Understanding Trauma and Healing From the Lens of Homeboy with Frank Anderson, MD
Description
Dr. Frank Anderson shares the science of healing and how it connects to the Homeboy way of kinship.
Dr. Frank Anderson, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, trauma expert, and best-selling author, breaks down the science and spirituality of trauma healing and how it connects to the work of Homeboy Industries. We discuss why trauma is externally defined while PTSD is a personal response, the difference between single-event trauma and complex trauma, and how healing requires corrective experiences, community, and patience, and why forgiveness should follow healing, not precede it.
Dr. Anderson shares why spirituality (not organized religion) is vital for healing, why premature forgiveness can be harmful, and how leaders themselves must confront their own trauma to create workplaces where people thrive. Together, we explore how Homeboy Industries is modeling a trauma-informed approach to community transformation, and why this model can ripple into corporate spaces, executive leadership, and beyond.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
The neuroscience of trauma and why love is the most powerful healing agent.
Why forgiveness should follow healing, not precede it.
How both victim and perpetrator roles live inside us, and why acknowledging this duality is essential.
How trauma-informed workplaces increase productivity, belonging, and engagement.
Why Homeboy Industries’ holistic approach offers a blueprint for rethinking therapy, reentry, and leadership.
In This Episode:
00:00 – Introduction
00:39 – Why trauma is at the center of healing
02:27 – Dr. Anderson’s journey from psychiatrist to healer
06:42 – What is trauma, really?
08:47 – Understanding complex trauma
11:41 – Why mental health therapy works and when it doesn’t
14:47 – The power of positive regard and compassion
16:09 – The role of forgiveness in healing
19:44 – How to release pain and rewire the brain
22:58 – Love and connection as tools for recovery
25:59 – How Dr. Anderson connected with Homeboy
28:09 – Why spirituality matters in healing
33:18 – Trauma in leadership and corporate life
37:23 – How love transcends fear and violence
39:30 – Final reflections
Notable Quotes
"Trauma blocks who we are. And so a lot of clearing and healing in order to be able to kind of step into that position." — Frank Anderson (06:32 )
"Complex trauma is relational trauma. It's trauma that happens relationally." — Frank Anderson (08:47 )
"The mental health field has this: you're bad, you're broken. You need to be fixed mentality." — Frank Anderson (13:35 )
"Trauma blocks love, Love heals trauma." — Frank Anderson (23:14 )
"Love supersedes violence and fear. It's gotta be elevated because trauma is about fear and being violated." — Frank Anderson (37:23 )
Resources and Links
Homeboy Industries
Homeboy Media
Frank Anderson, MD
Thomas Vozzo
The Homeboy Way: A Radical Approach to Business and Life: https://www.amazon.com/Homeboy-Way-Radical-Approach-Business/dp/082945456X
Credits:
Hosted by: Tom Vozzo
Produced by: Podify, and Alexa Rousso and Melody Carter of Homeboy Media.
United States
