The Hoffman Podcast S12e3: Nicole Olivier – Honoring Lineage & Reclaiming Courage
“Trust in your inner knowing. Absolutely. And know that your angels do have your back.” – Nicole Olivier
Screenwriter and Hoffman Process graduate Nicole Olivier has a profound ancestral history. As a daughter of families active in France and Norway’s WWII Resistance, she grew up hearing family stories of moral courage and being of service. Nicole has woven these ancestral stories into her life’s work and art.
Nicole is mindful of her ancestral patterns and epigenetics; how trauma was passed down and lives inside of her. During her childhood, she witnessed what was going on and attuned to the power dynamics playing out amid her parents’ divorce. As we all do, she developed patterns to get her through these early years. What’s beautiful about Nicole’s story is how she has worked and studied to understand the origins of those dynamics. The Hoffman Process, understanding somatics, and knowing the lineage of ancestral history supported her in releasing the power of those patterns. Transforming them and realizing they are not who she is supported a deeper capacity to witness and honor her ancestors’ profound courage and strength.
Through her dedicated drive to understand how the unconscious is shaped in our early years and foster tools to cultivate compassion, Nicole now brings her wisdom more fully to the current focus of her art, screenwriting. Most recently, Nicole attended the Hoffman Q2 after the loss of her mother. Caring for her mother after a stroke until her peaceful passing was a deep act of service for Nicole. Now an ancestor, her mother is inspiring Nicole’s next screenplay. Her wish is to honor her mother and her mother’s life.
Photo credit: Jonathan Condit
Content warning:
We hope you find this conversation with Nicole and Sadie insightful and inspiring. Please be aware that this episode mentions and includes stories of genocide, World War II, and the devastating events of these times. It describes the experience of a young child participating in France’s WWII Resistance. Please use your discretion.
More about Nicole Olivier:
Fascinated by human behavior and how the subconscious is shaped in formative years, Nicole Olivier majored in psychology at Mills College, studied at the Sorbonne, spoke about maintaining morale at the Western Psychology Association’s Convention, and participated in Stanford University’s inaugural Compassion Cultivation program.
After a brief but award-winning career as an advertising copywriter in Manhattan and San Francisco, inspired by childhood influences from international cinema to sitcoms, Nicole wrote her first feature script in seven days – a spontaneous creative outpouring that launched her screenwriting path. She then reached the second round of the Sundance Screenwriting Competition twice and was selected as one of twelve writers for the Olympic Valley Community of Writers Screenwriters Workshop. Her mentor there was the gracious, Oscar-nominated Tom Rickman, founding Creative Advisor of the Workshop and the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
The daughter of families active in France and Norway’s WWII Resistance, Nicole developed a keen sensitivity to power dynamics and hypervigilance amid shifts sparked by her parents’ divorce. She channeled insights into her screenwriting, weaving in Thomas Hübl‘s epigenetic work, Peter Levine‘s somatics, EMDR, and tapping.
Learning meditation in the early ’90s from spiritual mentor Jack Kornfield offered Nicole a model of benevolent leadership. In the film world, this was echoed by dear friend and mentor, Tom Luddy, founder of the Telluride Film Festival. Working alongside Christine Aylward, CEO of the former filmmakers’ forum, MakingOf, co-founded by Natalie Portman, underlined the importance of connecting with positive, values-based people.
Caring for her wise, vibrant mother after a stroke in San Francisco until her peaceful passing nearly four years later inspired Nicole’s next screenplay, honoring the life of this heroic, service-oriented dynamo.
Nicole welcomes new connections with creative allies and benefactors drawn to champion female filmmakers writing with levity about love, courage, and intergenerational healing.
Follow and connect with Nicole:
You can connect with Nicole on Facebook and LinkedIn, or by writing to her at writenicoleolivier {at} gmail {dot} com.
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As mentioned in this episode:
White Sulphur Springs, Hoffman retreat site, lost in the Glass fire.
“Your issues are in your tissues.”
Palo Alto, California
• Silicon Valley
• IBM (International Business Machines)
YouTube videos of fainting’ goats.
Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974
• Editorial Correction (13:40): Nicole Olivier intended to reference 1974.
Airline policy for unaccompanied minors
“Everything is either love or a call for love.” A Course in Miracles
Have recommended the Hoffman Process:
• Dave Richo, book: When the Past Is Present
• Pawan Bareja, PhD, Somatic Therapist
Expression:
Expression (also called cathartic work or bashing) in the Hoffman Process is about “claiming” our life. It’s about taking a stand. Sometimes that includes anger, but it can also be about joy, love, commitment, and empowerment.
The Hoffman Centering Practice