Enneagram Interviews: What It's Like To Be You
Episodes
#64: Enneagram Type 9 Panel
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever feel like you're trying to keep it cool, but you’re secretly raging under the surface?If you're a Type 9, or close to one, you’ve like...
#63: Omar (SO/SP 6w7 693) – Being the “Hell Side of Attachment”, Punk Scene Irony, Finding Truth in the Split, and Crawling Back to Life
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Omar Sullivan (SO/SP 6w7 693) is an absolutely hilarious and insightful person, sharing how being a Type 6 and growing up with a loyalty to “doing t...
#62: Celia Murnock (SP/SO 6w5 613) - Wearing a Seatbelt Through Life, Making Things More Good (Not Just Less Bad), and Certainty as a Moving Target
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Celia Murnock (SP/SO 6w5 613) is a Type 6 whose intellectual clarity and emotional precision root our conversation in complexity: her passion for biom...
#61: Elisa (SP/SX 3w2 378) - Erotic Atmospheres, Mastering the Social Game, and Building a Business from the Bones of Hyper-Independence
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elisa (SP/SX 3w2 378) joins us for a rich and layered conversation that weaves together identity, performance, and the relentless pursuit of autonomy....
#60: Alex (SO/SP 6w7 693): Changing Inherited Reality Perspectives, Having “Mental Real Estate”, and the Exhaustion of Being One’s Own Vetting System
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex (SO/SP 6w7 693) joins us for a deep dive into the often-misunderstood inner terrain of the Social Six — where loyalty is a vigilant scan for da...
#59: Aurel (SO/SP 6w7 693) – Understanding/Expressing Identity, Reliable Orientation with Memory Loss, and Sounding the Alarm
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Aurel (SO/SP 6w7 693) experienced a major stroke in early adulthood—an event that unraveled his sense of self and fractured his memory. What happens...
#58: Mar (SP/SX 7w6 794) – Impulsive Vision, Finality in Fiction, and the Existential Weight of Losing Sea Monkeys
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mar (SP/SX 7w6 794) joins us for a luminous, chaotic dive into the inner world of an SP Seven — where optimism burns like a flare, vision o...
#57: Cassandra Carol (SP/SO 9w8 972): Navigating Trauma as a Triple-Positive Type, the High Energy of 9w8, and Putting the Pieces of Self Back Together
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cassandra Carol (SP/SO 9w8 972) joins us for a raw and resonant conversation about what it means to carry deep emotional weight while moving ...
#56: Ruth (SX/SO 9w1 973): Seductive Merging with the Divine, the Rude Awakening of Self-Care, and Reclaiming Sensation Through the Body
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ruth (SX/SO 9w1 973) joins us for a luminous and radical exploration of the Sexual 9's longing for union — with God, with others, and, ulti...
#55 Anna Palumbo (SO/SP 9w8 937) - Music as Mirror, Emotional Fragmentation, and the Integrative Pulse of the Body Center
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anna Palumbo (SO/SP 9w8 937) returns for a second conversation—this time reflecting on the shifts she's experienced since our last recordin...
#54 Bjarne (SO/SP 8w9 3w2 6w7): Will Over Emotion, the Fight Against Corruption, and the Longing to Galvanize Others
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bjarne is an SO/SP 8w9 with 3w2 and 6w7 fixes, though in this episode, he questions whether he might be a core Six. What emerges regardless i...
#53 Moses Williams (SO/SP 5w6 513) – Relationship Post-Mortem: A Young 5 Reflects, Grieves, and Chooses to Stay Open
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Moses Williams (SO/SP 5w6 513) returns for a third and unexpected installment. After the emotional closing of our last conversation, the rela...
Moses Williams (SO/SP 5w6 513) – Social 5-ness on the Spectrum, Sexual Blindness, and the Dangerous Hope for Mutual Desire
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Moses Williams (SO/SP 5w6 513) is back for round two, and we dive straight into what he calls “the mortifying stuff.” We explore the diss...
Moses WIlliams (SO/SP 5w6 513) – The Horror of Naivety, Fascination with Taboo, and the Obsessive Drive to Self-Educate
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Moses Williams is an 18-year-old Social/Self-Pres 5w6 who is also on the autism spectrum. Moses describes growing up feeling that adults were...
#50: Julie (SP/SO 1w2 126): The Double-Edge Sword of Competence, Overextending for a Cause, and Trusting the Felt-Sense Yes
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Julie (SP/SO 1w2 126) says being an Enneagram One is like trying to control the lightning bolt you’re riding. We talk about how her pursuit...
#49: Kim (SO/SP 8w7 863) – Gatekeeping my Reality, Blaming Myself for Naivety, and Protecting My Severed Soul
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kim (SO/SP 8w7 863) joins us for an intimate and unguarded exploration of the inner world of Eight — where sovereignty is survival, connect...
#48: Alice (SO/SP 9w1 973) – Opting In to Existence, Disturbing the World by Existing, and Aching to Crawl Back into a Dead Womb
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alice (SO/SP 9w1 973) joins us for a profound and poetic exploration of the inner world of Nine — where the background environment can over...
#47: Sarah Fair (SP/SO 6w7 693) – Disarming Others, Reigning in Unchecked Reactivity, and Overcoming Victim Mentality
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah’s Type 6 mind moves fast—so fast it can create instant connection and obscure deeper intimacy. In this episode, she unpacks the whi...
#46: Kalla Mort (SO/SP 6w7 639) – Escaping High Control Religion, Coming Out as Queer, and Learning to Orient Myself
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kalla Mort shares her jaw-dropping story of escaping the high control religion of her youth (read: cult) and coming out as queer. This is an ...
#45: Sara Pryde (SP/SX 6w7 614) - Curating Delicious Environments, Raging About Rotten Bananas, Being Accidentally Available,& Zig-Zagging as I Talk
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sara Pryde (SP/SX 6w7 614), trauma-informed massage therapist, joins us from Wyoming. We dive into the existential crisis sparked when her pa...
#44: Kate Ortega (SO/SX 7w8 793) - "Fun Negativity" vs Real Negativity, Entitled Spoiled Brattiness, the Dream of Being a Kept Woman
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this candid Enneagram interview, Kate (SO/SX 7w8 793) discusses her identity as an "entitled brat," her allergy to drudgery and limitation...
#43: Anna Palumbo (SO/SP 9w8 937) — The Type 9 Mother & Type 6 Daughter Dynamic, Positive Outlook vs. Reactivity, the Challenges of Un-Enmeshing
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anna Palumbo (SO/SP 9w8 937) is a Type 9 mother who has been undergoing a profound transformation—untangling herself from patterns of enmes...
#42: Janice (SP/SO 3w2 379) - Being an Amazon Woman at 84, Freedom from Expectation, & the Paradox of Self-Acceptance & Self-Development
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Janice is a life-coach and an Enneagram 3, and at the time of this interview she is 84 years old. We explore her past relationships, the life...
#41: Mariona (SX/SO 9w1 973) - Flirting with Life, Crying as SX/SO "Loss of Self," Settling Compulsive Introspection
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mariona M (SX/SO 9w1 973) is a language activist in Catalonia. In the first phase of this conversation, we explore her complex relations...
#40: INTRO ENNEAGRAM COURSE RELEASE
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
John Luckovich and I (Josh Lavine) are RELEASING OUR INTRO ENNEAGRAM COURSE. In this conversation, we talk about what it was like working tog...
#39: Nicholas (SP/SO 9w1 936): Inner Envelop Functions, Dispersing Attention, & Learning to Focus
08 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Nicholas (SP/SO 9w1 936) talks about 9's passivity in relation to their dominant instinct and how they can "hope things just...
#38: Somatic Experiencing® & Alexander Technique with Tracy Einstein — Opening the Brain-Body Superhighway
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy Einstein is a Somatic Experiencing® practitioner and Alexander Technique teacher. We talk all about the body, how it holds and release...
#37: Dreams & the Enneagram — Kristen Oberly & Kaisa Jauhiainen
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kristen Oberly & Kaisa Jauhiainen -- aka The Dream Girls (minus Sammy!) -- are brilliant pioneers who have discovered the connection betw...
#36: Kim (SP/SO 7w6 712) - Surviving Trauma, EMDR Therapy, Avoiding Entrapment, and Settling the Mental Froth
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"I'm a manifester like nobody is.... No doesn't work for me. I don't even know what no means. No means I gotta think about it in a different ...
#35: How to Activate Your Sexual Instinct — John Luckovich & Alexandra Arroyo-Acevedo
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join John Luckovich and Alexandra Arroyo-Acevedo for a Summertime class on the Sexual Instinct at The Enneagram School. LinksThe Sexual Insti...
#34: Chanti (SX/SP 7w6 794) — Magically Enhancing My Environment, Having Fun, and Getting (Away With) What I Want
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"I think it's my purpose in life to leave an imprint on people or places I go. Maybe it's like little seeds that I plant or pixie dust I spre...
#33: Russ Hudson, Type 5: Isolation, Hyperfocus, & Escaping to Emptiness
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"When we live inside a pattern, we don't know that we're living inside a pattern, which is why it's hard for people to type themselves. We ju...
#32: Bob Fecas (SO/SP 2w1 279) — Personal Touch, Saintly Inspiration, & Having a Special Place in Others' Life
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“I simply drove to this person’s house right away when I was feeling this rejection and said, listen I’m sitting outside in the car if ...
#31 The Work of Byron Katie with Todd Smith — How to Question Stressful Thoughts
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"I've often heard people talk about The Work of Byron Katie as the "how"... there's the "what" of spiritual development... you know freedom, ...
#30: Gendlin's Focusing with Sandy Jahmi Burg — How to Listen to Your Body
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sandy Jahmi Burg is a facilitator of Gendlin's Focusing -- the most powerful method of tapping into body intelligence that I've encountered. ...
#29 Yamira (SO/SX 5w4 531) — High Stakes Art, Grief & Creativity, & Crossing the Bridge to an "Other"
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yamira [SO/SX 5w4 531] is an artist in New York. Watch this interview on YouTube so you can see Yamira's art as she talks about it. WATCH THI...
#28: Kelly (SO/SX 5w6 512) — Unnecessary Emotions, Rejection-Attachment Relationship Dynamics, Doing My Own Thing
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kelly Ayadi [SO/SX 5w6 512] is frequenter of online Enneagram forums and a somewhat more "relational" type 5 than might be typical, given her...
#27 BONUS EP: Courtney Smith (SO/SP 6w5 631) — Engagement in the Mental Center, Finding Truth in the Body, & Cultivating Inner Authority
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I present to you the audio of the infamous Mascara Incident (which we don't talk about). This was recorded in December 2022, about 9 months b...
#26: Courtney Smith (SO/SP 6w5 631) — Outsourcing Agency, the Call to Self-Responsibility, Playfulness
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Courtney Smith [SO/SP 6w5 631] is a brilliant & original Enneagram thinker who has contributed hugely to our understanding of Object Rela...
#25: Siena (SX/SO 8w7 827) — Immediacy in Movement Art, the Mystery of Fighting, & the Innocent Heart of the 8
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Siena Hassett [SX/SO 8w7 827] is a Theatre Maker, Movement Artist, and someone who really embodies the virtue of the 8 -- Innocence: the joyf...
#24: Alexandra (SO/SP 9w1 963) — Triple-Attachment Life, Choosing What's "Mine," & Discovering Friendship Intimacy
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alexandra Arroyo-Acevedo [SO/SP 9w1 963(154)] is a brilliant Enneagram thinker with a very evocative and inspiring triple attachment life sto...
#23: Kristen Oberly (SO/SP 9w1 963) – Dreamwork, Depersonalization, and Coming (Back to) Life via the Unconscious [SO/SP 9w1 963]
22 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kristen Oberly [SO/SP 9w1 963(172)] is an exceptionally gifted dream analyst, artist, and guide for the unconscious realm. We explore her mis...
#22: Sarah Round 2 MetaConvo (SO/SP 9w1 937) — Attachment Games, Rupture & Repair Cycles, and Realtime Conversation Dynamics [SO/SP 9w1 937]
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Round 2 with Sarah [SO/SP 9w1 937]. A conversation ABOUT our last conversation, and a very personal look at both of our attachment games...
#21: Sarah (SO/SP 9w1 937) — Positive Outlook Spin, Blurring Fantasy & Reality (and Gaslighting), and Finding Your No [SO/SP 9w1 937]
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah [SO/SP 9w1 937] is getting her PhD in psychology en route to becoming a therapist. In this conversation, Sarah is quite open and courag...
#20: Emily (SO/SP 8w9 836) — Enneagram Skepticism, Social Power Dynamics, Untouchable Independence, Sensitivity
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Emily [SO/SP 8w9 836] is a beautiful example of a heart-forward 8 who has done significant inner work and values her sensitivity. We get into...
#19: Czan (SO/SP 9w1 953) – Twice an Immigrant, Toggling "Existing" On/Off, & Owl Medicine
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Czan [SO/SP 9w1 953] is a software engineer for a gaming company and currently lives in the US. He's an original Enneagram thinker, and "Atta...
#18: Nancy Walter (SP/SO 3w4 369) — Being Good at Things, Identity Experiments, and Choosing to Live
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TRIGGER WARNING: sensitive content. Nancy Walter (SP/SO 3w4 369) is a co-host on the Big Hormone Enneagram podcast and is currently navigatin...
#17: Charles (SO/SP 9w8 963) — Resensitizing After 20 Numb Years, the Goldilocks Zone, Being “Cool” Not Meticulous
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charles is a 42 year old father of four that's been married for more than half his life. He’s started multiple businesses and currently run...
#16: Kier (SO/SP 3w2 358) — Hiddenness and Secrecy, Avoiding Introspection Through Constant Activity, and Not Giving Up on the Heart
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kier [SO/SP 3w2 358(267)] is a trial lawyer, dad, and frequent commenter on Enneagram discussion boards like the Enneagrammer Univ...
#15: Emma Scott (SO/SP 6w7 612) — Resentful Accommodation, Making Things a Bigger Problem Than They Need To Be, and Getting Present in the Mental Center
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Emma is an Enneagram coach and mom, and she has her own podcast called There Are No Tangents. In this conversation, you get to see Emma model...
#14: Jamie Eichar (SP/SO 9w1 963) — Being a Comforting Presence, Making Space For Yourself in Conversations, Rebelling Against Pressure
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jamie (SP/SO 9w1 963) is an gifted cinematographer, an aspiring therapist, and a good friend that I met in my first Enneagram class. He has c...
#13: Kaisa Jauhiainen (SX/SO 9w8 935) — Hooked or Catatonic, Erotic Releases of Anger, Seeking Essential Harmony through the SX Instinct
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
UPDATE: Kaisa's Heart Fix has been updated from 3w4 to 3w2. Kaisa is a psychology and neuroscience graduate student and Enneagram enthus...
#12: Gray Cietek (SO/SP 3w4 368) — Socially Tracking Others, Truly "Seeing" Others, and the Heart's Silent Communication Underneath Words
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gray and I have similar typing, and in this episode we explore what social 3 is "really wanting," underneath the stereotypical social 3's pol...
#11: Sam Leuenberger (SP/SO 7w6 712) — The (Avoidant) "Fun" of Talk Therapy; Vulnerability as an Attraction Strategy; & Going Back to Feelings School
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam is an essayist and poet who recently discovered he is a 7, having mistyped as a 4 for years. Before this interview, Sam sent me his beaut...
#10: Joseph Stalteri (SO/SX 4w3 461) — Frustration in the Heart Center, the Resting Attitude of Disdain, & Seeking Refined Social Intimacy
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joseph Salteri is a Type 4 (SO/SX 4w3 461) and is part of the team that runs Enneagrammer.com. He wrote all of the (excellent) content on the...
#9: Ikraam Ali (SO/SX 7w6 793) — Procrastinating Darkness, Frustration with Negativity AS Negativity, and Giving an "Honest Try" at Positivity
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ikraam Ali is a Type 7 (SO/SX 7w6 793) who works in local politics. She also has her own YouTube channel focused on Objective Personality Sys...
#8: Dr. Mary Bates (SP/SO 6w7 692) — Core Sense of Responsibility, the Practice of Making Deliberate Mistakes, and How to Know When to Stop Brushing the Dog
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Mary Bates is a Type 6 (SP/SO 6w7 692) primary care doctor, writer, and mother of 2. Mary discovered she is a 6 with the help of the Enne...
#7: Jess (SO/SP 5w6 538) — Risking Exposure, the Symbolic Objects I Put Between Us, and the Terror of Mindless, Soul-Dead Zombie-People
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jess is a Type 5 (SO/SP 5w6 538) writer and artist “based on the internet.” Like many 5s, she prefers her privacy and requested that I me...
#6: John Luckovich (SX/SP 4w5) — The Inner Middle Finger, the Crushing Gloss of Artifice, and the Sourcing of Identity in Depth Itself
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
John Luckovich is one of the most brilliant and authentic Enneagram teachers of my generation. His teaching is clear, challenging, thought-pr...
#5: Kelsey Bishop (SP/SO 3w2 378) — Chasing "The Dream" vs "My Dream," Authenticity at Work, and Learning How to Rest
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kelsey Bishop is a Type 3 (SP/SO 3w2 378) whose shift from chasing "The Dream" to discovering her dream tangibly illustrates the 3's growth j...
#4: Niklas Wilkens (SO/SP 2w3 269) — The Inner Hope Machine, Power Tripping as "Super Jesus," and Seeing Through Ego Pride
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Niklas Wilkens is a humanistic depth psychologist practicing in Germany, and he’s been working with the Enneagram for 14 years, although on...
#2: David Gray (SP/SX 9w1 974) — Gathering Himself, Online Combativeness, and the Diffusion of Identity
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
David Gray is the most original voice in the Enneagram world today. His impressionistic, symbolic, elemental thinking style has produced utte...
#1: Emeka Okorafor (SX/SP 8w7 854) — Typing Others, Not Knowing I'm Being Provocative, Advice for Relationships with 8s
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emeka Okorafor is a Sexual 8, and he is a world expert in Enneagram typing. He co-runs Enneagrammer.com, co-hosts the Big Hormone Enneagram P...