Engle says that ' s all he ' s wanted to do - as an actor , a cop , a business executive and a traffic-school teacher - to help people .
Engle , 64 , of La Habra grew up in Hawthorne , a talented kid who acted in community theater and wrote a play that landed on PBS . At 19 , Engle moved his wife and daughter to Buena Park , where he pursued a master ' s degree in theater arts and communication at Cal State Fullerton . To support his family , he also worked nights as a police officer . " I was still scared of the dark and never seen real violence ," he says . " I had never touched a gun ."
As a young police officer , Engle delivered a baby , responded to an accident in which a 6 year old boy shot a 4 year old in the head , and found a man mutilated by a train near Knott ' s Berry Farm . He also taught law enforcement at Cypress College for a few years . By age 24 , he had four daughters and had worked his way up at the force . After a five year stint , a starry eyed Engle left police work for show business . He landed small parts in movies , including the 1972 film " 1776 " and the 1974 flick " Big Bad Momma ." His career took a detour when he took a job as a strategic planner , doing distribution , procurement , logistics and supply management for several companies .
At about the same time , a trip to a bookstore triggered his fascination with a method of healing called hypnotherapy . Inspired by a book on the topic , he tried hypnosis on a friend and two of his daughters . His friend didn ' t budge when he yelled in her ear and tried to bend her arm . With a suggestion that she act like a puppy , his daughter leaped on the couch and nuzzled his leg . " That was amazing because you read about it , but you don ' t know it ' s going to work ," he says .
In 1985 , Engle headed back to Hollywood , where he first managed distribution of products like makeup and lumber for 20th Century Fox . He then managed procurement and security . But his 12 year career there was not glamorous . He worked long hours to shape up departments , handled multimillion dollar budgets and managed hundreds of employees . His devotion took a toll on his health , his weight shrinking to 135 pounds on his 5-foot-8 frame .
" That industry is like a street fight every day ," he says . " I ' ve always been , ' Let ' s see if I can kill myself doing all these things .'" Engle managed his stress by retreating into his office and hypnotising himself for 15 minutes . He says it felt as if he had slept for six hours .