The Hoffman Podcast Hoffman Institute Foundation

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 past to illuminate how vital this aspect of our Quadrinity has been to leading joyful lives.



You'll hear Tami and Kim speak about how the Process work has been vital to their relationship. The Hoffman Process supports not only our internal transformation. It also transforms our relationships. When two partners have completed the Process and followed it up with the Hoffman Couples Retreat, the work can deepen the quality and power of your relationship.



We hope you enjoy this conversation with Tami, Kim, and Hoffman host, Sharon Mor.

More about Tami Tack & Kim Worrall:

Married since 1987, Tami and Kim enjoy traveling and exploring the inner world of relationships and spirituality.  They host a monthly spiritual Living Circle and have participated in Thom Bond’s Compassion Course for two years, an outgrowth of Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Tami and Kim sing together in local choirs and volunteer with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to work with children in foster care. They live in Tami’s childhood country home which they have named Harmony Hill. Enjoying an active life, they hike, bike, and kayak. They are deeply grateful for all that Life has brought them and look forward to the next adventure.

More about Tami Tack:

Tami first experienced the Hoffman Process in 1996, then again in 2015 after the Process was rejuvenated.  Passionate about Hoffman Graduate Groups, she led the Portland group from 2009 to 2023, mentoring other leaders beginning new groups. She is a retired school counselor and therapist and has always loved working with people of all ages. Another passion of hers is music, expressed both through piano and voice.  Classically trained in piano, she discovered in her 40s that she could compose music and recorded three CDs of her original piano solos.







Singing with many choirs, she directs the Lower Columbia chapter of Threshold Choir whose mission is to sing at the bedside of the dying. The proud mother of two delightful adult children and grandmother to four, she prioritizes family and heart connections.

More about Kim Worrall:

Kim discovered the Hoffman Process in 1996. In 2014, he repeated the HQP, remembering that he is not his patterns—imagine that! A major takeaway was that he has a Spiritual Self. He is curious about how things work, from human thinking and behavior to galaxies and microbes.  He is a retired teacher and counselor, a former pilot and mountain climber, and a father and grandfather. Formerly singing in the Portland Opera chorus, he now sings with a local men’s ensemble. Having been interested in magic since he was a kid, Kim has produced magic shows and always carries a bit of magic with him. He loves to travel for its broadening view of our world and people. He is learning the value and strength of vulnerability.





As mentioned in this episode:

Engulfment



Bob Hoffman



Hoffman Couples Retreat



Hoffman tool: Embodied Recycling



Graduate Groups

Virtual (Zoom) Grad Meetings are held in four time zones - Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern.



Hoffman Process Rejuvenation



Neural Pathways



Threshold Choir



Religious Science

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 of steps and people brought Jessica to the Hoffman Process. On her first day, she felt that all-too-familiar pang of not belonging. She saw that she was the only Black person there.  This was the reality. Immediately, she felt a familiar pain of distance from everyone. But in the first few days, she experienced a shift. You'll hear Jessica share a moment when she saw that we can have very different life stories but arrive at the same place, feeling the same things about ourselves and our place in the world. This was when she began to focus on "our commonalities and not on our differences" in her time at the Process and after.



As a mixed-race, neurodivergent person who teaches Sociology at a top university, perhaps Jessica's story is one we can identify with because we don't share those same identities. The patterns of not belonging, having to prove our worth, and feeling like we are in the wrong place, are common patterns among us.  Jessica's experience, wisdom, and understanding, both academically and personally, shed a powerful light on the human experience. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Jessica and Drew.

More about Jessica Kizer:

Jessica Kizer was born and raised in a multigenerational, multiracial family in the South Bay of Los Angeles County. Her spiritual journey led her first to Hoffman Essentials and then the Hoffman Process in June 2023, where she experienced deep healing for herself and her family. As a result of her experiences growing up Black, Puerto Rican, and Indonesian and neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, she developed a strong sense of justice, equity, and inclusion, which led her to a career as a sociology professor.



In her courses, Jessica creates educational experiences so that everyone can learn and, in turn, helps students learn how to communicate sociological research in a way anyone can understand. In her courses, students tutor elementary school students and then write and illustrate sociological storybooks for the children’s home libraries. They also participate in intergenerational and interracial dialogues on race, research, and create podcasts on racial inequality, which they share with elders.



Jessica loves going on walks and talks, journaling, and finding adventure in the everyday. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, their two cats, and two dogs. Follow Jessica on Instagram.





As mentioned in this episode:

Hoffman Essentials



Jehovah's Witness



Marni Battista - Listen to Marni on the Hoffman Podcast



EMDR



Brainspotting



Kristin Neff - Listen to Kristin on the Hoffman Podcast



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.



Left Road, Right Road

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 inner world.



Although she'd known about it for decades before going, Johanina attended the Process in 2010. She found the Hoffman Process to be deeply healing. As she shares, "The Process is a brilliant way to embody what was lost in a way that is deeply healing...When we are able to feel the full range, the depths, the heights, the full - the whole catastrophe of our emotional life then we're not owned by denying, our energy isn't tied up in pushing away or clinging sentimentally to it. ... It's all part of life and so are we."



Johanina has a mantra she follows and shares with those she works with. "Be open, interested, and curious." It's a good mantra, especially as we open to new territory, whether in our lives or our inner world explorations. Many of our guests say this way of being helped them get the most out of their Process experience. We hope you enjoy this deep conversation with Johanina and Drew

More about Johanina Wikoff:

Johanina Wikoff, M.A., PhD is a therapist and educator. She has been working in the areas of body-mind healing, couples therapy, consciousness studies, and the therapeutic use of psychedelics since 1979.



With her husband, Andy Milberg, a senior Hoffman Process teacher and coach, she created Dare To Love Again, a body of evolving relationship work. Discover more about Johanina and Dare to Love Again here.





As mentioned in this episode:

Andy Milberg, Hoffman teacher and coach.

•  Listen to Andy on the Hoffman Podcast.



Ayn Rand



Psychedelics



Living Off-the-Grid



Homesteading



Breathwork



Ajijic, Mexico

•  Lake Chapala



Peak experience

Hoffman Tools Mentioned:

Left Road, Right Road Map



 

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. Eventually, his daughters' concerns and his good friend's advice, led him to stop and accept that something was wrong and he needed to take time off. His friend's advice and recommendation eventually led him to the Hoffman Process.



Gabor's experience is not unusual. Many of us experience the effects of stress on our bodies without taking the time to stop and wonder why they are happening. Our bodies tell us what is going on in our inner world. They try to speak to us to let us know something needs to be resolved and healed. Gabor found this healing during his week at the Process in Canada, in January 2024.

We can practice mindfulness and become very conscious, yet there can be a current underneath consisting of old pain, unhealed patterns, and emotions waiting to be released. When the Intellect runs the show, the body and emotional self suffer. By the time Gabor found the Process, his Intellect had already conceded. This opened the door for him to a magical experience of profound healing. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Gabor and Sharon.



More about Gabor Karsai:





Gabor Karsai, based near Budapest, Hungary, is the Rector of Dharma Gate Buddhist College in Budapest, and Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, specializing in process philosophy, phenomenology, and the enactive approach. Since 2021 he has also been Managing Director of Mind & Life Europe, an organization founded by Francisco Varela and the Dalai Lama, fostering interdisciplinary dialogues in the field of contemplative science. 



Over the last 20 years, Gabor has had extensive management engagements, including as CEO at KOGART Holding Plc. (Hungary), Director of the Spirit of Humanity Forum (Iceland), the Education for Peace Foundation (Switzerland), and CEO at the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society (Taiwan). He combines practical experience running a not-for-profit organization with a deep appreciation for contemplative practice and science.



Learn more about and connect with Gabor on LinkedIn.





As mentioned in this episode:

Hoffman Institute Canada



Hungary



Dharma Gate



Buddhism



Mind & Life Europe



Expression Work



The Truce - Internal Dialogue between Intellect, Body, and Emotional Self



Dorothy Holden, Hoffman teacher and coach

•   Listen to Dorothy Holden on the Hoffman Podcast



Sanctum Retreat Center, home of Hoffman Canada



Hoffman's Focused Discovery Coaching



 

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 often negative self-statements get a laugh. And yet, that inner negativity, including when it is pointed at ourselves, is, as Matthew says, "not sustainable." Releasing harmful negative patterns and the negative love we learned as children brings freedom and a lightness that is hard to imagine until you discover it within yourself.



A particularly beautiful and wise reflection from Matthew comes when he speaks about childhood. He shares that, as children, we see ourselves as a "supporting player" in our parents' lives, not realizing that each of us is actually "the star" of our childhood.



Toward the end, Matthew shares the importance of reflecting on his experience during the Process and after. Post-Process, people have told him he's different, his voice has changed and he's softer. Like many of our guests, Matthew sees value in this process of reflection through conversation on personal transformation. We know there is also great value in witnessing another's experience. We hope you enjoy this wise, reflective conversation with Matthew and Drew.

More about Matthew Weiner:

Matthew Weiner is a nine-time Emmy Award winner and five-time WGA Award-winning storyteller in television, film, and literature. Among his range of credits are two of television’s most successful and critically lauded shows:  creator, executive producer, writer, and director on Mad Men, which was distinguished with the Peabody Award, and executive producer for The Sopranos. Weiner was also the creator, executive producer, writer, and director of the original contemporary anthology series, The Romanoffs, set in seven countries around the globe.



Weiner’s debut novel, Heather, The Totality, was published by Little, Brown and Company. You can discover more about Matthew Weiner here.





As mentioned in this episode:

Esopus Magazine article.



Quote:

“Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I don't have anything on paper despite years of constant rejection. In showbiz, all bad news has come through agents and in the form of phone calls. Even early on. I don't know that I would have saved them if I had gotten them. They're like bad reviews for me, best skimmed through and then briefly obsessed over before being mentally discarded. I've come to realize rejection is now part of my process. I am not used to it by any means, nor do I expect it, but it both sharpens my resolve that my ideas are new and also drives me to professionally outlive the resistance of the gatekeepers. If I wait patiently they will either move on, reconsider, or become brave enough to try something new. Rejection, as painful as it is, is nothing more than a delay.“ - Matthew Weiner



Mindful Self-Compassion (Kristin Neff and Chris Germer)

Listen to Kristen Neff on the Hoffman Podcast.

Listen to Chris Germer on the Hoffman Podcast,



Livia Soprano

David Chase

Terry (Terrence) Winter

Robin Green

Mitch (Mitchell) Burgess



TM (Transcendental Meditation)



About the song, Try a Little Tenderness

Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding

Fawlty Towers: Don't mention the war!

Wizard of Oz



Hoffman Teacher, Barbara Comstock

Listen to Barbara Comstock on the Hoffman Podca...

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 the heavy baggage she carried from her childhood, her mother's death, and the relationship she had with her father. As an atheist, she had no idea what to make of the idea of a spirit guide. But in the spirit of the Process, she said, "Well, this is uncomfortable. I don't have an answer for this. So, let's see who shows up." This is the openness that Brandy brought to her Process and that she brings to the classes she teaches. You'll love hearing who showed up in response to this open invitation.



If you're looking for some great tools, powerful insights, and a generous spirit around creativity and learning to move forward with your creative ideas and dreams, pull out a piece of paper, grab a pen, and settle in for this conversation with Brandy and Liz. You'll come away with useful, practical tools and nourishment for your Spiritual Self.

More about Brandy Agerbeck:

As a child, Brandy immersed herself in drawing for hours. Back then, she drew anything her bucking bronco of a brain could dream up, creating a safe escape between herself and the piece of paper.



Decades later, Brandy Agerbeck still delights in drawing, now as an international speaker and visual thinking pioneer. Built off her 2013 TEDx talk, Shape Your Thinking, Brandy broke down the complex and conceptual skill set into learnable pieces. Bundled together in her latest book, The Idea Shapers: The power of putting your thinking into your own hands, she teaches you visual thinking as your lifelong tool to shush your inner critic, organize your thoughts, and erase overwhelm.



Curious to learn more? Join Brandy at her monthly visual thinking Q+A, Drawing as a Verb.



Discover more about Brandy here. Follow her on Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.





As mentioned in this episode:

OTTO

The symbol for OTTO, Brandy's Spirit Guide, that she had tattooed on her wrist after graduating from the Process.



Visual Thinking



Baby Butler -

Read one woman's experience with a baby butler.



Graphic Facilitation



Spatial Reasoning



Kinesthetic Learning



Doodle/Doodling



Inner Critic



Quadrinity Check-in/Morning Quad Checks and Evening Appreciation and Gratitude: Join us on Instagram for a daily Quadrinity Check at 8:00 a.m. PT and an Appreciation & Gratitude practice at 6:00 p.m. PT.