Did you have a wonderful childhood but still wonder if you’re carrying past trauma? Just because we haven’t personally experienced trauma, doesn’t mean we don’t carry trauma to process.
Today’s guest had a fantastic childhood. If not for the pandemic slowing everything down, he may not have realized the trauma passed to him from his parents and grandparents, creating quiet anger within.
Today’s guest is Scooter Braun, one of the most prolific entrepreneurs and innovators in entertainment, working with stars such as Justin Bieber and Arianna Grande.
In today’s episode, we talk about Scooter’s journey to reconnect with “Little Scott,” lessons he’s learned from becoming a family man, some of his core philosophies to building businesses at scale, and the importance of cultivating a giving mindset, and so much more!
Let’s jump right in!
Who Is Scooter Braun?
Scooter Braun is one of the most prolific entrepreneurs and innovators in entertainment, music, tech, and beyond. Braun is the Founder and Chairman of Ithaca Holdings LLC., now a part of the HYBE America portfolio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HYBE, a South Korean entertainment lifestyle platform company. Braun is co-CEO and board member of HYBE.
In addition to managing a robust roster of some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Idina Menzel, Ashley Graham, and Tori Kelly, SB Projects has grown its film and television division to include a prolific slate of projects, including the FX Network’s most-watched comedy series Dave, Ariana Grande feature documentary Excuse Me, I Love You with Netflix, YouTube’s record-breaking docuseries Justin Bieber: Seasons, and Never Say Never, which remains the highest-grossing music documentary in domestic box-office history, and most recently, YouTube’s critically acclaimed four-part docuseries “Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil.”
Even with all his success, Scooter isn’t immune from external challenges like the pandemic, and he’s had some pretty profound realizations to come from it.
Lessons From the Pandemic
The past couple of years have been challenging for everyone, so I thought it would be a great place to start by seeing what Scooter’s biggest awakenings or eye-opening experiences have revealed and in what areas of his life.
“For the first time in 20 years, my personal life became a priority. I decided to step away from business for the first time and focus on my personal life. I was going through a very tough time, and friends recommended [the] Hoffman Process. I was kind of like lost going through stuff in my personal life that I was confused [about]. I couldn’t understand what was happening, and I hadn’t done the work yet to have the foundation to handle it.” – Scooter Braun
Scooter descended into a depression for the first time in his life. Even though friends had advised him about the Hoffman Process for four years — he’d avoided it. The Hoffman Process is a week-long healing retreat of transformation and development for people who feel stuck in one or more important areas of their life. The Hoffman Process teaches us how to release and resolve persistent negative behavioral patterns of feeling unloved and unlovable.
“What do I need this place for? I had a good childhood. Finally [I] just surrendered to this idea of going to this place. [The first available] process [was] October 24th, 2020. I started to laugh because that was the release of my client, Ariana Grande’s album. I just looked up at the sky, and [said], ‘Okay, God, universe. I see what you’re doing here. I can choose to stay on this path that’s very successful but hit this wall, and [be] depressed, or I can choose [myself] for the first time, be selfish, and leave.” – Scooter Braun
Scooter spoke to Ariana about it and, having been there for her on multiple occasions, said now she could be there for him. That week changed his life, and Scooter realized he had built “Scooter Braun” since the age of 18.
“I didn’t think Scott was strong enough in the world, and I didn’t know that was subconscious from my childhood. I didn’t have [bad] parents, but they passed [trauma] on to me. What had happened to them? I was at peace because I went back and got little Scott. I [forgot about] him for so long that when the foundation of what Scooter Braun [started] cracking, I didn’t know what to do.” – Scooter Braun
Scooter had become so invested in his story while neglecting his true essence that he had to learn to surrender to his depression and understand what life is about. Hoffman began a deep transformation as he worked through his distaste for the name “Scott” he’d had since seven.
“I went and got that kid and said, ‘Hey, you created Scooter, [and] you were strong enough the entire time. I loved my name again for the first time since I was seven. I realized that Scooter was a part of me, but Scott had to be in charge again.” – Scooter Braun
Wow! It’s so powerful to go back to your younger self and tell them that they were strong enough all along — they didn’t need an alter ego.
It took a while, but Scooter learned that he doesn’t have to hide.
Everyone has their own “stuff,” and we should love each other unconditionally, which has been a big part of learning to be a family man.
Lessons as a Family Man
Scooter has a tremendous amount of gratitude for his wife and shares the greatest lesson she’s taught him.
“How to really love somebody. It’s easy to love somebody when things are going well, [and] it’s hard to love each other when things aren’t going well. I think we’ve shown we can do that, and I’m grateful for that.” – Scooter Braun
Considering Scooter hadn’t healed his inner child before meeting his wife, her unconditional love changed the way he loved himself. Now that they have children, Scooter is learning from them too.
“I see parts of myself in every one of my kids, and I see the parts of myself that got hurt. And before I started [the healing] process, [I] started to pass on those patterns based on fear, based on [my] need to protect because ‘You’re too sensitive. You’re like me, [and] you can’t be as sensitive as I am.’” – Scooter Braun
Scooter was such a sensitive child, one of his friends, Molly, called him “HSP” — Highly Sensitive Person. She saw through his tough facade and now he recognizes the same sensitivity in his children.
“I just want them to know they’re enough, and they’re going to have their trauma, no matter what I do. But I’m going to be rooting for them every step of the way unconditionally. I drove my kids to school the other day, and [talked] about accountability explaining what [it] means to a seven and a five-year-old. … I said, ‘I want you guys to know beyond accountability that’s to yourself. I will tell you if I think you’re doing something wrong, but it doesn’t mean I love you any less. I will always be here for you and love you no matter what. I will never leave you no matter what you do to me or anyone else.” – Scooter Braun
No matter what, Scooter is doing his best to ensure their children feel free to push their capabilities in search of greatness. He’s trying to instill values that will serve their quests while letting them know his support is unwavering.
Developing a strong foundation in life is critical to building success in other areas of our life; let’s hear what Scooter’s lessons have been from building prominent businesses.
