Ward Ashman and Raz Ingrasci are our guests today. In this conversation with Drew, they share a little history and some deep understanding of these two living traditions – 
the Hoffman Process and the Enneagram. The Hoffman Process and the Enneagram share a common root.
Together, Ward and Raz explore the nature of transformational work through both the Hoffman Process and the Enneagram. Ward shares with us the work he does with the Nine Doors of the Enneagram in corporate settings. He sees the nine Enneagram points as doors rather than types. Through this new understanding, Ward has guided many in the corporate world to a greater understanding of themselves, those they love, and those they work with.
Raz tells the story of how the Hoffman Process came to be with the support of Claudio Naranjo. Naranjo was one of the early pioneers of the Enneagram in the United States. Claudio also worked with Bob Hoffman to refashion the early Process done with individuals into the group setting that it is today.
As the founder of Trimergence LLC, a San Francisco Bay Area consulting firm, Ward leverages a lifetime of broad, deep, and unusual life experiences. Ward invented and patented the Trimergence® Turbo Evolution Platform which combines a tightly coordinated matrix of self-awareness and interpersonal tools to address all aspects of human relationships. Trimergence enables leaders, teams, and entire organizations to build collaborative, innovative, creative partnerships based on the required bedrock of mutually evolving trust. The hallmark of the Trimergence system is to enable people to develop sophisticated, precise, and in-depth awareness of themselves and others as a required navigational map to fulfill maximum interpersonal effectiveness and collaboration.
Ward finished college, majoring in psychology at the University of Colorado – Boulder, in the late ’60s. Inspired by the intrinsic spirit of cross-cultural adventure and seeking his life purpose, he traveled much of the world for six years. As a result, he had a wide variety of life experiences ranging from performing as a rock star in Prophecy, a band well-known throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia, to being a yogic monk in India.
Once home, Ward pursued his love of psychology, completing a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling at the University of Santa Clara in 1978. He immediately launched his Ph.D. studies in Clinical Psychology at Temple University, graduating in 1983. His internship at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center at the University of Pennsylvania gave him an extraordinary background in family systems theory and therapy. These serve as the fundamentals of his work in business and organizations.
Ward is a member of the Hoffman Institute’s Advisory Council. He has three children and is married to his wife Diane. Ward loves living in Mountain View, CA, the epicenter of Silicon Valley.
Raz is a UC Berkeley graduate. He’s been an executive, consultant, and facilitator within the “Human Potential Movement” since 1972. He founded the Hoffman Institute Foundation in 1998. Raz is also a Hoffman teacher and Chairman of Hoffman International.
Raz’s passion for teaching the Hoffman Process is both professional and personal. The Process brings him into the depths of human experience where he learns at least as much as he teaches.
Raz took the Process in July of 1989. From that experience, he had three major takeaways: “I knew my marriage would last; I could be a great dad to my young children; and that I’d found work worthy of devoting my life.” Raz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Liza.
Listen to a solo conversation with Raz on the podcast.
The Enneagram:
Merriam-Webster defines the Enneagram as a system of classifying personality types. This system is based on a nine-pointed starlike figure inscribed within a circle. Each of the nine points represents a personality type and its psychological motivations influencing a person’s emotions, attitudes, and behavior.
Ward’s Nine Doors Enneagram work sees the nine points as powerful doors into understanding and transformation rather than static types.