2008 PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK PETERSON / REDUX
Whatever Happened To ... ... the shaman of Wall Street?
by Kris Coronado Two years ago, Larry Ford had no misgivings about how others might perceive him. “Some people would say I’ve absolutely lost my rocker,” he told the Washington Post Magazine in December 2008. Ford, 48, has been living a double
life: He’s a successful financial adviser to the powerhouses of Wall Street, and he’s also a shaman, or spiritual healer. After a personal epiphany 12 years ago, Ford has made it his mission to help others create “a life of purpose.” During the financial meltdown two
years ago, Ford was so busy that he even counseled some spiritual customers at his home in Glastonbury, Conn. Today, however, that’s no longer the
case. “Home is very sacred,” he says. Most of Ford’s shaman sessions, six a
week typically, are now conducted at his office building in Glastonbury, or during house calls when he’s in Manhattan. He also talks to clients on the phone — although perhaps “clients” isn’t the right word. Ford stopped accepting payment for his shaman work in 2008. Ford is writing a book based on
his spiritual journey and those he has met along the way. He hopes to get it published next year. “There’s no need
For the original story, go to
washingtonpost.com/magazine.
Larry Ford still does financial advising as well as spiritual counseling.
for another preachy book out there,” he says. “The balance is delicate. I have a message, and the reason I’m driven by it is because I believe that all the discord in the world — all the war, greed, corruption, all the nastiness that we live in — begins in each of us when we’re not in alignment with our soul, our purpose and doing what we’re meant to do on Earth.” In his non-shaman hours, Ford
helps individuals invest and manage their money through his Ford Financial Group and assists corporations with customer relations through his consulting firm, Blue Owl. He is still engaged to Yvette Montgomery, and
they plan to wed next year after the birth of their first child. The baby girl, due this month, will be the fifth in a brood that includes daughter Lexy, 16, and son Chandler, 14, and stepchildren Josh, 14, and Chancie, 17. “I’ve got two girls on the way to
college tours, which is always fun,” he says.
With such demands, it would be
easy to assume that Ford doesn’t get much sleep, but surprisingly he says he gets eight hours every night. It’s just a matter of setting parameters. “I make it very clear to my clients:
I’m either going to be managing your finances or your spirit,” he says. Still, there are times when one
area leaks into the other. After one Manhattan consulting gig, two executives approached him about his shaman work. Sure, they had probably Googled Ford and found out about it, but perhaps something else caught their eye. “Now and then, my wrist bead pops out from underneath my cufflinks,” Ford admits.
Curious?
Tell us what past Washington Post story or person in the news you want us to update. e-mail trents@
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(Continued from Page 4)
start with the saxophones and flutes. We had a music store for 34 years
in Crystal City. We started in D.C., and then the riots came in ’68 and took care of that. It was my father’s: Zavarella’s Music. Our thing was used instruments — buying them, refurbishing and selling them — but when the Craigslist and eBay came along, that was the end of that. I can pick up a woodwind
instrument and just press the keys and tell you if it will play or not, without doing any other research first. You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong with
your instrument, because I know. It’s either rusted or bent, and you hit it with a hammer or bend it back with a screwdriver; or you put a little oil on it and apply a little heat to it, and finally it just comes loose. Usually on a flute, it’s a loose screw,
so you take a couple minutes and tighten a couple screws, and it’s good. But they have pads on them, and after a while these pads do wear out, and you have to replace some of them. But most of these other repairmen, you walk in and they go, “Oh, you need a repad.” I hate that. I just can’t stand that. You know, just do what the person needs.
6 The WashingTon PosT Magazine | december 12, 2010
Because they’re going to find out that you ripped them off at some point, and then you’re the bum of the world. You can go to these music stores, but
as soon as you walk in the door, you’re starting at 200 bucks. I start at 40, and it stays at 40. That’s why I’m not a businessman anymore; I can’t rip people off. My father couldn’t do it, either, but he would say, “You’re as strong as your pencil when you finish that instrument.” That means, write a good price on there. Another thing my father taught me
was make it shiny — you can’t sell it if it’s not shiny; people buy with their eyes. And he was right. He was always right.
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