Thrive by Michael Hofer

Become Who You Are Meant to Be

Welcome!

Two years ago, if you'd suggested I build a website about meditation, visualization, and "becoming your future self," I would have politely assumed you'd confused me with someone who owns more meditation cushions than financial models.

I'm a senior executive with a Ph.D., an MBA, an MSA, a CPA, and executive education from Wharton, and with decades of experience leading M&A deals and coaching C-suite leaders. My world is strategy, numbers, and measurable outcomes. The idea that sitting quietly and imagining a better future could actually change anything? That sounded like advice you'd get between commercial breaks on daytime TV.

But curiosity got the better of me. I decided to test these practices—not as a believer, but as an experimenter. What I discovered fundamentally changed not just how I approach business, but how I manage my type 1 diabetes (bringing my A1c to 5.5 after 40+ years), and how I experience being alive.

The reason? These practices aren't mystical. They're neurological.

This isn't just a place to read about meditation, visualization, and consciousness practices—it's a place to understand the systematic approach to personal transformation that actually works. To achieve your goals and dreams by reprogramming the operating system that's been running your life on autopilot.

Most of us know what it feels like to chase goals, push harder, and try to "fix" ourselves from the outside. We set goals, use willpower, work harder—and somehow end up back in the same patterns. That's because you're fighting your own programming.

The real transformation—the shift that changes who you are, how you feel, what you do, and what you naturally attract into your life—begins with different inner work: accessing specific brain states where your subconscious becomes programmable, training your awareness, calming the nervous system, and aligning with your deeper purpose.

Once you change your subconscious and align it with your goals and dreams, your "autopilot" guides your actions toward achieving them.

The Sweet Spot of Transformation

Studies show over and over again that there is a relaxed state in which we are more open to change. Yes, we can repeat mantras during a busy day, but when do we actually change? Scientific research has proven that the so-called alpha state is the optimal frequency for transforming our subconscious.

But what is this alpha state? It is a relaxed yet highly focused state of awareness (8-13 Hz) in which the mind slows down, and the subconscious becomes more receptive. This is the state used in methods like the Silva Method, the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza, and in meditation, visualization, and embodiment practices. In alpha, the analytical mind softens, habitual patterns loosen, and new neural programs can install—allowing intention to move from conscious desire to subconscious execution and to program your "personal autopilot." You can dig into the different brain waves in this blog post.

Take Massive Action

But here's what makes this work—and what separates transformation from wishful thinking: You must take massive action aligned with your new identity.

Visualization reprograms your autopilot. Action brings it into reality.

Jim Carrey didn't just write himself a check—he showed up at comedy clubs every night. Michael Phelps didn't just mentally rehearse races—he trained harder than anyone in the pool. Oprah didn't just create vision boards—she built an empire through relentless strategic action. They combined their mental reprogramming with massive execution.

The alpha state gives you the blueprint. Your daily choices make it real. When these two forces combine—inner transformation and outer action—that's when the "magic" happens. Not because the universe rewards good vibes, but because your reprogrammed autopilot is now driving every decision, every conversation, every choice toward your desired reality.

Read more about it here.

Be a Seeker, Not a Believer

One of the core principles of this work is curiosity over dogma. Don't adopt a belief because someone told you it's true. Explore, experiment, and discover what works for you. Trust your own experience and build your own practice.

Ready to dive deeper?

Read the complete five-step framework for identity transformation

See how Jim Carrey, Oprah, and Michael Phelps used these principles to achieve extraordinary success

Read how I came up with the approach here

You are invited to explore, practice, and become who you are meant to be.

A smiling man in a black suit and glasses seated outdoors against a sunset sky with trees in the background.

Listen To My Approach

If you are like me, you sometimes want to listen to it rather than read it. Or even listening to a podcast after having read the article. Here is a podcast episode that talks about my approach.

Get to Know Me

Hi, I’m Michael Hofer—author, senior executive, advisor, and coach. At heart, I’m a lifelong learner and explorer, deeply curious about what helps people perform better, live healthier, and create more meaningful lives.

This website is part of a broader vision I call the Thrive Network—an interconnected ecosystem designed to help people not just succeed, but truly thrive across the most important dimensions of life: business, health, and personal growth.

Across my platforms, you’ll find insights, frameworks, and practical tools—through articles, courses, books, coaching, and experiential work—that bridge strategy with humanity, performance with wellbeing, and ambition with purpose. While each platform has its own focus, they are united by a single belief:

We all can thrive in every aspect of life!

Wherever you’re starting from today, thriving is not reserved for a select few. It’s something you can actively design—step by step, choice by choice—in your career, your health, and your life as a whole.

This is an invitation to move beyond survival mode and the focus on only one area of your life. Begin shaping the next, more intentional version of your life.

Let’s create it—and thrive together.


Thrive in Business

M&A, AI, Strategic Growth, and Performance Improvement

www.bymichaelhofer.com

Thrive with Diabetes

Health, Mindset, and Thriving Beyond the Diagnosis

www.healthy-diabetes.com

Thrive in Life

Reprogram Your Autopilot, Transform Your Identity, Thrive

www.thrivebymichaelhofer.com