The Homeboy Way

At Homeboy Industries, healing rarely happens through a single method. It unfolds through therapy, community, compassion, and the steady presence of people who care.
In this episode, Tom Vozzo sits down with Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. to explore how healing really happens for people carrying deep trauma. Fr. Greg describes it as the “cumulative dosing effect of cherishing” when someone is consistently seen, known, and valued. Yet that kind of love can feel overwhelming. Some homies even walk away at first because they do not know how to receive it.
Fr. Greg reflects on the early days of Homeboy, when therapy carried heavy stigma. Today, the demand is so great that there are waiting lists. He shares stories of people wrestling with addiction, hearing voices, and confronting wounds they once tried to bury.
Through decades of experience, Fr. Greg reveals a deeper truth. Healing does not happen only in therapy. It happens in a community where people discover they are no longer alone.
Key Takeaways
Overwhelm from love is real.
Fr. Greg shares about a homie who left Homeboy not because things were bad, but because he “didn’t know how to handle all the love.” For people used to trauma, steady care and belonging can feel unfamiliar or overwhelming, so some leave and return when they are ready.

Community dosing surrounds and amplifies therapy.
Beyond methods like talk therapy and EMDR, healing also happens through daily relationships. Consistent care from staff, mentors, and volunteers helps build resilience.

The three profiles of gang members (and all of us).
Fr. Greg breaks down that everyone falls into one of three categories: despair (can't imagine a future), trauma (high ACEs score), or mental illness.

Luck and privilege shape our lives more than we admit.
Fr. Greg reminds us that success is not only about hard work. Many benefit from unseen advantages, and recognizing this can foster humility and compassion.

In This Episode:
00:00 – Introduction 

01:00 –  How healing happens

02:28 – Why therapy must be voluntary

03:09 –  The early days and the need for therapy at Homeboy (ACEs)

05:50 – What surrendering to healing looks like

07:44 – When love feels overwhelming

09:14 –  Challenges finding therapists and homies to try therapy

12:29 – The rise of therapy and volunteer clinicians

14:35 – Listening and loving as the foundation of healing

16:05 – Alternative therapies and healing experiences

20:32 – Why there is no “one-size-fits-all” healing

23:37 – Compassion and forgiveness in the healing process

26:38 – What it means to be a “stranger to yourself”

30:43 – Three profiles of gang members

33:44 – Excavating generational wounds in everyday life

36:31 – The role of luck, privilege, and circumstance

38:46 – Reducing stigma around mental health

40:35 – Mental illness and societal misunderstanding

45:39 – Why healing is reliable and ongoing

Notable Quotes
“I don't think healing is so formulaic. I think if you believe in how the cumulative dosing effect of cherishing is, you can observe it.” — Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. [01:00]

“Listen, listen. Love, love.” — Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. [14:01]

“If you don’t welcome your own wound, you will be tempted to despise the wounded.” — Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. [28:01]

“How do you transform your pain so you no longer transmit it?” — Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. [31:41]

Homeboy Industries
https://homeboyindustries.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videos

Donate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/

Homeboy Media 
https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/

Father Greg Boyle
linkedin.com/in/greg-boyle-s-j-05458514

Thomas Vozzo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzo

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

Jane Fonda, Oscar-winning actress and lifelong activist, first learned about Homeboy Industries in the 1980s through her then-husband, Tom Hayden. He came home energized by a Jesuit priest who had opened a bakery employing formerly incarcerated gang members. Years later, at a Homeboy gala, she finally heard Father Greg Boyle speak and knew she wanted to be part of something so transformative.
In this episode, Tom Vozzo sits down with Jane to reflect on her seven years as a board member and what continues to draw her to a community built on healing and second chances. She shares how walking through Homeboy’s doors feels like “sinking into a warm bath,” and why, at 88, she still finds herself learning from the homegirls she calls “smarter than me in so many ways.” For Jane, leadership begins with humility, and real change starts by listening from the heart.
Key Takeaways
Jobs are not enough. Healing comes first. 
Father Greg realized quickly that employment alone would not create lasting change. Deep trauma, left unaddressed, leads people back into trouble. Homeboy evolved into a healing-centered community where recovery comes before placement.

Cherish, don’t judge.
To cherish someone is to fully receive them into your heart. Healing begins there.

Transformation requires proximity. 
It's wonderful when rich people throw money out from their homes up on the hill to people who need it," Jane says. Generosity from a distance is good. But real change happens shoulder to shoulder. Being present, listening, and building relationships transforms everyone involved.

Hate the behavior, not the person
Bad behavior is often the language of trauma. You can reject harm while still honoring human dignity.

We give because we see ourselves. 
Homeboy’s mission resonates because we are all broken in some way. Watching others heal reminds us that transformation is possible for us too.

Women are the glue. 
"In every class, in every rung of society, and in every ethnicity and race in the world, it's women that hold things together. They're the glue for families and for communities."

Life with meaning is better. 
Jane has lived without meaning and with meaning. "I know that the meaning is a lot better. 

In This Episode:
00:00 – Introduction

01:46 – How Jane Fonda first found Father Greg and Homeboy Bakery

03:41 – From the Homeboy Bakery to a healing-centered model

04:40 – "I need whatever that secret sauce is"

06:05 – Kinship and mutuality with people on the margins

08:48 – What Jane learns from homegirls

13:09 – The meaning of cherishing

15:54 – Ignatian spirituality at Homeboy

18:32 – Funding the mission

19:51 – Gangsters, leaders, and the pressure of machismo

21:32 – Homeboy’s culture shift: from toughness to tears

22:09 – Poverty, business hiring, and “show by doing”

23:30 – Jane Fonda’s activist origin story

26:19 – The urgency of activism today

28:19 – What Jane would tell her younger self

30:06 – The Global Homeboy Network

Notable Quotes
“ Bad behavior, even evil behavior is the language of the traumatized.” — Jane [07:25]

" Avoid violence. Violence is our enemy." — Jane [28:04]

“ Cherished, to me is even greater than love means I've brought you fully into my full heart in every possible way.” — Jane [13:42]

“I've lived without meaning, and I've lived with meaning, and I know that the meaning is a lot better.”— Jane [29:19] 

Resources and Links
Homeboy Industries
https://homeboyindustries.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videos

Donate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/

Homeboy Media 
https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/

Jane Fonda
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-fonda-2408b4302/

Thomas Vozzo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzo

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

When Tom Vozzo first walked into Homeboy Industries more than 12 years ago, he was skeptical. “Shouldn’t we be doing work here at ‘Industries’?” he wondered, seeing art classes throughout the building.
In this episode, Tom sits down with Fabian Debora, Executive Director of the Homeboy Art Academy, and Program Manager Barbara Fant to explore how art reaches wounds words cannot and why creativity is central to Homeboy’s model of healing and belonging.
Fabian shares how, as a child hiding from domestic violence, drawing became his refuge, a sanctuary that carried him through addiction, recovery, and ultimately national recognition as a Heritage Fellow with the National Endowment for the Arts. Barbara reflects on losing her mother at fifteen and turning grief into poetry, using verse as both prayer and therapy.
Through the Art Academy, rival youth create side by side, guided by Fabian’s Three R’s: Reconnect, Re-identify, and Reimagine.
Key Takeaways
Art is refuge
As a child, Fabian learned art did not just express him, it held him. Hiding under a coffee table from violence, he found safety and hope. That same refuge is what the Art Academy now offers every young person who enters.

Mentorship restores what shame steals. 
When a teacher destroyed Fabian’s artwork, Father Greg Boyle saw him for who he truly was and gave art back. That moment of being seen and reassured that his gift mattered changed everything.

Poetry can be prayer.
At 15, without therapy, Barbara turned sermon notes into poems, using them to grieve, pray, and make sense of losing her mother.

Healing is intentional.
The Art Academy practices a healing-centered approach: circles, reflection, the three R’s, creative exercises aligned with specific aspects of healing, and structured closing reflections.

Identity can evolve.
The young man known for his face tattoo begins with gang writing and gradually discovers artistry, leadership, and gentleness within himself.

In This Episode:
00:00 – Introduction

01:26 – Fabian’s childhood and art as refuge

03:32 – Mentorship and artistic development

05:28 – Barbara’s story: poetry as prayer

11:03 – The Homeboy Art Academy

12:32 – Healing-centered approach and the three R’s

14:25 – Community, safety, and transformation

16:29 – Co-designing the Academy’s modality

18:09 – Stories of transformation: Giselle and Jesus

20:13 – Managing gang dynamics and building kinship

21:55 – Team approach and wraparound services

24:03 – Challenges of the work

27:07 – Resilience and returning youth

28:17 – Fabian’s artistic recognition and advocacy

30:21 – Barbara’s writing and influence of Homeboy

31:52 – Future vision: accredited school of art

32:44 – Graffiti, tagging, and artistic expression

Notable Quotes
“People really do heal through the arts.” — Tom [01:16]

"Art gave me a sense of purpose, existence, and, most importantly, hope." — Fabian [02:08]

“ I started writing as just this way of processing, of talking to God and of prayer.” — Barbara [07:14]

“The toughest part of the job has been the heartbreak.”— Tom [26:23] 

Resources and Links
Homeboy Industries
https://homeboyindustries.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videos

Donate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/

Homeboy Media 
https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/

Barbara  Fant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-fant-mfa-8114b633/

https://homeboyindustries.org/services/art-academy/

Fabian Debora
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabian-debora-886279a/

https://homeboyindustries.org/services/art-academy/

Thomas Vozzo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzo

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

In this episode, Tom Vozzo sits down with comedian and podcaster Pete Holmes to talk about faith, belonging, and spirituality. Pete shares how discovering Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. and Homeboy Industries reshaped not just his theology, but the way he walks on stage. Before performing, he often listens to Father Greg to remind himself that “we belong to each other,” shifting comedy from performance to kinship.
Pete reflects on coming from the Christian tradition, where being the center of attention can feel almost wicked, like becoming the “special boy.” Comedy, he explains, is not that. He will play the role of the special performer, and the audience plays their role too. But underneath it all, it is just a connection. It is all just sunlight wearing different masks.
Reflecting on the story of the prodigal son, Pete explains that you cannot be more of the man’s son in the kingdom and less his son with the pigs. It is about accepting that you are accepted. You are already in. They talk about staying soft when things go wrong, letting anger move through without shame, and resisting the urge to create “the other.”
Key Takeaways
We are sunlight wearing different masks.
Pete looks at the audience and does not see strangers. He sees himself in different forms. Each person carries quiet burdens, love and hurt, generosity and selfishness. 

The gospel draws a crowd.
Pete observes that Homeboy’s lobby feels like Disneyland or summer camp. That pull, he argues, is the real sign of the sacred.

Pain is not a competition. Your shit is your shit.
Pete almost minimizes his own story beside another’s trauma, then realizes suffering is not a scoreboard. Healing begins when we stop ranking wounds and start honoring them.

Want to know you’re accepted? Start accepting others.
You can't be more the man's son when you're in the kingdom and less his son when you're with the pigs. Tom watched Greg Boyle pause with wealthy donors to attend to a homie with a simple question. Acceptance is not a reward. It’s a practice we extend, especially to the least visible.

Grace is getting it wrong and being loved anyway.
Tom’s tree story captures the ache of good intentions missing the mark. That tender space between intent and impact is where grace lives.

Hating the other is hating yourself.
When we label anyone disposable, we quietly say the same about ourselves. Loving those cast aside brings the hidden parts of us back to life.

In This Episode:
00:00 – Introduction

00:53 – Getting involved with Homeboy

01:22 – Connecting with Fr. Richard Rohr and Fr. Greg Boyle

03:16 – The impact of Homeboy’s teachings

04:45 – Performing with compassion

07:43 – Lessons from Homeboy

16:11 – The power of acceptance and belonging

22:39 – Balancing help and personal boundaries

27:17 – Spiritual teachings and reflections

29:03 – The value of vulnerability

29:55 – A humbling medical experience

30:44 – Embracing brokenness

34:14 – Spirituality in the corporate world

35:05 – Discovering true spirituality

42:05 – The role of psychedelics in spiritual awakening

Notable Quotes
“Every single one of you has an unseen burden.” — Pete Holmes [05:09]

"We're all just sunlight wearing different masks." — Pete Holmes [05:43]

“If you want to know you're accepted, start by accepting others.” — Tom [25:11]

Resources and Links
Homeboy Industries
https://homeboyindustries.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videos

Donate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/

Homeboy Media 
https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/

Pete Holmes
https://peteholmes.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/peteholmes

Thomas Vozzo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzo

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

In this episode, Tom Vozzo sits down with renowned Franciscan priest and author Fr. Richard Rohr to explore the emotional and spiritual journey behind anger, sadness, and healing. Fr. Richard explains why so many people, especially men, get stuck in anger and how that reaction often covers a much deeper sadness.
Their discussion naturally connects to the lived experiences at Homeboy Industries, where individuals arrive carrying both grief and the desire for a new beginning. Fr. Richard shares why welcoming our sorrow is not weakness but a pathway to compassion, transformation, and spiritual maturity. The result is a warm, honest, and deeply human conversation about what it truly means to grow, to heal, and to become more whole.
Key Takeaways
Real transformation begins when anger gives way to sadness.
Most people think prophets were angry men. Rohr explains they actually began in anger but moved into sadness and ultimately into compassion, mirroring the inner journey many at Homeboy take.

Grief is not weakness; it is the soul’s entrance into maturity.
Cultures throughout history had rites teaching boys how to weep. Rohr recounts the Maasai “caves of grief,” where warriors learned that tears were strength, not failure.

Control is the enemy of healing.
Trying to control emotions keeps people stuck in anger. Letting go allows sadness to rise, which is the pathway to compassion.

Suffering is unavoidable and essential.
Whether it is the death of a loved one, loss of a pet, or inherited trauma, every person experiences pain. Rohr argues that grief, felt honestly, is the starting point of a real spiritual journey.

Joy comes only after walking through grief.
True joy is not positive thinking. It is what emerges when we release judgment, righteousness, and the need to perfect the world and ourselves.

In This Episode:
00:00 – Introduction to The Homeboy Way

01:04 – The spiritual lessons of Homeboy and Fr. Richard's writings

01:43 – Why the soul must weep: Anger, sadness, and the prophetic journey

06:19 – Why men don't weep and how to learn

10:42 – Grief as initiation: The Men's Rites of Passage and PTSD

14:13 – What the poor know: A critical lens on society and success

18:31 – The necessity of suffering and exile for transformation

24:30 – Wholeness vs. perfection and the "wounded warrior"

27:48 – Occam's Razor: Why the simplest answer is Love

33:13 – Certitude vs. faith in spirituality and politics

36:04 – From lamentation to doxology: Where true joy is found

39:47 – Conclusion and gratitude

Notable Quotes
"You're much more sad than you are angry." — Fr. Richard Rohr (04:36)

"The ego likes to be angry. It gives you a false sense of power and superiority" — Fr. Richard Rohr (09:02)

"The simplest answer is invariably and almost always the correct one… The answer to everything is love." — Fr. Richard Rohr on Occam's Razor (28:35)

"The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is certitude." — Fr. Richard Rohr (33:17)

"We come to God more by doing it wrong than by doing it right." — Fr. Richard Rohr  (38:12)

Resources and Links
Homeboy Industries
https://homeboyindustries.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videos

Donate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/

Homeboy Media 
https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/

Fr. Richard Rohr
https://cac.org/about/cac-faculty/cac-founder-richard-rohr/

https://cac.org/

Daily Meditations: https://cac.org/daily-meditations/

Books: "The Universal Christ," "Falling Upward," "The Wisdom Pattern," and his latest discussed, "The Tears of Things.

Thomas Vozzo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzo

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