Typology

I've said it before, Sixes are wonderful. They have a strong need for security and consistency. They appreciate order, plans and rules and like the comfort and predictability of laws and guidelines. But Sixes also have a shadow side. Their passion is fear, which is often experienced as anxiety. Anxiety is a vague, free-floating sense of apprehension that arises in response to an unknown or potential threat that may never materialize. So, how do Sixes achieve spiritual growth? A lot of Sixes think the answer is bravery, but there's never enough bravery to fill the bucket of "this is a scary world and I need support." But in today's episode, Sarah Thebarge shares the difference between bravery and courage and how making that distinction has been helpful for her as an Enneagram Six. Sarah Thebarge is a speaker, blogger, journalist and author of The Invisible Girls, a memoir that weaves her story of nearly dying of breast cancer in her 20's together with the story of a Somali refugee family she met on a train in Portland, Oregon, as she was recovering from her cancer treatments. The Invisible Girls is a World Magazine Notable Book and was also chosen as the First Year Experience book by Mississippi State University. Her current book, THE WELL: Healing Our Beautiful, Broken World from a Hospital in West Africa, is a deeply personal account of what practicing medicine at a hospital in Togo taught Sarah about how each of us can heal the cracks we see in the world around us. Sarah's blog was featured by MSNBC.com. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic, USA Today, Everyday Health, Relevant Magazine, Christianity Today, Huffington Post, Red Letter Christian and Sojouorneers. As a speaker, Sarah is a regular at retreats, churches, colleges and conferences. She has spoken at Donald Miller's Storyline Conference and the Jubilee Conference, as well as more than 40 universities and colleges. In addition to speaking to large assemblies, Sarah gives talks on the topics of International Aid, Health Communications and Public Health, and teaches nonfiction writing workshops.

Every type on the Enneagram has misbeliefs and errant unconscious motivations that get us to do and think and feel things that just are not in our best interests. We all have these broken messages in our lives that run like recordings in the background. The hurtful words and experiences from our past often determine what record play in our head as an adult. In her new book, How to Fix a Broken Record, Amena Brown uses music to help us recognize the negative messages that play on repeat throughout our lives. Think of your soul as one big record collection with a soundtrack for different parts of your life. What broken record runs through your life? And how can you use the Enneagram to recognize these negative messages so you can reclaim your life? Amena Brown is an author, spoken word poet, speaker, and event host. The author of five spoken word albums and two non-fiction books, Amena performs and speaks at events from coffeehouses to arenas with a mix of poetry, humor, and storytelling. She and her husband, DJ Opdiggy, reside in Atlanta, GA. She hosts a 10-episode limited edition podcast called, "How to Fix a Broken Record," which unpacks themes from her book with a different guest each episode discussing life, love, faith, and broken records revealing the soundtracks of their lives. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-fix-a-broken-record/id1296534604?mt=2 And she hosts her regular podcast "Here for the Donuts" with her sister-in-law Missi Burgess in which they discuss donuts, cupcakes and navigating life's awkward moments and meeting standards of weird etiquette. https://itunes.apple.com/mt/podcast/here-for-the-donuts-podcast/id1183039922?mt=2 To learn more about Amena visit www.amenabrown.com or order her book at http://amzn.to/2oUg4WA.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on tour with a band? It sounds exciting, right? You'd hop on a tour bus, travel coast to coast seeing the world, and entertain thousands of people every night. But, what is it truly like to live on a bus with 11 other people day-in and day-out? Well, when the road manager of Tenth Avenue North reached out to talk about how the Enneagram, and The Road Back to You in particular, has helped their band get along in tight quarters, I was excited to get them in the studio. There are 12 of them…with 12 bunks…on one tour bus. We weren't sure what would happen as we squeezed into Anthony's studio, but it was great! Listen as we uncover how the Enneagram has given Tenth Avenue North a new starting place for communicating and facing conflict. For more about Tenth Avenue North or to catch them on tour, visit their website at www.tenthavenuenorth.com. And don't miss them in Nashville on March 4th!

When Nines are healthy and self-aware, they learn to feel special and important. They get in touch with their own passions and feel secure enough to stand behind their accomplishments. They become assertive and decisive. But when they switch to autopilot and spiritually fall asleep at the wheel, they doubt themselves and become more pessimistic. The deadly sin, or the passion of Nines, Sloth, is really about the failure to invest in your own self-development, in your own spiritual maturity, becoming your own person, finding your own voice, and claiming your ground. Nines need to be reminded that they matter. Nines need to do things for themselves, invest in themselves, and not feel like it's a poor investment. In her book, Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of the Personality Changes Everything, author Anne Bogel talks about being at peace with who you are. And, of course, who doesn't want that? I mean, I don't know anybody who doesn't want peace with themselves, to have a sense of consonance, a sense of integration despite all of their dings and dents. Part of the journey for Nines is learning to take action on their own behalf and invest in themselves. One helpful way for nines to summon self-compassion and find peace with who they are is to imagine what it would be like for somebody else to experience what you are experiencing. Ask yourself, "What advice would you give someone else?" Then use that to summon the appropriate action for yourself. Anne Bogel is the creator of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, the voice of the top-rated books and reading podcast "What Should I Read Next", and a bona fide personality geek. Her first book, Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything, combines her loves of literature and personality frameworks. To learn more about Anne Bogel visit www.modernmrsdarcy.com.

In Enneagram-speak, Enneagram Twos are called The Helpers. They are some of the most loving, kind, supportive, upbeat, and—when healthy—genuinely helpful to other people. Their underlying motivation is to feel loved and needed. But sometimes that need to be needed can lead to burn out. But, why listen to me talk about The Helper when you can hear it from those who actually live it? In this week's episode of Typology, I brought together a panel of Twos to describe what it's like in the mind of The Helper. So, tune in and listen as the loud-laughing, contentedly uncool mom of three teenagers, Tia Coffey, Vanderbilt University fundraising specialist and stand-up comic, Geoff Little, and singer-songwriter-author, Andrew Greer join me to talk about finding the balance between giving enough and giving to the point of burn out. Tia Coffey spends her workdays as an executive assistant, her evenings as a student, and her free time drinking wine, hiking, having theological conversations with friends, or hanging with her kids and an anxious chihuahua named Napoleon. Geoff Little works by day as a fundraising specialist at Vanderbilt University, but after hours he spirals into a whirl of outgoing pursuits. He loves spoken word live performances, including stand-up comedy. He is former co-host of TenX9 Nashville, a critically acclaimed storytelling group. He founded (and still leads) Nashville's Beer & Hymns public singing group phenomenon, which sells out Nashville rock club Mercy Lounge on occasion (don't miss this year's St. Patrick's Day Pub Sing!). He is married to his lovely wife, Tara, and on a good day, she lets him jog with her in the nearby Warner Parks, graciously slowing down her pace. Andrew Greer is a multiple Dove Award-nominated singer-songwriter and respected author, known for his old soul sound and thoughtful prose. The native Texan-turned-Tennessean's folk-gospel discography displays a deep affection for vintage spiritual songs, instinctively captured on his critically acclaimed Angel Band hymn series—reaching the Top 10 on Amazon and iTunes' mainstream charts upon release. With a love for facilitating conversations that dig deep, Andrew co-created and co-hosts the video podcast, Dinner Conversations with Mark Lowry and Andrew Greer: Turning the Light on One Question at a Time. The conversations-centered series debuted at #1 on iTunes Religion & Spirituality chart last year, and is now syndicated on television nationwide. Andrew has also authored two books— Transcending Mysteries: Who is God, and What Does He Want From Us? (Thomas Nelson) co-authored with Ginny Owens, and Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth: Spiritual Conversations Inspired by the Life and Lyrics of Rich Mullins (Worthy Publishing).

Our personality types can put us into an almost hypnotic trance, something I'd call the shadow. We relegate to the shadow those parts of ourselves we don't want to see. What the Enneagram does is it takes a flashlight and it goes into the shadow with you. It says, "Okay, we've got to look around." It helps us embrace the journey inward. And no, it's not going to be comfortable. It is going to be painful because embracing pain isn't something we do well. It's something that we avoid well. But it's important to feel those things as they come up, not analyze them, not try and figure them out. Actually just let them be what they are. Let the beautiful things be beautiful and let the painful things be what they are. In today's episode, Brian Hardin talks about his journey through the lens of a Five. He shares how using the Enneagram as a tool not only gives language to and expands our understanding of each other and of ourselves but also how it helps us pull back the curtain to shed the façade of our personality and find our true self. Though best known for founding Daily Audio Bible, the revolutionary Scripture podcast, downloaded over 55 million times, Brian Hardin is truly a man of many hats. With his trademark soul patch of whiskers and wisps of hair framing his face, the Nashville creative rose to recognition throughout the Christian music industry producing for the legendary likes of Larry Norman to modern radio regulars like Jill Parr and Manic Drive, earning hundreds of album credits and a healthy collection of Grammy and Dove Award nominations. Along the way, he branched out into photography, landing everything from music industry publicity shots to portraits and corporate portfolios, alongside an eye for graphic design that found his work featured in Time, CCM, Christian Retailing and Gaither Homecoming (to name a mere handful). It was from within these extraordinary accomplishments that an unexpected professional blow set Hardin on a path toward restored faith, and eventually, vocational ministry.

About a month ago, I sat down with author and former White House staffer, Michael Wear, to talk about personality, power, and politics. And I know this is a hot-button topic, but I do think it's an important conversation to have. When we're talking about the President of United States and want to understand who he/she is, how he/she operates, and why our country is where it is, I think it's fair to begin to just think out loud what is happening here and what does it mean? So listen in as Michael and I provide some Enneagram insight into the politics of the past and present. Michael is the founder of Public Square Strategies LLC, a sought-after firm that helps religious organizations, political organizations, businesses and others effectively navigate the rapidly changing American religious and political landscape. Michael is a leading expert and strategist at the intersection of faith, politics and American public life. As one of President Obama's "ambassadors to America's believers" (Buzzfeed), Michael directed faith outreach for President Obama's historic 2012 re-election campaign. Michael was also one of the youngest White House staffers in modern American history: he served in the White House faith-based initiative during President Obama's first term, where he led evangelical outreach and helped manage The White House's engagement on religious and values issues, including adoption and anti-human trafficking efforts. And, he's got a new book out titled, "Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America in which he provides unprecedented insight into the highs and lows of working as a Christian in government. He also writes for The Atlantic, Christianity Today, USA Today, Relevant Magazine and other publications on faith, politics and culture. He serves on the national board of Bethany Christian Services, the nation's largest adoption agency, and holds an honorary position at the University of Birmingham's Cadbury Center for the Public Understanding of Religion. Michael and his wife, Melissa, are both proud natives of Buffalo, New York. They now reside in Washington, D.C. For more information on Michael, visit www.michaelwear.com.

Enneagram Twos are part of the shame triad which, for those who are just getting started with the Enneagram, means that 'shame' is the go-to emotion for Twos, Threes, and Fours. Whatever the external manifestation is of—our struggle, our compulsion, our presenting problem, anger, alcohol, buying stuff that you don't need, sex, helping—shame is always what fuels that compulsion because where there's shame, our soul can't rest, in a sense of being loved. The very thing that we're hungry and thirsty for, which is that kind of deep love for who we are, the shame actually sets us up to never be able to get that. The antidote to that shame is learning to embrace our failures and shortcomings and accept ourselves as we are. Tune in to part two of my conversation with Michael Cusick as we talk about letting go and finding the freedom to live from a place of self-acceptance. Michael Cusick is a licensed professional counselor, spiritual director, speaker and author of two books including Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle and Somebody's Daughter: An Experiential Guide. Having experienced the restoring touch of God in a deeply broken life and marriage, Michael's passion is to connect life's broken realities with the reality of the gospel. In addition to leading Restoring the Soul and equipping Christian organizations around the world, Michael currently serves as an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary. He holds an MA in Biblical Counseling from Colorado Christian University and an MA from the College of Education at the University of Denver. Michael lives with his wife Julianne and two children, in Littleton, Colorado where he enjoys the Rocky Mountains and a host of other outdoor activities with friends and family.

Known as The Helper, or as Michael Cusick prefers to call them, The Giver, Twos can be really great therapists and are maybe the most natural to move into that field, but there's also a lot of things about being a Two that work against that. Twos can care too much for the wrong reasons. Twos are so wired and attuned to the needs and the feelings of other people that they are often clueless as to what their own are. They look to other people to take care of their needs without having to acknowledge or articulate them. A large piece of the journey for Twos is to understand that you do have needs, acknowledge those needs, and actually learn how to articulate them. On today's show, Michael Cusick talks about how the Enneagram has taught him to become more conscious of when he is over-identifying with those aspects of his personality that aren't healthy and helps him make different choices. Michael Cusick is a licensed professional counselor, spiritual director, speaker and author of two books including Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle and Somebody's Daughter: An Experiential Guide. Having experienced the restoring touch of God in a deeply broken life and marriage, Michael's passion is to connect life's broken realities with the reality of the gospel. In addition to leading Restoring the Soul and equipping Christian organizations around the world, Michael currently serves as an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary. He holds an MA in Biblical Counseling from Colorado Christian University and an MA from the College of Education at the University of Denver. Michael lives with his wife Julianne and two children, in Littleton, Colorado where he enjoys the Rocky Mountains and a host of other outdoor activities with friends and family. For more information on Michael, visit www.restoringthesoul.com or www.michaeljohncusick.com.

Healthy Eights are great friends, exceptional leaders and champions of those who cannot fight on their own behalf. They have the intelligence, courage and stamina to do what others say can't be done. And, as with most Enneagram Eights, Jo Saxton is full of Eight's life-giving energy so when she was available for our podcast, I jumped at the chance to interview her. When healthy, Eights learn to open their hearts like a healthy Two. And today, Jo shares how she peeled back the layers, let down her defenses and got in touch with their inner heart. Listen in as we discuss healing broken identities and using the Enneagram as a tool for breaking through the junk that we accumulate and that confuses us from seeing who we truly are. And at the end of the show, Jo Saxton shares some tips for Eights who are just beginning to do their work and how they can begin to grow beyond their broken identity, or their broken personality, into their best self. A few things about Jo...she's a really popular leadership trainer. She's an international speaker. She's a best-selling author. She's passionate about seeing God transform lives across the globe. I mean, she's been featured at conferences like If, Catalyst, Thrive, Propel. She also chairs the board of international discipleship organization called 3D Movements, and cohosts the Lead Stories podcast. Her latest book, The Dream of You: Let Go of Broken Identities and Live the Life You Were Made For is set to release on January 23, 2018. For more information on Jo, visit www.josaxton.com