Typology The Sacred Ache and Beauty of Becoming with Heath Hardesty
Nov 20, 2025
Heath Hardesty, a California pastor and author, delves into the essence of human longing and authenticity. He shares insights into the Enneagram Two's desire to help and the shadow sides of such behavior. The conversation explores the deep ache for beauty and the journey of becoming whole through surrendering false selves. Heath reflects on his literary influences, imposter feelings, and the significance of sacramental imagination in spiritual growth. This engaging dialogue offers a poetic exploration of connecting meaningfully with ourselves and others.
55:06
Helper Motive Can Hide Need For Approval
- Heath Hardesty describes the Two pattern: helpfulness that can mask strategic needs for appreciation.
- He noticed the shadow side over time through therapy and spiritual work.
Melancholic Temperament Shapes Inner Work
- Heath identifies as melancholic and autumnal, drawn to poetry, solitude, and reflection.
- He uses therapy to wrestle with authenticity and appropriate vulnerability in pastoral leadership.
Shame Feels Like Being Fundamentally Wrong
- Shame showed up for Heath as feeling fundamentally disappointing rather than just failing.
- That drove moralism, overachievement, and efforts to be 'less needy.'
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Discovering Two: Initial Reactions
01:45 • 1min
Shadow Side of Helping
02:53 • 3min
Therapy, Authenticity, and Pastoral Vulnerability
06:21 • 2min
The Ache and Haunting Longing
08:27 • 4min
Desire for Deep Connection
12:51 • 2min
Always Becoming: Identity and Imposter Feelings
14:53 • 2min
Two vs. Four: Typing Conversation
16:41 • 5min
Literary Soul: Books That Shaped Him
21:20 • 6min
If Not a Pastor: Writing and Creativity
27:50 • 4min
Ad break
32:13 • 1min
Apprenticeship to Jesus: Book Overview
33:38 • 5min
Shame, False Self, and Dismantling Ego
38:55 • 4min
Downward Ascent: Dying and Rising
43:20 • 4min
Season of Life: Spring and Letting Go
46:51 • 2min
Sacramental Imagination and Liturgical Longing
48:38 • 6min
Outro
54:37 • 22sec
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The Road back to you
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What happens when an Enneagram Two (or…maybe a Four?) takes a deep dive into the ache beneath our desire to be good, loved, and whole?
This week, I sit down with Heath Hardesty, pastor and author of All Things Together: How Apprenticeship to Jesus Is the Way of Flourishing in a Fragmented World. What begins as a conversation about the Enneagram Two's longing to help soon unfurls into an exploration of the soul — the ache for beauty, the mystery of shame, and what it means to live authentically before God.
Together we explore:
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The difference between helping and hiding
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Why our "ache" might actually be a form of divine homesickness
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How beauty, poetry, and the transcendent lead us toward wholeness
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What dies — and what's reborn — as we grow older and surrender our false selves
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The sacred invitation to move from doing ministry to stewarding mystery
It's equal parts theology, therapy, and literary love letter. Whether you're a Two, a Four, or simply a human being trying to make sense of your inner world, this episode will remind you that becoming whole is less about striving and more about awakening.
🎙️ Listen now and discover the sacred ache that pulls us home.
ABOUT HEATH HARDESTY
Heath Hardesty is the author of All Things Together: How Apprenticeship to Jesus is the Way of Flourishing in a Fragmented World (Multnomah; 10/14/25). He serves as the lead pastor of Valley Community Church and is the founder of Inklings Coffee & Tea in the heart of downtown Pleasanton, California.
Heath grew up in a blue-collar home and was a plumber's apprentice in Colorado before becoming a pastor on the edge of Silicon Valley where he, his wife, and four kids now reside.
He holds degrees in literature, leadership, biblical studies, and theology from the University of Colorado Boulder and Western Seminary in Portland. Visit him on IG@heathhardesty.