Reverend Dr. David Hughes, a seasoned pastor, shares his journey into the often-misunderstood world of spiritual direction. He candidly recounts his initial discomfort and the profound value it brings, especially for men. The discussion highlights the growing importance of spiritual direction in deepening one’s faith experience. Ruth also explores the role of spiritual directors in navigating personal journeys, the significance of listening, and the need for a safe space in spiritual exploration. This conversation is rich with insights for anyone seeking connection with the divine.

Father Ron Rolheiser, a spiritual leader, teams up with Ruth to delve into the significance of desire in Christian spirituality. They discuss how desire, often misunderstood, can deepen one's connection with the divine. The conversation touches on balancing societal norms with authentic spiritual yearnings. Ruth shares insights on how acknowledging desire can transform personal and family relationships, highlighting its role in fostering transparency and emotional connection. Together, they open up a dialogue about the vital role of desire in enriching spiritual growth.

Ruth, a thought leader in Christian spirituality, engages with Father Ron Rolheiser, a renowned theologian and author. Together, they explore the dynamic future of faith, emphasizing the importance of spirituality over strict theology. Their discussion touches on the need for unity across denominations and the encouraging role of the Holy Spirit, likening God's guidance to a tireless GPS. They also highlight the challenges of connecting with younger generations, advocating for an approach that prioritizes a lived experience of faith.

Finally, we’ve arrived at the head center! Ruth and Erin will discuss the 5s, 6s, and 7s of this triad and their special relationship to fear. Erin and Ruth cover all the aspects we’ve been discussing this season as they apply to the head center: the instincts and their impact on the numbers, what unique challenges and transformation opportunities exist in this triad, and how to love our 5s, 6s, and 7s well. Ruth also asks Erin some broader enneagram questions about wings and arrows (and you’ll hear producer Colleen chime in with some clarifying questions here) and what spirituality she applies to the enneagram. Erin also briefly gives us an overview of a few enneagram theories, including the rules of 1, 3, and 7. Over on Patreon, Erin continues to share journal prompts for 5s, 6s, and 7s as well as guidance specific to the unique challenges for head center folks as they work through those questions. Additionally, she elaborates on those enneagram theories that we could only briefly touch on in the episode. This season we are using the framework of the enneagram, and in particular the ways the 3 instinctual subtypes impact each enneagram number, to help people do the necessary inner work of knowing themselves and managing anxiety, triggers, and stuck patterns so that they can lead others well. This season, we are moving beyond the basics of describing each number type to look at our instincts and what motivates our behaviors. Special guest Erin Baute, a leadership behavior strategist with over 20 years of experience in behavior change and professional development, joins us all season long to help us do this important work.   Erin Baute is a professional business coach and leadership behavior strategist with over 20 years of experience in behavior change and professional development, working with individuals and teams. She has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development, a Master of Public Health and a PhD in Organizational Psychology, with a focus on personal and professional development using personality as a framework underway. She has been studying and using Enneagram for 14 years and is a Certified Enneagram Teacher and Trainer and an Accredited Enneagram Professional from the International Enneagram Association (IEA). You can find more information about Erin on her website, https://livingtheenneagram.com/, or follow her on Instagram, @livingtheenneagram! Helpful Enneagram Resources: We are diving straight into the deep end of the enneagram this season. If you need some introductory resources to the Enneagram, we highly recommend the following: Self to Lose, Self to Find by Marilyn Vancil The Road Back To You by Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron The Story of You by Ian Cron The Enneagram for Black Liberation by Chichi Agorom The Enneagram A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr Support the Transforming Center! Right now you can double the impact of your gift through a $25,000 challenge gift from an alum. Donate today and receive our Good Things ‘zine!   Join our Patreon Book Club this summer! Patrons at all levels will have the opportunity to read and discuss Ashlee Eiland’s newest book, Say Good: Speaking Across Hot Topics, Complex Relationships, and Tense Situations. We will meet twice over Zoom, once in July and once in August (with special guest, author Ashlee Eiland! ), to dialogue about the book and our own experiences speaking across difficult topics and conversations. Visit our Patreon page for more information and to sign up today!   Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Anthem from Music in Solitude   Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive weekly bonus episodes that will help take these conversations deeper. We have journal prompts for each of the 9 numbers, guidance from Erin on how to determine your instinct or subtype, and more! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!     The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders.  Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.   *this post contains affiliate links

It’s time for the heart center numbers! Ruth and Erin will discuss the 2s, 3s, and 4s of this triad and their special relationship to connection and disconnection. Erin breaks down each of these numbers and how their instincts impact them. They talk about the challenges our broken and often violent world presents for those in this feelings-centered triad, as well as the unique ways the world needs their heart more than ever. Over on Patreon, Erin continues to share journal prompts for 2s, 3s, and 4s as well as guidance specific to the unique challenges for heart center folks as they work through those questions. This season we are using the framework of the enneagram, and in particular the ways the 3 instinctual subtypes impact each enneagram number, to help people do the necessary inner work of knowing themselves and managing anxiety, triggers, and stuck patterns so that they can lead others well. This season, we are moving beyond the basics of describing each number type to look at our instincts and what motivates our behaviors. Special guest Erin Baute, a leadership behavior strategist with over 20 years of experience in behavior change and professional development, joins us all season long to help us do this important work.   Erin Baute is a professional business coach and leadership behavior strategist with over 20 years of experience in behavior change and professional development, working with individuals and teams. She has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development, a Master of Public Health and a PhD in Organizational Psychology, with a focus on personal and professional development using personality as a framework underway. She has been studying and using Enneagram for 14 years and is a Certified Enneagram Teacher and Trainer and an Accredited Enneagram Professional from the International Enneagram Association (IEA). You can find more information about Erin on her website, https://livingtheenneagram.com/, or follow her on Instagram, @livingtheenneagram! Helpful Enneagram Resources: We are diving straight into the deep end of the enneagram this season. If you need some introductory resources to the Enneagram, we highly recommend the following: Self to Lose, Self to Find by Marilyn Vancil The Road Back To You by Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron The Story of You by Ian Cron The Enneagram for Black Liberation by Chichi Agorom The Enneagram A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr   Join our Patreon Book Club this summer! Patrons at all levels will have the opportunity to read and discuss Ashlee Eiland’s newest book, Say Good: Speaking Across Hot Topics, Complex Relationships, and Tense Situations. We will meet twice over Zoom, once in July and once in August (with special guest, author Ashlee Eiland! ), to dialogue about the book and our own experiences speaking across difficult topics and conversations. Visit our Patreon page for more information and to sign up today!   Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist No Matter What from Music in Solitude   Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive weekly bonus episodes that will help take these conversations deeper. We have journal prompts for each of the 9 numbers, guidance from Erin on how to determine your instinct or subtype, and more! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!     The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders.  Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.   *this post contains affiliate links

We are exploring the body triad this week! Containing the enneagram 8s, 9s, and 1s, these folks have to work to manage their relationship with anger. Ruth and Erin discuss the different relationships each number has with anger and how the subtypes impact that. They also explore what safety looks like for 8s, 9s, and 1s, as well as the unique invitations towards transformation for each number. Over on Patreon, Erin is sharing a worksheet that helps us reclaim our own sense of safety and transformational journal questions for the body center numbers. She’s also providing some guidance specific to the unique challenges of 8s, 9s, and 1’s as they work through those questions. This season we are using the framework of the enneagram, and in particular the ways the 3 instinctual subtypes impact each enneagram number, to help people do the necessary inner work of knowing themselves and managing anxiety, triggers, and stuck patterns so that they can lead others well. This season, we are moving beyond the basics of describing each number type to look at our instincts and what motivates our behaviors. Special guest Erin Baute, a leadership behavior strategist with over 20 years of experience in behavior change and professional development, joins us all season long to help us do this important work.   Erin Baute is a professional business coach and leadership behavior strategist with over 20 years of experience in behavior change and professional development, working with individuals and teams. She has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development, a Master of Public Health and a PhD in Organizational Psychology, with a focus on personal and professional development using personality as a framework underway. She has been studying and using Enneagram for 14 years and is a Certified Enneagram Teacher and Trainer and an Accredited Enneagram Professional from the International Enneagram Association (IEA). You can find more information about Erin on her website, https://livingtheenneagram.com/, or follow her on Instagram, @livingtheenneagram! Helpful Enneagram Resources: We are diving straight into the deep end of the enneagram this season. If you need some introductory resources to the Enneagram, we highly recommend the following: Self to Lose, Self to Find by Marilyn Vancil The Road Back To You by Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron The Story of You by Ian Cron The Enneagram for Black Liberation by Chichi Agorom The Enneagram A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr   Interested in our live virtual event: SPIRITUAL DIRECTION: An Essential Practice for Transforming Leaders? Visit our Online Oasis Information page to learn more and sign up today!   Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Anthemr from Music in Solitude   Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive weekly bonus episodes that will help take these conversations deeper. We have journal prompts for each of the 9 numbers, guidance from Erin on how to determine your instinct or subtype, and more! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!     The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders.  Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.   *this post contains affiliate links

Explore the significance of Enneagram subtypes and instincts with guest Erin Baute, discussing developmental instincts, coping mechanisms, trauma, safety, identity, and values. Learn how to manage reactivity, enhance self-awareness, and promote non-anxious leadership. Delve into childhood instincts, adult behaviors, and the intersection of psychology with Enneagram subtypes. Navigate troubling times, create safe spaces, and address trauma for personal and collective healing.

Welcome to season 23! This season we are using the framework of the enneagram, and in particular the ways the 3 instinctual subtypes impact each enneagram number, to help people do the necessary inner work of knowing themselves and managing anxiety, triggers, and stuck patterns so that they can lead others well. This season, we are moving beyond the basics of describing each number type to look at our instincts and what motivates our behaviors. Special guest, Erin Baute, a leadership behavior strategist with over 20 years of experience in behavior change and professional development, joins us all season long to help us do this important work.   Today, Ruth kicks off the season with a solo episode. She gives an introduction to the season ahead, an overview of how she uses the enneagram as a tool, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, for self-examination and confession, and some guidance for interacting with the enneagram well. We conclude this episode with the Welcoming Prayer, a prayer Ruth often uses as a way to pray into the new things we discover about ourselves as we work with the enneagram.   Mentioned in the episode: Erin Baute, our guest this season. Find more info at her website or follow her on instagram!   Helpful Enneagram Resources: We are diving straight into the deep end of the enneagram this season. If you need some introductory resources to the Enneagram we highly recommend the following: Self to Lose, Self to Find by Marilyn Vancil The Road Back To You by Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron The Story of You by Ian Cron The Enneagram for Black Liberation by Chichi Agorom The Enneagram A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr   Interested in our live virtual event: SPIRITUAL DIRECTION: An Essential Practice for Transforming Leaders? Visit our Online Oasis Information page to learn more and sign up today!   Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Chasing Butterflies from Music in Solitude   Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive weekly bonus episodes that will help take these conversations deeper. We have journal prompts for each of the 9 numbers, guidance from Erin on how to determine your instinct or subtype, and more! Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!     The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders.  Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.   *this post contains affiliate links

We are revisiting last year's Easter Monday episode because we found the reflections to still be so timely with the themes we discussed during this season of the podcast. We hope it encourages and blesses you on this Easter Monday.   He is Risen, indeed! Happy Easter Monday, friends. Today, Ruth helps us celebrate the Risen Christ with five stories of post-resurrection encounters with Jesus. In each story she helps us consider our own invitations to transforming encounters with Jesus that God might have for us. Which story resonates most profoundly with you and what healing or transformation is God wanting to bring as you sit with God and these stories? We invite you to take some time today to listen to these stories reflectively, imagining yourself in them and to take a moment to be with Jesus right there in the biblical story as you find him there and as you find yourself there.   Transforming Post-Resurrection Encounters with Jesus   Weeping in the Garden (John 20:11-18)  Encountering Jesus’ Behind Locked Doors (John 20:19-22) Being with Jesus in the Midst of our Doubts (John 20:24-29) The Emmaus Road: Encountering Jesus on the Road between the Now and the Not Yet (Luke 24:13-35) Breakfast on the Beach:  Resurrecting Relationships  (John 21:1-19)    Journey with us this Lent! Our season is inspired by A Just Passion: A Six-Week Lenten Journey, and many of our guests are contributors to this resource.    Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Yesterday Today Forever from Music in Solitude   The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders.  Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self!

In this special episode, Ruth wraps up our season on suffering and the formation of hope and ushers us into the last few days of Holy Week. Holy Week allows us to practice true unity with Jesus, the “at-one-ment” she and Curt talked about this season. What does Jesus’ suffering mean for us- for our lives and our own suffering? How does it help us to make sense of our own stories? We’ve spent all season discussing how suffering can lead to true and durable hope, and how we can walk with Jesus in His suffering as a way of deep transformation for ourselves. Finally, Ruth guides us through a lectio divina practice with Romans 5:1-5, the scripture we have been sitting with all season. We encourage you to listen to this episode in a quiet setting, free from distraction, so that you can listen deeply to what the Holy Spirit might be saying to you through these verses.   Mentioned in the Episode: The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope  by Curt Thompson An Invitation to Walk with Christ: Stations of the Cross Prayer Guide by Ruth Haley Barton (Transforming Resource)   The Book of Common Prayer This season will not follow the lectionary readings as closely as past seasons. Scripture for Lent 2024 can be found HERE. A digital version of our reflections for Lent resource, Lent A Season of Returning is available for purchase in our bookstore.   Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Prayer for Healing from Lent Music in Solitude Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive weekly bonus episodes entitled “The Work,” where Curt and Ruth will discuss and provide practical and applicable practices that open us up to God’s presence in our suffering so that durable hope can be formed. Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!     The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders.  Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! We are now accepting applications for Transforming Community 20! Use the code Podcast20 to receive $50 off your application fee. Learn more and apply HERE.   *this post contains affiliate links