Typology

"Compassion is a verb." - Thich Nhat Hanh The Enneagram helps us recognize and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior by challenging us to bravely explore who we really are. As we grow in self-awareness we pave the way for our wiser and more compassionate self. Instead of banging guardrail-to-guardrail through life hurting those in our path, the Enneagram allows us to build and sustain healthy relationships by appreciating and understanding our own motivations and behaviors as well as those of our friends and family. In today's episode, the Cron Family gathers over the holidays to discuss how the Enneagram has helped them grow closer and understand each other better. Listen as they share how their family finds balance and appreciation among each other. "The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them." - Thomas Merton

This week on Typology, we continue our conversation with 'Science Mike' McHargue. This show is bursting with wisdom about Nines. You'll learn how Nines can spiritually wake up and leverage their unleashed energy for some really cool things, what a Nine looks like in Right Action, and hear some great tips at the end for growing in your journey. Mike McHargue (better known as Science Mike) is an author, podcaster, and speaker who travels the world helping people understand the science of life's most profound experiences. His bestselling debut book, Finding God in the Waves, has helped thousands understand faith in the 21st century. Mike hosts Ask Science Mike, a weekly question and answer podcast helping hundreds of thousands explore the questions they've always been afraid to ask. He also co-hosts The Liturgists Podcast with his friend Michael Gungor. With over a million downloads per month, The Liturgists Podcast is reshaping how the spiritually homeless and frustrated relate to God. And his bestselling debut book, Finding God in the Waves, has helped thousands understand faith in the 21st century. To learn more about Science Mike, visit www.mikemchargue.com

Enneagram Nines, or The Peacemakers, are open and receptive in every way. They can see both sides to everything and they have a profound awareness of the interconnectedness of all things in creation. Their unconscious motivation is to avoid conflict at all costs, to maintain a relational connection, maintain the status quo, and preserve inner peace and harmony. To preserve this inner peace and harmony, Nines create internal and external boundaries. The inner boundary is to tamp down any feelings or desires that might disturb their calm inner sea. The external boundary exists to protect them from anything external that might cause inner tumult. This desire for inner and outer peace is so innate that Nines unconsciously absorb other people's emotional energy. Today on Typology, our guest 'Science Mike' McHargue shares his journey through the inner sanctum of a Nine and his process of building a healthy connection to anger. Mike provides so much insight into the life of the Peacemaker we had to make it a two-part show. Mike McHargue (better known as Science Mike) is an author, podcaster, and speaker who travels the world helping people understand the science of life's most profound experiences. His bestselling debut book, Finding God in the Waves, has helped thousands understand faith in the 21st century. Mike hosts Ask Science Mike, a weekly question and answer podcast helping hundreds of thousands explore the questions they've always been afraid to ask. He also co-hosts The Liturgists Podcast with his friend Michael Gungor. With over a million downloads per month, The Liturgists Podcast is reshaping how the spiritually homeless and frustrated relate to God. And his bestselling debut book, Finding God in the Waves, has helped thousands understand faith in the 21st century. To learn more about Science Mike, visit www.mikemchargue.com

A lot of listeners have reached out asking "how do I figure out my type?" And though I would love to give the answer, the truth is it can be very difficult to figure out one's Enneagram number. You are the only one who can truly determine your own Enneagram number because only you can identify the underlying motivation that drives the way you view the world. The real determining factor is not what you do, but rather why you do it. And, frankly, sometimes that can take a lot of internal work. In fact, I can't tell you how many people have told me they thought they were one number, but after really doing their work, figured out they had misidentified themselves. With so many variables it's easy to do. So, I often tell people that the best way to learn the Enneagram or to figure out your number is through the narrative. Read about the Enneagram, attend an Enneagram conference, and listen to others share their stories. It's truly the best way to distinguish between the nuances of each type. And this week on Typology, our guest Claire Diaz-Ortiz shares her story. Listen as Claire tells us about her life as it relates to the Enneagram. For years she's been seeing her life through the lens of an Enneagram One. But, is she truly an Enneagram One? Stay tuned through the end of the show as we leave her with some food for thought. Claire Diaz-Ortiz (@claire) is an author, speaker and Silicon Valley innovator who was an early employee at Twitter. Named one of the100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company, she holds an MBA and other degrees from Stanford and Oxford and has been featured widely in print and broadcast media. She writes a popular business blog at ClaireDiazOrtiz.com and is the award-winning author of eight books that have been published in more than a dozen countries.

Fours are the most complex of all the types on the Enneagram. They spend their lives feeling different and separate from others and long to be understood and appreciated for their authentic self. Fours experience themselves as people who are missing something essential at their core that they just can't put their finger on. As Tim Burton describes it, "if you've ever had that feeling of loneliness, of being an outsider, it never quite leaves you." Fours also have a considerable emotional range. They don't have feelings, they are their feelings and those feelings form the basis of their identity. This unique gift of being so connected to their emotions allows them to experience a truly rich interior life. It heightens their creativity and acute sensibility to aesthetics, to beauty and meaning. In this episode, we invited singer-songwriter Matthew Perryman Jones to share his experiences growing up as an Enneagram Four. Not only does he describe that feeling of being unique but he also shares his song, "Oh Theo," which truly captures the world view of a Four. Originally from Pennsylvania, Matthew grew up in Georgia and cut his artistic teeth in the Atlanta music scene before heading north to Nashville. His debut release, Nowhere Else But Here, dropped in 2000, followed by three subsequent albums — Throwing Punches in the Dark (2006), Swallow the Sea (2008), and Land of the Living (2012) — three additional EPs and a handful of singles. Songs from across his catalog have been featured in dozens of film and TV placements, and tours have taken him across the U.S. and abroad to share stages with legends like Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin, as well as the Ten Out of Tenn songwriter collective of which he is a part. Now, Matthew is embarking on what might be the ultimate test of his inner compass: making his fifth album with only himself, a guitar, some basic recording gear, and genius loci — the spirit of place. As he chases the ever-retreating horizon, Jones will stop, listen, and capture when and what the spirit of each place calls out to him. To learn more about Matthew, visit www.mpjmusic.com.

Enneagram Threes focus on outstanding performance, being perceived as successful and avoiding failure at all costs. They believe that love comes from achievement, image, and status and have the tendency to neglect or ignore the personal needs of self and others. But when Threes move toward health they move to the high side of Six. When that happens they no longer need to "drive the bus" or flaunt success. They are so good at helping others live into their full potential and be successful in their own right, and not have it be all about their own success. In this episode, Lisa Whelchel discusses her journey toward being a healthy Three. Listen in as she touches on her subtypes, how she identifies her True Self, and how the Enneagram has impacted her life as an introverted Type 3 with a 2 wing. Lisa is an actress, author, international speaker, and life coach. Perhaps best known for her starring role as Blair Warner on NBC's "The Facts of Life" for nine years, she's also the author of "Creative Correction" which has sold over 200,000 copies and has written more than a dozen books. Currently, Lisa is a certified CoActive Life Coach and focuses most of her time these days coming alongside others on their transformational journey to remembering their True Self. For more information please visit www.LisaWhelchel.com and www.ContigoLifeCoach.com.

Enneagram Fives are known as the Investigators, or the Observers. They see the world as intrusive, overwhelming and draining. They prefer to observe life from the sidelines rather than jumping in and participating in it. They value their privacy and freedom and can feel consumed, or drained, by prolonged involvement with other people or by having too many expectations placed on them. They monitor the amount of time they spend with others and hightail it back to the realm of the mind whenever possible to refuel. But, Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. When it comes to doing their 'work', Fives have an advantage over the rest of us. Their love for solitude makes them natural contemplatives and their deep need to collect knowledge and information can lead to true self-awareness. These healthy Fives are likely to have depth in knowledge in several areas of their lives and they willingly share their findings with others. And you'll hear that in action on today's episode. My guest Dr. Andrew Root proves he has done his work. Listen in as he opens up and shares how he navigates life through the lens of an Enneagram Five. Andrew Root (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson Associate Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A former Young Life staff worker, he has served in churches and social service agencies as a youth outreach associate and a gang prevention counselor. He writes and researches in areas of theology and youth ministry. His most recent books are Christopraxis (Fortress Press, 2014) and Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker (Baker, 2014) and The Grace of Dogs: A Boy, A Black Lab, and a Father's Search for the Canine Soul, released June 7, 2017.

I've received lots of emails and messages from folks on social media who are struggling to nail down their Enneagram number. Well, let me tell you, if that's the case for you, this show is spot on. While only you can determine your own type, there are some things you can do to help get clarity. For those out there who are trying to figure out their type it's often helpful to read up on wings. Wings are the number on either side of your number. Each of these wings will have a different influence on your type. I would also encourage folks to go to Beatrice Chestnut's book, The Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge and go through the section where she describes the different subtypes. This will really provide some insight and help you nail down that number. But, what does it look like when that process comes to life? On today's show we break it down with Enneagram skeptic, Matt Carter. Matt Carter is a musician, podcaster, and entrepreneur based in Seattle, WA. His career in the music industry began as lead guitarist of the post-punk/hardcore band Emery. His background as a touring musician laid a foundation for various collaborative ventures, including the founding of BadChristian Media and Jabberjaw Media. Matt hosts the wildly popular The BadChristian Podcast and Break it Down Podcast. He continues to tour and perform in Emery and Matt & Toby. When we started the show, we had no idea where the interview would take us. And, let me warn you in advance, this show is unlike any I've done in the past. In fact, it was so cool that when we wrapped up, Anthony and I were so psyched we laughed out loud. So, strap yourselves in, put on your crash helmets, and let's get to it.

On this week's show we invited a panel of Enneagram Fives into the studio to describe how they see and experience the world. Called the Investigators, or the Observers, Fives are kind, perceptive, sensitive, calm in a crisis and often possess a sly, slightly cynical sense of humor that's endlessly entertaining. But, they can also come across as detached from their feelings, or aloof, unless they feel safe to share their emotions. Fives are often the most misunderstood number on the Enneagram. So, we asked our guests, singer-songwriter Lori Chaffer, Sr. Associate Pastor Kenny Benge, and writer/editor Joel Miller to share their wealth of knowledge and insights about being a Five.

I think there are truths which reveal the limitations of human language. And when this happens we have to rely on artists to express these great spiritual insights through an alternative language--like music or film or the visual arts or dance--to say clearly what the rest of us only feel vaguely. So, when I heard Ryan O'Neal, otherwise known as Sleeping At Last, was writing songs from the perspective of each of the Nine Enneagram Types, well as you can imagine, I was pretty intrigued. On today's show, Sleeping At Last joins us to talk about this intriguing and wonderful series of new music and shares his song titled, "ONE" from the project, ATLAS: Year Two. You'll love hearing not only his music but also hearing his heart which I think is, well, evidently magnificent. Sleeping At Last is the moniker of Chicago-based singer-songwriter, producer and composer, Ryan O'Neal. In 2013, Sleeping At Last began the long-form concept project, Atlas, which is an ongoing series of new music (EPs, Singles, etc) to be released over the course of several years. Atlas: Year One (30 songs) was completed in early 2014. Sleeping At Last is currently working on Atlas: Year Two. Sleeping At Last can be heard frequently on popular TV Shows and Films such as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, The Fault In Our Stars – Trailer, Grey's Anatomy, So You Think You Can Dance, Criminal Minds, Bones, The Vampire Diaries, J.J. Abrams & Alfonso Cuaron's Believe and many more. (Click here for complete list)