Sean Wheeler is Atlanta’s best-known hypnotherapist.
He’s been in practice for more than two decades and has performed more than 15,000 sessions with more than 3,500 clients — including professional athletes, CEO’s, entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life. With that volume of work, Sean ranks among the top 1% of hypnotherapists worldwide for experience.*
He has been trained by Dr. Richard Bandler, the co-founder of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).
Sean has appeared on CNN, “The Bert Show” on Q99.7, 11Alive, USA Network’s Chrisley Knows Best, Star 94’s The Jeff and Jenn Show and Swift Justice with Nancy Grace. He became known as The Heartbreak Hypnotist® for his success helping people with relationship issues on “The Bert Show.” He also received attention for helping popular radio host Jenn Hobby to stop smoking in 2010 (she’s still smoke-free!).
Sean has also appeared on CNN Headline News, Fintech TV, Atlanta’s B98.5 FM, and has been featured in Fitness Magazine.
Sean currently lives in the Atlanta area with his wife Shelli and daughter Sienna.
*Source: Industry workload estimates from hypnotherapy revenue models and scheduling norms (e.g., American Association of Professional Hypnotherapists, 2023).
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
When I’m at the office, I work nonstop with clients all day. I don’t really take breaks aside from lunch. When my clients ask how I go from one session to the next without taking a break, I just smile and say, “I’m a machine.”
One day a week at the office, I focus on business development, and there’s never a shortage of work to do. I’m launching different programs, from trainings to live events, while also developing a podcast and growing the practice by adding more certified hypnotherapists.
At home, I stay productive by taking care of my wife, who’s recovering from Stage 4 throat cancer, our 11-year-old daughter, along with two Aussie Shepherds and two cats. It’s a lot. When I get the chance, I’ll hit the gym, hit some golf balls, or take a bike ride. In between all that, I’ll sometimes do a little work on the business, but I do my best to stay focused on home and family and give all the life forms my undivided
attention.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I speak ideas into the minds of my clients, and the changes I create in their unconscious create the changes in their lives.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’ve recently discovered the power of AI-assisted learning and training for hypnotherapy. It’s been quite fascinating to discover how it can help me and my trained therapists to become better at getting results.
The other trend is the global awakening to alternative forms of therapy. It’s come a long way since I started my practice in 2003, as far more people are open to hypnosis than they used to be.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Making lists for sure. I’m highly organized and use technology to outsource responsibilities from my brain. So every day I just check my To Do list to see what needs to be done, and occasionally set reminders on my phone for things that come up when I’m on the go. That, along with my appointment calendar, keeps me focused on the important stuff consistently.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I’d tell the “pre-hypnosis” Sean to chill out and focus on the bright side, which is what he started doing after getting hypnotized.
But I’d also tell my 10-20 years younger self to be more diligent about ongoing trainings. I coasted on my skills (which were strong) for many years while my business was thriving, but since I began training again in 2019, my skills have drastically improved every year, which is exciting.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
I believe that people are inherently good.
After performing so many thousands of sessions with 3500+ clients, I’ve learned what causes people to make mistakes — which is fear. And it’s fear and the lack of love that drive people to do awful things that hurt themselves and others.
What people call “human nature” isn’t so simple. We’re not just born predisposed to evil. Humans do evil things in response to their environment.
Most people I talk to lack that nuanced view because they mostly see the product of people’s actions without understanding the factors that preceded them.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Self-hypnosis. I still practice it at least a few times every week. Used to do it every single day for nearly 10 years. Calms the mind and keeps you grounded. If everyone on Planet Earth did this, it would be a completely different world.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I don’t let it get to the point of overwhelm. That’s a problem I solve for my clients, and to do that, I have to solve it for myself. I stay focused on one thing at a time, rather than too many at once.
When I face challenges, as I’m doing now in my personal life with my wife’s health issues, I take action to implement solutions and then basically keep my head down and plow through things, with the belief that ultimately things will swing back in a positive direction, which they always seem to do.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Authenticity. Being real with people. I’ve explained hypnosis in a down-to-earth way, whether on TV or the radio, or via video on social media, and that’s what I think has helped me reach so many thousands of people over two decades.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
The best thing I can think of is the timing of quitting my job at Turner to become a full-time hypnotherapist. That was at the end of 2007, and with the economic instability that followed, 2008 was a very tough year. I didn’t make much money and struggled to grow the business.
But I kept researching and trying my damnedest to make it work. And at the end of 2008, I found a consultant who helped me turn things around. I implemented all his advice and immediately turned things around — doubling my business overnight.
The lesson is that there’s a difference between being highly skilled at something and actually communicating to people that you’re skilled at that thing. If you can’t do the latter, the former isn’t worth all that much.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I’d like someone to open a hypnosis practice exclusively for military vets to help them with PTSD. It would ideally be a vet who runs this. There’s incredible demand for this.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Right now, it’s Grok AI. I’ve used it for session notes and summaries, so I’m free from taking notes during the session and can focus exclusively on communicating with my clients. That alone has helped me to become better. So when I see a client the following week, I know exactly what we covered last time and can pick up seamlessly.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
Gave my daughter $100 for a report card with all A’s. The deal was $20 for each A 🙂
I wanted her to be homeschooled all the way through high school, but my wife’s cancer made that impractical. So we enrolled her in a hybrid school and she quickly excelled. The money just gave her a little extra motivation to put in her best effort.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
“The Fourth Turning” had a big impact. Being able to understand that there’s a pattern to what we’re currently experiencing in the world, both politically and societally… it really helps. We’re living in unprecedented times when it comes to political and social polarization, and the book helps explain how and why that’s happening, and that it’s not going to last forever. I share that with clients at times to help them calm their anxiety.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I really enjoyed “Succession”. Based on my experience working with clients who came from extreme wealth, I found it to be an incredibly accurate portrayal of how growing up with a wealthy but emotionally absent father affects the children. It was very well written and acted, and really grueling to watch the kids trying so hard to win over their father’s approval and prove their value to him.
Key learnings:
- Advice given to younger self: Chill out and focus on the bright side.
- Avoid overwhelm: Stay focused on one thing at a time, rather than too many at once.
- Something no one agrees with you about: Fear and the lack of love drive people to do awful things that hurt themselves and others.