The Difficulty: Creativity, Meaning & the Hard Work of a Life

The Enneagram is so much more than a typology. It is so much more than a static symbol. In fact, the Enneagram is a living, breathing, dynamic process-driven system to self-observation and self-understanding. It helps you to understand yourself ("Know Thyself") at deeper level much faster than you ever could without it. It helps you to understand others.

In today's episode, Shelley and Chad cover five proven approaches to going beyond just knowing your number. Knowing your number is a start, but then what about it?

We discuss the concept and approach to (1) self-observation and why it's mission critical to begin here. Then, we hit on (2) centers of intelligence, (3) wings, (4) arrows, and (5) the passions and virtues as ways to integrate your understanding. Today's episode helps direct to patterns of conscious growth and to escape from your habitual and ingrained personality patterns that keep you stuck.

Time Stamps:

2:15--The growth paths we're going to cover today

3:30--Self-observation is key to everything we teach

4:20--And you can't know yourself until you see yourself

5:00--We are machines

8:04--Definition of Self-Observation

14:38--Centers of Intelligence discused

21:14--Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one's being, but by integrating the contraries

23:03--The moment everyone's been waiting for: wings

28:34--The arrows can direct you in terms of big moves in your growth

33:49--We also need to be filling up our knowledge bank, as well as what we're learning about ourselves

34:18--Discussing the passions and the virtues

The Big Self Leadership Accelerator is open! We launch October 4, and we've saved a space for you. For details go to: bigselfschool.com/bsla

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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Today we speak with Suzy Anthony, Marta Gillilan, and Roger Coles.

We discuss what it's like getting into the heads of Sixes. Sixes are sometimes named the Loyalist, and sometimes the Skeptical Troubleshooter. Their archetype centers on a person who seeks security and certainty, but ironically often doesn't find it. Of all the personality types, Sixes are the most loyal to their friends and their beliefs and ideas. At the same time, it's easy to break trust with them if you don't pass their sniff test. And they do find themselves testing others even when they don't always consciously realize it.

They tend to look at all scenarios in order to locate potential problems. They ask lots of questions, and look for weak points. Sixes are always aware of their anxieties and are looking for ways to construct security supports. In today's episode we have three Sixes--one for each subtype (we think). These Sixes are vulnerable and open about what it's like to be them, and the work they've done on themselves to work on their growth paths.

We discuss all this and much more on this week's Enneagram Six episode.

Time Stamps:

:52--Suzy introduces herself

2:20--Marta introduces herself

5:30--Roger introduces herself

8:12--Talking the head type center of intelligence and the voices in their heads

19:42--How they test their reactions

24:42--Struggling to trust

31:53--Struggling with fear

34:09--Marta opens up about her experience in dealing with cancer with both her parents and with her husband

39:40--Sixes are great truth-tellers, and how do they step into their courage

46:58--Shelley confuses Hamlet for Frodo

55:12--Shelley asks each Six to discuss one thing they're working on

The Big Self Leadership Accelerator is open! We launch October 4, and we've saved a space for you. For details go to: bigselfschool.com/bsla

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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Today we speak with Richie Daigle and Chris Schoolcraft, two Fives who have done a lot of work to under their personalities and how they show up in the world.

We discuss what it's like being a headtype as our center of intelligence, and how they hold on to their knowledge and skills and share it only when they feel completely ready.

Fives highly value working independently. They're more comfortable with data and facts than with people and emotions. They also tend to see the work they do through the lens of information that needs to be mastered in order to get the job done. Fives sincerely enjoy learning and you can count them to provide a high level of expertise and authoritative information when given the time to prepare. They also make for good listeners and you can count on them to stay focused on their tasks.

We discuss all this and much more on this week's Enneagram Five episode.

Time Stamps:

1:16--Richie Daigle introduces himself

3:35--Chris Schoolcraft introduces himself

5:52--Richie discusses what it was like being in his head as a semi-professional baseball player

8:05--Chris talks about being disconnected from his heart and body (as a head type)

16:25--Richie says he feels like Fives need a certain sense of control

20:50--It's like being out on a frozen pond and not being sure the ice can hold

28:59--Having had people encroach on their boundaries, Fives can sense from a long way away if someone is being nosy

34:02--Shelley asks the panelists about the passion of Avarice

38:42--The idea of being prepared is really important

42:45--Chris discusses how he may avoid things by generating a defense of indifference

47:55--Chris has tried to trust more and think less when it comes to his growth path

51:33--Richie talks about getting stuck within feedback loops

The Big Self Leadership Accelerator is open! We launch October 4, and we've saved a space for you. For details go to: bigselfschool.com/bsla

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

Leave us a review and subscribe on Apple iTunes.

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Today we speak with Shay and Amanda, along with our very own Chad. We all know how special Fours are, and how much they fear being anything but ordinary. But it's not every day we get to hear the perspectives from two self-preservation subtypes and one relational (one-to-one) subtype at the same time.

We discuss what it's like being a heart type as our center of intelligence, how the subtypes really opened up our self-understanding, and the concept of envy. Fours are constantly feeling what they're missing both consciously and unconsciously.

Fours highly value authenticity. They are also image focused, but not in a self-absorbed way as some may think. The lens is turned in on themselves a great deal. They have superpowers with empathy, but sometimes when they turn the introjection upon themselves, they can become moody or melancholic, even angry, as they take on the feelings and impressions from others.

We discuss all this and much more on this week's Enneagram Four episode.

Time Stamps:

1:54--Shay Bocks introduces herself

4:05--Amanda introduces herself

7:36--Chad discusses how he knew pretty much right away that he was a Four, but it was discovering the subtype that really helped

11:00--Amanda talks about how it is as a heart type being married to a body type

17:20--Amanda agrees with Shay about the image focus of the fours and how it manifests

22:50--Amanda picks up on what Chad said about the way he had become angry among his peers when he wasn't being recognized for his value and contribution. She discusses how you just want to feel like there's a place for you in the world.

27:10--Shay helps us understand the concept of introjection by beginning with the more commonly understood idea of projection

36:18--The masochism comes in for the Fours when they take on the emotions of everyone else and with no clear outlet

45:47--Chad discusses a growth path that he is currently on

46:46--Shay starts with her growth path and Amanda follows (they encourage everyone to check out the CPEnneagram with Beatrice Chestnut and Uranio Paes)

49:10--Shay talks about her meditation of a burning bush

The Big Self Leadership Accelerator is open! We launch October 4, and we've saved a space for you. For details go to: bigselfschool.com/bsla

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

Leave us a review and subscribe on Apple iTunes.

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Today we’re answering some of your fantastic questions, and it is making for a great show. 

Could you give us more background on the history of the Enneagram? 

We give credit to a 20th-century pioneer of the Traditional Enneagram, Oscar Ichazo. We also briefly touch on the influences and how it reached the west.

Interesting sidenote: According to Gurdjieff’s student JG Bennett, the Enneagram was developed in the 15th century by mathematicians in the Sarmoun mystery school to express principles symbolized by the newly discovered decimal point. The Enneagram as a symbol represents aspects of mathematical laws — law of three, law of seven, law of one.

Could you tell us a little more about what the sub-types are about? 

Among other things, we discuss the three basic instincts, why they tend to be overlooked in North American teaching of the Enneagram, and how the combination of your type and instinct comprise what we call the sub-type.

What is the value or point of the Enneagram besides recognizing your type?

We love this question because it’s something we all consciously or unconsciously wonder about as we begin to learn more about ourselves in really any format, any personality typology. In fact, the more we learned about the Enneagram from its many teachers, and the more we understood about ourselves and others as we are in personality, the more we realized that learning our type was just the beginning. It alone is not the point. 

We are machines, and we live our lives on autopilot. Whether it’s our habits and patterns, our negative emotion traps, our inability to see ourselves clearly, identification, we live our lives unconsciously. We are asleep to ourselves. Also, it:

• Moves you out of your machinery, wakes you up (use only if you're into self-development work) can actually be detrimental to identify type and leave it there, double down on your patterns, shame
• Helps you grow efficiently and shows you your personalized path for growing 
• Identifies blind spots that you can’t see

Time Stamps:

3:25--Who Oscar Ichazo is

5:40--George Gurdjieff gets a lot of credit for bringing the Enneagram to the West, and why

9:39--To see where the Enneagram is now and give Claudio Narajano credit for his contributions

14:23--The sub-type piece of the conversation is often left out in the U.S.

20:19--Why did Chad believe certain sub-types were associated with being introverted or extroverted

28:28--Shelley really wants people to start understanding their sub-types as a piece of their self-understanding

32:14--We are asleep to ourselves

36:50--Why could it be dangerous to only use the Enneagram as a typing system and stop there

38:03--What Gurdjieff said you will get from becoming one of his students

40:17--The Enneagram reveals things you didn't even know were self-sabotaging you

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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Our two Enneagram 3 panelists this week have done a great deal of work on themselves. While Jim Gum certainly has done a tremendous amount of work over his 30 years of working with the Enneagram, Steph Barron Hall's six years or so has brought her a long way as well.

If you are ready to learn your Enneagram type and what to do with it, we have a giveaway for you! We’re offering a free Enneagram typing package to a lucky someone who gives us a review on iTunes or Spotify. 

These typing packages are valued at $375, and include an interview, a proprietary test, and one follow up coaching session. So you heard it here: if you go to iTunes or Spotify and search for The Big Self Podcast and leave us a review, you can enter into a giveaway to get a free Enneagram typing package.

After you leave us a review, go to BigSelfSchool.com/enneagramgiveaway and fill out the form so you can be entered to win.

Time Stamps:

1:25--Jim Gum introduces himself

3:42--Steph Barron Hall introduces herself

7:41--30 years ago, Jim discusses the intense emotional conflict he was experiencing before he learned about the Enneagram

12:30--Steph discusses the validation she felt that 3s are potentially the most emotional type of all

18:55--Steph agrees with Jim's point about feeling fragile, and goes on to explain her experience as an Instagrammer

33:55--Jim discusses how he has grown out of always having to do something even on his time off

40:41--Jim discusses the Thomas Merton prayer that he's memorizing, and also the concept of deceit and how that plays into our lives (and specific to 3s)

53:35--Steph discusses the importance of self-compassion for her inner growth

62:30--How 3s are so misunderstood

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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Shelley is super excited to introduce you today to her brother and sisters of the Enneagram type Two. These are her people.

If you are ready to learn your Enneagram type and what to do with it, we have a giveaway for you! We’re offering a free Enneagram typing package to a lucky someone who gives us a review on iTunes or spotify. 

These typing packages are valued at $375, and include an interview, a proprietary test, and one follow up coaching session. So you heard it here: if you go to iTunes or Spotify and search for The Big Self Podcast and leave us a review, you can enter into a giveaway to get a free Enneagram typing package.

After you leave us a review, go to BigSelfSchool.com/enneagramgiveaway and fill out the form so you can be entered to win.

Time Stamps:

0:50--Carolyn Swora introduces herself

2:34--Ashton Whitmoyer-Ober introduces herself

4:56--Jonathon Bow introduces himself

7:15--What it means to be a heart type

14:27--The definable characteristics of a Two

25:23--Core fear that Twos are not really lovable

35:28--The passion of pride in the Two

43:10--Talking about the growth points of the Two

57:10--Jonathan talks about the importance of boundaries

60:00--Carolyn brings up the idea of slowing down and listening

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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Type 1s are known as Reformers or Perfectionists. They're also body types, and when it comes to relating to others they can house a lot of energy inside themselves, often in the form of anger. In this episode's discussion, we meet Angie Liski, Kristi Rider, and Randa Hinton. We learn a little more about what makes these types tick, especially when it comes to dealing with anger and the inner critic.

*The sound quality on this episode is sub-standard, and we apologize for the issues which have been addressed in all other panelist interviews in this series.

Time Stamps:

2:00--Kristi Rider introduces herself

3:50--Angie Lisky introduces herself

6:05--Randa Hinton introduces herself

8:16--How Randa carries "the weight of the world" in herself and how learning about how 1s are body types have helped her understand and transcend being a body type

9:59--How Angie channels her anger and how it works in the body

11:45--How for Kristi being a body type means knowing things quickly

13:41--How does being a 1 translate into their work and leadership

19:50--How do 1s deal with their inner critic

32:05--A brief discussion of the varieties of subtypes in 1s

37:08--The virtue of Serenity

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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Shelley speaks with two leaders who recognize the 9 within themselves. These two leaders, Suzanna Cooper and Lesley Scarce, have been working on their personal inner growth through the lens of the Enneagram for years now. They offer their deep insights into what it means to function as a body type, how they work with anger, and how they do or don't "self-forget." What does it mean for leaders when they're willing to do the self-development work themselves? Does it really benefit everyone? Is it possible to be vulnerable as a leader with your team? How does it impact their personal relationships as well as their professional?

We bring new levels of awareness and personal growth to you through the multi-faceted lens of the Enneagram. We bring you experts and leaders from all the stratification of personality types and human experiences.

Time Stamps:

2:24--Suzanna introduces herself

3:35--Lesley Scarce introduces herself

6:37--Shelley asks the panelists what it's like to be a body type

10:42--Shelley asks the panelists how aware they are of when the process of body awareness is happening

18:49--Shelley asks the panelists if they'd be willing to talk about their anger

22:40--The 9s adaptive strategy is to fall asleep to themselves

32:27--The passion of the 9s is the "sloth," also described as self-forgetting

40:00--When we do the inner work on ourselves, it builds trust with the team

45:55--When we do the work everyone around us benefits. Shelley asks the panelists what they've experienced as leaders when they've done the self work of personal inner growth

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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The Big Self Podcast is set to challenge you with everything you know about the Enneagram. Or at least everything you think you know about yourself through the Enneagram as a system for your whole self. On this week's episode we feature three 8s, and whether you think of them as Challengers or not, see what the spectrum of their sub-types reveals.

Enneagram 8s are a gut (body) type, and they lead us off on our series of the depth and breadth of the Enneagram. Next week, we represent the 9s. Thanks for tuning in and joining us on our self-development journey. The journey never ends, and there's plenty of work in front of you right now. Learn with us, and we'll see you on the other side.

Time Stamps:

1:51--Jared Byas introduces himself

3:15--Stacey Ruff introduces herself

5:52--Jessica Dickson introduces herself

15:30--Discussing the "gut" (or body) type of reaction

26:40--How 8s deal with conflict

40:40--How 8s are dealing with that inner wounded child

43:11--How being tough and strong does not always serve you well

51:47--The decision to stop with perfectionism

55:45--How 8s work with their passion of lust, and their virtue of innocence

66:46--How arrrows are quite important

Ready to unlock your potential? Check out our Enneagram Guide at bigselfschool.com/enneagram.

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