The Enneagram in a Movie

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Dawe and TJ Ingrassia talk about Green Book through Dr. Donald Shirley, the concert pianist played by Mahershala Ali. Dr. Shirley is a Preserving Four that uses refinement as a barrier, not a bridge. They discuss how a Preserving Four can build such an elegant prison that even when someone offers them a way out, they hesitate to...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Dawe and TJ Ingrassia talk about The Diplomat's Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) as a masterclass in the Navigating One subtype. They explore how Kate's relentless drive to identify problems and fix them operates within a highly navigating world of protocols, unspoken rules, and relational chess moves. Kate appears controlled and confi...

Thinking Well & Why, a new podcast on the Awareness to Action network hosted by Mario Sikora, Lee Fields and Seth “Creek” Creekmore, will tackle critical thinking, reasoning, and intellectual honesty – not as abstract disciplines, but as practical tools for making sense of life. Your biggest obstacle to being right is trying not to be wrong. The same cognitive biases that shape every area of l...

Mario, TJ Dawe, and TJ Ingrassia (a transmitting One himself) dive into the 2010 Coen brothers remake of True Grit, exploring 14-year-old Matty Ross as a textbook example of the One subtype's core wound and superpower. The episode traces how Matty's need to correct, improve, and take responsibility—whether her mother is "a dummy" or her brother "a child"—drives her relentless pursuit of Tom Chaney...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Ingrassia and TJ Dawe explore the 1985 film, Witness, starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis, through the lens of the Preserving One subtype. They examine how John Book, played by Ford, embodies the deep tension between duty and desire. The three hosts dissect the film's themes of repression, moral rigidity and the carefully...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Ingrassia and TJ Dawe explore Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette as a portrait of the Preserving Seven subtype. Rather than a straightforward period piece, Coppola combines gilded excess with modern punk aesthetics to mirror Marie's internal world of distraction and avoidance. Compared to other Seven films, Marie Antoinette reveal...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Ingrassia and TJ Dawe discuss the Transmitting Seven through the 2020 film Birds of Prey. They analyze Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie, and how Harley's breakup from the Joker functions as complete emancipation, unleashing a character that embodies the Seven's relationship with freedom, pleasure and constraint. Connect wit...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Ingrassia and TJ Dawe take a break from their subtypes series to talk about the TV show, Parks and Recreation. They focus on a few notable characters, from Ron Swanson to Leslie Knope, to explore their Enneagram types based on five episodes from Seasons 3, 4 and 5. While the characters go through an evolution throughout the seve...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Ingrassia and TJ Dawe talk about the Navigating Seven through the 2005 film, Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. While this movie is all about navigating, they focus on Knightley’s character, Elizabeth, the strong-willed daughter who navigates falling in love in 19th-century England. TIMESTAMPS [...

In this episode, TJ Ingrassia returns to The Enneagram in a Movie podcast to discuss the TV show, Shrinking, with Mario Sikora and TJ Dawe. They examine the Preserving Five through the character of Dr. Paul Rhoades, played by Harrison Ford, focusing exclusively on Season Two. Connect with us: Awareness to Action Enneagram on Demand The Awareness to Action Enneagram Podcast Mario Sikora: IG: @mario...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora and TJ Dawe discuss the Transmitting Five through the character of Sherlock Holmes, exploring the portrayal played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC reboot of Sherlock. Connect with us: Awareness to Action Enneagram on Demand The Awareness to Action Enneagram Podcast Mario Sikora: IG: @mariosikora TikTok: @mariosikora Web: mariosik...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora and TJ Dawe explore the Navigating Five through the 2016 movie, Arrival, starring Amy Adams. Connect with us: Awareness to Action Enneagram on Demand The Awareness to Action Enneagram Podcast Mario Sikora: IG: @mariosikora TikTok: @mariosikora Web: mariosikora.com Substack: mariosikora.substack.com Book: How to Think Well, and Why:...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora and TJ Dawe explore the Transmitting Eight through the film, The Dark Knight Rises, starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway. The Transmitting Eight is probably the most aggressive of the 27 subtypes as it’s the stereotype people have in their minds when they think of Type Eight, which is Striving for Feel Powerful. Tran...

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora and TJ Dawe dive into an episode of the TV show, “The Last of Us,” starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, This episode from the first season, “Long, Long Time,” captures the Preserving Eight as it centers around Nick Offerman’s Bill, a Doomsday prepper, and his relationship to Frank, played by Murray Barlett. Their relationship is...

Mario Sikora and TJ Dawe return with a new season of Enneagram in a Movie podcast, starting with a series on the subtypes. Every other week, they will focus on a subtype with a movie that captures it well. In this episode, they discuss The Godfather II, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, to explore the Navigating Eight. The 1974 film features a lot of Type Eight–Striving to Feel Powerful–with...

TJ and Mario take a trip down nostalgia lane to explore the 1979 classic "The Muppet Movie," filled with cameos from all of your grandparents' favorite celebrities!

The movie "A Real Pain" is a sensitive and touching portrayal of an Enneagram type Seven in an existential crisis and his trip to visit his beloved grandmother's home in Poland with his type Six cousin. Both Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg give pitch-perfect portrayals of these two Enneagram profiles. Mario and TJ break it all down in this video.

TJ and Mario discuss the career of Gene Hackman, focusing on some of their favorite performances.

Celebrating the new availability (FINALLY!) of one of Mario's favorite movies from the 1980s, we talk about William Friedken's underappreciated gem, "To Live and Die in LA" from the perspective of the Enneagram. #enneagram4 #toliveanddieinla #williamfriedkin

TJ Dawe and Mario Sikora talk about the Oscar-nominated "Emilia Perez" through the lens of the Enneagram, paying close attention to the main characters Emilia and Rita.

Mario and TJ discuss the Enneagram types represented in Mario’s favorite TV experience of 2024—Season 4 of “Slow Horses,” starring Gary Oldman (playing a vivid Transmitting One) and Kristin Scott Thomas (playing a clear Navigating One).

TJ and Mario shine an Enneagram light on TJ's favorite TV experience of 2024--"What We Do In the Shadows." We look at the question: are vampires inherently Four-ish?

Mario explains why American Fiction was his favorite movie experience of 2024.

TJ chooses his favorite movie experience of 2024--"Anora."

TJ and Mario talk about how the movies of Wes Anderson provide insights into understanding the Preserving Instinctual Bias.