Typology

When Kate Bowler was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, she was forced to grapple with the cultural scripts that box us into a tidy story about how we "earn our lives and get what we deserve," and that "anything is possible." But what if those scripts aren't true? She joins me for an open conversation about her chronic sadness, suffering, and pain, and invites us to be honest about the lives that can't be fixed. She reminds us that "we are people to be loved, not problems to be solved." Kate Bowler is the New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I've Loved), No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear), and Good Enough. She is the host of the popular podcast, Everything Happens. A Duke University professor, she earned a master's degree in religion from Yale Divinity School and a Ph.D. from Duke University.

What actually makes a fulfilling and meaningful life? Today, Dr. Robert Waldinger, Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, reveals the key to real happiness is the strength of our connections and relationships with others. "The people who stay happiest, healthiest, and live the longest have the warmest relationships with other people, "explains Dr. Waldinger. Dr. Waldinger shares the findings of the longest scientific study of happiness, shedding light on the common misconceptions of happiness, how meaningful human connection impacts our health, and what we can do to strengthen existing or forge new relationships. Dr. Robert Waldinger is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development at Massachusetts General Hospital, and cofounder of the Lifespan Research Foundation. In The Good Life, Dr. Waldinger teaches you how to proactively create happiness by focusing on what keeps you healthy rather than what makes you sick.

Andy and Sandra Stanley, experts in parenting and building strong relationships, discuss their latest book and the importance of intentional parenting, equipping children for relational success, and restoring broken relationships. They also delve into how the Enneagram has influenced their parenting and share tips on apologizing to children, influencing them, and teaching them how to suffer well.

Several years ago we had Lysa TerKeurst on our show and discussed not confusing the desire for peace with the disease to please. Today, Lysa joins us again for a deep conversation about learning to set good boundaries and where she notices her struggle to maintain them. "It's not that I don't want to be clear," Lysa says, "it's that sometimes I care so much about what the other person is feeling, that I forget it's not my job to own their feelings or manage their feelings. It's my job to be kind but clear. It's their job to manage their feelings." Listen as Lysa demonstrates the immense amount of work she has done over the past few years to establish solid boundaries and find groundedness as an Enneagram Nine. ---------------- Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 books with more than 6 million books in print. Her most recent books include Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, Forgiving What You Can't Forget, and It's Not Supposed to Be This Way. She is president and chief visionary officer of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Lysa writes from her family's farm table in North Carolina. In her recent book, Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, Lysa helps you stop the dysfunction of unhealthy relationships by showing you biblical ways to set boundaries--and, when necessary, say goodbye--without losing the best of who you are. To learn more about Lysa visit her website or follow her on social @LysaTerkeurst and @Proverbs31Ministries. Hear similar episodes here: Lysa TerKeurst episode in 2019, Panel of Nines, Type 9s with Beatrice Chestnut, Andy Gullahorn on Forming Own Opinions

As President of Belmont University, Dr. Greg Jones sees the importance of connection and community and puts a strong emphasis on molding character through storytelling. "I think that people are yearning for that sense of hope and that sense of community," says Dr. Jones, "and, I think, to be able to hear one another's stories, share one another's stories, and find a story worth living." This week, we talk to Greg about whole-person formation, learning to share our stories well, and looking toward a future full of possibilities. --- Dr. Jones is an author, gifted speaker, media contributor and thought leader in higher education, social innovation and theology. His most recent book, Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas outlines his perspective on traditioned innovation as "a habit of being and living that cultivates a certain kind of moral imagination shaped by storytelling and expressed in creative, transformational action." To learn more about Dr. Greg Jones, view his profile at LinkedIn or Belmont University.

Former at-risk foster kid turned youth advocate, Josh Shipp, discusses how growing up in foster care shaped his work. He emphasizes the importance of caring adults for kids' success. The podcast explores his Enneagram type as a Counterphobic 6, attachment styles, healing trauma through therapy, and leveraging personal experiences to empower others.

Two years following his departure from the band, NEEDTOBREATHE, Bo is releasing a candid look at his past with childlike wonder and self-realization under a new name, Coy Roy: "I got into therapy and began to dig into my childhood and why the trajectory of my life took a different path. I left my six-year-old self back there, and we went different places. [Now I'm] recognizing that I'm not going anywhere and that I'm gonna have to face this. I'm gonna have to deal with it." This week, we talk to Bo Rinehart about emotional depth, his ability to bare his soul to his listeners, and what it means to take an honest look at his past while diving head first into his future endeavors. Bo Rinehart is a founding member of the Grammy Nominated band NEEDTOBREATHE. He is also an accomplished visual artist. To learn more about Bo Rinehart follow him on Instagram, check out his artwork at Bo Rinehart Studio and listen to his latest single as Coy Roy, "I'm Right Here". Episode Links: YouTube Apple Spotify

Throughout her 20+ years of teaching, Professor Bonnie Smith Whitehouse, has seen a significant change in her students' ties to religion. "I've seen them completely abandon spirituality because that drug of certainty has just gotten too toxic for them," says Whitehouse. "And so, what is really powerful to me is wonder. It's always been really powerful to me, as an Enneagram 2." This week, we talk to Bonnie Smith Whitehouse about how being an Enneagram 2 has opened her eyes to an alternate posture toward spirituality. — Bonnie Smith Whitehouse, PhD, is a writer and professor who studies storytelling, creativity, contemplation, and wonder. Check out her book, Seasons Of Wonder To learn more about Bonnie Smith Whitehouse, follow her on Instagram, or visit her website.

As the director of adolescent counseling at Daystar Counseling in Nashville, TN, Sissy Goff has seen first-hand how anxious behavior in children has been fueled by unrealistic social expectations. But according to Goff, one way to address that worry in kids is by teaching them self-talk: "I have them give the worry a name, because we all think of the voice in the back of our head as truth until we learn differently. And so to separate it out. I'll call it the worry monster. I have one girl who named her's, Bob. But adolescents come up with their own names. [So they can say] I'm not listening to you. You're always wrong. You always make me feel incapable." This week, we talk to Sissy Goff about how being an Enneagram 1 helps her in her work with young girls. — Sissy Goff, MEd, LPC-MHSP, spends most of her days counseling girls and their families alongside her assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Sissy serves as the director of child and adolescent counseling for Daystar Counseling Ministries(Nashville, TN) where she has worked with girls and their families for more than 25 years. Check out her book, Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World. To learn more about Sissy Goff, follow her on Instagram, or visit her website.

No matter where we fall on the Enneagram, intentionality is a crucial posture to take into the new year. This week, we model how you can think ahead in the new year by drawing a few questions out of a hat and reflecting on the year to come.