Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka - CATHERINE BELL - The Enneagram

·48 min·4 clips

Catherine Bell explains how the Enneagram's nine lenses reveal our default patterns and path to self-awareness.

The episode begins with host Gwilda Wiyaka introducing the show's focus on spiritual truths and scientific developments for human evolution. She welcomes guest Catherine Bell, CEO of The Awakened Company, who is certified in the Enneagram and authored 'The Awakened Company, Creativity and the Enneagram'. Bell first discusses her Awakened Project, which partners with organizations to host events funding microcredit for women through Momentum. Wiyaka then asks Bell to define the Enneagram, which Bell describes as a personality roadmap with nine lenses for understanding defaults and achieving self-awareness. Bell cites a Harvard Business Review study showing only 10-15% of leaders are self-aware, linking this to the need for personal vision. She breaks down the nine Enneagram types: body types (8-Challenger, 9-Peacemaker, 1-Reformer), heart types (2-Helper, 3-Achiever, 4-Individualist), and head types (5-Investigator, 6-Loyalist, 7-Enthusiast), giving examples like Albert Einstein for type 5. Bell emphasizes that the Enneagram is not for pigeonholing but for opening doors to self-awareness and growth. She discusses how self-awareness builds through understanding one's Enneagram type, getting feedback, and creating personal aims. The conversation shifts to leadership, with Bell arguing true leadership elevates others and is needed now more than ever, referencing transformational leadership's four I's. Bell connects the Enneagram to leadership by providing a roadmap for self-awareness, which improves communication and perception. She explores the concept of 'Enneagram DNA', where everyone has all nine types within them, with one dominant type. Wiyaka asks about the role of spirit, and Bell explains that body, heart, and mind are portals to spirit, requiring relaxation to sense interconnection. Bell shares a study where labeling people as leaders or followers affected their performance in a mock emergency, advocating for everyone to consider themselves leaders. She concludes by stating self-awareness creates positive ripples for societal evolution and imagines a future where the Enneagram might become obsolete if widespread self-awareness is achieved.

As heard by us

A grounded Enneagram discussion about self-awareness and more flexible leadership.

The episode frames the Enneagram less as a label-maker and more as a practical aid for leadership. The guest ties self-awareness to noticing familiar patterns, releasing what is no longer useful, and learning to communicate through more than one lens.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if your leadership style feels too attached to one lens and you want the Enneagram to feel like a roadmap, not a label.

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