Typology

Let's face it, relationships are complicated. But the more you know about yourself and your partner, the easier it is to communicate and navigate conflict. This week, Mike Alexander, Enneagram Six returns along with his wife, Enneagram One, and psychotherapist Cheryl, for a powerful conversation about the dynamics of their relationship and their own journey of healing within their types.

We dig into a few of the challenges they face and learn how figuring out the inner workings of themselves and each other helped salvage their marriage.

You don't want to miss this powerful conversation.

-----

ABOUT MIKE

Mike Alexander is a nationally recognized expert in ethics, integrity, leadership development, and coaching. This specialty began and flourished during his 41-year career in law enforcement and has defined the years following his retirement from service. Through the U.S. Department of Justice Community Policing Divisions, the thirty-six (36) Regional Community Policing Institute, the Multi-jurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training Center, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the Texas Municipal League, the International Law Enforcement Administration, and the Texas Police Chiefs Association, the Carruth Policing Institute, he has traveled the nation training officers and community members on leadership development, ethics and integrity. In 1999, he founded the LION Leadership Institute, with workshops focused on leadership engagement, employee wellness, cost of conflict, psychological safety, emotional intelligence, healthy work environments, and socialization. He is currently working as an adjunct professor and leadership and curriculum development consultant with Austin Community College.

Instagram: @thelion_institute LinkedIn: @thelion-organizational-development-instituteTwitter: @LION_Institute Facebook: @thelion.institute

ABOUT CHERYL

Cheryl is a native Texan, born in Waco, Texas, and reared in San Antonio, Texas. She is the daughter of the late LC and Dorothy Christman. She has one sister, Debbie Grady. Cheryl lived in San Antonio, Texas, until she graduated from Incarnate Word High School.

After graduating from high school, she attended Southwest Texas State University (now known today as Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas, where she received her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a master's degree in School Psychology with a minor in Special Education. She is currently working on her dissertation for the Ph.D. Marriage and Family Counseling program at Northwestern University.

She worked 13 years in the law enforcement field as a prison guard, an adult probation officer, and a Texas Youth Commission parole officer. She worked 22 years in the education field … 15 years as a school counselor. She is currently in private practice as a Christian Licensed Professional Counselor at Plan C Consultation and Counseling Services.

Whether we're watching it play out on social media or experiencing it in our relationships and workplaces, all of us know someone who is addicted to drama. But how do you recognize a drama addiction in yourself or others? And once you recognize it, how do you break the cycle and live more peacefully?

Today on Typology, clinical psychologist Scott Lyons, Ph.D., reveals how he learned to navigate generations of trauma and identifies what a drama addiction is.

"Like all addictions, it is looking at how do we fill the void? How do we prevent further pain? How do we fill the void? And when you have a void, you don't exist. There isn't a sense of existence on this plane. So you fill it with things that give you a sense of aliveness or purpose," explains Dr. Lyons.

Tune in to hear his advice on how to break free from the damaging effects of living lives consumed by chaos.

Follow @typologypodcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

--

ABOUT SCOTT LYONS, Ph.D.

Dr. Scott Lyons is a holistic psychologist and educator. As a renowned body-based trauma expert, Doctor of Osteopathy and Mind-Body Medicine specialist, Scott helps people to break free of cycles of pain, limited beliefs, and trauma. Scott is an innovator in transformative wellness and trauma therapy, teaching over half a million people internationally

over the past twenty years how to relieve stress and restore vitality. Scott has worked with many of the country's top leaders and CEOs as an executive coach and wellness consultant.

Scott is the creator of The Embody Lab—the largest online learning platform for body-based trauma therapies—and developer of Somatic Stress ReleaseTM, a holistic process of restoring biological resilience taught in over 20 countries. Scott is also the founder and progressive designer of Omala, a wellness brand dedicated to creating sustainably sourced tools for transformation.

Find Dr. Lyons online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and website

What roadblocks keep you from reaching your true potential? How can you shift your mindset to find true inspiration and fulfillment? CEO of SelfHelp(ful) and host of the SelfHelp(ful) podcast, Kevin Miller believes the key to motivation is understanding what it is that you truly value.

"If it wasn't anybody else, if it was just for you, what do you really want, that you can own?" asks Kevin. For a lot of people, when they really become clear on that value, they find it bumps against their existing lifestyle or relationships, and that's hard. But getting to the core of what drives you, and why, is what leads to personal and professional success and fulfillment.

Kevin Miller is a former pro cyclist and founder of 19 businesses, with a common thread and devotion throughout all he's done to enhance personal performance and live an inspired life. Today he is CEO of Self-Helpful, Inc., a personal development organization which curates and produces self-help content. Kevin hosts the Self-Helpful podcast (Glassbox Network), which has over 60 million downloads and is routinely visited by today's most influential changemakers. His book, What Drives You (McGraw Hill, May 16, 2023) challenges today's myths on "driven people" and serves as a guide for clarity and conviction in what you authentically value and are motivated by.

To learn more about Kevin, listen to the Selfhelp(ful) podcast, or pick up a copy of his new book, What Drives You: How to Discover Your Unique Motivators and Accelerate Growth in Work and Life.

Last week David Gungor shared his struggle in determining his type, how he embraces his "chaotic intentionality," and what it means to need others to "get out of his face." Today we continue the conversation using the Enneagram to help Enneagram Eights grow in self-awareness through spiritual practices and leaning into the people they do trust to gain true intimacy.

David Gungor is a member of The Brilliance, the American worship music duo of David Gungor and John Arndt. The band started making music in 2010 under the Integrity Music label. Their latest album was "All is Not Lost" released in January 2017. David is also an associate pastor at Trinity Grace Tribeca.

For more information about David, visit www.thebrilliancemusic.com

Enneagram Eights are called The Challenger for a good reason. Eights don't like to feel controlled and avoid any appearance of vulnerability. They are naturally confrontational and their combative energy can feel intimidating to others. But what feels like intimidation to others actually feels like connection to an Eight. Eights express their anger freely, are fueled by high levels of stimulation, and react very strongly against challenging injustices. And, as you'll hear from our guest, David Gungor, the "circle of trust" is small but tight. So what does it sound like when an Eight acknowledges their weakness or vulnerability? What does it look like when you break through that tough exterior?

Listen to today's replay from Season 1 as David Gungor shares his struggle in determining his type, how he embraces his "chaotic intentionality," and what it means to need others to "get out of his face."

David Gungor is a member of The Brilliance, the American worship music duo of David Gungor and John Arndt. The band started making music in 2010 under the Integrity Music label. Their new album was "All is Not Lost" released in January 2017. David is also an associate pastor at Trinity Grace Tribeca.

For more information about David, visit www.thebrilliancemusic.com

The Enneagram is complex and dynamic and is itself, this act of self-curiousity, a portal to growth. With that in mind, how do we use it in an intentional way to achieve more integration and balance in our lives?

In today's episode, we dial into the importance of Stances with Enneagram master Dr. Jerome Wagner. Stances are a way that we move through the world in order to get our needs met, but "they can also be a defensive strategy so they work in both ways," says Dr. Wagner, "They protect us and get us what we need."

Dr. Wagner provides a comprehensive explanation of the Hornevian Stances and how we can use this knowledge to consciously adapt to life's circumstances in a manner that best serves ourselves and others.

-----

Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Wagner, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, supervisor, consultant in private practice, and emeritus faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University, Chicago.

As one of the earliest students of the Enneagram in the United States, Dr. Wagner has been researching and teaching the Enneagram since 1980 and began the Enneagram Spectrum Training and Certification Program in 1995. He has presented Enneagram workshops for business consultants and coaches, human resource directors, counselors, therapists, spiritual directors, educators, and personal growth audiences throughout the United States and in Canada, England, Spain, Finland, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Africa.

His books, Nine Lenses on the World: the Enneagram Perspective and The Enneagram Spectrum of Personality Styles: an Introductory Guide, 25th Anniversary Edition are both available through Amazon.com.

Discovering the Enneagram was the key to helping Kelli Thompson get out of her head, move through doubt and rumination, and take action.

"It was really just a journey of how do you bring your life back into alignment with your values, learn to trust your heart and your gut, and that they have just as much merit as your brain, and then how do you use that to speak up and set boundaries, and take next steps forward and to make confident decisions," says Kelli.

In this episode, Kelli shares the importance of bringing the three centers of intelligence into balance and how to navigate gender stereotypes as an Enneagram 5 in the workplace while not losing yourself in the process.

–––

Kelli Thompson is a women's leadership coach and speaker who helps women advance to the rooms where decisions are made. She has coached and trained hundreds of women to trust themselves, lead with more confidence, and create a career they love. She is the founder of the Clarity & Confidence Women's Leadership Program, and a Stevie Award winner for Women in Business—Coach of the Year. Her thought leadership has been featured in Forbes, MarketWatch, Parents Magazine, HuffPost, and FastCompany. She is the author of Closing The Confidence Gap: Boost Your Peace, Your Potential & Your Paycheck.

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Are an Enneagram 4 and an Enneagram 8 compatible? While both bring a fierce intensity to the world, they each bring different gifts to the table.

Helen Palmer describes their match up, as "a partnership of intensity acted out by fight, flight fascination, and flare. Each feels somewhat awed by the other. Eights feel themselves to be coarse and blunt in comparison with the elegant and socially adept romantic. From their side, Fours can be utterly magnetized by the socially shameless boss. It can be a real cliffhanger."

In today's episode, artist and author Makoto Fujimura and his wife, Haejin enter the Typology studio to talk about the importance of establishing their friendship first, their different approaches to battling darkness, and how they are putting together a partnership that is greater than it's individual parts.

You'll learn:

• What they admire most about each other

• How they navigate and balance their individual intensity

• Ways they've learned to utilize their individual gifts to honor their partnership

Makoto Fujimura is a world-class contemporary artist whose process driven, refractive "slow art" has been described by David Brooks of New York Times as "a small rebellion against the quickening of time". Robert Kushner, in the mid 90's, written on Fujimura's art in Art in America this way: "The idea of forging a new kind of art, about hope, healing, redemption, refuge, while maintaining visual sophistication and intellectual integrity is a growing movement, one which finds Makoto Fujimura's work at the vanguard."

Haejin has extensive litigation and courtroom experience defending and prosecuting over 400 civil lawsuits in both federal and state courts. She is admitted to practice in NY, NJ and PA. She has represented manufacturing, insurance, software, e-commerce, franchise, real estate, hotel, restaurant, design, automobile, and transportation companies, nonprofit organizations, and individuals in matters involving contract, partnership dispute, directors/officers liability, corporate governance, business formation, trademark, personal injury, general/premises liability, and subrogation. She also has represented various companies as Outside General Counsel.

Haejin is actively involved in the legal and local communities and serves on multiple charities. In 2015, Haejin was invited by Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korean government to speak on U.S. nonprofit corporation law. She has also spoken at various community and legal organizations to encourage the youth and promote professionalism.

To learn more about Mako or to find the exact date and location of his new exhibit coming to Nashville this fall, follow him on social or visit his website at https://makotofujimura.com.

https://makotofujimura.com - [email protected]

YouTube - @makotofujimura3020

Culture Care Creative

Academy Kintsugi

I Am Culture Care

Instagram - @iamfujimura

Facebook - @makotofujimuraart

Twitter - @iamfujimura

Haejin Shim Fujimura

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

What is an Instinctual Stack? Do you know yours? We all have three instincts. None of us are absent one. However, one does tend to be dominant. But what are instincts and how do they influence how each type shows up in the world?

Today's guest, Elan Benami, creator of the EnneaApp and author of Enneagram Patterns & Poetics, provides a great overview of Instincts, Subtypes, and the Instinctual Stack and shares how they play out for him in his personal and professional life.

–

Elan is an LPC with a MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and BA in Philosophy. In addition to his own private counseling practice, Elan is the Clinical Director of People House - a non-profit that provides affordable counseling in Colorado.

Elan was introduced to the Enneagram in 2008 by his first therapist. He then did intense studying with Lori Ohlson, who was his supervisor. Claudio Naranjo was Lori's primary teacher, so there is a deep kinship with his work. Other major Enneagram teachers who have shaped Elan include Helen Palmer, Russ Hudson, Don Riso, and Sandra Maitri.

Elan and Lori Ohlson have co-facilitated many Enneagram classes/workshops, most of them in the narrative tradition. Through Lori's Enneagram material (of over 25 years of teaching the Enneagram), Elan created the EnneaApp, initially for the purpose of having something to quickly reference between sessions. Through the years, he has adapted the content to be more reflective of his own experience while also preserving Lori's lineage. The app has over 1.5 million downloads.

Follow the Typology Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player to hear the latest episodes. You can also follow us @typologypodcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Learn more about Elan BenAmi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elanbenami/

EnneaApp

Enneagram Patterns & Poetics: A guide to understanding personality

How has your past uniquely prepared you to experience more joy? In today's replay of one of my favorite episodes, Dr. Dan Allender and I explore this question in an insightful conversation about healing the heart from trauma, rewriting the broken stories we adopt as children, and the overlap with the Enneagram.

Professor of counseling psychology at The Seattle School and founder of The Allender Center, Dr. Dan Allender has pioneered a unique therapy centered around his innovative theory and training in transforming betrayal, ambivalence, and powerlessness into faith, hope, and love. He's a popular podcaster on The Allender Center Podcast and the author of Healing the Wondered Heart, The Wounded Heart, The Healing Path, To Be Told and God Loves Sex, and Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Our True Calling.

Learn more about Dr. Allender at https://theallendercenter.org or follow him @allendercenter on Facebook and Instagram.

--

Follow the Typology Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player to hear the latest episodes. You can also follow us @typologypodcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.