Podcast Summary: Excellent Executive Coaching – Episode 403

Title: How the Mind/Body Connection Can Solve the Problems Therapy Couldn't, with Brian Alman
Host: Dr. Katrina Burrus, PhD, MCC
Guest: Dr. Brian Alman
Release Date: October 14, 2025

Overview

In this insightful episode, Dr. Katrina Burrus interviews Dr. Brian Alman, an international expert in mind-body healing and co-developer of the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Treatment Solution. The discussion centers on how unresolved early life traumas influence adult well-being, the limitations of conventional therapy, and how embracing the mind/body connection through purposeful meditation, acceptance, and self-dialogue can foster healing where traditional methods may fall short. The conversation blends science, practical strategies, and heartfelt stories for executive coaches, leaders, and anyone interested in deep, transformational self-care.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma (00:05 – 05:13)

• Trauma from birth to age 18 often remains unconscious yet profoundly shapes adult life—including physical pain, emotional challenges, and workplace behavior.
• Dr. Alman introduces the ACE Assessment (Adverse Childhood Experiences), a 10-question screening tool now used in over 100 countries, developed by Dr. Felitti (Alman’s collaborator).
• Quote:

  "Time does not heal all wounds and you're just an older version of yourself, like rings of the tree. You still have that 6 year old in you and that 12 year old in you. And those things have to be healed and resolved for health and happiness, for success."
  — Brian Alman (04:10)

2. Personal Illustrations of ACEs and Workplace Consequences (05:14 – 10:56)

• Alman and Felitti share their own ACEs:
  • Alman: Born with part of his back missing, leading to chronic pain affecting confidence and participation.
  • Felitti: Experienced parental neglect, which manifested as introversion.
• Such early experiences can shape adult behaviors in leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal relationships.

3. Breaking the Cycle—Dr. Alman’s Healing Journey (10:56 – 15:30)

• Alman explores every conventional avenue—surgery, physical therapy, medication—for his chronic pain but finds real progress in the work of Dr. Milton Erickson, a pioneer in mind-body healing.
• Inspired, Alman pursues a PhD in Psychology and trains intensively with Erickson.
• Quote:

  "It's not just meditating, it's meditating with a specific purpose. For me, it was pain control. But as I wrote in the book, it's for sleep, it's for confidence, it's for basically everything from sports to parenting."
  — Brian Alman (13:19)

• He authors Self Hypnosis, gaining international recognition and collaborating with Dr. Felitti on ACE treatment.

4. Practical Strategies: Meditation with a Purpose & Self-Acceptance (15:30 – 25:11)

• Meditate with your pain — not to escape, but to accept and dialogue with it.
• True healing comes from unconditional acceptance, not judgment or attempts to force pain away.
• Notable Exchange:
  • "If you're meditating and focus with the pain... don't you expand it?"
    — Dr. Katrina (16:51)
  • "Paradoxically, counterintuitively, it will do the exact opposite. It will relax, it will lessen. It may even completely disappear. Because what most people do... is they're very busy judging their pain... That's what increases the pain."
    — Brian Alman (17:08)
• Technique Sequence:
  1. Awareness of pain.
  2. Acceptance—unconditional, not negative or critical.
  3. Dialogue—"What can I do to show you I love you? I'm sorry if I've been ignoring you. If there's anything you're trying to tell me, I'm totally open right now." (25:16)
  4. Practiced, supportive listening opens “the most powerful pharmacy in the world”—your own mind (21:20).

5. Root Cause Coaching for Executives (26:37 – 31:08)

• Executive stress is rarely limited to current workload; it often traces back to unresolved early experiences, especially around money, acceptance, or safety.
• Alman uses a metaphor: If you only trim the top of a weed (behavior), it grows back. True change requires pulling up the root—addressing historical emotional issues.
• He observes that many high-functioning leaders outwardly succeed, yet inwardly struggle due to unprocessed childhood drivers.

6. High IQ, Low EQ: Family Patterns (31:08 – 33:31)

• Leaders with high intelligence but poor emotional skills often reflect their family dynamics—absent, critical, or emotionally distant parents.
• “Our best qualities come from our families and our most difficult qualities come from our families.” (32:50)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the need for unconditional self-acceptance:

  "Judgment really squelches creativity and intuition. Acceptance expands. It opens it up. So it's the opposite of what most people think and what most people do."
  — Brian Alman (21:50)

• On the conversation with pain:

  "It's not two monologues where you're telling the pain what it should do... You actually have to have a dialogue with the pain, an actual conversation.”
  — Brian Alman (22:41)

• On the root of low EQ in high IQ leaders:

  "The answer to your question is family. That's where it comes from."
  — Brian Alman (33:17)

• On why inner work precedes outer change:

  "First things happen on the inside, then they happen on the outside."
  — Brian Alman (35:54)

Actionable Takeaways & Tools (15:30 – 35:12)

• Toolset for Listeners: Alman offers two free resources via Instagram (@DrAlman, mention “Excellent Executive Coaching”)—a toolbox of practical techniques and a deep dive guide to resolving root issues (34:33).
• Expected outcomes:
  • More confidence
  • Greater self-reliance
  • Skills for handling difficult people/situations
  • Practical science-backed tools for mental, emotional, and business resilience (35:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & ACE Overview: 00:05 – 05:13
• ACEs in the Workplace: 05:14 – 10:56
• Personal Healing Journey: 10:56 – 15:30
• How-to: Meditation with a Purpose: 15:30 – 18:30
• Acceptance and Inner Dialogue: 18:30 – 25:11
• Advice for Executive Stress: 26:37 – 31:08
• High IQ / Low EQ Origins: 31:08 – 33:31
• Free Tools & Outcomes: 33:33 – 35:58

Conclusion

This episode offers a science-grounded, yet deeply compassionate roadmap for executive coaches and leaders to move beyond surface-level problem-solving into true transformation. Dr. Alman’s approach—blending assessment, mindfulness, and radical self-acceptance—invites listeners to "pull the weed out at the root," fostering lasting change in professional and personal realms.

Resources

• Instagram: @DrAlman (reference “Excellent Executive Coaching” for the free gifts)
• Book: Self Hypnosis by Dr. Brian Alman
• Host Site: Excellent Executive Coaching

Summary by [Your AI Podcast Summarizer]