“Teachers, we have to be a lot like a tree. Here are all these great branches, which is what you see first, and you see all the leaves, but really we need to be that trunk. …We don’t have to be the show. We’re not in front, but we are pretty solid. When the wind blows, we’re not going anywhere.” – Crystal Jenkins
Hoffman teacher and Director of Teacher Training, Crystal Jenkins, shares her Hoffman Process story and discusses teaching the Process and training Hoffman teachers.
Crystal completed her Process at Sequoia Retreat Center in Ben Lomond, CA. She was in a new relationship with someone who had completed her own Process and had just ended a prior relationship. This new partner invited Crystal to attend the Process, hoping they could begin on “the right road.” Crystal enthusiastically registered.
Before the Process, Crystal’s life was “moving along the predetermined line it was always supposed to.” After her Process, she realized she had been “pretty flat-lined in her life.” When she returned home, she thought about teaching the Process. Instead, she stayed in the Hoffman world by leading the Kansas City Hoffman Graduate Group. Just shy of ten years later, Crystal began her Hoffman journey as a teacher.
When Crystal speaks about teaching the Process, the phrase “how the Process lives inside of you” comes up often. As a grad, “How is the Process living inside me?” is a powerful inquiry. As a Hoffman teacher, the inquiry gains added importance because teachers must be able to sense how it lives inside their students as they move through the Process week.
In this conversation, Crystal offers deep insights into what it takes to teach the Process and who might make a great teacher. Beyond standard qualifications, Crystal shares the Qualities of Being and lived experiences it takes to teach the Process.
Listen in for more about Crystal’s Process story and Hoffman Teacher Training. We hope you enjoy this inspiring and educational conversation with Crystal and Sadie.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 39:09 — 89.6MB)
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Crystal Jenkins joined the Hoffman Institute in 2008. She began as a teacher and coach and became Director of Teacher Training in 2016. She oversees the development, mentoring, and certification of future Hoffman Process teachers.
Crystal’s background in education, behavioral science, and professional clinical counseling brings decades of experience supporting individuals in personal growth and transformation. A former college and lifelong athlete, sports shaped her understanding of human behavior, teamwork, coaching, and the importance of individual growth within a group. These continue to influence her approach to developing and supporting teachers. Crystal earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Emporia State University and a Master’s degree in Behavioral Science. Since 2001, she’s maintained a private counseling practice.
Crystal is deeply committed to the Hoffman Process. She believes becoming an effective teacher is about more than learning the material or mastering the techniques. It requires an ongoing relationship with the work and a willingness to continue exploring, discovering, and growing. She sees the Hoffman Process as a way of living, not something that ends when the week is over or when certification is complete. The work continues to unfold as we deepen our relationship with ourselves, stay curious about what we still have to discover, and recognize that we are always growing and changing. This philosophy is central to how she approaches teacher development and supports those who carry the work forward.
Outside of Hoffman, Crystal enjoys spending time with friends at the lake, traveling whenever she can, and making an annual trip to Maui or Kauai. She is an avid sports fan. She stays active through pickleball, biking, water skiing, and wakeboarding. Crystal continues to embrace the challenge of learning, trying new things, and making the most of life.
Liza and Raz Ingrasci founded the Hoffman Institute Foundation in the 1990’s.
Sonia Choquette
• Watch and listen to Sonia on the Hoffman Podcast: An Experience of Myself Unlike I’ve Ever Had
Michelle Robin, Crystal’s partner.
• Listen to Michelle on the Hoffman Podcast: A Vision of Well-Being.
Crystal on the “It Has To Be Me” Podcast with Tess
Hoffman Graduate Q2 Intensive
Hoffman Relationship Intensive
Qualities of Being or Essence:
When operating from your Essence rather than childhood patterns, natural qualities arise such as:
Listen to our co-founder, Raz Ingrasci, on the Oprah Podcast. He speaks about these qualities of Being at the 18:30 mark of the episode.
The Cycle of Transformation:
Awareness: Recognizing and identifying unconscious negative patterns, moods, attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors inherited or developed in childhood.
Expression: Safely and fully releasing the pent-up emotional charge, grief, anger, or pain tied to those old patterns rather than suppressing them.
Compassion and Forgiveness: Developing deep empathy and understanding for oneself and key figures (like parents or caregivers) to dissolve judgment, shame, and resentment.
New Ways of Being (New Behavior): Choosing and anchoring conscious, authentic responses aligned with your spiritual or true self rather than old survival.
Watch retired Hoffman teacher, Hilary Illick, explain the Cycle of Transformation:
The QuadCheck (Quadrinity Check-in):
• A Hoffman tool done daily to check in with all four parts of the Quadrinity: the intellect, the emotional self, the body, and the Spiritual Self.
• Join our virtual community Quad-Check at 8:00 am PT on Instagram. The Quad Check practice supports you in integrating and honoring your Quadrinity: Spiritual Self, Intellect, Emotional Self, and Body.