The Hoffman Podcast

Jake Reisch, a 2024 Hoffman Process graduate, is passionate about building impactful companies from the ground up. He’s also an authentic speaker and storyteller, as you’ll hear in this conversation with Jake and Sadie. At the heart of Jake’s story is authenticity, courage, and a willingness to stay present to himself.

At the start, Sadie asks Jake to share his bio – a seemingly quick and easy task. In Jake’s case, though, he has realized that his bio and how he shares about himself and his life have radically changed since his time at the Hoffman Pr...

Today’s guest, our 200th guest on the Hoffman Podcast, is Brad Keywell. As you’ll soon hear, Brad is expansively curious and always moving toward more aliveness. An entrepreneur, investor, professor, author, artist, philanthropist, and Hoffman graduate, he shares his personal experience of the Process with us. In addition, Brad reflects upon the Hoffman Process through his lens of entrepreneurship and his essentially curious nature.

Brad sees life as two forks in the road:  one of curiosity (fully alive) and the other of stagnation (not yet dead). While he says these are extremes, Brad suggests it is im...

Today, we’ve brought together our Hoffman pre-Process Panel. Hoffman teachers Jason, Marc, Regina, and our host, Drew, share personal and professional insights into how the time leading up to the Hoffman Process solidly prepares you for your week at the Process.

Regina offers wisdom on the pattern of perfection and how it doesn’t serve you when you come to the Process. Allowing ourselves to be messy in the container of the Process supports the deeper transformation that’s possible during the week. Regina calls us to trust the Process, saying, “The moment you commit, it’s the oppo...

Retired trial judge, Rusty Duke, came to the Hoffman Process on the advice of his wise, eleven-year-old granddaughter. Her father, Rusty’s son, had returned home happier after his time in California.

While swinging on a porch swing together, Rusty and his granddaughter were talking. She said she thought that Rusty, her grandfather, was happy, but Rusty would return from California even happier, just like her dad had. Rusty listened to her wise counsel. Just two days later, he registered for the Process.

The prominent theme running through Rusty’s story is happiness. He was a happ...

Entrepreneur and business owner, Carol Frank, came to the Hoffman Process for one clear reason: she wanted to find a life partner. In her early fifties and never married, Carol had just ended a year-long relationship. The beautiful thing was that Carol was ready. She knew that if she wanted a lasting partnership, she had to make a change. Carol shared this with a friend who happened to be a Hoffman graduate. Although this friend had mentioned Hoffman prior, it wasn’t until this moment that Carol said, Yes, to the lasting change that would happen for he...

Our post-Process panel, Kevin, Steve, and Zeina, gathers together with Drew to share both personal and professional insights into why your days after the Hoffman Process are so important to the journey that lies ahead. As Hoffman teacher and coach, Zeina Mobassaleh, says about leaving the Process, “You’re not done, you’ve just begun.”

Why is this time immediately post-Process so important? Listen in as our delightful post-Process panel of teachers shines a light on the gifts that lie ahead over the days, weeks, and after completing the Hoffman Process.

Kevin offers insights into the Hoff...

Patrick Belisle, Director of Philanthropy at the Hoffman Institute Foundation, is our guest today. A self-described practical mystic, Patrick embarked upon a spiritual journey that took him around the world and the country. In 2022, he participated in what he calls the pinnacle of his spiritual journey, the Hoffman Process.

In this conversation with Drew, Patrick shares his unique perspective on money as “financial energy.” He explains how philanthropic giving is a win-win; a way to fulfill both parties’ goals and dreams.

Patrick’s approach to money will inspire you to craft your own financial story. We hope...

Nita Gage, Hoffman teacher and Director of Faculty, worked closely with Dr. Lipsenthal, M.D., for several years before his death. He was an internationally recognized leader, teacher, and author in integrative medicine and physician wellness. And he loved the Hoffman Process.

The vision, care, and understanding that Dr. Lipsenthal brought to the world of medicine and medical doctors has changed how doctors care for themselves. Through his own time in the medical profession, Dr. Lipsenthal observed that the health, morale, and work satisfaction of many physicians were often worse than that of their patients. H...

Miranda Barnhart Domenico, a mom of two, came to the Hoffman Process wanting to heal from a recent, painful breakup. Even before arriving at the retreat site, Miranda realized that she was coming for so much more.

With two difficult relationships behind her, Miranda discovered that blaming her ex-partners wasn’t helping. Instead, she found that by looking back to her childhood she could heal what was driving the difficulties in her relationships.

As she joyfully recounts, Miranda was reunited with her young self at the Process. Her story gives us deep insight into the na...

Sarah Hernholm, the Founder and President of Whatever It Takes (WIT), is our guest today. Through WIT, Sarah supports teens and young adults in using their voices, launching businesses, and creating sustainable impact in their communities.

Feeling “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Sarah came to our retreat site in Connecticut to attend the Process. During the Process, students face the pain of the past and learn to take responsibility for their lives. It’s challenging work. As a writer, podcast host, and three-time TEDx speaker, Sarah is used to speaking honestly and eloquently. While at the...

Megan Lowry, Marine Corps Veteran, Veteran Wellness Specialist, and citizen of the Muscogee Nation is our guest today on the Hoffman Podcast.

Megan’s story is one of hope. She held ‘a kernel of hope’ when she came to the Hoffman Process in 2015. As a Native American, Megan wasn’t sure how she would navigate the week of the Process. She shares, “Being Native, there’s things that we do to grieve and things that

Welcome to Season 10 of the Hoffman Podcast! We’re glad to be back with you and a new season of conversations.

Marissa Ingrasci and Raz Ingrasci, Hoffman Process teachers, join Drew for this deep dive into the many layers of spiritual lineage running through the Process, and their own journeys to becoming Process teachers. There’s also a familial lineage, as Marissa is Raz’s daughter.

Raz and Marissa came to teach the Hoffman Process through the lens of theatre. For Raz, this meant studying classic Greek theater; for Marissa, it meant s...

Welcome to our season 9 finale, this generous, vulnerable conversation with Hoffman grad, Kevjorik Jones, and host, Drew Horning.

There are many reasons why people come to the Hoffman Process — as many reasons as people who have graduated from the Process. Kevjorik, a self-described consummate student of the human condition, came because he felt he was falling short. He was aware of the powers and opportunities he had. He was aware of the great relationships in his life. And yet, Kevjorik sensed he was falling short of living up to all he sensed he could become.

In...

Christy Foley is a dynamic connector, life explorer, and philanthropist. She’s also Vice-Chair of the Hoffman Board of Directors. Christy attended the Process two decades ago, just two weeks after her father graduated.

The Hoffman Process was the first step in Christy’s spiritual journey. To this day, Hoffman remains one of the three most profound experiences that completely transformed her life. She shares that a transformation happens at the Process that “you can’t go back from.” In doing the work of the Process, we leave our week there with an awareness we didn’t hav...

Arielle Ford, author, and love and relationship expert, joins Drew for this episode centered on change, truth-telling, and having as much fun as possible.

Arielle came to the Hoffman Process in the early ’90s on recommendations from her sister Debbie Ford and her friend Joan Borysenko. Seventeen students were at the Process alongside Arielle. Their Process was held in the Big House at Esalen Institute in Big Sur. Raz Ingrasci was one of their teachers.

One of the most powerful takeaways from this conversation is Arielle’s realization of the need to have as much fun a...

Roanne Adams, founder and Chief Creative Director of RoAndCo Studio, is our guest today. In this wide-ranging conversation, Roanne and Sharon cover many topics. You’ll hear them speak of self-care, the spiritual journey, relationships, and business, to name a few. What stands out is Roanne’s commitment to putting her Process into practice, personally and professionally.

It’s often fascinating how people learn about the Hoffman Process. Frequently, it comes through word of mouth. In Roanne’s case, she heard about it from her financial advisor after receiving difficult news. Roanne walks us through this moment with can...

Anna Switzer, PhD, outdoor educator, science educator, and educator of educators, shares her Hoffman Process experience and her deep expertise in partnering with Nature’s innate processes for healing and connection.

In 2012, on the recommendation of her medical doctor, Anna came to the Process. Due to the high level of stress Anna was experiencing, her doctor said she should consider doing some emotional work. Within a few months, Anna was at the Hoffman Process. She loved the camaraderie of her Process cohort and remembers many ‘anchor moments’ in her group and alone as she spent time outdoors on the...

We welcome Lori Raudnask, Operations Manager for Hoffman Institute, Canada, and an international speaker, entrepreneur, and author in her own right, to the Hoffman Podcast.

Lori guides Canadian students through their pre-Process journey and oversees Hoffman Process, Canada operations. She has coached, trained, and mentored thousands worldwide and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. 

Lori came to the Process at the suggestion of an acquaintance who had a great experience there. Lori shares how the Hoffman Process was “like a bulldozer going through” her garden, “getting to the root of” her patterns.” It was that lif...

Sarah Abrams and Virginia Benson Wigle join host Sharon for this warm-hearted conversation about their friendship, their Process experience, and the non-profit they founded, The Starfish Connection.

Virginia attended the Hoffman Process at the urging of her husband, John. Years later, John passed away. Virginia, in turn, passed the Hoffman Process on to Sarah, and then to her new husband. Giving the gift of the Process to someone ready and willing to attend is a profound way to pass along the gifts discovered during the week.

The seed for The Starfish Connection came from John’s...

Annie Looby, Hoffman Process Senior Facilitator in Australia and Gestalt Psychotherapist is our delightful and wise guest today.

For much of her life, Annie has had an extensive career in the performing arts, including film, television, and theatre. Then, in 2014, Annie found the Hoffman Process. She decided to do the Process after witnessing the change in her husband after he completed it.

During her Process, Annie experienced a shame attack so painful that she wanted to leave. Her teacher guided her to see that everything Annie was looking for was just on the other side...

Cory Britt was sober for four years before coming to the Hoffman Process in June of 2024. As Cory shares his life story and recovery story with Sharon, he touches on many painful parts of his life and many joyous ones, too. In a raw and detailed way, Cory leads us through his journey from addiction to freedom.

For two decades of alcoholism, Cory held incredibly poignant life dreams and aspirations while at the same time not knowing how to break free of addiction so he could follow them. His dreams terrified him because he had no idea...

Alysse Godino, Money Coach and Founder of Saffron Money tells her story of transformation during her week at the Hoffman Process. But like all stories of transformation, it begins long before her time at Hoffman. When the Maui fires hit, Alysse was preparing to fly to California for her Process. She wondered if she should go, wondering if it made sense to go during a time of such emergency. But she knew it was the right time, and her transformation was fueled by her grief of what was happening on the island she loves.

When...

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 wa...

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 o...

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 po...

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...

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 s...

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...

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 heal...

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. Ku...

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...

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 in...

Roxy Hayde, Hoffman teacher and member of the Hoffman UK team, is our guest today. She came to the Hoffman Process after a lifetime of trying to hold it all together behind a deeply defended heart.

At a very young age, Roxy knew that to feel safe she would have to learn how to control everything and everyone around her and not let herself feel vulnerable. Through the Process, she dropped into a very soft place and came to parent herself in a way she’d never known. Roxy and her emotional child have fostered a beautiful re...

Tami Tack & Kim Worrall graduated from the Hoffman Process in 1996. They took the Process a second time after it was rejuvenated from an 8-day Process to 7 days. Tami and Kim have been stewards of this work ever since. For over 15 years, Tami has been a graduate group leader in the Portland, Oregon area.

Tami and Kim speak to the power of learning to trust in and live from the Spiritual Self and softening into its care. Kim first realized that his nature had a spiritual aspect during the Process. Tami and Kim share stories from their post-Process...

Jessica Kizer, PhD and Professor of Sociology, shares her powerful life story. One of the main threads of her story is the deep feeling and sense of not belonging. Through her story, we can understand how identities, roles, and circumstances can cause us to feel as if we do not belong in this world as we are for who we are. You’ll also hear Drew reflect to Jessica: “…that’s stereophonic not-belonging on overdrive.” Through her studies in Sociology, Jessica began to understand how societal forces shape our lives societal constructions, and choices made by others.

A myriad o...

Johanina Wikoff, PhD, sits down with Drew for a conversation about consciousness, the Hoffman Process, psychedelics, relationships, and deep inner healing.

As someone who has always been “drawn to explore the mysteries of life,” Johanina began exploring psychedelics when she was a teen and in college. She lived off-grid in deep nature and homesteaded while raising her children. Eventually, she was called to return to school for graduate studies, earning her PhD and becoming a therapist and educator. During these years through her practice, and for decades with clients, Johanina has explored the mystery and terrain of the...

Rector of Dharma Gate Buddhist College in Budapest, and Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Gabor Karsai has practiced Buddhism and mindfulness for decades. His Hoffman experience was “magical” and one of profound healing and forgiveness. It’s also a story of how important it is to listen to our body’s signs of distress and heed the message it is trying to tell us.

Over the past few years, Gabor began to experience physical symptoms of stress daily upon waking. While he was very uncomfortable each morning, the symptoms would end and he’d head off to work. Eve...

Award-winning storyteller in television, film, and literature, Matthew Weiner, is a recent graduate of the Hoffman Process.

Matthew is the creator, executive producer, writer, and director of the television show, Mad Men. Matthew shares that his biggest fear in doing the Process was losing his creativity; if he healed his trauma, he’d no longer be creative. Now on the other side of the Process, Matthew knows his fear was unfounded because, through his deep work of transformation, he learned that making art is part of healing trauma.

As a comedy writer, Matthew shares that of...

Visual thinker, author, and Hoffman Process grad Brandy Agerbeck shares her ideas on creativity, visual thinking, and innovative ways to get what’s rustling inside us out onto paper.

Brandy speaks with light-hearted wisdom on creativity: what it is, tools to apply in service to it, and the challenge we face from what she calls the ‘inner and outer critic.’ She’s been in touch with her creative spirit from a very young age, so she holds an approach to creativity stemming from a vast archive of lived experience.

Brandy came to the Process to unload t...

Neuroanatomist, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, joins Drew on the podcast to share her latest insights on the brain, from the inside out. Occasionally, we host guests who are not Hoffman Process graduates. Dr. Taylor is not a Process graduate but shares vital science and insights about the human journey of transformation. Her knowledge of the brain can guide us to a deep sense of peace through active, personal choice.

With her profound expertise in brain anatomy, Dr. Taylor was able to study her own stroke while it was happening. Over eight years, she slowly worked her way...