Each of us lives from one of three distinct inner stances, yet hardly ever realizing it…


“Don’t mess with my world.”
“See me the way I want to be seen.”
“What can I trust?”


In this episode, Michael, Hari Prasada, and Rasanath explore how Anger, Shame, and Fear function as the Predominant Emotions of the Enneagram (and of the human condition). These emotions correspond to the Body types (8, 9, 1), Heart types (2, 3, 4), and Head types (5, 6, 7), and point to the deeper forces shaping how we experience ourselves and the world. More than surface-level feelings, they reveal what the ego is organized around and what it is constantly trying to manage or avoid. Moving through the three emotional triads, they explore what provokes each emotion, how it is experienced internally, and how it shows up externally. The gift we stand to gain through this knowledge is the freedom to act differently, instead of being habitually forced to act on the emotion. That’s a lifelong pursuit of self-awareness and self-regulation. But by understanding these emotions, where they come from, why they affect us, and seeing their specific hold on us personally, we can become so grounded and judicious in how we respond to them.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

The Wing is one of the most powerful forces shaping personality. In addition to the primary Type, it strongly influences what we want, how we show up, and even whether we experience ourselves as more introverted or extroverted. In this episode, Hari, Michael, and Rasanath explore why identifying the correct Type-Wing relationship is essential for accurate typing and meaningful growth. Moving through all nine Types, they show how different Wing combinations create distinct energies, body language, and ways of engaging with life. Special attention is given to Wings they see creating a more prominently polarizing effect, where opposing orientations can feel like two very different people living inside one personality. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize how understanding Wings helps us recognize ego patterns, honor our gifts, and engage in the deeper work of self-realization.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

Do you tend to push forward and make things happen? Pull back and feel easily overwhelmed? Or constantly track how much you are giving so you can be sure you are giving more than you receive?


In this episode, Michael, Hari Prasada, and Rasanath explore a core dimension of the Enneagram that is critical in being able to type efficiently and accurately as well as understand better how we show up the way we do and why: the Behavioral Patterns. They unpack the Go-Getter, Withdrawn, and Dutiful triads, three distinct ways we habitually move through the world, relate to others, and respond to stress.


At the center of the conversation is the idea of the Ego Boundary – how protected or permeable we are to external demands and internal experience. They explore Solid, Thin, and Perforated Ego Boundaries, and how these shape introversion, extroversion, perceivable sensitivity, and other aspects of how we function. They explain why people within the same Behavioral Pattern are so often mistyped as one another, and why behavior alone can be misleading without understanding underlying motivation.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

“What are those lines on the symbol?” is one of the questions we get most frequently during our Enneagram workshops. In this episode, Hari, Rasanath, and Michael explore the critical dimension of the Enneagram: the Directional Movements. They describe how each Type experiences stress and growth, clarifying why we sometimes resemble other Types. These movements toward another Type in stress or growth reveal important layers of motivation and insecurity. The conversation highlights why coping is easier, growth includes moving through the shadows of another Type, and understanding this dimension can help prevent mistyping. The team offers a concise tour of what each Type looks like when secure and when overwhelmed. They close by bringing greater focus to the practical and spiritual implications of these movements.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

Each of us is wired with a specific hierarchy of three core instinctual drives, shaping how we move through the world. The Instincts (sometimes referred to as Instinctual Variants) is part of the Enneagram framework and plays a powerful role in how our personalities form. One Instinct tends to dominate and demands most of our attention, a second supports it, while a third gets neglected and becomes a Blind Spot. In this episode, Michael, Hari, and Rasanath unpack the three Instincts—Self-Preservation, Sexual, and Social—and how they show up in our daily lives. They explore the energy behind each, how these Instincts function at their healthiest, and how they can create suffering. By understanding your “Instinctual Stack,” you can begin to shift from automatic patterns to conscious integration, creating space for real growth and movement toward the best version of yourself.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

There might be a lot going on in your head, but that does not mean that you are making good use of it. In this episode, Michael, Rasanath, and Hari Prasada discuss the Head Center’s essential role in managing the complexity of life and the flood of information we face each day. They explore how awareness of thought, not thinking itself, is the hallmark of presence in the Head Center. They unpack the inner worlds of the Head Center Enneagram Types (Type 5, Type 6, and Type 7), exploring how each seeks to find something that it can trust in its own way, and what is at stake for all of us in becoming more present to what’s happening in our heads.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

Just because you feel a lot does not mean you are present in the Heart Center. In this episode, Hari, Michael, and Rasanath explore what it really means to live from the heart. They look into the realm of emotion, identity, and our longing to be seen. They reflect on how emotions shape our humanity, why we often mistake validation for value, and how the heart connects us to love, gratitude, and one another. They also unpack the emotional landscapes of the Heart Center types (Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4), exploring how each seeks to be seen in its own way, and what is at stake for all of us in becoming more connected to our hearts.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild

In this episode, Michael, Hari, and Rasanath turn their attention to the Body Center of the Enneagram. They explore how presence is experienced as groundedness, sensation, and gut-level knowing, as well as how energy can move from intuition into action when we are rooted in the body.

The conversation brings out the distinct gifts of Types 8, 9, and 1 while also showing how every Type can cultivate a clearer, more embodied connection to life. Along the way, they discuss the core emotion of the Body Center, the role of practices like yoga and pranayama, and what it means to feel our feet on the ground as a support for spiritual depth.

Links

Enneagram Library Live: Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6pm ET on Zoom.

The Call to Awaken. Our flagship program on spirituality. Starts March, 2026. Open for registration. Limited spots available.

Upbuild Coaching Training Program. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October.

Upbuild Website

Instagram: @upbuildnyc
Facebook: Upbuild
LinkedIn: Upbuild