To close our spectacular Enneagram series, last but certainly not least (we promise, Nines!), we’re deep-diving into the earnest and endearingly sincere Peacemakers with Jen’s wonderful friend and all-around good human, author Sarah Bessey. Fondly called the crown of the Enneagram, Type Nines have the keen gift to be fully empathetic, to love and accept without judgement because they see all others as being made in God’s image. For a Nine, everyone belongs. This type may seem slow to move sometimes, but it’s because they are enviably happy in the moment and content not to worry about the future or past. Sarah demonstrates how nines can be mediators, but also shows how their shadow side leans away from conflict and into numbness and routine, pushing them to be a little sloth-like. In their unhealthiest state, a Nine’s identity morphs into whoever’s surrounding them at the moment. Because Nines often withdraw during a conflict, it might look like they don’t get upset, but don’t be fooled—they are processing and might need a prompt to return to the scene of the crime. As they grow into a healthier state, Nines will realize they don’t have to sacrifice who they are just to keep the peace- their voices are valuable and deserve to be heard. Stay tuned ‘til the end to hear how Ryan O’Neal (AKA Sleeping at Last) created a piece that was extremely vulnerable and painfully honest, as he had to confront his own weaknesses as a type Nine in order to grow into his full potential.
Guest: Sarah Bessey
Sarah Bessey: Life on the Other Side of Being Broken
Sarah Bessey is the friend we all need, the one who will welcome you with open arms, tuck you under a blanket she knitted herself, and hand you a cup of tea while you talk about the mysteries of life. As a matter of fact, she’s exactly that kind of friend to Jen—and through this episode, you’ll feel the love too. As a beautiful and insightful writer, her books take us through the deconstruction of her faith, with wonderings and wanderings so many of us have had, or may be experiencing now, back to a relationship with God that allows for questions and a desire for change in our religious systems. Sarah also opens up about a shift in her reality that she’s been quietly living through for the last couple of years—the aftermath of a serious car accident, which upended the life she was building and left her in chronic pain. Having to hit pause on the speaking career she loved and the book she thought she would write, Sarah embarked on an all new journey to rediscover who God was in this season of life, and contemplates what’s different on the other side of being broken. Her new book, Miracles and Other Reasonable Things, chronicles these life-altering events and how she’s still dealing with them today.