius. Serena has dedicated herself to bringing the powerful healing work of the Hoffman Process to the world since 1995. A friend of Bob Hoffman, the Hoffman UK Managing Director and Co-Founder, and a Process Teacher, Serena offers us some profound insights about the Process. At the young age of five, Serena lost trust in her parents. “I used to carry my own little suitcase with an A-Z map of London in case I got lost and I could find my own way home.” She tells us that she “fought for that little girl” during her own Process. Serena shares that the Process allows for you to “bring all the boxes of your past out into the open and have people around you as you open the boxes. And sort through the treasures that you love and will hold onto until you are an old person or the ones that actually fill you with sadness or loss or anger or frustration – whatever it is – and allow the Process tools to help you let go of those.” The power and simplicity of the Process can reach people from many different cultures. Teachers from Hoffman UK have taught the Process in Ireland, South Africa, and the Middle East with great success. Serena shares this is a testament to the power and simplicity of the Process itself. MORE ABOUT SERENA GORDON Serena Gordon formally trained as an actress at the UK’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After graduating, she enjoyed a successful career as a stage and screen actress. You might recognize her from her role in the James Bond film, Goldeneye. Along with her ex-husband, Hoffman teacher Tim Laurence, Serena brought Hoffman to the UK from California in 1995. At the time, the British attitude towards therapy and personal development was a lot less accepting than it is today. Hoffman UK is now recognized as one of the UK’s leading personal development providers. In her personal time, Serena enjoys time with family and friends. She loves to ground in nature in the English countryside in her downtime.    

Hilton Nathanson, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, is our guest this week. While not a graduate of the Process, Hilton’s life, and life pursuits have been deeply touched by the everyday radius of many Hoffman graduates’ love. It’s amazing to see just how wide a radius our graduates’ love and healing travels. The ripple effect of the Hoffman Process worked through Hilton in a wonder-filled, tangible way. In this episode, Hilton shares the effect of witnessing the profound change the Hoffman Process engendered in people close to him. The changes he saw in those he loved inspired this film which took seven years to complete. CHASING WONDERS In 2020 Hilton’s production company, Hianlo Films premiered this feature film called Chasing Wonders at the Adelaide Film Festival. Hoffman Institute’s research inspired Hilton’s original idea for the film. The foundational underpinnings of the Process shine through the film’s storyline. Chasing Wonders is the heart-warming story of a young boy who is encouraged by his grandfather to take off on the adventure of a lifetime, leading him to the heart of the human condition – understanding our parents’ past but not being defined by it. Hilton speaks to this in today’s episode – how important it is for us to share with our children when they are ready, stories about our lives before they were born. Chasing Wonders premieres in the United States on June 4th, 2021, on Amazon, VUDU, and Google TV. The Hoffman Institute’s scholarship fund will receive a portion of the proceeds from the film as part of the US release, bringing Love’s Everyday Radius full circle. MORE ABOUT HILTON NATHANSON Originally from Perth, Australia, Hilton arrived in London in 1992. There, he spent his first years working in financial markets before embarking on a career in asset management. Subsequently, he founded Marble Bar Asset Management. He’s been Chairman since 2013. Throughout his career, Hilton has taken an active interest in the psychology of decision-making. This prompted him to pursue an Executive Master’s Degree in Consulting and Coaching for Change from Insead Business School in 2015. In 2004, Hilton founded the Rosemarie Nathanson Charitable Trust. The trust supports organizations that advance the welfare and education of young people. Hilton lives in London with his wife and children and is an avid cricket fan, a keen sailor, and a ferocious reader.  

Regina Louise, a beloved Hoffman Process teacher, is our guest this week on Love’s Everyday Radius. Listen in as Regina shares with us about her time at the Process and how she wanted so badly to leave…but stayed. As a child, Regina lived in over 30 foster homes, group homes, and psychiatric facilities before age 18. She never had the chance to emotionally process the traumas she faced. The Process gave her this opportunity and so much more. One of the most powerful insights Regina shares with us is with regard to hope. She says, “We can’t tell people to have hope. We have to tell people the truth of who they are – to BE hope.” Rather than a passive sense of waiting for good to happen, Regina invites us to BE  hope in the form of real action in the world, being Spirit not just talking about Spirit. More About Regina Louise Regina speaks about and coaches organizations and individuals on trauma and personal development. She is also a foster care abolitionist and an author. Regina Louise’s real-life story is the subject of the Lifetime movie, I Am Somebody’s Child: The Regina Louise Story. She is the author of three books: Somebody’s Someone, Someone Has Led This Child to Believe, and her new book to be released June 8th, Permission Granted. Find out more about Regina here. You can also follow her on Instagram.  

We begin season 3 with Wilma Mae Basta, entrepreneur and founder of DRK Beauty. Listen in as Wilma Mae shares how profound both the Process and her healing journey have been. Originally from Philadelphia, Wilma Mae did her Process in the UK where she lived and worked at the time. When she arrived at the Process, she knew she was at the point where she couldn’t think her way “out of a paper bag.” She made the conscious decision to “allow Hoffman to catch” her. Wilma Mae had been told that as a strong Black woman, she needed to stay strong and figure things out on her own. When she faced severe depression, however, none of that worked for her. She realized that what she needed to do was ask for and receive the help she needed. The Process helped Wilma Mae heal her patterns and discover her superpowers. DRK BEAUTY: A UNIQUE WELL-BEING JOURNEY Wilma Mae’s experience of finding it difficult to locate the right kind of help to support her as a woman of color led to searching for and testing different modalities. Ultimately, these discoveries helped her build her own unique mental health and wellness journey that transformed her life. As a result of this experience, Wilma Mae moved back to the States in 2017 to create DRK Beauty, her well-being and mental health digital platform. Wilma Mae’s everyday radius now ripples out to “help womxn of color discover and craft their own unique well-being journey.” Wilma Mae Basta is the mother of two adult children and the daughter of a civil rights leader. In the early 90s, she built a career in film, TV, consumer, and consumer tech PR in the UK. She then launched and built the successful luxury vintage fashion brand, The Gathering Goddess. Known for its high-end collectibles, The Gathering Goddess’ collectible garments could often be seen on the red carpet. Follow Wilma Mae and DRK Beauty on Instagram.