Jim Wand

On August 8th, 2022, the world got a little smaller. My friend and mentor, Jim Wand, passed away due to an aggressive form of cancer. Not many knew about his condition as he was determined to never let it show, and he was successful. Unless he told you, you'd have never known.

I met Jim in 2016 when he did a hypnosis show for my high school. That show was the sole reason I pursued hypnosis in the first place. Never had I seen something so funny, surreal, so… magical. It took a full year when he returned to do another show that I worked up the nerve tell him how I had learned hypnosis myself, and how I wanted to learn more from him. Who would have thought that I, an 18-year-old kid from the middle of nowhere, would be given the experience of a lifetime traveling the country performing hypnosis shows? Jim gave that to me and more. I’m not sure what he saw in me, but there was no hesitation when he began to teach me everything he knew.

Jim was a positive figure in my life like no other. Not only was he a hypnotic genius, but a legendary role model, too. I wasn’t just an intern and he wasn’t just my boss. He became my academic counselor, spiritual advisor, financial consultant, tutor, teacher, and so much more. He became a dear friend to me and I will always hope I was to him, too. He showed me that there was a world of opportunities if only I would be courageous enough to jump for them. One thing about Jim that I will always respect is that no matter how many thousands of people he met, he made sure to know each student, client, audience member, and volunteer on a personal level; he made sure to never forget them either. The number of smiles and laughter that greeted Jim wherever he went was nothing short of beautiful.

The world feels a little more empty without Jim, but it shines thousands of times brighter from all the lives Jim touched, the smiles and the laughter he created, and the legend he left behind. God bless you, Jim. I can never thank you enough.

Rest easy, dear friend.