In this captivating episode, we're joined by Jim Zartman (Type 8) and Joel Hubbard (Type 7), creators of the groundbreaking Hunters, Farmers, and Teamers framework and book. This innovative lens reveals our survival instincts as well as helps us adapt in them, speaking of how our core drives shape everything from our leadership styles to our marriages. Discover whether you're primarily a Hunter (similar to Sexual/SX instinct, focused on intensity and risk-taking), a Farmer (aligned with Self-Pre...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 7Ep. 16
Many couples avoid "relationship check-ins" because they feel awkward or turn into criticism sessions. This episode offers a completely different approach - a structured 30-minute blueprint that creates safety, deepens understanding, and builds practical solutions together that Christa shares both here and in this mini-episode. You'll learn: The reminder that research backs how healthy addressing and communication dramatically improve relationship satisfaction A simple 3-part framework for your ...
Mar 12, 2025•16 min•Season 7Ep. 18
What happens when we make our partners the center of our emotional universe? In this insightful episode with Christa walking us through the concept of decentralization, we explore the delicate art of "decentralizing" your partner—a powerful practice that counterintuitively strengthens intimate connections. Through the lens of marriage theory, including but not limited to the Enneagram, we discover how constant emotional monitoring can suffocate even the most loving relationships. Learn to recogn...
Mar 10, 2025•18 min•Season 7Ep. 13
What happens when we open our hearts and homes to others? Craig and Laura Cooper join us to share their extraordinary journey of faith and generosity that inspired MercyMe's song and Walker Hayes' music video "Craig." The Coopers discuss how their Type 3w4 and Type 9 Enneagram dynamics shape their approach to hospitality, and how a simple act of giving a minivan to a family in need sparked a profound spiritual transformation. Learn how small acts of generosity can create ripple effects of change...
Mar 05, 2025•57 min•Season 7Ep. 16
Join us for a powerful conversation with Justin and Trisha Davis about breaking the cycles that hurt our relationships. From navigating infidelity to rebuilding trust, they share how understanding their Enneagram dynamic as an 8w7 and 3w2 couple has transformed their marriage and ministry. Discover practical wisdom for breaking free from shame, resentment, and fear while creating new patterns of connection. Whether you're facing betrayal or seeking to prevent it, this episode offers hope for las...
Mar 02, 2025•55 min•Season 7Ep. 16
Join Christa and award-winning writer and professor Kimberly Phinney for a tender yet powerful conversation about navigating suffering in marriage. Through her own journey with critical illness and her work as a poet and literature scholar, Kimberly shares how pain can become a doorway to deeper connection. Discover how writing becomes medicine, how presence matters more than perfection, and how to find unexpected gifts in life's darkest seasons as spouses by one another's sides through sickness...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 7Ep. 15
Join us for this powerful conversation with Julie Menanno, LMFT (@TheSecureRelationship), whose work has helped millions transform their attachment patterns. From her national bestseller, Secure Love: Create a Relationship That Lasts a Lifetime, to her viral Instagram insights, Julie brings practical wisdom about creating lasting security in relationships via the attachment lens and her emotionally focused therapy couples work. Whether you're navigating anxious or avoidant patterns, or seeking t...
Feb 24, 2025•45 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Ever wonder why your partner acts completely different under stress? Join Christa as we explore the Enneagram arrows - your map to understanding relationship patterns in both stress and growth, as we move expansively from just your main type to see other typical moves we can expect from each Enneagram pattern. Whether you're navigating challenges or building connection, discover how these natural movements affect your marriage. Perfect for couples seeking deeper understanding of their relationsh...
Feb 19, 2025•21 min•Season 7Ep. 14
Join us for a powerful must-listen conversation with bestselling author Sheila Rae Gregoire, 8, about creating true partnership in marriage. Using evidence-based research and biblical wisdom, Sheila and her team challenge outdated stereotypes while offering practical paths to genuine intimacy! Whether you're seeking deeper connection or wanting to build a stronger team approach with your spouse, this episode offers fresh perspective and real hope. Get ready for truth that transforms! 🌟💫 Listen...
Feb 17, 2025•39 min•Season 7Ep. 13
Join Christa as we explore the transformative power of letting your partner be exactly who they are as we pair the Mel Robbins' "Let Them" theory with the Enneagram. Discover how releasing the need to fix, change, or perfect your spouse creates deeper connection and authentic love. Whether you're learning to release control or seeking to understand differences, this episode offers practical wisdom for creating more freedom in your marriage. Get ready to transform your relationship through the po...
Feb 12, 2025•22 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Timing can make or break a crucial conversation in marriage. Learn the science-backed best times for difficult discussions, understand your partner's readiness signals, and discover type-specific approaches to timing-sensitive conversations. Transform potential conflicts into opportunities for deeper connection. We talk about the tips through the lens of the most powerful marriage systems, Gottman, EFT, CBT, IFS, and of course, Enneagram! Listen here! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n6o3naNka...
Feb 10, 2025•19 min•Season 7Ep. 11
Join us with bestselling author Tori Hope Petersen as we explore breaking free from patterns that hold us back in relationships just as she launches her new book, "Breaking the Patterns That Break You: Healing From the Pain of Your Past and Finding Real Hope That Lasts". From foster care to flourishing family, Tori shares powerful insights about healing generational wounds while building healthy connection. Whether you're carrying childhood patterns or supporting a partner through healing, this ...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr•Season 7Ep. 10
Join us with EJ Kerwin, LPC and Terah Kerwin, LMFT (5-2 pairing), founders of Relationship Renovation as we explore how every couple can build secure, stable connections together. Drawing from their work with countless couples across seasons and temperament combinations, join us for an episode filled with wisdom for creating unshakeable bonds. Whether you're naturally anxious or avoidant, an external processor or internal thinker, this episode offers hope and concrete steps for deepening your co...
Feb 03, 2025•54 min•Season 7Ep. 9
Join Christa as we explore the delicate dance of healing childhood wounds within marriage. Discover how to create safe spaces for growth, understand your partner's healing journey, and navigate triggers with grace. Whether you're supporting a partner through their past pain or seeking understanding of your own patterns, this episode offers practical wisdom and hopeful strategies for growing together. Let's transform old wounds into deeper connection! 🌟💫 Watch on YouTube ✨Join the Enneagram &am...
Jan 28, 2025•29 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Ready to move beyond theory into real transformation? Join us as bestselling author Stephanie Barron Hall unpacks how different types accidentally trigger each other, why some people love conflict while others run from it, and what to do when communication styles clash. Whether you're new to the Enneagram or a seasoned explorer, this episode offers fresh insights and practical tools for real-life growth. Get ready to understand yourself and others in a whole new way! 🌟💫 Watch on YouTube Find S...
Jan 26, 2025•49 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Ever feel like your partner's Enneagram patterns are pulling you into a dance you didn't sign up for? In this transformative episode, we explore how to support your partner's growth journey without losing yourself in their challenges. Using real-life examples (including a story about a faulty airplane seat!), discover practical ways to love your partner through their growth edge while staying grounded in your own path. Get ready for freedom, joy, and deeper connection! 🌟✨ Watch on YouTube ✨Join...
Jan 22, 2025•35 min•Season 7Ep. 6
What happens when your kids grow up and start their own families? How do you maintain boundaries while building bridges? In this heart-warming episode, Ro Elliot shares wisdom about using the Enneagram to navigate family transitions with grace. Whether you're becoming a grandparent, welcoming new in-laws, or simply watching your family dynamics evolve, this episode offers practical insights for growing together through life's changes. Get ready for stories, strategies, and soulful wisdom about c...
Jan 20, 2025•50 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Think you know the Enneagram? Think again! This myth-busting episode challenges common stereotypes about each type, including the often-misunderstood Types 6 & 9. We're diving deep into why behavior doesn't equal type, how health levels change everything, and why motivation matters more than actions. Perfect for both beginners and experienced Enneagram enthusiasts who want to move beyond surface-level understanding. Get ready to challenge what you think you know about each type! 🔍💫 Watch o...
Jan 14, 2025•24 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Confused about your Enneagram type? In this beginner-friendly episode, we're exploring three powerful ways to understand your type: through Intelligence Centers (Head, Heart, Gut), Harmonic Groups (how you handle problems), and Harmony Groups (how you move through life). Whether you process through thinking, feeling, or doing, this episode will help you find your home in the Enneagram. Get ready for clear, practical insights that make type-finding feel less overwhelming! 🧭 Watch on YouTube: htt...
Jan 13, 2025•21 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Ever wonder why your partner's different approach to life - the very things that sometimes drive you crazy - might be exactly what you need? In this energizing episode of Enneagram and Marriage, we explore the beautiful paradox of how our partner's contrasting Enneagram type isn't just a challenge - it's actually our greatest opportunity for personal growth! Whether you're a detailed Type 1 married to a spontaneous Type 7, or a peace-keeping Type 9 with an assertive Type 8, discover how these di...
Jan 08, 2025•26 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Ready to unlock the hidden superpower your Enneagram type brings to your marriage? This week on Enneagram and Marriage, we're diving into each type's unique gifts that can transform an ordinary relationship into an extraordinary one! From the Type 2s emotional intelligence to the Type 5s depth of insight, every type has a special gift that can revolutionize your connection. Whether you're new to the Enneagram or a seasoned enthusiast, you'll discover fresh ways to leverage your natural strengths...
Jan 06, 2025•26 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Here on the very first episode of the year on the Enneagram & Marriage Podcast, we're exploring what meaningful resolutions look like for each Enneagram type within marriage. We'll talk about why blanket advice like "communicate better" might resonate differently with a One than it does with a Seven. We'll discuss how a Four's path to being more present looks vastly different from a Three's journey to the same goal. Most importantly, we also focus on authenticity. Because the most powerful r...
Jan 01, 2025•22 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Ready to celebrate your love story? In this intimate year-end episode, Christa guides you and your partner through capturing your most precious moments of 2024. From belly laughs to breakthrough conversations, you'll preserve the magic of your journey while planting seeds for an even deeper connection in 2025. With our free interactive prompts (and worksheet for Collective members), you'll discover the beautiful wisdom hidden in your everyday moments together. Don't let these memories fade - let...
Dec 30, 2024•17 min•Season 6Ep. 81
On today's soul-stirring episode, Christa welcomes a special guest – her husband Wes. As a social dominant, Wes has spent years mastering the delicate art of balancing his natural pull toward community and connection with the equally vital needs of self-preservation and one-on-one intimacy. Join us for an intimate conversation that weaves through the landscape of instinctual drives, exploring how we can honor our core nature while growing into our blind spots. Whether you're social-first like We...
Dec 23, 2024•37 min•Season 6Ep. 81
Tis the season where you can get SO busy with trying to wrap things up at work or school that you can forget the kind of things you can wrap up in terms of presents for your people - and the kinds of gifts that just can't be wrapped up, too, like fun experiences together. This holiday, take our team’s reminders of some of the classics that each of the Enneagram types enjoys being gifted this season, as well as for some tips to help you simply appreciate the gift-giver themselves. Listen right he...
Dec 18, 2024•21 min•Season 6Ep. 78
The people in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana try their best to make sure the world is run according to the best of their ideals on one of the world's favorite shows to binge, Parks and Rec. The show, a political satire, is ultimately a tribute to loving your neighbor even when your neighbor is frustrating for you and has different ideals. Today, Christa and Melody are taking a fun time-out during the holiday rush to collaborate on typing the show's biggest personalities. We hope you’ll en...
Dec 15, 2024•41 min
When something really hard hits you around the holidays, you need both help and hope. Today’s mini-episode delivers both, and adds a spark of joy to ground you as many times as you need it as you reflect, heal, and honor the harder days and moments in your life and what they mean. Join Christa here for three important tips during or after a dark night of the soul. Watch on YouTube! https://youtu.be/L7wyHt8ORWo Get on the E + M email list! https://enneagramandmarriage.myflodesk.com/kcxt8k7431 Mak...
Dec 11, 2024•20 min•Season 6Ep. 80
"The way to unity is not through uniformity, it is through understanding and loving the other." - Lore Ferguson Wilbert. Whether it’s your spouse, family member, or your neighbor, it’s not always easy loving someone with differences. Yet chemistry is not sameness, and today we are grateful to have Christianity Today book award author Lore Ferguson, 9 (9w8 and 6w5 pairing), Wilbert on the pod today to encourage us in a Christ-like loving of the other - whatever that means - in our lives. We also ...
Dec 09, 2024•46 min•Season 6Ep. 79
The busy times over the holidays can truly take a person -- and a marriage -- down to an unhealthy level if they're not intentionally stepping into life with faithful steps. Don't miss this refreshing take on how the Enneagram Instincts/Desires can help you fall into rhythms of being present to rest, loving, and giving this season and beyond in this E + M Mini-Episode! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IEbo4wm-AwM Resources Mentioned In This Episode: The Desires/Instincts Freebie is here: The T...
Dec 04, 2024•12 min•Season 6Ep. 79
Advent begins in the dark, and at this weary time of year, we truly need reminders of what we can hope for and how we can remain with one another, despite the hardest hurts that make us want to draw away. As we do so, we're joined by the exquisitely talented, award-winning writer and senior editor at Harper One, Stephanie Duncan Smith, 4 (4-8 pairing) as she talks about her new book that addresses finding light even after darkness, Even After Everything: The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Ris...
Dec 02, 2024•46 min•Season 6Ep. 76
