Typology

We live in a broken world and suffering is inevitable. But, what are you going to do with what you've gone through? Writer and storyteller, Kristen LaValley, Enneagram 5w4, offers a refreshing perspective on faith, spirituality, suffering, and the human experience. She joins me in an exploration of suffering and challenging our beliefs when they don't hold up in crisis or darkness.  As an Observer...

How does your Enneagram type influence the creative process? Whether we're in business, cooking a meal, or writing a book, we're all content creators on some level. Each of us has the capacity to tap into our gifts and bring something new into the world.  Today, we explore the fascinating interplay between the Enneagram and creativity with author and writing coach, Mary Adkins. This conversation s...

How does your past shape your present relationships? This week's episode is a treasure trove of insights that you won't want to miss! Join us as we sit down with the insightful Ike Miller, PhD, author, pastor, and Enneagram Three, who brings a fresh perspective on how the baggage we carry from our childhood isn't all bad. In fact, it might just be the key to unlocking healthier relationships and a...

This week, we are thrilled to welcome back Sissy Goff, an accomplished counselor and leading voice in parenting and child psychology. As an Enneagram 1, Sissy has served as the director of counseling at Daystar Ministries since 1993, where she has impacted countless families over decades of devoted work. She returns to discuss the connection between parental anxiety and anger and how they impact o...

With the Enneagram, what we do is not as important as why we do the things we do. This also applies to confidence.  Behavioral economics pioneer, internationally sought-after consultant, and professor of confidence-driven decision-making Peter Atwater explains,  "The 'why' to me is all related to our feelings of certainty and control because when I boil down what confidence is it's knowing what's...

Today on Typology we welcome a dynamic couple to the show: accomplished actor and screenwriter John Schaech, known for his roles in "That Thing You Do" and the upcoming series "Blue Ridge," and his wife, Julie Solomon, a top branding coach, best-selling author, and podcast host. Together, they share their insights into how the Enneagram has shaped their personal and professional lives. In this epi...

How do you discern what God is saying? The Enneagram teaches us that we're not all the same person. It allows us to be unique and have unique experiences. So, what if the key to hearing Him is understanding the distinct way he speaks to you?  Today's guest, pastor and author Havilah Cunnington reminds us we can't assume that God speaks to us all in the same way. "I think that's really important in...

What does it mean to be a man? It can be an incendiary question in some circles.  But Brian Tome brings his Enneagram Eight energy to the topic as we explore his new book, The Five Marks of a Man: finding your path to courageous manhood ,  "I didn't have that definitive moment where I crossed from boyhood to manhood because no one ever declared me a man. No one ever told me that," explains Brian....

In today's episode, distinguished guest Dr. Chip Dodd , a beacon of guidance and hope, joins me for a beautiful conversation about the power of feelings and relationships. We explore his groundbreaking Spiritual Root System (SRS), a simple yet powerful framework for understanding your emotional and spiritual nature and integrating it into your desired life. With his profound understanding of addic...

Curiosity is something we're all born with…it's a desire to know, a search for understanding. In today's episode, Enneagram 7, Scott Shigeoka shares how his innately inquisitive nature allows him to foster deeper connections and explains how others can and should do the same. "We often think about [curiosity] as an intellectual tool to extract information, but actually you can move from the mind i...

Each of us manage stress differently, but understanding our pressure points and automatic reactions allows us to consciously change the way we respond. When we understand the triggers of others, we can compassionately support them as well.   In Part 3 of our 3-part series, Anthony and I focus on the unique ways Enneagram 7s, 8s, and 9s experience and manage stress. We explore:    How Type 7s cope...

How do you manage the weight of what's going on in the world these days? Each of us handle stress differently, but when we take the time to recognize our triggers and automatic reactions, we're able to stop, pivot and intentionally change our response.   In Part 2 of our 3-part series, Anthony and I focus on the unique ways Enneagram 4s, 5s, and 6s experience and manage stress.   We explore how: T...

There's a lot going on in the world right now and we're all feeling different types of pressures.  Each of us handle stress in different ways, and if we're not careful, we can let our unhealthy behaviors take the lead. So, how do we work through seasons of stress to become the best, most helpful, most loving and compassionate expression of ourselves.  I believe the Enneagram can help.  It's not a...

Grief is not something you do. It's something you go through.  All of us experience different types of grief and each of us grieve in different ways. But if we allow grief to consume us, if we don't grow through grief, it locks us in the past and keeps us stuck.  The recent loss of my mother has been an invitation for me to reflect on the ways I process my own grief.  So today, Anthony and I wante...

Our greatest legacies are not just in what we achieve, but in the indomitable spirit we demonstrate and pass on to the ones we love. Living a life of purpose could be the greatest gift you can give to the people you love.  In today's episode, pastor and motivational speaker, Jay Hewitt shares his deeply personal journey of facing a terminal brain cancer diagnosis at thirty-seven and opens up about...

How can we use the Enneagram to understand and navigate our emotions? Each of us has a unique emotional wiring that has shaped our personality. But oftentimes, we undervalue the importance of our feelings. "Feelings are just as much a gift from God as thoughts," explains Dr. Bill Gualtiere, "[...] our thoughts influence our feelings. But our feelings influence our thoughts also, and our feelings a...

The metric of success is not tied to money or fame, it's living up to what you're called to do. Founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection, Mignon Francois, joins us for a delightful conversation about how she turned her last $5 into a $10 million dollar cupcake empire.  Now she's helping other people learn what they can do if only they believe in themselves.   "Everything is already here that will...

As human beings we're wired for connection – to be seen and known fully – yet loved anyway.  When we lack this true connection, we begin to drift into a feeling of loneliness or isolation, both of which have been proven to impact our physical and mental health.  Today's guest, Justin Whitmel Earley, explains the difference between social isolation and loneliness, then implores us to prioritize hea...

Philip Yancey is an award-winning author, renowned theologian, and influential speaker who has written 13 Gold Medallion award-winning books and won two ECPA Book of the Year awards for What's So Amazing About Grace? And The Jesus I Never Knew .  Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the bestselling book,  What's So Amazing About Grace? with author Philip Yanc...

"We have three energetic engines of what it means to be human. One is our feeling, one is our thinking, and one is our behaving. When those three things are integrated, the way that we're kind of wired, when we kind of again walk into the party and we're really behaving and thinking and feeling all in alignment, this is the fullest expression of a human being." explains Dr. Julia DiGangi.  Our new...

Sixes have excellent analytical minds, are great strategists, troubleshooters, problem-solvers, and of course, see worst-case scenarios that other people don't see. The passion of the Six is fear which is often experienced as anxiety…anxiety that the unexpected could happen at any time. But once they launch a mental narrative in their head of all that could go wrong, these fictional stories can ta...

There's no such thing as a pure personality type. We're all a mash up of two types – your dominant type and your dominant wing. Knowing your wing is important because they reveal a whole different side of your personality and can explain contradictory elements within your personality. Enneagram Fives are edged between the passionate, intense Four on one side and the loyal but anxious Six on the ot...

Burnout is more common than you think and the rates continue to rise. So, what constitutes burnout and how do we combat it?  First, we need to understand the stressors that lead to burnout in the first place.  According to physician, executive coach, and speaker Dr. Neha Sangwan, "burnout is due to prolonged stress and an ongoing net drain of energy on one or more of five levels: physical, mental,...

What is the gut-brain connection, and what role does it play in living a healthy and fulfilling life? Functional medicine expert Dr. Will Cole joins us to talk about his newest book, Gut-Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel , and how to heal our bodies through nutrition. Versed in the Enneagram, Dr. Cole shares how it has helped him educate and empo...

To be human is to suffer. Most people try to bypass suffering or live with it in isolation. But true healing happens when you acknowlege its presence, learn to be with it, and allow others to come alongside you in your pain.  "Suffering is this whole notion of my perception that, 'I'm alone with my pain.' So suffering is a direct function of the degree to which I am isolated with my pain," explain...