Podcast
Nine Lives With Jeff King: Live Your Best One
Hosted by Jeff King · EN
This podcast covers topics pertaining to living our best life, from how to negotiate change and transition, personal development, spiritual formation and relationship skills. Nine Lives refers to the many restarts and reconstructions that we face in the course of our lifetime. Nine Lives is rooted in learning and applying the Enneagram in overcoming the traps the 9 personality structures lay for us.
23episodes
Episodes
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Centers of Intelligence: If I Don't Know, I Can't Prepare: Living in the Head Center
4w ago01:05:34Tap to summarizeIn this final episode of Season 9, we journey into the Head Center, home to Types 5, 6, and 7, and the center that perhaps more than any other knows what it is to live in a mind that simply will not be still. Panelists Gerry Gebhart (Type 5), Joy Wray (Type 6), and Marnie Thomson (Type 7) engage in an honest and sometimes disarming conversation about what it's like to think for a living — not as a choice, but as a way of being in the world. Together they explore the particular kind of restlessness that hums beneath the surface of all three types: a mind in constant motion, scanning, sorting, preparing, anticipating. "If I don't know, I can't prepare." "My mind is constant activity." These statements reveal what goes on inside the mind of this Center of Intelligence. And what's going on, it turns out, is a deep and largely unconscious negotiation with fear. Not the dramatic fear of crisis, but the low-grade, ever-present anxiety of not knowing whether you'll have enough — enough knowledge, enough certainty, enough options — when the moment of need arrives. Richard Rohr reminds us that the Head Center's great longing is for inner guidance: the capacity to trust what arises from within rather than perpetually scanning what lies ahead. This episode doesn't resolve that tension so much as honor it — and in honoring it, perhaps loosens its grip just a little. It's fascinating to observe the professional lives of our panelist. Gerry is a retired pharmacist. Joy is a nurse and adjunct instructor. Marnie is a Professor of Anthropology. Seems fitting for Head Center types!
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Centers of Intelligence: The Heart of the Matter
May 301:18:55Tap to summarizeWhat does it mean to lead — or love, or live — from the heart? Not sentiment, not emotion management, but the deep, often aching intelligence of the Heart Center. This episode features panelists who know this terrain from the inside: Bill Reed (Type 2), Leslie Quilico (Type 3), and George Patton (Type 4). Together, they represent the Enneagram's Heart Triad — three distinct responses to the same fundamental questions: Am I worthy of love as I am? Who am I? Twos give to belong. Threes perform to be seen. Fours long for what feels perpetually just out of reach. And underneath all three patterns we find the same quiet ache: the fear that who they actually are might not be quite enough. The Heart Center is also a map of extraordinary capacity. Empathy, attunement, depth of feeling, the ability to move people — these are the gifts that emerge when the Heart types inhabit their own lives rather than the stories they've been telling about themselves. This is a rich, honest conversation about image and identity, shame and authenticity, and what it looks like to stop performing your life and start living it. This episode is an invitation into the deeper country of the heart. You can find Bill at https://www.enneagramchicago.com
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Centers of Intelligence: Gut Check--Living from the Body's Intelligence
Apr 1701:17:07Tap to summarizeWhat does it mean to know something in your gut? The Body Center — home to Enneagram Types 8, 9 and 1 — carries a wisdom that lives below the neck. These three types share a gut-level intelligence rooted in instinct, presence, and an instinctive relationship with anger. But each one navigates that anger in a strikingly different way. This episode features a panel with Joanne Flowers (Type 8), Jack Killen (Type 9), and Trime Persinger (Type 1). Together we dive into an honest, grounded conversation about what it's like to live from the body's intelligence — the drive for right action, the ache for autonomy, and the longing for a peace that doesn't require you to disappear. Whether your own center of intelligence is Head, Heart, or Body, this panel will invite you deeper into the embodied wisdom your soul has been carrying all along. Jack is a featured author in Personality and Wholeness in Therapy. Trime is the author of Crossing the Bridge: Heal Your Relationships with Courageous Communication. Find out more about Trime at https://www.trimepersinger.com
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Compliant Grouping: "Looking for What's Right"
Apr 701:10:49Tap to summarizeWhat if your first move — when life gets hard, uncertain, or morally murky — is to look for what's right? For Enneagram Types 1, 2, and 6, that's not rigidity. That's how they're wired to love. This episode explores the Compliant Grouping of the Hornevian Triads — one of three movement patterns that shape how we seek what we most deeply need. While some types turn inward and some move against, the Compliant types characteristically move toward — toward a standard, toward another person's need, toward the safety of a trusted person or community. This isn't weakness. It's a particular way of reaching for connection, meaning, and belonging. This panel features Ryan Vaughn (Type 1), Chris Bay (Type 2), and Craig Hinca (Type 6). Together they explore what this outward orientation actually feels like from the inside — and why it's so often misread by the world (and sometimes by themselves) as people-pleasing, rule-following, or anxious dependency. What others may experience as compliance is often something far more searching: a longing to be good, to be needed, and to belong somewhere safe enough to trust. Learn more about Ryan's work at https://www.greenbush.org/center-of-community-supports/leadership-coaching For more on Chris, go to https://lifesuccesslegacy.com For more on Craig, check out his LinkedIn page or go to https://churchwell.co
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Withdrawn Grouping: "Going Inward to Find Myself"
Apr 101:12:07Tap to summarizeWhat if your first move — when life gets hard, overwhelming, or just too loud — is to go inward? For Enneagram Types 4, 5, and 9, that's not avoidance. That's home. This episode explores the Withdrawn Grouping of the Hornevian Triads — one of three movement patterns that shape how we seek what we most deeply need. While some types move toward others and some move against, the Withdrawn types characteristically turn inward: into feeling and imagination, into the life of the mind, into stillness and inner sanctuary. This panel features Eric Blois (Type 9), Brandon Graves (Type 4), and Katarina Bednar (Type 5). Together they explore what this inward movement actually feels like from the inside — and why it's often misread by the world (and sometimes by themselves) as disengagement, aloofness, or passivity. What others may experience as withdrawal is often a genuine search: for identity, for understanding, for peace. To learn more about Brandon and his music, go to https://brandongravesmusic.com. Find more about Katarina at https://yellowbug.co. This episode opens a compassionate window into one of the Enneagram's most interior landscapes. Remember, the map is not the territory. But sometimes a good map helps you finally come home to yourself.
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Assertive Grouping: Wired to Move Toward
Mar 2301:12:00Tap to summarizeThis episode introduces the Hornevian Triads, which describe three distinct social stances — the ways we instinctively move in relation to others and the world around us. Every type belongs to one of three groups: Compliant (Ones, Twos, and Sixes), Withdrawn (Fours, Fives, and Nines), or Assertive (Threes, Sevens, and Eights). Understanding which group you belong to can be just as illuminating as knowing your type. We start with a panel representing the Assertive Grouping. Assertives tend to lead with themselves first. They're self-referencing — their inner compass, desire, or agenda naturally orients them before they check in with the room. That's not selfishness. It's a wiring. And recognizing it can change a lot — in the workplace, in relationships, and in how you lead. Representing Type 3 is Michele Lonergan. Representing Type 7 is Anthony Pleetanino. And Type 8 is represented by Rachel Leduc. Learn more about Rachel and her work at https://www.rachel-leduc.com
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Competency/Efficiency Grouping: "Working to Fix It"
Mar 1501:13:17Tap to summarizeThis episode concludes our exploration of the Enneagram's Harmonic Triads, which describe common ways people respond to conflict, stress, and disappointment. In previous episodes, we explored the Catalyzer Grouping (Types 4, 6, and 8) and the Positive Outlook Grouping (Types 2, 7, and 9). In this episode, we focus on the Competency (or Efficiency) Grouping—Types 1, 3, and 5. People in this group tend to respond to problems by stepping back, analyzing the situation, and finding the most effective solution. Their goal is to identify what's wrong and fix it so progress can continue. In this process, emotions may be set aside in favor of objectivity and efficiency. This panel discussion explores the goals, motivations, and strategies Competency Types use to address problems and resolve conflict. Panelists include Stephen Garlow (Type 1), Lynda Rands (Type 3), and Eric Woolf (Type 5).
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Catalyzer Grouping: "I Cannot be Disingenuous in Conflict"
Mar 801:09:21Tap to summarizeWhat happens when we encounter conflict, stress, or disappointment? The Enneagram's Harmonic Triad reveals patterned ways of responding that various Enneagram Types hold in common. In this episode, we explore the Catalyzer—also known as the Intensifier—group, consisting of Types 4, 6, and 8. Catalyzers push into the tension and meet it with energy, intensity and emotional truth. Their goal is to address the situation clearly and honestly in order to resolve and transform. In this episode we unpack the motivations, emotional dynamics, and growth path of the Catalyzer Harmonic Triad. The panel consists of Dan Kuhlman (Type 4), Lou Flessner (Type 6), and Bill Ryan (Type 8).
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Positive Outlook Grouping: "The Inner Tug-of-War"
Mar 101:06:05Tap to summarizeThis episode explores the Enneagram's Harmonic Triad—specifically the Positive Outlook group. In the Enneagram, the Harmonic Triads describe how we respond when things don't go the way we want. The Positive Outlook group—Types 2, 7, and 9—tend to cope with conflict, disappointment, or pain by reframing, focusing on what's good, or moving toward possibility rather than sitting in the negative. But "positive" doesn't mean shallow or naive. Each of these types has a distinct strategy for staying upbeat—and each comes with its own strengths and blind spots. This panel features Richard Haynes (Type 9), Kimberly Holt (Type 2), and Sister Anna-Camille (Type 7). We hear how each experiences conflict, avoids or reframes discomfort, and how they gravitate toward optimism. Find more about Richard at https://empowerpotentialcoaching.com Find more about Kimberly at https://councilforrelationships.org/therapist/kimberly-holt-ms-mft Learn more about Sister Anna-Camille's community at https://stplacid.org
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An Inside Look into an Enneagram Typing Interview
Feb 1901:16:58Tap to summarizeIdentifying the Enneagram Type we lead with is often a journey of self-discovery. While online assessments can point us in the right direction, they are not precise instruments. A more reliable process for discovering and clarifying your Enneagram Type is the Enneagram Type Discovery Interview—often called a Typing Interview. Facilitated by a trained Enneagram teacher or practitioner, the Typing Interview creates space to explore your core motivations, fears, and internal biases at a deeper level than online tests. In this episode, I sit down with my good friend, Tom Wells, and guide him through the Typing Interview process. You'll get an inside look at what a Typing Interview is like and why it's so important to move beyond surface behaviors to uncover the motivations that drive our Enneagram Type. As you listen, you may gain fresh insight into the Enneagram Type you lead with—and perhaps decide that a Typing Interview would be a valuable next step in your own Enneagram journey. My sincere thanks to Tom for generously allowing us to witness his process. Tom and his wife are the owners of Wells Virtual Bookkeeping, LLC, a bookkeeping service supporting small businesses. Find out more at https://www.wellsvirtualbookkeeping.com.
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