Beyond Your Number

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Beyond Your Number episodes

March 18 Enneagram Growth Path, How Each Type Can Move Toward Health and Wholeness
We’ve talked motivation, fear, and sabotage, and now Damon and Kelly bring the series in for a hopeful landing with real growth steps for every Enneagram type.
You’ll hear what growth looks like for Types 1 through 9, from letting go of perfection, to asking directly for help, to resting without earning it, to staying present in discomfort, speaking up, and taking action. If you have ever wondered what real change actually looks like for your number, this episode gives you clear next steps you can start practicing right away.
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38 min
March 11 Enneagram Self-Sabotage, When Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Biggest Problem
Every Enneagram type has a strength that helps them shine, until it gets overused and starts causing damage. In this episode, Damon and Kelly unpack how each type’s greatest gift can quietly turn into a defense mechanism, and how to spot that shift before it hurts your relationships, leadership, or self-awareness.
From Type 1’s integrity becoming criticism, to Type 9’s peace becoming disappearance, this episode walks through all nine types with practical examples and honest reflection. You’ll learn where each type’s strength crosses the line, what that feels like for the people around them, and how to notice when your “superpower” is starting to sabotage you.
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35 min
March 04Enneagram Core Fears, Type 1–9 (What Each Type Avoids and How It Drives Behavior)
Okay BYN friends, this one’s a little ominous, in a helpful way. Damon and Kelly walk through the core fear underneath each Enneagram type, and how fear becomes a “silent motivator” that can hijack your tone, your choices, and your relationships when you’re not paying attention.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why core fears often run the show subconsciously, especially under stress
The core fear for each type (1–9) and what it tends to look like in real life
A simple awareness prompt to use this week: “Where am I noticing this fear driving me?”
Core fears by type:
Type 1: fear of being wrong (or corrupt)
Type 2: fear of being unwanted (and abandoned)
Type 3: fear of being worthless (or unseen)
Type 4: fear of having no identity (being ordinary)
Type 5: fear of depletion (energy, time, resources)
Type 6: fear of being unsupported (leading to loyal-to-a-fault patterns)
Type 7: fear of pain (leading to avoidance and distraction)
Type 8: fear of being harmed (driving control and protective walls)
Type 9: fear of conflict (driving self-forgetting and disconnection)
Share this one with a friend, unless you’re a 9 and you’re afraid it’ll cause conflict. (Damon said it.)
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26 min
February 25 Enneagram Motivation Explained, Core Drivers for Types 1–9 (Approval, Security, Control)
Motivation is the “why” underneath what we do, and it’s one of the easiest Enneagram concepts to misunderstand. In this episode of Beyond Your Number, Damon and Kelly break down Enneagram motivation in a clear, practical way, starting with the three triads and then moving into how each type expresses its core driver.
You’ll learn why the Heart Triad (2–4) is driven by approval/validation, the Head Triad (5–7) is driven by security, and the Gut Triad (8–1) is driven by control, agency, and autonomy, plus what each group tends to scan for in relationships and teams. They also share simple growth practices for each triad, including how to catch the negative bias that makes motivation sound “bad,” and how to notice the early signals (especially anger and fear) before they run the show.
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37 min
February 18Enneagram + Lent, What to Give Up or Add for Each Type (1–9)
We start with lint (dryer fires and all), then realize we mean Lent, and we actually go there.
If you’ve never practiced Lent, or you grew up doing it and still aren’t sure what to do with it, this episode makes it simple. Kelly connects Jesus’ three temptations to the Enneagram triads (gut, head, heart), then gives practical Lent invitations for every Enneagram type (1–9), including whether you should give something up or add something in for the next 40 days. Spoiler, 7s get a “Sunday loophole,” 8s have to talk about feelings, and 9s… have to get uncomfortable.
In this episode:
Lent vs lint (yes, we went there)
The 40 days, Ash Wednesday, and why Lent is about making space
Jesus’ three temptations mapped to gut, head, and heart
Practical Lent ideas for Types 1–9 (including a real plan for 9s)
Why 7s need a “Sunday loophole,” why 8s must process feelings, and why 1s should practice imperfection
If you’ve never practiced Lent, or you’ve done it forever, this is a simple way to approach it using the Enneagram without making it weird.
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28 min
February 11Subtype Layers: Type 9
We’re back after an unplanned missed week, and yes, we finally tell the rest of the Jamaica story, including flight chaos, reroutes, and the unwanted souvenir of Influenza A.
Then we wrap up our Subtypes series with Enneagram Type 9 (the Peacemaker) and why “if you ignore it, it will go away” is both relatable and… not really true. We break down the three 9 subtypes and how each one pursues peace, avoids conflict, and sometimes loses themselves in the process.
In this episode:
Jamaica travel recap: storms, rerouting, and why switching airlines saved the trip
A 9’s core tension: peacekeeping vs true peace
Self-Preservation 9: comfort, routine, numbing, and inertia
Social 9: group harmony, inclusion, resentment, and disappearing in the crowd
One-to-One 9: merging, idealizing relationships, and “peace at any price”
Practical growth moves for 9s, plus how to speak up before it all builds up!
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30 min
January 28Subtype Layers: Type 8
This week’s episode isn’t fully evergreen, because it’s recorded right as Kelly is leading a VU service trip to Jamaica and a major winter storm is about to hit the Midwest. That real-time pressure makes it the perfect setup for Enneagram Type 8 subtypes, because you hear “8 energy” in action: decision-making, urgency, leadership, control, and the tension of letting go when the outcome is out of your hands.
Damon and Kelly break down the three Type 8 instinctual variants (self-preservation, social, one-to-one), how each one protects and leads, and how the same strengths can turn into blind spots when intensity takes over.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why Type 8 is “the challenger,” and how control and strength show up under stress
Self-Pres 8 “Survivalist,” crisis-ready, protective, resourceful, and hard to slow down
Social 8 “Protector/Leader,” justice-oriented leadership, leading for the whole group, and “leading up”
How Social 8 can mistype as a 2 (care for others, group focus, but different motive and energy)
One-to-One 8 “Intense Protector,” fierce loyalty, deep bond when trust forms, and why intensity can intimidate
The shadow sides: stubbornness, steamrolling, impatience, possessiveness, and anger in close relationships
Subtype quick reference:
Self-Preservation 8: Survivalist
Social 8: Protector, Leader
One-to-One (Sexual) 8: Intense Protector
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33 min
January 21Subtype Layers: Type 7
Enneagram Type 7 subtypes are all about how joy, possibility, and future-focused energy show up through different instincts, and the differences are bigger than most people expect. In this episode of Beyond Your Number, Damon and Kelly break down the self-preservation, social, and one-to-one Type 7, including why some Sevens look surprisingly “responsible,” why others fill every open space on the calendar, and why the intense one-to-one Seven can idealize experiences and relationships.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
SP 7 “Keeper of the Castle,” practical optimism, better follow-through, comfort and security as a priority
How SP 7 can mistype as a 6 (same safety language, different motivation)
Social 7 “Entertainer,” group energy, planning experiences, inclusivity, and over-committing socially
Why Social 7 can derail seriousness (class clown energy), and struggle with follow-through
One-to-One 7, intensity, imagination, “next high” restlessness, and idealizing partners or experiences
Subtype quick reference:
Self-Preservation 7: Keeper of the Castle
Social 7: The Entertainer (planner of entertainment)
One-to-One (Sexual) 7: The Intense Enthusiast
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23 min
January 14Subtype Layers: Type 6
Enneagram Type 6 subtypes are all about safety and security, and they look very different depending on the instinct. In this episode of Beyond Your Number, Damon and Kelly break down the self-preservation, social, and one-to-one Type 6, including why Six often gets confused with other types and how motivation clarifies what is really going on.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What drives Type 6 (safety and security), and how loyalty flows from that
Self-Pres 6 at home, routines, stability, and when “checking” becomes anxiety management
Social 6 in groups, values, systems, and how they relate to rules and authority
One-to-One 6 as the intense protector (and why it can look like an 8)
Why 6 can get mistaken for 2 or 8, and how to spot the difference by motivation
Subtype quick reference:
Self-Preservation 6: Defender of the Home
Social 6: Guardian of the Community
One-to-One (Sexual) 6: The Warrior
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27 min
January 07 Subtype Layers: Type 5 and a New Season!
Season 4 is here, it is 2026, and we start exactly how you would expect: a little off the rails. Damon declares a “set the bar low” resolution, Kelly introduces the better idea (rhythms over resolutions), and together they officially “jump the shark” before re-centering on Enneagram subtype layers. This episode focuses entirely on Type 5, breaking down the self-preservation, social, and one-to-one (sexual) expressions. You will hear how each Five manages energy, boundaries, knowledge, and connection, from the “Defender of the Castle” to the “Professor” to the “Intense Observer.” If you are a Five, love a Five, or work with a Five, this one will help you see the strengths clearly and catch the drift toward isolation, over-intellectualizing, or disappearing into the cave when overwhelmed.
Type 5, Self-Preservation: “Defender of the Castle”
Type 5, Social: “The Professor”
Type 5, One-to-One (Sexual): “The Intense Observer”
Follow us on Apple Podcasts and leave a review:
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25 min

About Beyond Your Number

From the publisher's feed

You're more than just a personality. Beyond Your Number is a conversational Enneagram podcast where Damon and Kelly dig into what makes people tick, and what to do with what you find.

We…