Wait till you hear this conversation with Drew and Elle Newlands, actor, voice-over artist, musician, and Hoffman graduate. This is both a deep and delightful episode. Elle offers a vulnerability that is a gift to all who hear her story. Elle’s past trauma made it difficult to surrender to the Process. She was anxious in the beginning so her teacher worked with her to do specific exercises to release what was in the way. The Process is like this. Student and teacher work together to ensure that as the week progresses, the student’s Process holds the best outcome for their transformation.

Elle and her Process mates experienced a flood during their Process. They were asked to evacuate by the fire department and did so, ending up at a hotel. If you’ve done the Process, you can imagine how disruptive this was, considering the very open state students are experiencing during the Process. With skillful organization and care, the students continued their Process work at the hotel.

When Elle did the Q2 – the graduate intensive weekend, there was a wildfire close to White Sulphur Springs. The winds were so strong that the area needed to be evacuated, so Elle and everyone left to go home early. After returning home to the Los Angeles area after her Q2, she was evacuated again. There was a wildfire in that area, too. Listen in to hear how Elle, after realizing what life was showing her, was able to listen and learn from these experiences.

Elle Newlands is a hybrid, which makes her complicated, but she is okay with that. An actress, photographer, and writer, she spends her days juggling characters, words, and pictures. Originally from Scotland, she is currently enjoying the sunshine of California. In her new home, she hikes with her dog, rides her horse in the mountains, and talks to nature.

Elle moved from Scotland to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music and acting. She began her voice career as a classically trained vocalist, before moving into the voiceover booth. In addition to working in commercials, animation, performance capture, narration, and audiobooks, Elle has voiced various roles in video games. She is currently the voice of Horizon in the award-winning battle royale game Apex Legends and has multiple characters in World of Warcraft, DOOM Eternal, Hearthstone, and Skylanders. Other game titles include Star Wars, The Old Republic, Lego Star Wars, Halo 4, Assassins Creed, Skyrim, Call of Duty, Asgard’s Wrath, Counterstrike – Global Offensive, Bioshock, and Darksiders 2 and 3. Animated shows include Looney Tunes, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Lego Friends, Curious George, Hot Streets, and The Adventures of Puss in Boots.

In addition to acting, Elle is also going through certification to become an equine-assisted life coach.  “Notes from the Ether,” her soon-to-be-released podcast, connects to the many ways in which the universe sends clear messages that we are all connected. Elle enjoys learning and speaking about the various paths to healing.

You’ll find more about Elle on TikTok,Instagram, and Twitter.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Video Gaming Voice-over Casting

Equine Coaching

Beloved Hoffman Process teacher and coach, Maria Cámara, is our guest this week. A pivotal moment in Maria’s Process was when she realized that whatever she had never gotten from her Mom and Dad, she would never get. A moment of true acceptance like this can be life-changing. Maria shares how liberating this moment was. The Process helped her realize that her life is her own and that she is the one responsible for it.

Maria became interested in and a practitioner of Buddhism at the age of fifteen after meeting a Tibetan Buddhist lama for the first time when she was seven. She says Buddhism is “a medicine for today’s crazy world.”

Being a Buddhist practitioner has supported Maria in many ways. One way has been her practice to contemplate death and to be able to be with those who are dying. Listen in as Maria shares a tender story of a loved one’s passing.

Maria holds a Ph.D. in Family and Health Psychology from the University of Deusto, Spain. She also has a Master’s in Health Psychology from the University of Middlesex, UK, and a B.A. in Psychology from UPV, Spain. Maria is a Certified Gestalt Psychotherapist. Additionally, Maria has trained in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Emotion-focused Therapy.

Maria is co-director of Hoffman International and co-director of the Hoffman Institute in Spain. She is also a Supervising Teacher of the Hoffman Process.

A founding member of Bodhi Salud, a health and meditation retreat in Valencia, Spain, Maria is in private practice both in-person and virtually. As part of her spiritual path, Maria has studied extensively with renowned Buddhist meditation masters for more than 20 years in Europe, North America, and India, She has a personal daily practice on that path.

Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Lama: Lama is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru.

Maraṇasati: Contemplating Death as a Buddhist practice

Beloved Hoffman teacher, Barbara Comstock, has been teaching the Hoffman Process for 34 years. Teaching an average of ten Processes per year means Barbara has taught well over 300 Processes. Two and a half years ago, Barbara’s husband, Jimmy, died, just three months after his diagnosis. Her journey has been rough. And yet, as you’ll hear in this conversation, Barbara’s depth of presence and ability to let go into life continue to support her through this journey of both life and death.

Barbara shares that “teaching the Hoffman Process is a practice of love.” Barbara shares what this practice is to her and how it guides her both personally and professionally.

As you’ll hear at the end, Drew and Barbara will meet up again for part two of this conversation. Watch for it in Season Four. If you have any questions you’d like Drew to ask Barbara when they next sit down together to record, let us know at [email protected]!

Barbara holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies, an M.S. in Textile Arts, and an MFA in Sculpture & Textiles. She is a Hoffman teacher and supervisor, a life coach, an art teacher, an author, and a dancer.

Barbara believes, “The act of teaching the Process is a practice of love and presence. I love working with individuals in this environment. Human beings are fascinating and I am lucky to be able to support individuals to grow, to know themselves, and forgive and love themselves.”

When Barbara did the Process, she found radical self-acceptance and acceptance of life and others. “I like myself and I can acknowledge mistakes (sometimes).”

Barbara lives in Ashland, Oregon.

Barbara’s Sister and fellow Hoffman teacher, Kani Comstock.

City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center

Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act

Self-compassion break (from Kristin Neff):

Through her company, LSTN, Bridget Hilton has helped over 50,000 people hear for the first time! Listen in to hear how following what you naturally love can serve the world in amazing ways.

In this illuminating episode, Bridget and Liz converse about the power of listening, the dance between music and Spirit, and healing the pain of the past through the Hoffman Process.

From childhood, two things have captivated Bridget Hilton: music and the idea of starting her own company. Amazingly, these two things have guided her life of social entrepreneurship.

Music is central to Bridget’s experience in many ways. One of her pivotal moments at the Process was during the exercise where the song, In the Living Years, is played. In hearing those lyrics, everything broke open for Bridget.

Bridget Hilton is a social entrepreneur who creates purpose-driven brands. In 2012, she started LSTN as the world’s first social-good electronics company. Since its inception, LSTN has sold millions of eco-friendly headphones and speakers. Through their partnership with Starkey Hearing Foundation, LSTN has helped over 50,000 people hear for the first time. Working on the ground in places such as Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Peru, Sri Lanka, Mexico, China, Indonesia, and the U.S. Access to hearing aids has improved the lives of these individuals, their families, and communities. This, in turn, has since created a positive ripple effect with millions of people around the world.

Bridget is the author of Experiential Billionaire: Build a Life Rich in Experiences and Die With No Regrets. She has received both Forbes and Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30 awards. Bridget has been interviewed on the Today Show, Good Morning America, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and more. She sits on advisory boards at UCLA and UCSB.

Bridget grew up in Flint, MI. She now lives in Malibu, CA, and is an avid reader, home chef, and adventure junkie. Bridget and a Goldendoodle named Taco are best friends.

You can find out more about Bridget here and on Instagram.

Hoffman Essentials:

Conscious Capitalism:

Social Enterprise:

Andy Tennant, screenwriter, actor, and film and television director, experienced a profound rebirth during his week at the Hoffman Process. Listen in as Andy speaks with Drew about his Process and working in Hollywood as a director and writer.

Everyone who does the Process works with their relationship with their parents. From the start of his Process, it was clear that a part of Andy’s Process would also be to work with his relationship with his sister.

Andy calls his week at the Process “revelatory.” He shares with us the power of the expressive, cathartic work of the Process. For Andy, the opportunity to express what had long been stored in his body was a great gift. He felt so much relief from releasing the grief, shame, anger, and more. Andy was able to forgive his father – something he never thought he would be able to do.

Andy offers that the Process is like “going back into the womb.” He shares that his healing wasn’t like a lightning bolt but rather more like a soufflé in its lightness. As Andy talks about his life post-Process, he says he is more open to embracing his mortality and feels lucky and lighter.

A native of Chicago, Andy studied theatre at USC. His first job in the business was as a dancer named Artie in the blockbuster musical, “Grease.” He followed that by directing hit television shows, “The Wonder Years” and “Sliders.”

Andy has directed some of the most successful romantic comedies of all time. These include “Hitch,” starring Will Smith and Kevin James; “Sweet Home Alabama,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas. Prior to that, he co-wrote and directed the romantic fable “Ever After,” with Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston. He then directed the epic drama “Anna and the King,” starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat.

Andy’s last two action comedies, “Fool’s Gold,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, which he co-wrote, and “The Bounty Hunter,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, brought his total worldwide box office to over a billion dollars. His latest feature, ‘The Secret,’ based on Rhonda Byrne’s international best-seller, starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas, began streaming on Amazon Prime in July 2020. For the last three years, Tennant has been directing and producing Chuck Lorre’s hit Netflix comedy, ‘The Kominsky Method,’ starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin.

Andy lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children, three of whom are triplets.

The Uses of Enchantment: Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, by Bruno Bettelheim

Preston Sturges: American playwright, screenwriter, and film director who wrote Sullivan’s Travels and other Great Depression Comedies.

Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey

The Berlin Film Festival & Hitch

Daily Gratitude and Appreciation Practice at 6:00 pm PT on Instagram

The death of Andy’s friend, Bob Saget

Jess Rona, dog groomer extraordinaire, star of Haute Dog on HBOMax, comedienne, and new Process graduate talks with Drew about self-compassion, vindictiveness toward self, and something Jess calls the Hoffman Flip. When Jess first came to the Process, she heard only whispers from her Spiritual Self. Now, her Dark Side is only a whisper while her Spiritual Self guides her life. Jess calls this flip between the Spiritual Self and the Dark Side, The Hoffman Flip.

One of the most valuable things Jess took away from the Process is her ability to be compassionate with herself. Jess shares with Drew how she softened into her own humanity. When she came to understand where her patterns came from, she realized that of course, she’s like this. This realization opened the door even wider to deep self-compassion.

Enjoy this vulnerable, engaging, and funny conversation with Drew and Jess.

Jess Rona is the most influential dog groomer today. She’s built a devoted following on social media with her signature musical slow-mo blowout videos and impressive celebrity pet clientele.

A skilled groomer, content creator, and comedian Jess has created a multi-dimensional grooming empire. After releasing her digital grooming courses, she has solidified her position as a leader and expert in the grooming industry.

Jess is the executive producer and star of the most adorable competition series of all time: Haute Dog on HBOMax inspired by her life and brand. When she’s not creating poodle content you, can find her at her unique flagship brick-and-mortar in Larchmont Village in Los Angeles. Or you might find her snuggling with her husband, actor Eric Edelstein, and their rescue mutts, Meemu and Chupie. 

You’ll find more about Jess and her products and services here and on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

Kristen Neff:

Listen to Kristen Neff on the Hoffman Podcast.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor & 90 seconds:

Listen to Dr. Taylor on the Hoffman Podcast.

Awareness Hell:

Right Road, Left Road & the awkward feeling of your new path:

Be. Do. Have.:

Well, that messaging is a pattern.  And it’s not the truth.

We have to put BE first and focus and feed our being. We need to engage in the tools and practices that support our being. When we are not in our patterns and are more connected to our Spiritual Selves with an integrated Quadrinity, the action of DO comes much more naturally and authentically. Doing from a grounded place of being will yield far better results. Then, as a final step, the HAVE – the intimate partnership, the house, the community, the job – will fall into place naturally through the first two steps.  BE DO HAVE is the way to go!