Melda Sherman: Hi Chad Lund Hoffman. I know you have a long and interesting career in business and are also a writer, but can you tell me about your early life?
CHAD LUND HOFFMAN: Yes, thank you. I was born in Minnesota. My father was an insurance executive; my mother was a Northwest Orient Airlines stewardess and a spokesperson and model for Stetson hats. It’s funny how styles change, but men’s hats were in fashion at the time. My father moved us to a small town and joined my uncle’s family business there. He later founded Associated Risk Managers/ARM International. He was a brilliant businessman with a good eye for art, like my mother. Growing up in a small Midwestern town in the ’50s and ’60s was a unique experience, to say the least. Oddly enough, it was the hometown of actor James Dean. The town held a James Dean festival every year. There were lots of modified cars, turn-up collars, and ducktail haircuts. The days when we rode our bikes for miles and rode them everywhere, we wanted, and all we had to do was be home when the street lights came on, are poignant memories that I still cherish. My life changed dramatically when I was sent to a boarding school in the northern part of the state at the age of 14. Although I excelled academically and athletically, I was probably not the right fit because I was a bit of a rebel and opposed to authority. I remember my favorite classroom experience being an art appreciation class that laid the groundwork for my lifelong love of the arts. After graduation, the fun began in earnest. I feel like I became friends with a beautiful Italian girl who was a piano performance major at Juilliard. Although the marriage did not last long, we soon had a beautiful daughter who is now working in law at a large international bank. We also had a son who became a star football player a few years later. Sadly, he died of CTE, a brain condition caused by repeated blows to the brain. It was and still is a huge blow to our family. The wound is still fresh, as it was years ago. The loss of a child is a life-changing experience. I met my current wife on a business trip to Bogota, Colombia. Besides having a beautiful bride, I also had another beautiful daughter who lives in the Netherlands with her 3 children. In total, I have 6 grandchildren that I love very much.
Melda Sherman: Can you tell us something about your career and travels?
CHAD LUND HOFFMAN: I graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, and did graduate work in law and business. But my college days weren’t exactly picture-perfect because I had to juggle finding a way to study successfully while changing diapers and putting bread on the table at the same time. My first job experience was in heavy industry, where I had some early short-term success, but I can say that it didn’t really match my creative nature and adaptability. I was hired by a company called United Research, which later became the giants Gemini Sogeti and Cap Gemini Ernst and Young, while also acquiring the venerable Harvard Center for Management Analysis/The MAC Group. I worked there for two terms and was assigned to locations in the US, Europe, and Asia. It was a wonderful experience working with some of the brightest and most creative minds in business, including our founder and world-renowned supporter of the arts, David Geiger. David put the best people in the best business culture and let the results take care of themselves. We were instrumental in developing Change Management Theory, Business Operations Management, and Business Transformation/Re-engineering methodology. It was a very exciting time with travels around the world. I then had the opportunity to give back by advocating for long-term offenders trying to re-enter the job market. It was a very rewarding experience that taught me profound lessons in humility, empathy, and reaching out to others.
Melda Sherman: I heard you wrote a book. Could you tell us a little about it?
CHAD LUND HOFFMAN: Yes, it’s a book of poetry, Bouquet de Estrellas, which should be out early in the new year. I guess you could say that this book of poetry represents a complete metamorphosis from my staid work background, but the truth is that my love of art and the art of the written word had been growing inside me all this time. It was a cathartic experience to write it and to let some sunlight shine on this other, long-neglected side of my personality.
Melda Sherman: Interesting!! How would you define poetry and the mind of a poet?
CHAD LUND HOFFMAN: As the rhythm of the wind sweeps through the trees deep in the forest, beautiful underlying patterns emerge, and the beautiful melodies that correspond whisper profound truths about our existence and our circumstances. This is the creation of poetry, where the rhythm and insight of the spoken word lead us to newfound gardens of self-reflection and inner knowing. A poet’s heart is a turbulent place where hope, loss, longing, and wonder create a realm of both vivid dreams and lonely regrets. A journey of discovery where the hidden face of the object of our inquiry catches glimpses, yet remains undiscovered. It is human nature to wonder and ask why when the answer will forever remain unrevealed, and the lonely journey to the answer is self-inflicted. Wherever you find yourself on your journey, let the simple wonder of it all be your destination; and let what you seek remain nameless, for to define it is to negate it and to limit the limitless.
Melda Sherman: Many people want to travel or move to different countries, what advice can you give them?
CHAD LUND HOFFMAN: Yes, travel can certainly expand your mental parameters and personal growth, but beyond the obvious physical and material differences, the human experience is pretty much the same for all of us. Before you move to any place you can think of, it’s important to understand exactly what you’re trying to change and what you need to change personally to achieve your desired goals. You bring your issues and problems with you, and while other places may offer greater opportunities, your basic perspective will remain the same unless you change it. The outside world has its effects but must be inside to manifest outside.
Melda Sherman: What did you learn from life?
CHAD LUND HOFFMAN: Most importantly, we are all the same, and our life source flows from a single source. True existence is in the abstract within our souls, where kindness, compassion, and empathy give life to this reality. Thoughts are things, and our minds must be carefully managed and directed toward the right goals and aspirations. We live in a fascinating age of enlightenment, where advances in art, quantum science, spirituality, and technology are showing us the way to a better world for all. I hope we make the right turn at that crossroads.
Melda Sherman: Thank you very much.
Melda Sherman
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