The Hoffman Podcast

Leila Day, journalist, co-creator/co-host of The Stoop, and freelance podcast show-runner, is our guest this week. She and Drew sat down for an in-depth conversation about story, belonging, and the Hoffman Process. Always a lover of story and storytelling, Leila shares that she fell in love with podcasting as a creative way to format personal storytelling. She says podcasting keeps her curious; when she’s not curious, she knows something is off. Leila realized a lack of curiosity was a lack of interest in others and life. With this realization, she knew the light within her was dimming. This is what brought her to the Hoffman Process. At the beginning of her Process, Leila kept to herself and her teachers noticed. Being there felt like she often felt in her childhood – the only Black kid surrounded by white kids. She found herself observing rather than engaging. Her teacher encouraged her to take control of this pattern and actively deconstruct her pattern of disengaging under these circumstances. Leila did and what happened in response was powerful. She realized she was stunting her growth in a place built for her to grow. Her curiosity and light were reignited in her remaining days at the Process because she chose to do it differently. She reclaimed the wholeness and fullness of who she truly is. We hope you enjoy this intimate, honest, loving conversation with Leila and Drew. More about Leila Day: Leila Day is a journalist and co-creator and co-host of The Stoop. An award-winning podcast, The Stoop focuses on Black stories. She won the Gracie Award for an episode on The Stoop titled, Inside These Walls. Leila received her Gracie at The Alliance For Women In Media Foundation’s 48th Annual Gracie Awards Gala. She’s also a freelance podcast show-runner who has hosted and edited podcasts for Marvel, CBS Universal, NPR, Netflix, and many others. As a former NPR station reporter, she’s often speaking on unique ways to combine journalism and storytelling. Follow Leila on Instagram and Twitter/X. Follow The Stoop on Instagram. As mentioned in this episode: The Stoop: A podcast about stories from the Black Diaspora. Higher Ground Media: Podcasts for the Obama’s production network. Winning the Gracie Award: Image of Leila receiving her Gracie award wearing her fabulous dress. Taken at The Alliance For Women In Media Foundation’s 48th Annual Gracie Awards Gala.  

Michael Wenger is a Hoffman teacher and past Director of Hoffman International. In this conversation, he shares stories of the early days when the Hoffman Process was first introduced in European countries. This is a delightful conversation about the Hoffman Process’s early days, how the Process spread internationally, and about Michael and his spiritual journey.** Michael first learned about the Process in August ’86 from his brother who participated in the first European Process. Michael then participated in the second European Process in early ’87. Both of these were taught in Germany. Students of these first two Processes then opened Hoffman Institute centers in Germany, France, and Austria, helping to begin to spread the Process throughout Europe. Michael decided to become a Hoffman teacher himself. Fluent in four languages, he helped Bob Hoffman translate the teachings he experienced in English into the four languages he knew. Eventually, Michael helped establish the Hoffman Institute in Italy alongside his sister, Hoffman teacher, Lisa Wenger. Over the years. Michael taught the Hoffman Process within various cultural settings. He came to see the various ways that each culture approached the work differently. Michael shares how each culture approaches the work differently. As he says, the cultural differences become clear because the Process is the same no matter where it is taught. ** This episode mentions substance abuse and is marked explicit for language. Please use your discretion. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Michael and Drew. More about Michael Wenger: After an adventurous youth exploring many limits of lifestyles and consciousness, working as a DJ, Barman, and Actor, Michael met Bob Hoffman in 1987 and attended one of the first Hoffman Programs in Europe. Being fluent in four languages, Michael then followed Bob who was introducing Hoffman to many different countries, thus being able to move quickly through the training to become a Hoffman Process Teacher under the supervision of Bob. In 1990 he assisted his sister Lisa in introducing the Hoffman Institute in Italy and facilitating the Hoffman program for over thirty years. For eight years he also worked as one of the three executive directors of Hoffman Institute International. (Photo, L-R: Michael, Bob Hoffman, Lisa Wenger, Beatrice Wenger) For the past few years, apart from occasionally teaching the Hoffman Process, Michael has been dedicating his time to exploring non-dual awareness and meditation, facilitating retreats (www.camminoaperto.info) inspired by Pir Elias Amidon, Rupert Spira, Ramesh Balsekar, and many other mystical teachers. He lives in the hills above Lugano, Switzerland. As mentioned in this episode: ’68 Hippies Michael’s Brother died of AIDS Canary Islands Celebration of Integration: This portion of the Process experience happens toward the end of the week. This is when students begin to integrate the parts of their Quadrinity. The Quadrinity is the four aspects of self: Spiritual Self, Body, Intellect, and Emotional Self. Stanley Stefancic, former Hoffman teacher. •    Stanley’s obituary •   Listen to Stan on the Hoffman Podcast Lisa Wenger •   Listen to Lisa on the Hoffman Podcast Non-Dual Spirituality Western Sufism Paradox White Sulphur Springs, St Helena, CA •   Home of the Hoffman Process for many years. California’s oldest retreat site was nearly destroyed in the Glass Fire. •   Read more about White Sulphur Springs Hoffman International  

In this insightful episode with author and podcaster, Liz Moody, Liz shares a powerful truth not often spoken about – that healing can come from a place of joy. Liz graduated from the Hoffman Process in early 2024. As she shares with Drew, even though she found healing in the more painful parts of the emotional work, Liz shares how she found joy pivotal to her healing process. In speaking about moments when her Process breakthroughs happened, Liz talks about the power of the relationship between pain and joy, and compassion and anger, as places where something powerful happened. Compassion for her parents allowed for the suppressed anger she felt at them to finally emerge. Holding both the pain and joy of her experience helped her understand that healing doesn’t always come from pain. It can come from feeling joy, safety, and community, too. One of the highlights of this episode is when Liz and Drew speak about the power of doing the Process from the understanding that there is nothing wrong with you and you don’t need to be fixed. Knowing that you have everything you need within you to heal and grow allows you to settle into a deep trust in the Process as it carries you through the week. We hope you enjoy this powerful conversation with Liz and Drew. More about Liz Moody: Liz Moody is the host of the top-rated ‘The Liz Moody Podcast,‘ author of bestselling books ‘Healthier Together: Recipes for Two—Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships‘ and ‘Glow Pops,’ and a popular online content creator who has helped millions of people transform their lives. Her new book, ‘100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success,’ draws from Moody’s more than a decade of experience in the health and wellness world, serving as a new kind of personal development book — one that empowers readers to craft their unique, best life based on the habits they want to form, the problems they want to solve, and the parts of their life they want to take to the next level. A longtime journalist for publications including Vogue, Marie Claire, and goop, an online creator with a social media following of more than 1+ Million, and the founder of Healthy Convo Co, a conversation game company designed to facilitate fun and life-changing conversations, Liz previously served as food director for mindbodygreen, a leading wellness website where she led content strategy for the food section. A regular speaker, panelist, and podcast guest, Liz shares her own deeply personal anxiety journey that led her to where she is now and actionable, fun, and science-based ways for everyone to live their best lives. Find out more about Liz here. Listen to her podcast here. Follow Liz on Instagram and TikTok. As mentioned in this episode: Extroverted Introvert Structured fun Whimsical: “Whim naturally came about as a shortened form of whim-wham, and whimsy and whimsical eventually followed. Whimsical now describes more than just decisions made impulsively, but things resulting from an unrestrained imagination, as in “whimsical children’s book characters.” Agoraphobia Neuroscience Negative Love Syndrome: …as described in The Path to Personal Freedom and Love, written by Bob Hoffman Dr. Elissa Epel on Stress and on the Liz Moody podcast Heidi Krahling, Hoffman’s Chef •   Listen to Heidi on the Hoffman Podcast Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation •   by The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community Dr. Lauren Cook – The Millennial Midlife Crisis on the Liz Moody Podcast Dr. James Doty on The Liz Moody Podcast: Manifest Like a Neurosurgeon  

Nailah Blades is a Life and Leadership coach and a lover of the great outdoors. She’s our last non-grad guest in our short series of four non-grads. Nailah is passionate about exploring the natural world. She and her family are avid outdoor enthusiasts. A portion of Nailah’s work is also in the great outdoors. She invites women of color to return to nature, a space that has always belonged to them too. Nailah isn’t a graduate of the Hoffman Process, but her work in the world matches the ethos and values of the Process. At one time, Nailah knew she wasn’t doing the work she was meant to do. After a bit of exploration, she found her calling. Since then, she’s followed this call to diversify the outdoors, to guide people back into the wild and beautiful world of nature. As you listen to Nailah and Drew, you’ll hear Nailah’s commitment to the community of women she serves. The call to return to nature has been a thread through many of our episodes. The outdoors can be a healing and regenerative place for everyone. As Nailah shares, for many people, layers of marginalization serve as barriers to the outdoors. For women of color, returning to the outdoors is an embodied reminder of the great power of knowing that the land, seas, and mountaintops are places where everyone belongs. More about Nailah Blades: Nailah Blades is a Life and Leadership coach who helps leaders tap into their power to build personal and professional lives that are whole, good, and full of possibility. She founded Color Outside, a community for Black, Indigenous, and women of color who are ready to create unapologetic, soul-stirring lives through outdoor adventure. Through high-touch coaching that integrates the outdoors, Nailah teaches her clients how to go from languishing to flourishing in every area of their lives. Her work centers on the belief that when we stand in the truth of our authentic selves, we can live and lead in a way that creates real change in our world. Nailah is the author of Joyful by Nature: Outdoor Adventure as Women of Color. Created for the modern woman of color, Joyful by Nature is a guide to reconnecting with nature and reclaiming your place in the outdoor community. When she’s not coaching or speaking you can find her hiking with her husband or playing intense games of hide-and-seek with her two tiny kids. Find out more about Nailah at NailahBlades.com. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter. As mentioned in this episode: Salt Lake City, Utah Marginalization Wyoming Park Service Be Bear Aware Campaign – Promoting Safety for People and Safety for Bears Since 1976 Sundance Resort Audre Lorde Bell Hooks Adrienne Maree Brown •   Emergent Strategy book •   Biomimicry Outdoor Afro Latino Outdoors Unlikely Hikers Joyful by Nature, by Nailah Blades

Teacher, counselor, and attorney David Bedrick has developed a profound method for helping people unshame their shame. In this third episode of our short non-grad series of four, David and Drew dive deep into a conversation about the true nature of shame and how to heal it through what David calls Unshaming. While David is not a graduate of the Process, his work is very closely aligned with the work of the Process. As David says, “Shame is an internalized vision of oneself. It creates feelings, but they are not feelings.” According to David, to heal shame, someone must truly witness us. In telling our story of what happened, we need to be heard, seen, and understood. We need to be humanized, not stigmatized or pathologized. He says we must be “witnessed for being a human being who’s been through an experience. That’s unshaming. That’s humanizing.” We hope you enjoy this profound conversation on the nature of healing shame with David and Drew. **This episode mentions physical and sexual violence and may not be suitable for all listeners. Please use your discretion. More about David Bedrick: David Bedrick, JD, Dipl. PW grew up in a family marked by violence. While his father’s brutality was physical and verbal, his mother’s denial and gaslighting had its own covert power. This formative context introduced David early to the etiology of shame and instilled an urge to unshame. Professionally, he was on the faculty for the University of Phoenix and the Process Work Institute in the U.S. and Poland and is the founder of the Santa Fe Institute for Shame-based Studies where he trains therapists, coaches, and healers and offers workshops for individuals to further their own personal development. David writes for Psychology Today. He’s the author of Talking Back to Dr. Phil: Alternatives to Mainstream Psychology and Revisioning Activism: Bringing Depth, Dialogue, and Diversity to Individual and Social Change. His new book is You Can’t Judge a Body by Its Cover: 17 Women’s Stories of Hunger, Body Shame, and Redemption. North Atlantic Books will publish David’s upcoming book, The Unshaming Way, in November 2024. You can preorder The Unshaming Way here. Discover more about David at DavidBedrick.com. Follow David on Instagram and Facebook. As mentioned in this episode: The Wounded Healer Archetype Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” Dr. Larry Nassar Somatic Brené Brown Allopathic medicine      

We welcome physician, author, educator, and thought leader, Zach Bush, MD to our podcast. Part of our non-grad series, Dr. Zach is not a graduate of the Hoffman Process but his work speaks to the nature of the unburdening of self that also happens through our highly transformative Hoffman Process. In this conversation, Dr. Zach and Drew speak of the unburdening of patterns as just the first step. Then, once we know our authentic nature, we can explore who we truly are in relationship to nature. As a doctor and researcher, Dr. Zach shares with us about the isolated human cell that becomes cancer and how that relates to human beings. Isolation can keep us in a state of disharmony and dysfunction. Coming back into connection and community with other people can heal us, just as the human cell heals when it returns to a connection as part of the larger soil of the body. After we complete the Process, we must find a place or community where we can be our newly awakened selves. This is how we keep unburdening, growing, becoming. According to Dr. Zach, the deep belief that we were kicked out of nature is the root cause of our wounds. And with that belief comes a deep-seated sense of scarcity in all areas of our lives, especially, as Dr. Zach says, “love, acceptance, and God itself.” We must heal humanity’s root wound – the belief that Nature abandoned us. Nature never did. Nature is our gateway and mirror to healing. We hope you enjoy this profound, expansive, and enlivening conversation with Drew and Zach Bush, MD. Photographs of Zach Bush, MD are by Leia Vita. More about Zach Bush, MD: Zach Bush, MD is a physician specializing in internal medicine, endocrinology, and hospice care. He is an internationally recognized educator and thought leader on the microbiome as it relates to health, disease, and food systems. Zach Bush, MD founded *Seraphic Group and the non-profit Farmer’s Footprint to develop root-cause solutions for human and ecological health. His passion for education reaches across many disciplines, including topics, such as the role of soil and water ecosystems in human genomics, immunity, and gut/brain health. His education has highlighted the need for a radical departure from chemical farming and pharmacy, and his ongoing efforts are providing a path for consumers, farmers, and mega-industries to work together for a healthy future for people and the planet. Zach Bush MD’s work in for-profit and nonprofit arenas creates avenues for collaborative action for all stakeholders in our global community for a regenerative future of health for the planet and our children. Discover more about Dr. Zach at ZachBushMD.com. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook, X(Twitter), and YouTube. As mentioned in this episode: Mitochondria Hippocrates Traditional Chinese Medicine Yogic traditions: Ayurveda Qigong Tai chi Microbiome A Course in Miracles Hospice and Palliative Care Buckminster Fuller

Welcome to Season 9! We begin this new season with a mini, four-episode non-grad series highlighting guests whose work is harmonious with the work and ethos of the Hoffman Process. Our first non-grad guest is musician, activist, and award-winning filmmaker, Michael Franti.** As you listen to Michael’s life story, you’ll hear him speak of his feelings of abandonment and being an outsider. These feelings echo much of the work done during a week at the Hoffman Process. With eloquence and an open heart, he tells us his story of adoption, living with alcoholic parents, and what healing these wounds can look like. His life story is beautiful. As Michael says, you’ll see what a generous gift it is to tell one’s story. Originally recorded as part of an ongoing collaboration with Modern Elder Academy, Michael and Drew met in person in Santa Fe to record this conversation. Chip Conley, co-founder of MEA, chimes in at the end. This is a deep, fun, vulnerable conversation. We hope you enjoy it! **Please note that this episode is marked explicit for language and some content.  More about Michael Franti: Michael Franti is a globally recognized musician, activist, and award-winning filmmaker revered for his high-energy live shows, inspiring music, worldwide philanthropic efforts, and the power of optimism. Throughout his multi-decade career, Franti has earned three Billboard No. 1’s with triumphantly hopeful hits “Sound of Sunshine,” “Say Hey (I Love You)” and “I Got You,” as well as six Top 30 Hot AC singles, 10 Top 25 AAA Singles and three Billboard Top 5 Rock Albums. Spearhead’s Follow Your Heart was released in June 2022 and debuted at No. 2 on the iTunes Pop Chart behind Harry Styles. Praised by American Songwriter as “an energizing batch of songs that spotlight the common threads that connect us,” Franti & Spearhead’s 13th studio album Big Big Love is available everywhere now. It features 17 tracks co-written by Franti, reflecting his tenacity, inclusiveness, and optimism. Franti & Spearhead are currently on the Togetherness Tour in 2024. They bring their dynamic and invigorating shows to Soulrockers across the U.S. This tour includes a return to the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. With 60+ dates through the summer, the Togetherness Tour kicked off at the Tortuga Music Festival on April 6 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Bay Area native resides in Bali when he is not on tour. Michael owns Soulshine Bali, a 32-room top-rated boutique hotel in Ubud, Bali. Soulshine Bali focuses on joy through wellness and music, offering unique retreat opportunities and accommodations. They also host special events and celebrations. Franti continues to foster community on and off stage with a wish-granting non-profit, Do It For The Love. which brings those with life-threatening illnesses, veterans, and children with severe challenges to concerts worldwide, fulfilling over 3,500 wishes and touching the lives of over 15,000 people to date. Find out more: You can find out more about Michael at MichaelFranti.com. Follow Michael on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter(X). HoffmanInstitute.org/donate As mentioned in this episode: Reverend Cecil Williams: “Joy is the intersection between the human and the Divine.” •   Glide Memorial Church •   Michael singing at Rev. Williams’ memorial Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia The Munchies band – Bali, Indonesia Lynne Twist •   Listen to Lynne on the Hoffman Podcast: Love’s Immense Power Robert Mirabal •   Taos Pueblo: Home of the Red Willow People Gulf War HIV Soul The Multiverse Modern Elder Academy (MEA) •   Chip Conley – Listen to Chip Conley on the Hoffman Podcast: Wisdom and the Ultimate Spirituality Rick Rubin: Art vs. Craft – “If you know what you want to do and you do it, that’s the work of a craftsman. If you begin with a question and use it to guide an adventure of discovery, that’s the work of the artist.” The Beatles Chuck Berry University of San Francisco The Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District The Esalen Institute Joie de Vivre Hotels Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Collective Effervescence •   coined by Émile Durkheim •   Dacher Keltner on Collective Effervescence The Togetherness Tour •   with Michael Franti, Steven Marley, Trevor Hall, Trombone Shorty, Bombargo    

We wrap up season 8 with Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary and her powerful, dynamic conversation with Sharon. Dr. Chaudhary is a neurologist, neuroscientist, and Ayurvedic practitioner. She combines modern neuroscience with ancient wisdom. She also coaches executives of large corporations on how to connect. Dr. Chaudhary completed the Hoffman Process in 2022. She shares a powerful, pivotal moment from her Process. She was paired up with another student, which provided the perfect invitation to be messy. As she tells us, she’s been trained to keep things clean in her life and work. But at this moment, she let go. Kulreet shares, “I don’t think I have ever been that emotionally messy in my entire adult life.” She tells us that because of her willingness to let go fully into her emotional messiness, she also found a freedom she’d never felt before as an adult. After she completed the Process, Dr. Chaudhary dove into the Hoffman practices and tools. For about six months, she embraced a daily practice to deepen the transformation that had happened during her Process. It is hard to describe what happened to Kulreet after diligently working with the tools and practices. What stands out is how, in the moment of incredible transformation and healing, Kulreet was holding herself in a profound, unwavering self-love. Holding herself in the radiance of this self-love, the darkness she thought was within her shattered. It wasn’t at all what she’d thought it was. This is the raw power of self-love. We hope you enjoy and benefit from this profound conversation with Kulreet and Sharon. We’ll see you again in the second half of August for our next series of conversations. More about Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary: Meet Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary, a neurologist, neuroscientist, and a pioneering voice in Sound Medicine and Ayurveda. Combining modern neuroscience with ancient wisdom, Dr. Chaudhary has helped thousands achieve health goals they never thought possible. She passionately advocates for a wellness-based medical system that empowers patients, moving beyond traditional disease-focused approaches. Dr. Chaudhary is the acclaimed author of “The Prime: Prepare and Repair Your Body for Spontaneous Weight Loss” and “Sound Medicine: How to Use the Ancient Science of Sound to Heal the Body and Mind.” She has shared her insights on national platforms like The Dr. Oz Show and Home & Family. With decades of experience, Dr. Chaudhary continues to advance medical research, participating in over 20 clinical studies on conditions like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. Her work includes pioneering stem cell therapies and uncovering ancient Siddha Medicine texts in India. As part of the Healthy Directions family, she’s developing an at-home wellness program to help millions lead healthier, happier lives. Discover more about Dr. Chaudhary’s unique approach to wellness at www.drkulreetchaudhary.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Article: The Connection Between the Gut and Brain in Ayurveda (https://www.healthydirections.com/articles/ayurvedic-medicine/ayurveda-gut-brain-connection) As mentioned in this episode: Dark Side Stomp (Check) Ayurveda Medicine Siddha Medicine Tradition Star Wars – Return of the Jedi Enlightenment  

Equine Assisted Coach and soon-to-be-published author, Leslie Kornstein, is our guest today. Leslie and Liz sit down for this powerful conversation about healing and coming into a wholeness of self that includes what Leslie calls our social self, the aspect of ourselves she discovered learning from the horses she worked with. Leslie experienced a delayed emergence of language until age five. Her early challenge became a unique gift as she developed sensitivity to people’s energy, empathy, and understanding of others’ unspoken feelings. Leslie shares her journey to becoming the coach and author she is today. Throughout her story, you’ll hear her weave this deep sensitivity to aspects of life that often go unnoticed by most of us. Leslie attended the Hoffman Process in 2004. As she tells us, she found the language of the Quadrinity to be a gift. It allowed her to listen to the parts of herself that were in pain. Through this exploration, she was able to heal on multiple levels. She found more healing working with horses herself and then becoming an Equine Assisted Coach. We hope you enjoy this heart-opening and thought-provoking conversation with Leslie and Liz. More about Leslie Kornstein: Up until high school, Leslie was language-challenged. However, her other attributes invited positive peer guides who supported and guided her.  After receiving her Master’s degree in 1975 she married and during the next decade became a dedicated teacher, evaluator of learning challenges, and creator of a resource room for children with learning challenges in a NYC public school. Leslie was moved to adopt a son and daughter due to her physical inability to carry her own children and her near death from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. This created a family for all to benefit from. In the ’90s, Leslie was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She then realized an inner knowing that healing was a whole-body process. Leslie became a Breathwalk instructor, learned meditation from Deepak Chopra, and completed the Hoffman Process giving her permission to forgive herself and those in her sphere of influence. She trained to be a Hoffman Facilitator. Leslie went on to study Spiritual Psychology at The University of Santa Monica (USM). She followed those studies by becoming a personal coach and training as an Equine Assisted Coach. Now, Leslie works on her ranch in Reno Nevada assisting others with her equine coaches. She has integrated her life experience and extensive educational background to guide others through their healing and growth journeys. For years, Leslie envisioned a fable being written as a preface for the book she’s been working on with Robert Stokich. One evening K. Alden Peterson, Leslie’s partner, became very curious about SPIES, went to sleep, and dreamt of the fable, which is now the preface to “Lies, SPIES & Butterflies: where individual stories abound, exponential powers emerge, and reimagined lives flourish.” Stay tuned as Leslie & Robert’s book and Alden’s children’s fable will be available by 2025. Find out more about Leslie on Facebook and Instagram. As mentioned in this episode: Equine Assisted Coaching Near-death Experience (NDE) Ectopic Pregnancy Chron’s Disease The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukov Spiritual Psychology at The University of Santa Monica Sentience Horses as prey animals

Elaine Duncan, Hoffman Process graduate, and strategy and development consultant, shares her touching story about growing up in a family with numerous adopted siblings. She came to the Process over a decade ago. One thing Elaine remembers and cherishes about the Process is the copious amount of laughter she experienced and the feeling of deep connection, laughter, and joy. Elaine was the only child in her nuclear family until her parents adopted their second child, a boy younger than Elaine. Elaine’s mother was a social worker who believed deeply in the need for and benefits of international adoption. Living her values, she adopted many children from around the world. While the home was full of children, with both parents often gone, Elaine eventually came to feel adrift in her own home. She eventually found solace in her relationship with her grandmother. When children are adopted, they have to find their way to a sense of belonging. But what is it like to be the only biological child, the oldest, and then bounce around in the middle position over time because so many siblings join the family? While Elaine wasn’t adopted, she and her life to come were deeply affected by adoption. Listen in as Elaine shares how many children her mother (through two marriages) adopted and the deeper lessons Elaine learned. Elaine speaks of being a connecter in her life. She draws people to her and creates community wherever she goes. As she tells us, she has found it to be a sense of community that has always saved her. Unsurprisingly, Elaine has recommended the Hoffman Process to numerous people over the ten-years-plus since she completed the Process. We hope you enjoy this heartwarming and connecting conversation with Elaine and Drew. More about Elaine Duncan: Elaine Duncan is a strategy and development consultant inspired by nature, healing the planet, and regenerative practices. She is writing a memoir on growing up as the only biological child in a large multicultural family. Elaine and her husband, David, live in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with their dog, a Brittany named Shilo. Follow Elaine on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Read Elaine’s articles on Medium. As mentioned in this episode: Social Work International Adoption The Donahue Show Oprah Winfrey – Anchor on Baltimore News Station Latter Day Saints AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) Connector Landmark Raz Ingrasci, Founder Hoffman International, Hoffman teacher and coach •   Listen to Raz on the Hoffman Podcast The Hoffman Process Feelings and Sensations List White Sulphur Springs The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD Gabor Maté Triggers Transference 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. We also hold an Appreciation and Gratitude practice each day at 6:00 pm on Instagram. SGA – Student Government Association Mentorship Hoffman Couples Retreat The Q2 Intensive Twelve Step Sponsorship