Typology

What is your relationship with money?  Do you have a healthy one? Do you have a conscious one? Most of us don't receive a financial education or an emotional literacy education as we are growing up.  But, given how much we think about money, understanding what it is for, and why it is uniquely important to you can help foster a better, more intentional relationship with money. Bari Tessler, Financ...

We all view the world through a different lens and the motivations that drive the decisions we make also vary.  The Enneagram is a valuable tool for helping us understand those motivations so we can become more patient parents, communicate better with our spouses, and extend compassion to our coworkers. Our underlying motivations even play a large role in how we behave when it comes to money. When...

The ever-present passion (fear) that drives the Enneagram Six's way of acting, thinking, and feeling, is actually experienced as anxiety. Fear is what arises when you're in the presence of a clear and immediate source of danger.  Anxiety, in contrast, is a vague, free-floating sense of apprehension that arises in response to an unknown or potential threat. For Sixes, anxiety plays a role in all as...

The more I know about life and people, the more I love Enneagram Sixes. Called Loyalists, Sixes are the most faithful and dependable people on the Enneagram. They keep a watchful eye over us. They safeguard our values. In my opinion, they're the glue that holds our world together. And, by the time this episode is over, you're going to understand why Enneagram Sixes have a reputation for being some...

Another one of my favorite episodes is my interview from Season 1 with Jo Saxton.  She's an author, speaker, podcast host, and leadership coach who has dedicated her career to growing leadership teams around the world and empowering women to find their purpose in their personal and professional lives.  She's also a strong voice for Enneagram Eights. Healthy Eights are great friends, exceptional le...

As we continue to celebrate reaching over 11 Million downloads, I'd like to revisit my interview with Fr. Richard Rohr.  I first encountered the Enneagram when I was a graduate student at a conservative seminary. While on a weekend retreat I came across a copy of Fr. Richard Rohr's book, Discovering The Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for a New Spiritual Journey . In that book Richard describes the tra...

We want to thank all of our listeners for tuning in and sharing our episodes -- helping us reach our biggest milestone yet -- 11 million downloads! As we celebrate this month, we'll be revisiting a few of Ian's favorite episodes that show just how powerful the Enneagram is as a tool for personal transformation. In today's replay, we take a look at the adaptable, caring, and "go with the flow" natu...

Driven by the desire to appear successful and distinguish themselves through their achievements, image-focused Enneagram Threes often appear confident, ambitious, and goal-oriented. At their best, they are self-accepting, authentic role models who inspire others. Today, author and leadership coach, Jenni Catron explains the pivotal role the Enneagram has had played for her personally and professio...

Known for their playful, high-spirited, and spontaneous personalities, Enneagram Sevens infuse optimism and adventure in their daily interactions.  But their fear of boredom can lead to impulsive decision making and difficulty committing to plans in advance. So, what happens when an Enneagram Seven focuses on doing their work and allows the knowledge to penetrate and break the patterns that typica...

Enneagram Eights are real forces of nature.  They are incredibly hardworking with a great deal of energy, and their self-confidence and take-charge personality make it easy for them to make difficult decisions.  So, when it comes to finding the job you love, Enneagram Eight, Ken Coleman couldn't be a better guide.  Today on Typology, Ken not only outlines the questions any Enneagram type needs to...

As a map of our interior world, the Enneagram is meant to bring about or enable spiritual transformation. But what does it look like when we are far enough down our path to see a difference? Our guest, actor/musician and Enneagram three Josh Radnor illustrates that vision today. Josh talks to Ian about growing in his compassion for himself and others, transforming from an unevolved three to an evo...

We're kicking off season 4 with a great episode! Today, Enneagram Four pop star Tori Kelly and former professional basketball player André Murillo join me to talk about how the Enneagram has impacted their relationship.  Right out of the gate the conversation goes deep into how the Enneagram fosters a better understanding of the needs of their friends and family, encourages them to respect each ot...

When I first heard an Improver wrote a book titled, The Lazy Genius Way , I had to get her on the show.  How on earth does an Enneagram One, who typically can't stop working to perfect the world and relax, come to embrace laziness? In today's episode, author Kendra Adachi explains why it's so important to be a genius about the things that matter, but to be lazy about things that don't.  She also t...

What makes a great leader? We typically think of a strong leader as someone who knows where they are going and how to motivate others to get there.  But how do you effectively lead your team if you don't have a clear vision of your future? On this edition of Typology, Michael Hyatt explains what a Vision Driven Leader is and why a strategic vision is the most essential ingredient in leadership, no...

This week I'm thrilled to welcome podcast goddess and Enneagram Five, Elizabeth Evans. Having previously wrestled with a scarcity mindset that kept her wrapped up in her mind, she shares her powerful story of how she flipped the script of her fear and stepped into a mindset that led her to become a successful, female business owner.  An expert in storytelling, Elizabeth shares how she integrates t...

How many teams do you belong to?  Personally, I am part of numerous teams. Be it my marriage, my friendships, my church, my AA group, or my business, I use the Enneagram with each of my teams to reduce conflict, improve communication, and promote cooperation. It's an invaluable tool for building stronger teams. In this episode, guests Tim and Beckie Farrant join me to talk about how they apply the...

The Enneagram provides nine consistent, fairly predictable ways for us to understand and tell our narrative of how we operate in the world and make sense of our lives. It's a tool that helps us enter into a conversation with ourselves about the recurring themes and patterns of behaviors that are self-defeating or hurtful to others. One of the themes that operates as a thread in each of our lives i...

Today, psychologist, author, and spiritual director Chuck Degroat joins me for a killer episode about the nine faces of narcissism.  And we're not talking about people with full-blown narcissistic personality disorder per se. We're talking about narcissism on a continuum and what it looks like when each Enneagram type is manifesting a narcissistic style or type. Each of us is somewhere on that nar...

Earlier this season, Molly Fletcher and I talked about her struggle to relax and turn it off. At the end of our interview, I asked her to come back after she had done some work and really dug into the Enneagram. Now, seven months later, she joins us to share how time and reflection have truly helped her slow down and shift her focus to chasing fulfillment rather than achievement. What does that lo...

What better way to wrap up our series on Enneagram and Parenting, than with a rich conversation with parenting experts, Amy and Jeffrey Olrick, Ph. D. Dr. Olrick is a clinical psychologist who has worked with children and families for over 20 years. Amy is an author and human rights advocate whose work and writing has been featured in the Guardian and USA Today. Together, they run GrowingConnected...

Author of Get Out of Your Own Way: A Skeptic's Guide to Growth and Fulfillment , Dave Hollis joins me to talk honestly about the lies human beings tell themselves and how those lies feather with the Enneagram.  Together, we review the most common lies people tell themselves, offer tips for neutralizing those lies, and discuss the importance of rewriting our stories to become the best, truest versi...

This week Dr. Russell Moore joins Ian Cron for a rich discussion on morality and authenticity. Dr. Moore is president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the moral and public policy agency of the nations' largest Protestant denomination.  He is an ethicist, theologian, award-winning writer, and head of the moral and public policy agency of the SBC.  The...

The Enneagram is a great tool for integration for yourself, but I'd like to encourage you to think of it as a tool that can really impact family dynamics, including strengthening your relationships with your children. When families integrate the Enneagram into their daily lives, not only do parents begin to better understand and distinguish the needs of their children, but children can also learn...

Today on Typology, I'm thrilled to welcome author Brian McLaren. Brian is an author, speaker, activist and theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for "a new kind of Christianity" – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good.           Brian is a faculty member of  The Living School , which is part of the  Center for Actio...

The Enneagram is complicated and nuanced, but human beings are infinitely more complex than the Enneagram. And today's episode proves just that. Our guest, ABC News correspondent, Paula Faris, exudes a lot of energy from a few different Enneagram types.  Listen as Ian walks Paula through the Typing Interview Process to help her tease out the types she most strongly resonates with, then offers some...