Welcome to the Hoffman podcast. It's season 5 This is the very first episode Sc braun is here. And in the conversation with him if reminded me of why we do this podcast in the first place. It's about people's stories and their time before the process during the process and after the process. Rather than in facts and in figures, we're actually hardwired for story. It's what we remember.
So in addition to doing the tools and practices part of how you can keep this work alive inside you is by listening to and witnessing other people sharing their story this podcast is a great opportunity to do that, and we're honored to have Scooter braun for episode 1. Welcome to Loves everyday radius podcast brought to you by the Hoffman Institute. My name is Drew Horn. And on this podcast, we catch up with graduates of the process.
And have a conversation with them about how their work in the process is informing their life outside of the us, how their spirit and how their love are living in the world around them, their everyday radius. Hello everybody welcome to the Hoffman podcast. My name is True Horn. And Sc braun is with us today. Sc has... Well, he's prolific in the entertainment, the innovation, the music, the film, tech.
He's the founder of Sb b projects, he's involved in so many different things, technology, culture, social good, scooter also manages Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, kid Laurie, Demi La So many things. That you are a part of your also an investor in Spotify Uber, dropbox lyft, pinterest weighs so many things. It is great to have you Scooter braun. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me. So tell us a little bit about who you are, your story? Yeah. Sure. I grew up in a really
nice suburb of New York. My group up in Costco, Connecticut. So my... So that I was able to go to Greenwich High school, which is a really amazing public school in Connecticut. My mom grew up in the Cat scale Mountains. My dad was an immigrant g in Queens from Hungry. His parents were holocaust survivors. My grandmother's was a survivor out my grandfather was a survivor of the docile camps. On my mom side, her dad died pretty suddenly when she was 11 and her mom.
Didn't have a... I think Barely had an high school education if at all. So I I would describe myself as the first person that grew up with privilege at my family. I grew up at a nice home. I didn't need for anything. I knew there was no trust fund. I knew there was no credit card. I wasn't, you know, a private school kid or anything like that, but I wasn't a kid who was struggling. I've surrounded by a lot of friends who were struggling, but I felt like I felt so privileged.
I felt guilty because of the the struggle that my parents and my grandparents had gone through. I I always felt like, why why did I not get their struggle at the level they did? And because of that, I think I didn't see my trauma, the trauma that I think is the human experience that all of us happen in different ways. And I never saw a need to do deep work.
Because I felt that my struggles pale in comparisons, build comparison to so many around me. 1 of my close friends is, you know, yeah had alcoholic and his family, another friend had drug abuse in his family, another... You know, the the friend didn't know his father, You know, the another friend had deep financial issues. So I always felt... Like, I was lucky because my parents were actively involved in our lives.
We had a nice home you know, I felt like I had this perfect childhood because I didn't wanna give any validity to the struggles and the hardships that I was going through and that I was inheriting from my parents. Were are wonderful people, but we're just that there were just people. Because of that guilt, I wanted to prove I could do something on my own. I wanted to make my own name. So I went to Atlanta to go play d 3 basketball. But used as an excuse just to get away.
The d 1 offers that I had, so I'd set the bench Was like, I'll go start down here. But I had no intention of playing. I I don't know if Honestly I don't if I had any attention to finish finishing college. And I went down to Atlanta, and I went by scooter. Truly, you're at 18 years old is the first time I went by scooter full time. Before that, throughout my entire childhood that I'd
called it Scott. And Scooter was a small nickname that came about in kind of middle school high school, but only very few close friends called me that. I was Scott to everyone. And it wasn't until I got to Hoffman years later at 39 years old, Did I understand why I created scooter. But I went to Atlanta, and I created this persona, and I became this you know, big college party promoter. I sold fixed Ids. I got hired by this guy german main new prius. Social deaf when I was 20
years old. I became be youngest vice president in music. I ran his company with him and the team there for 3 4 years. And then I had all these ideas of starting my own, and I long story I left and I started what is now Sv projects in It Holdings, and now we sold that company to a company called Hive, involved in funds. All these different things and my life has dramatically changed. That, you know, now, my partner and I
bang. We run a I think 11000000000 dollar market cap company together, and that started with 1400 dollars from a summer job. And along the way I met an amazing person who I started a family with. I have 3 children, and the journey of that relationship is what broke me open and help me red discover Scott and help me find Hoffman. And it's it's nice that you're calling me scooter on this. But I will tell you as we get into a deeper. I'd actually much rather for
this podcast. And as you know, I'd prefer for you to call me Scott. When I graduated Hoffman, they call you by your name at the end, that you go in the world. So I was Scott the whole week, And then at the end of the process, I was scooter, and I remember C of my teacher where I love very much. He called up scooter bro. And I refused to get up. And he smiled me, and I get emotional
actually even been thinking about it now. And I said to him that name has been collecting every athlete of my entire life since I was 18 years old, and I understand now who created that name and who really has the power and it's that little kid Scott, and I reclaimed him at Hoffman, and I wouldn't get up until he called out Scott Wrong. And it... I I wanna be clear, Drew, You know this about me. I did not like my name Scott. Probably since I was 6 years old, 5 years old.
I always felt uncomfortable that I didn't feel like that shi in my name. It didn't feel like a Scott, and I went by Scooter, and I felt so much more comfortable being called scooter. The only people that called me Scott were my wife and my mother, really? And when I left top him, I loved my name Scott. And I I love it deeply. And so when you ask me tell me a little bit about yourself, I will tell you that, I understand my experience now I'm continuing to do the work, but I prefer if you
call me Scott for this interview. It's a reclaiming if you will, a a re owning of the name Scott. Yeah. I mean it's so funny that since doing Hoffman, and I've done all kinds of stuff, the last 2, 3 years as you know we become friends. You know, I've done Ayahuasca. I've done something called m. I've I've gone a Sedona and studied breath work But the most powerful impactful thing that really started
my journey. You know, I did some plant medicine kind of woke me up a little bit, but it wasn't cement that I was so lost. Often cemented its Hoffman gave me the tools, Hoffman gave me the awareness. And people now since then... I have so many people come up to me, friends mine. Who no me for my whole life and they're, like, I can't believe how different you are I can't believe how changed you are.
And that's why as you know, so many people since I've come back from Hoffman have gone to hoffman at my recommendation because they wanted to know what happened to me. And I always tell them I don't feel like I changed. I feel like I reclaimed myself. I feel more like me than I felt in 20 30 years. And I it's because I finally understood these things that happened to me the patterns they created, and I understood the strength of that little boy to create these tools, to protect himself.
The lies that I told myself to protect myself. And often and help me reclaim and understand that scooter wasn't the strong 1. Scott created scooter. And the real strength came from that little boy who was able to create something to protect himself. That's fantastic. I'm curious as to why do you think it is, you know, there are so many modalities of change. You mentioned some of the things you've done.
But what what do you think it is about Hoffman that some Well, I guess, specifically helped you reclaim Scott, and in general helps people change I think it works if you're willing to completely surrender and walk towards your resistance. I think if you're fighting it, you have to ask yourself why. And I remember it, I didn't... I was told for 4 years to go to hoffman by friends, but loved ones. And I was just like, I don't need this. I had a great childhood to. Why would I go
to this thing. I don't wanna change for and it wasn't until my world that I created started to break around me. This this, like, this world I created for scooter, this belief, this narrative that I created for myself that I felt like if I live this life, I will be okay. I will be protected, I will be happy. And then someone in my life had the courage to break that script. And at first, I was angry, and I was lost and I was confused. I didn't understand what was happening? Why would
this happen? You know, how could this happen? And I got to a very dark place. I don't think I've ever talked about this publicly, but, you know, I I got to a place of a suicidal thought. And I was it was October of 20 20 introductory. 20 minutes. I just thought, I don't wanna be here. And after those 20 minutes, I just said, oh my god, what was that? I? That isn't me. Like... Why... I need help here, and I called my friend Josh. And my friend, Penny called me after she
spoke to Josh. And the 2 of them said, you need to go do what we did You need to go to this place hoffman. And they put me on the phone with Liza, an amazing woman. And she said we... You know, we can get you in. When she told me the date that they could get me in, I started laughing thing because it was the release of Ariana Grande album, which was the biggest A release I had at my company that year, and a a client who's like, family to me who I I work with Hands on.
And I thought to myself I can't go, and I started to laugh, and I looked up the sky. And I said, okay. God. I get it. You know, I have this amazing life to the outside world. This amazing story. I told myself the but here I am miserable. Here Am wanting to end it, and you're giving me a choice to choose me and do the work or continue on this path, that I think is so beautiful, but it's ending in misery.
And I went to our on and I can't explained to her and she said that I'd had been there for her... At different times, you know, we had Manchester terrorist tech, all all these different things we've been there for each other, and she said, you know, if you need to go, I got your back. And we set up the whole campaign for out release. But as people know when you go to hoffman no phone and email. So when I went, I didn't know she was gonna get the number 1 hour, and knew we put
together a great plan. And she actually did, and we celebrated when I got back weeks later, but I went in there, and I surrendered, and I just said to you know, whatever these people tell me and we're so incredible about half is. You know, the first 2 today is tough. I'm not gonna go on into details, but Each day, I thought, oh, I'm I'm solving something I'm healing something. And each day, I thought, okay, we got this and then the next day, the process...
So perfect it would break me open a completely different way and show me I knew nothing. And I look back at my my workbook now, and I can't believe that day 2 is day 2 considering the vulnerability and the conversation that I had with C the tears that I shared with this man. In my second day of meeting him. It was 1 of those intimate conversations I ever had. And Hoffman got me to see my childhood for what it was which was not perfect.
I was raised by imperfect team beings who loved me unconditionally, but with conditions because they didn't know any better. Because that's what we do as people. You know, my parents did the absolute best job they could and they are amazing parents, but they also did what happened to them. And, like the background I told you, it was a tough upbringing. So they prepared me, especially for my my dad, He prepared me for a really tough world. In part, Scott,
because that's what he knew. Right? Exactly. No he grew up with 2 parents who were holocaust survivors telling him these stories. He grew up an immigrant kid in a tough neighborhood. I'm his oldest, you know, child. On I'm his first born son. You know, if the family named... If he doesn't have a son, the family named dies, because so many people died in Holocaust. Like, he raised me with what he knew in the best he possibly could, and he did a damn good job.
But a lot of things that happened to him and to me and to my grandfather were not okay. And when I got back, he and I went for a walk. And it was all love. I I started the conversation with dad. I love you, and and he loves me, and I said to him. I doubt. You love me so unconditionally that I see through your lies now. You made me think it was conditional, but it just wasn't It you did love me unconditionally. And we talked about certain things that, you know, aren't for a podcast.
And I told them him they weren't okay. And he looked at me said, but it worked. Look at the man you are, and I looked at him for the first time that little boy got to stand up, and I said so dad I'm great despite those things out because of them and so were you. Wow. Wait, Scott, I just wanna hold for there. That's a that's a powerful moment for that little Scott to stand up on behalf of himself and say, I'm great because of those moments not in spite of
those moments, it's a key distinction. Yeah. It's to be honest, 1 of my friends, From Hoffman said, who doesn't have children. He said to me, you will... You want your children to go do this? You want them to take a hard look at you and your parenting and everything else and each child's is gonna react differently. You could do the same thing to 2 different children, and they're gonna have completely different reactions to it. And I said to him.
Absolutely because I will thank my children for getting to the patterns that I didn't get to. Someone I'm working with now. They say, you know, the sins of the father, You know, all these generations, and, you know, that's the idea if you don't do the work, it lasts for, I think what it 7 generations? And Hoffman allows you to not have to wait 7 generations of trauma. Ra said, the trauma, the greatest trauma we have is that that we do not know because it
was never our own. You know, we inherit trauma. Hoffman helps you identify these things. It it works on these things. And, like you guys say, it doesn't heal you. It starts the process. I continue to do the work. That's why the following year I realized I'm like, Gary I'm relying so much on Hoffman. I'm gonna go and continue to do work each year, I'm gonna take them week off. No phone or email just like Off told me, and I'm gonna go study something else.
To help me continue to do some work because I realized it's understanding your childhood patterns, help set up all everything else then at 1 point, you gotta stop blaming the child at patterns and start dealing with your present and who you are. Hoffman allowed me to really understand me so I could step into the me now and do the work that I need to do today. Scott, what I'm really hearing from you is in a a timeline of healing modalities.
Hoffman can be a first step because it starts so early with childhood, and it sets as a foundation, and then from there you can do other work having healed that early childhood. Absolutely. I think it's an incredible foundation. And, you know, when I got back, you know, I said to someone, you know, regarding Hoffman about 3 months later. And you and I met afterwards, we did another program together. You know, this person I said, I've done the work, like I was kind of venting.
And this amazing human being looked to me and goes, we've never done the work. We're doing the work. And I think often does it's set that foundation Almost everyone I know who gone. Like I said, if you surrender, it's such an incredible process, and it does set that foundation. If you're willing to continue stepping into that resistance, for the rest of your life, it really really helps you. And I couldn't recommend it highly enough and what was interesting is, you know, I did the Jay S podcast.
And I did another podcast for Lewis louis Howe. And I... When I did J Podcast, I was very raw and barely at a hoffman. And when I came back from Hoffman, I dealt with a lot of things that were probably even darker than what I went in. But because of hoffman, I never got to any very close to that level of depression because I... It gave me this deep love in myself, and I continue to deal with dark and dark things, but because Of hoffman and I had a foundation.
I think that's a key point there of the problems don't go away. And in fact, what it does is set us up with self compassion and love of self to deal with the problems in a different way, Completely. I mean, look, let's be honest. Not only the prompts I go away. My experience, the prompts could get worse. You know, you could you could think. Oh, the problems are so bad going off and and then come back and life in the face even harder. But Hoffman gives you this foundation.
To deal with those waves to have tools to deal with those waves to have an understanding of self to never allow your story You know, I think the reason many of us at least my experience that we get to such a deep level of depression is because When our story is broken, the story we built to protect ourselves. When that is broken and we can't live within that story, we spiral out, We go to this dark place of depression because who am I without this story.
And what Often does it allows you to see that it was just a story that you can do this and that you are living a human experience and the story wasn't your fault. It was your strength. And I said to someone the other day, they were they were talking to me about a relationship. And they were really struggling, and it had been years. And I looked at them and I said, why don't you admit yourself that you love that person unconditionally.
Instead of being mad at yourself for loving them because they hurt you. You know, why why can't you look at it as what a beautiful thing about maybe? This is what Hoffman teaches you. You know, you get to learn about unconditional love, but we don't give ourselves that credit. It's a superpower. When someone hurts you, If you are in deep deep pain because that hurt, are you hurting because they hurt you or are they you hurting?
Because you love them so much and you're mad at yourself for allowing them to hurt you for taking away that idea of love, you're mad that you're in pain because you put expectations on that love, you made a transactional. It's... You could choose to say, which I'm now, you know, gotten to place of. Actually, I love unconditionally. I'm allowed to be upset. I'm allowed to be hurt. But I'm not going to let it put me into a depression, and I'm allowed to choose me.
I think I'm still in process for so many different things in my life and I always will be, Hoffman got me to understand that I will not let the story dictate my happiness, and I will not let my own expectations of what my life should be, dictate my happiness. And thanks to Hoffman and people like yourself. I was not a present person before Hoffman. I lived in the future because I was afraid of it. I had Holocaust Trauma in my family. There's things that happened to me
as a kid. I was so afraid of what was coming that I couldn't see what was right in front of me. So if it was breaking in the present, I couldn't even see it, I was too busy fixing something that hadn't even happened yet. And when I left Hoffman, You all helped me become a present person, and it also allowed me to have compassion for the people of my life before I
went in a hoffman. Because it must have been really hard to have me in their life to love someone who couldn't be with them in the now, I had to take that accountability about myself in my part in the vicious cycle. I'm proud that now I love being present. I love being part of the greatest precious present, and I don't even think I I was... I wasn't capable of that. You know, it is so interesting because people talk about the power of presence, but it... It's hard to get there. It's
hard to know what it is. It's hard to find the steps towards presence, and you've just done a fantastic job of of describing the power of presence, and what gets in the way of us having it. Was fear. I mean, I woke up every day of my life saying is this the day they're gonna come and take it away, and I even know who they were? I just heard so many stories of been happening, and I'd seen, you know, my fear and anxiety is a kid of what's coming around the corner, you
know, if I don't act right. If I mess up if I don't perform at the highest level. And out of respect for many people in my life, I'm not gonna talk specifics of my trauma, and that's a beautiful thing would often for those who are wondering if they should go. You don't have to talk about specifics. You can go into a room with 30 people and no 1 ever has to know the true nature of your trauma. Because this process allows you to work through it without having to put that on the table.
I think I just wanna highlight that key piece so many people fear that we're gonna put you up in front of the room and in front of everybody, name every single last trauma and let us all witness you sharing it out loud, and and that just doesn't happen. Absolutely not. No. It's... You can go in and never share 1 specific of your trauma in this process. But you will work through every bit of them, and you will have incredible bonds of people. And you won't decide you wanna share
and you don't wanna share. And there will be no pressure because it's actually not part of the process. You know, it's if the process gone in a way where you get to do your own work while sharing this intimacy with so many without exposing yourself unless you choose to wanna share. It really is really, really well done, And I think it's from perfect over 4 years, and you guys are still perfect protecting it. And it's it's just something that I'm so grateful for.
And like I said, part of that process is self forgiveness. And having empathy for others. You don't walk out and and say, at least my experience is I have not walked out and say, Oh, my god. They did this to me. Yeah. Things happen to me. I have empathy for them, but I also took a part in that process. Like I said, I wasn't a present person. You know, hard that must have been to love somebody. Who's always looking around the corner.
You're trying intimacy is about seeing into you and into me in that moment. I didn't know how to be intimate with anyone in my life I was so afraid I was building not protect me, I thought I was protecting them, but there was nothing coming. And if it was, I could have dealt with it later and I could use those skills in those moments. But I was I was broken in that
way. And when I left Hoffman, I was Scott again, and I was present, and I was that kid who loved being in the moment, and I got my life back in certain ways. And I stepped into a lot of hardships and really, really tough times, and I'm still, you know, there's days where I wake up in deep pain in there's days I wake up with deep joy, 1 of the books on of my friends recommended to me,
meditations, my marcus aurelius. You know, this this guy was an emperor, most powerful people in the world, and he said A fat, which is Latin for love of one's fate. And his belief was suffering and the joy you must love the same because everything in life is for you. And 1 of the beautiful things you guys talk about Hoffman is, like, Everything that happened to you in every moment don't, you know, look back with regrets because it all led you to this moment. It's perfect.
And you're here to do that work in that moment. So if someone's living listening to this podcast, and they're inspired to go at this moment, are they're saying, maybe it's too late and No. You're listening because you're exactly where you're supposed to be in this moment and if you make this choice, then it's the right choice for you. And if you're not ready, don't go. You know, if you're not ready to surrender yet, don't go because you're doing yourself a disservice.
Yeah. Scott, I I wanna ask about you're referring people to the process because you do it a bunch and we're grateful for it. But what I'm curious about is How are you having these conversations where people are being vulnerable enough to share their struggles that the hoffman process would come up in the first place. Is that part of your job or is that just what you're doing post process, just having raw conversations with people. How does that come about?
Look, I think part of my job was always being there for people in a american intimate way, but, like said it was a job, and then I was jumping the place to place, and I started to realize as much as I was being there for all these people, they didn't really know me because I was in there and intimacy, but I wasn't sharing my health. What's interesting is I actually don't ever go to people and say, hey, I wanna talk to, I think you need to go often. That's never happened.
I actually don't even bring it up in conversation of. My god. You know, you need you need Hoffman. Like, I I just don't... Because I don't believe that works. Like I just said, if someone is not ready. If they are not calling for it, I don't think the process is for that. But I can tell you as you know, probably, 20 of my friends have now gone unless
years if not more. And because of the Jay S podcast and Lewis House podcast, I'd probably get a letter a week or every other week from people doing the process all around the world. 2 And what I can tell you in response to your question is that people and I... Because I'm being very present, I'm there with them in that moment, and we're having intimate conversations and we're getting to the real stuff and I'm not having service conversations with people at this point in my life.
I'm being incredibly intimate because I'm intimate in that moment. That is ringing making people have comfortable to have those sentiment conversations. And 1 thing leads to another and so many times this sentence has come up. What did you do to get here? So many times people say, can I ask you what did you do to get to this point? And then I say, I've done a bunch of things. 1 of those would be often, and I always suggested is a foundation starting point.
People that say can you connect me or they'll hear about the change, and they wanna meet with me, and they wanna see if it's true. Poor eliza probably gets a text a week from me with me introducing someone who has a conversation media at level and says, please, can you connect me? Just yesterday I was with a friend, and she looked at me and she goes in Going in September. And my friend, my friend just got out of the process. I think hear aware of that and had a beautiful process.
Another friend just yesterday. She hit me and said, hey, or you wanna you back in town let's get together blah, blah, I see you when I love you. Do you know, if she was in a dark place and went about, I don't know, probably a year ago now. My friend Andrew went in a very dark moment in his life and came out and had the best woman in his life and is it drastically changed person or let me say reclaimed person. And then I get these beautiful letters, you know, from people that have done the
process because they've never let me. But they heard a podcast. And they heard got my experience and they signed up. My Oops got emotional functional. It's I just think so many of us and like I said, that isn't something that goes away with Often the experience it. All the time. We're just... We're heavily a human experience and where so many of us are in pain, and we're looking for answers, and we're looking for ways to not close that pain because we're embarrassed of it.
We're ashamed of it. We don't even know where it comes from. Bury it's so deep. So we don't ever have to face it, and you just get to a point in your life or you're tired of it, and you just want some answers and you want some understanding and you want some clarity. When I got to that point, I went to Hoffman and I'm seeing so many others get to that point doing the scene. You know, there's a lot of similarities between Hoffman and Stoic Philosophy.
And, you know, it's this idea and so a philosophy you that you can't change the outside world and you could change and wing. I think. And Hoffman, I think is is a modern way of that. We'll make sure to put that in the show notes about stoic philosophy. I know it's got some really valuable related teachings. Absolutely. And, yeah. It's You know, it's also... There's there's towel teachings that are very similar in Tau, 1 of my favorite quotes from that from that great engagement agent book.
Is what is a good man, but a bad man's teacher. What is a bad man, but a good man's job. And, you know, I I'll repeat it so people can understand what is a good man but a bad anesthesia, How often can you claim to be good. And let's you're gonna eat for someone who isn't? Because all of us, what is a batman, but a good man's job It's what you guys teach us at often. None of us are actually bad. We're just doing what we were taught or we were told.
We're just experiencing each other in different ways. Like I said, often an amazing foundation to to go on to this work. You get to a place of self love, which is what we're all working on. You know? And like I said, what people are like, oh, you know, they're without leaving the change. What is that true I mean youth? That need for validation that need for transactional love. And that's why you gotta continue going into that process of you know, I'm love where they are because I love myself.
The real power of self compassion of love for self. It's... It's an easy sentence to say and a challenging practice to embody. You know, I don't know if about this to you. I don't even know where I got this line from Someone said it's saying I've never forgot. Rejection is god's protection. Rejection is god's protection. This Yep. And it's this idea that, like, when we think someone's pushing us away or we think well, I don't they understand Arc. How could they do this to me?
Later on in life, like I said with a more fat team, which is, you know, the suffering and the joy I have to love them the same are all for you. Rejection does god's protection. Sometimes in that moment, it feels the worst, it feels like rejection. But if you keep living life and you keep moving forward, you're gonna find out that it was actually for you.
Beautiful. Scott I'm so grateful for this conversation on a Saturday morning, What's it like to as you just share all of this in your memories of Hoffman, what do you notice? I'm a very different person because I like the foundation of me. Before when I went to often, I love the creation me. Hoffman and made me love. The person that created that creation. I'm sure you have because he brought lot, drew. You you run down t sold by
michael singer. You know, this idea that this voice in head that's going all the time for there to be a voice that you hear there has to be a listener. And the voice is our human experience, but the listeners our soul. Our essence. And I was loving the voice, letting the voice lead. I lost sight of this soul. The actual listener. What really was my assets. And often gave that back to me.
Scott Braun, a aka a scooter, I'm grateful for this conversation and the chance to connect with the reclaimed Scott and all that he is now foundational showing up rather than creating. It's beautiful. Thank you. Appreciate all of you done all the things helping to teachers like Cha done for me and license. Thank you for listening to our podcast. My name is Liza and Rossi. I'm the Ceo and President of Hoffman Institute Foundation. And I'm Asking G, often teacher and founder of the Hop institute
foundation. Our mission is to provide people greater access. To the wisdom and power of love. In themselves in each other and in the world. To find out more, please go to Hop institute. Dot org.