Typology

Twos have an amazing way of making other people feel safe and comfortable. They are some of the most caring, supportive and upbeat people I know.  They accept you as you are, aren't judgmental and create space where people can speak from their hearts and experience.  Yet, Twos need to be needed but for a Two to admit their own "neediness" is very difficult. They rarely ask for help and don't know...

This week we continue with our panel of Fours -- Sandra McCracken, Megan Miller, Matthew Perryman Jones, and Don Chaffer. Tune in as we discuss the strengths and challenges of being a Four, and then stick around to the end when Ian and guests pull some guitars down from the studio walls and spontaneously break into a Dylan tune. It's pretty unforgettable.

For those who are new to the Enneagram or to what life is like as an Enneagram Four, let me just give a 50,000-foot fly-by of the Enneagram Four.  Fours, called the Individualists, sometimes called the Romantics or the Tragic Romantics, these are folks who have a sense that they carry within themselves some deficiency--some irredeemable deficiency--a missing piece in their essential makeup that th...

After a knee-jerk reaction of skepticism, Dr. Richard Beck and his wife, Jana, share how the Enneagram has had a profound effect on their family. In today's show, we talk about the disjoint of how we conceive ourselves and how we behave on the ground, how personality and virtue cut across Enneagram types, and the unique contribution of the fluidity of the Enneagram. Richard Beck, Ph. D. is a resea...

This week we jump back into our conversation with Paul Young to help nail down his type.  Figuring out his type was hard, as it can be for many.  But I think Paul has suffered and worked through so many things in his life, he has reached a point where I think he's maybe one of the most integrated nines I've ever known. Also, because of that, he has a mystical quality.  When they're healthy, nines...

When learning the Enneagram and figuring out your number, one of the things that complicates the process is trauma and the effect of trauma on personality development and theory. I always say, I think personality, just the defensive nature of the personality thickens on people with trauma. The staircase is steeper that we have to climb. Our guest in this two-part episode is not sure if he's a 9 or...

I've said it before, Sixes are wonderful. They have a strong need for security and consistency. They appreciate order, plans and rules and like the comfort and predictability of laws and guidelines.  But Sixes also have a shadow side.  Their passion is fear, which is often experienced as anxiety.  Anxiety is a vague, free-floating sense of apprehension that arises in response to an unknown or pote...

Every type on the Enneagram has misbeliefs and errant unconscious motivations that get us to do and think and feel things that just are not in our best interests.  We all have these broken messages in our lives that run like recordings in the background. The hurtful words and experiences from our past often determine what record play in our head as an adult. In her new book, How to Fix a Broken Re...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on tour with a band?  It sounds exciting, right? You'd hop on a tour bus, travel coast to coast seeing the world, and entertain thousands of people every night.    But, what is it truly like to live on a bus with 11 other people day-in and day-out?  Well, when the road manager of Tenth Avenue North reached out to talk about how the Enneagram, and ...

When Nines are healthy and self-aware, they learn to feel special and important. They get in touch with their own passions and feel secure enough to stand behind their accomplishments. They become assertive and decisive. But when they switch to autopilot and spiritually fall asleep at the wheel, they doubt themselves and become more pessimistic. The deadly sin, or the passion of Nines, Sloth, is r...

In Enneagram-speak, Enneagram Twos are called The Helpers.  They are some of the most loving, kind, supportive, upbeat, and—when healthy—genuinely helpful to other people.  Their underlying motivation is to feel loved and needed. But sometimes that need to be needed can lead to burn out. But, why listen to me talk about The Helper when you can hear it from those who actually live it?  In this week...

Our personality types can put us into an almost hypnotic trance, something I'd call the shadow. We relegate to the shadow those parts of ourselves we don't want to see. What the Enneagram does is it takes a flashlight and it goes into the shadow with you. It says, "Okay, we've got to look around." It helps us embrace the journey inward. And no, it's not going to be comfortable. It is going to be p...

About a month ago, I sat down with author and former White House staffer, Michael Wear, to talk about personality, power, and politics.  And I know this is a hot-button topic, but I do think it's an important conversation to have.  When we're talking about the President of United States and want to understand who he/she is, how he/she operates, and why our country is where it is, I think it's fair...

Enneagram Twos are part of the shame triad which, for those who are just getting started with the Enneagram, means that 'shame' is the go-to emotion for Twos, Threes, and Fours.  Whatever the external manifestation is of—our struggle, our compulsion, our presenting problem, anger, alcohol, buying stuff that you don't need, sex, helping—shame is always what fuels that compulsion because where there...

Known as The Helper, or as Michael Cusick prefers to call them, The Giver, Twos can be really great therapists and are maybe the most natural to move into that field, but there's also a lot of things about being a Two that work against that. Twos can care too much for the wrong reasons.  Twos are so wired and attuned to the needs and the feelings of other people that they are often clueless as to...

Healthy Eights are great friends, exceptional leaders and champions of those who cannot fight on their own behalf. They have the intelligence, courage and stamina to do what others say can't be done. And, as with most Enneagram Eights, Jo Saxton is full of Eight's life-giving energy so when she was available for our podcast, I jumped at the chance to interview her. When healthy, Eights learn to op...

"Compassion is a verb." - Thich Nhat Hanh The Enneagram helps us recognize and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior by challenging us to bravely explore who we really are. As we grow in self-awareness we pave the way for our wiser and more compassionate self.  Instead of banging guardrail-to-guardrail through life hurting those in our path, the Enneagram allows us to build and sustain heal...

This week on Typology, we continue our conversation with 'Science Mike' McHargue. This show is bursting with wisdom about Nines.  You'll learn how Nines can spiritually wake up and leverage their unleashed energy for some really cool things, what a Nine looks like in Right Action, and hear some great tips at the end for growing in your journey.   Mike McHargue (better known as Science Mike) is an...

Enneagram Nines, or The Peacemakers, are open and receptive in every way. They can see both sides to everything and they have a profound awareness of the interconnectedness of all things in creation.  Their unconscious motivation is to avoid conflict at all costs, to maintain a relational connection, maintain the status quo, and preserve inner peace and harmony.  To preserve this inner peace and h...

A lot of listeners have reached out asking "how do I figure out my type?" And though I would love to give t h e answer, the truth is it can be very difficult to figure out one's Enneagram number. You are the only one who can truly determine your own Enneagram number because only you can identify the underlying motivation that drives the way you view the world. The real determining factor is not wh...

Fours are the most complex of all the types on the Enneagram. They spend their lives feeling different and separate from others and long to be understood and appreciated for their authentic self. Fours experience themselves as people who are missing something essential at their core that they just can't put their finger on.  As Tim Burton describes it, "if you've ever had that feeling of lonelines...

Enneagram Threes focus on outstanding performance, being perceived as successful and avoiding failure at all costs. They believe that love comes from achievement, image, and status and have the tendency to neglect or ignore the personal needs of self and others. But when Threes move toward health they move to the high side of Six.  When that happens they no longer need to "drive the bus" or flaunt...

Enneagram Fives are known as the Investigators, or the Observers.  They see the world as intrusive, overwhelming and draining.  They prefer to observe life from the sidelines rather than jumping in and participating in it. They value their privacy and freedom and can feel consumed, or drained, by prolonged involvement with other people or by having too many expectations placed on them.  They monit...

I've received lots of emails and messages from folks on social media who are struggling to nail down their Enneagram number. Well, let me tell you, if that's the case for you, this show is spot on. While only you can determine your own type, there are some things you can do to help get clarity.  For those out there who are trying to figure out their type it's often helpful to read up on wings.  Wi...

On this week's show we invited a panel of Enneagram Fives into the studio to describe how they see and experience the world. Called the Investigators, or the Observers, Fives are kind, perceptive, sensitive, calm in a crisis and often possess a sly, slightly cynical sense of humor that's endlessly entertaining. But, they can also come across as detached from their feelings, or aloof, unless they f...