Chrissy: 1:47

it's really important. I think for people who are starting out in the Enneagram to know that that sort of superficial sort of intro that you get at the beginning is like, don't get turned off by that yet

Steph Barron Hall: 1:59

Yeah,

Chrissy: 2:00

there are, there are ways it's almost like semantics, you know, they're like, Oh, you avoid things. You know, pain, but, but I didn't realize that pain for me was boredom or lack of inspiration. You know, that was what caused me pain. It wasn't things that were difficult per se, you know, like, difficult by, you know, traditional sort of metrics of what people would want to avoid. So, you know, and it's those types that you have to be careful of assumptions. When you're reading the superficial results of your, of your tests. And, that's almost like my mission. I'm just like, just hang in there. Just dig a little deeper. Trust me. It's like, it's going to be so worth it anyways, but it's been, yeah, it's been a great journey.

2:49

Welcome back to another episode of any grim in real life a podcast where we explore how to apply our Enneagram knowledge in our daily lives. I'm your host Steph Barron hall. And on today's episode, I'm interviewing. Chrissy laptops key. Chrissy loved off ski is a passionate founder and lead designer of golden jewelry, a studio. She started a decade ago with just 50 bucks in her pocket and organically grew. Into the beloved brand. It is today. Her dream was to create personal, meaningful jewelry that connects people to their stories and makers to their craft through conscious thoughtful practices. Chrissy's enthusiasm for design and love for exploring our humanness became the cornerstones of golden. Transforming jewelry into intrinsically charged keepsakes that represent what you care about most. Golden Jess launched their biggest labor of love yet the Enneagram collection that they spent four years designing the collection. Features reversible necklaces for every Enneagram type with custom symbols hand illustrated by Chrissy to represent each type's gift and guiding light. And I actually had the opportunity to chat with Chrissy a little bit back in 2019.'cause I too thought it would be really cool to have some sort of Enneagram. Jewelry, whether that was necklaces or rings, something like that. Um, however, I am not a jewelry designer and so I really loved the jewelry that golden creates and golden is spelled G L D N. So I thought it would be really cool to see them create something. And I reached out and Chrissy and I chatted a bit and she had already been working on this Enneagram collection at the time, which was so exciting to me. Uh, because I couldn't believe that somebody was that interested in the Enneagram as well. And also, she said she was excited to release the collection soon. And I was thrilled about that. fast forward to end of last year. And I finally got the word that they were releasing this collection and golden was so kind to send me, um, one of their necklaces. And I love it. If you watch the podcast on YouTube. You probably see me wearing this. Uh, gold necklace with like a small square looking pendant on it. and that's the golden necklace and I love it. It's so cute. It goes with everything and I really love the meaning behind it. So in today's podcast, we're going to talk through what she means by the gift and the guiding light of each type. You'll notice that she's highlighting some positive aspects of the types, as well as what we commonly refer to as the virtue in the Enneagram world. So the guiding light kind of aligns well with the virtue in my perspective. Um, and so you'll get to hear today a little bit about Chrissy's thought process. Uh, she created that, um, but she is very knowledgeable in the Enneagram, so it was really fun to get to chat with her about this and. As a special gift golden has offered all of us, a discount code. So you can use nine types, all uppercase. N I N E T Y P E S at checkout for 15% off the Instagram collection or any of their timeless. Ethically made staples. And you'll find that link and the discount code in the show notes. Of course. So I am so thrilled to share this interview with you because not only is it a product that I really loved, but also when I saw the concepts for each of the designs, I could easily recognize how well, the creator really knew the Enneagram and I also noticed how thoughtfully they were designed and how beautiful they are. So they have these small icons. Again, you can see them, I will link them up for you. If you just want to look at what the icons look like. but they are a great gift. or something for yourself. Um, if that's what you're interested in. So without further ado, I hope that you really enjoy this podcast episode. As we talk about Chrissy's path to finding her type. her inner worked journey with the Enneagram and all the things that she's been doing at golden over the last 10 years that have kind of culminated into this really beautiful collection that she's created. And I also shared my thoughts on the pendant. Um, and the icons, as well as the words that were chosen for my type. So I hope you. Enjoy this episode. And without further ado here is my conversation with Chrissy left ops QI.

Steph Barron Hall: 7:05

Well, Chrissy, welcome to the podcast.

Chrissy: 7:07

Thank you. I'm really excited to be here.

Steph Barron Hall: 7:09

Yeah. I'm so excited to talk with you, um, about the Enneagram and your company, Golden. That's how you say it, right?

Chrissy: 7:17

Yeah. Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 7:18

I just stumbled over that because that's how I always say it in my mind. Okay.

Chrissy: 7:22

Yeah. It's spelled, spelled GL at the end, but I mean, everyone, everyone just calls it golden. Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 7:27

yeah. Tell me a little bit about your background and what inspired you to create Golden.

Chrissy: 7:34

Yeah. I, um, I always done a lot of creative things in my life ever since I can remember, I've just been making whatever it might be, quilts, furniture, pottery, just, just something. I love, I love the creative process. And, um, I think what often happened was I would be. Wanting to make things for people as gifts, as a way to share. It almost was like gifting was my love language. And, um, I think what really, what I really loved about it was trying to come up with something that was especially thoughtful or personal that I could give them so that they would feel seen or appreciated. And. I wasn't good at like saying those things. So I felt like if I could show them through whatever it was making, they'd really understand. And when I found jewelry, it, it was just, it felt like such an obvious place to land and to really stay because there's jewelry is just so intrinsically charged with meaning and especially like the types of jewelry that we're making now. With these thoughtful, personalized details. It really, it really does make people feel seen and it's just such a beautiful way to share this love of creating and and, um, creating these connections with others. So, yeah, that's kind of how it all, how it all started. Like, we started on Etsy and then it's. It just sort of grew from there. And, um, now we've got a fantastic team of makers here in La Conner that are, that are really, um, that are really passionate about creating and sharing these, these things with people. And that, that heart of golden is, is really the same. So yeah, it's been awesome.

Steph Barron Hall: 9:21

so cool. Yeah. I've been a fan actually for many years. Um, I just really appreciate the simplicity of a lot of the work that you do. Um, but also like the intricacy, which I'm really excited to talk about the Enneagram collection in a moment, but

Chrissy: 9:36

Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 9:36

before we get there, I do want to hear a little bit about how you discovered the Enneagram. Mm hmm.

Chrissy: 9:43

Well, I feel like, I feel like it was something that, that, uh, had been on my radar a little bit. Like I'd heard a couple, a couple of times. I've heard about it, but I hadn't really known that it was what it, what it was until I heard some of the people on our, on the, on the creative team talking about it. And I instantly, um, you know, jumped in. I was like, what is this that I haven't heard about? Because I'd always like, if there's ever been a personality test, I'm on it ever since I can remember. It's like, I've always felt like I've been, I've been fascinated with my mind and how things are working because I've. Always just felt a little bit like too much, I guess, for lack of a better word, like a little too intense or just a little bit, I don't know. And it just always caused so much self reflection and this desire, this hunger to try and understand myself, like what was wrong, you know, and how, what can I do to sort of feel like I am like more normal or whatever you want to call it. And, and so, when the Enneagram came up, you know, I jumped on it, I took the test and, It came back that I was, a seven, which I was like, yeah, there's no way. There's no way I'm a seven. Um, I thought I read through the descriptions. I'm like, oh yeah, I'm a four. Like. You know, this whole idea of like, something's sort of broken in me, whatever, you know, came before. So, but the, the idea of the seven sure, the enthusiast, like I can relate to that, but this idea of like it being about like avoiding pain, I'm like, no, no, like if there's something difficult or hard, like I go, I go in, like I double down, like, there's no way I don't avoid, I don't avoid anything. And so this is the sort of like. Uh, I guess self reflection. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I just couldn't stop thinking about it because it was telling me I was something and I was like, very sure that it was wrong. And so I remember taking the test again a few few months later. And yep, it was exactly the same results. And so I was like, okay, maybe there's something here I'm missing. And that was kind of, I think the beginning of it. I decided I needed to really dig in a little deeper and, and, and look at things. And, it wasn't until I, until I,, learned about, like the wings and how, and how different types could show up really differently or how, your instinctual variants could have a lot of impact as well on like, I'm a sexual seven. I think. That definitely like looks a lot different than what I was thinking about what a seven would look like. and so anyways, there was, there was this sort of back and forth of exploring and when I got the book, the wisdom of the Enneagram and there are those charts of health, that was really the turning point for me, because on the chart for the seven, I remember the most unhealthy state it said the sevens can often show up as bipolar. And I had been diagnosed as bipolar years ago, like just after college. And, that was, that was a real moment for me. Cause I realized there's, there's a really good chance here that I've got some blind spots that I am not aware of. And. I got really serious about learning everything I could about the Enneagram at that point. And it was the most fast, like fabulous catalyst for my, my growth and evolution that it was just amazing. And I, and I realized that really what it was, was that my whole strategy. Towards life was that, you know, it had a whole bunch of like, you know, trauma in my, in my childhood and all that sort of thing. And I'd positively reframed it. I'm like, no, this made me a bad ass has made me strong. This made me whatever. And I thought that I was totally unaffected by it. And so I just kept moving and I kept moving and I kept moving so that I didn't have to feel anything. And how did that manifest? Like sometimes I just, you know, get totally manic at any cost. I just didn't want to stop and feel. And so it was just like, wow, all of a sudden it unlocked all of this awareness for me. That, I just hadn't tapped into before and, like what an awesome tool, you know, like, like having these, these, these frameworks that can really give you insights and that, yeah, for blind spots. Right. So anyways, I was really excited about that. and. That was, yeah, the beginning of my, my, my passion for the Enneagram. And then obviously the next step was I had to tell everybody I knew, like, you guys got to like, get into this. This is everything, you know, and I mean, I've taken all the tests, like Mars Briggs and like Discovery Insights, like all of them. They were great. Sure. But nothing gave me the, this new level of self awareness, I think. Yeah,

Steph Barron Hall: 14:18

Yeah, absolutely. I, I agree with that. And also I work with a lot of teams and, like that's primarily, you know, what I do. And so frequently they'll, somebody will say something like, I've taken a bunch of these, but this is the first one that's really stuck. Or like, this is the first one that really resonates. and I think that that's really helpful and important because like you're saying, you know, I could understand. You know, based on various things that you said, like why you would really gravitate toward type four and then kind of looking at the deeper motivations. You're like, Oh no, now I'm starting to see this. Like just questioning, do I have these blind spots?

Chrissy: 14:58

yeah, well, it was things like, I think that that's really, it's really important. I think for people who are starting out in the Enneagram to know that that sort of superficial sort of intro that you get at the beginning is like, don't get turned off by that yet

Steph Barron Hall: 15:14

Yeah,

Chrissy: 15:14

there are, there are ways it's almost like semantics, you know, they're like, Oh, you avoid things. You know, pain, but, but I didn't realize that pain for me was boredom or lack of inspiration. You know, that was what caused me pain. It wasn't things that were difficult per se, you know, like, for, I guess, difficult. Those are difficult for me, difficult by, you know, traditional sort of metrics of what people would want to avoid. So, you know, and it's those types that you have to be careful of assumptions. When you're reading the superficial results of your, of your tests. And, yeah, that's like, that's almost like my mission. I'm just like, just hang in there. Just dig a little deeper. Trust me. It's like, it's going to be so worth it anyways, but it's been, yeah, it's been a great journey. I'm curious for you. Like, what was that, like, did you have that moment of. You know, oh wait, there's something here. Like I need, like when, what was that for you,

Steph Barron Hall: 16:09

Yeah. I remember so when I first took the test or, you know, just a random one online, it said the Achiever and my immediate reaction was like, yes, I won, you know, just such a three

Chrissy: 16:23

I love it.

Steph Barron Hall: 16:23

but then pretty soon thereafter, I, um, was reading more about it and. Just like recently, just before I kind of found the Enneagram, I had started noticing that I showed up differently at work versus at school. Like at work, I let people believe like, I'm this sort of way. And honestly, at work, I was, I was more opinionated about my real perspective. And not at school, but like at my church community at the time, when I was in a church community, you know, I just like let them believe that I kind of aligned with a lot of their views, even though I really, really didn't like, you know, At like a soul level. Yeah. I was like, absolutely not. and so I just noticed that I had these different sides of myself. And so, sometimes people say like threes don't want these people to, to mix or mingle because they're afraid of what might happen. and I remember feeling that at the time and being like, Oh wow. Like it was this feeling of feeling so exposed. like, oh my gosh, people can see me. And I am not fooling people. Like I think I am, that was kind of the thing for me that really stuck out. and so then it just started me down this whole process.

Chrissy: 17:34

yeah. Yeah. It's cool.

Steph Barron Hall: 17:37

Yeah. So one thing that I really appreciate, and even talking with you, I can hear some of it already, but, I really appreciate it about the Enneagram collection is that. It has like this deeper meaning behind each of the pieces. and I wonder if you can share a little bit about developing these concepts because, like I'm wearing mine today, which people, if they're watching on YouTube, they can see, and how, you know, on the front, you have something that like that type shows, and then on the other side, it's like something that they need more of internally. and I'm wondering if you can share a little bit more about how you came up with that idea.

Chrissy: 18:13

Yeah. I, I'd been wanting to do an Enneagram, like bring the Enneagram and jewelry together somehow for years. As soon as I got excited about it and I'm like, okay, okay, we need to make some talisman or something. And, but, you know, it's funny, I tried so hard on it for many times and I kept coming back to it and nothing worked. Really felt right. And what I realized, last year was that it was because I was trying to choose like one sort of concept to, to represent each type. And it just didn't feel right to me because I love the Enneagram for it's, it feels dynamic. It feels like a journey to me. It feels like, it feels like a blueprint of. Like a, like a pathway for you towards self actualization, like nine paths, basically that, that are, unique paths to, to being, to self mastery. And it's, it's, it's just, it's not about being stagnant and being, and being stuck in this certain identity. And so, I went back to the, the drawing board and originally I wanted to do Along the lines of when each type is at their most healthy state, where they're, where they're just thriving, it, it really felt like they each had like a, like a unique gift that they brought to the world. And, so originally I was like, okay, I'm going to focus on that instead as, as almost like, like an aspirational state. And I'm like, that's just, I don't know. It just still just didn't quite feel right. So back to the drawing board again. Some reason I started thinking about like life lessons, like, like for each type, like, is there, is there like a, a mantra or something that is really the, the, the, the, the key for that type to get across? To help them on that on this path, and that's where we landed on this idea of of, like, a guiding light. Essentially, this, this sort of anchor point, this, this, the, the most important concept for each type that would really ground them in their truth so that their strengths. Are, are both amplified and, and manifested positively rather than potentially becoming a shadow side, which oftentimes our, our strengths can, can become. And, and so, it was really, it's, it, it was really, really fun process because I, I sort of went back and I looked at like, just generally, okay, look at like, what are life, what are the life lessons? Like if I, if I wanted, if I was gonna write a kid's book early, even with my son, like what are the, what are the core life lessons that I feel like. All wisdom can sort of get distilled down to, you know, and, and after writing them all out, it was, it was so cool because they, they really did actually kind of like laid lined up pretty beautifully with. The, the, the guiding lights that we had come up with for each type. And, and while we can, any, anyone can benefit from the lessons of all types, of course, I mean, you know, who doesn't need to get reminded of their intrinsic worth at any point, or, or, you know, Need the need to be present or whatever. They're all beautiful lessons. But the thing is, is that I feel like there's a, there's a lesson that is particularly challenging for your type because it is, it's intention with your natural strategy and that's, and that ends up being the real secret. Self mastery, so the cool thing was I'd at the same time, I'd been working on this project of, symbols that had been, that I had started like eight years ago, probably just as almost like a little side art project where, I think I was really excited about just design and the power of composition to evoke feeling. like you can imagine like, like a vertical line has, it has a really different feeling than a horizontal line or a, or a diagonal line that feels dynamic or a dotted line versus a solid line. They all, so if you start putting together these different compositional elements, they really evoke a different feeling. And so I'd started creating this collection of symbols to represent. Almost like the human experience in a way, and it had been part of my, I guess, self reflection, you know, I'd take something like courage, let's say, and I'm like, okay, what really is at the heart of courage? What is courage about? Is it, what is it about? And how, if you, if I had to distill this down into a really simple symbol. Like, how would that, how would that look? And so there, it was just this process that again, it was almost like therapeutic for me. And so when I had, had this, this idea for the Enneagram too, and then I had these, it was like, what? Perfect. These, there's going to be such a beautiful marriage of them together. And, and it ended up that I, there was art, there was a symbol for almost everything. Everything except for, I think, the type eight, guiding light of letting go. I had to create a new symbol for that, but that was the only one that was, that, that wasn't in that original collection. So it was a beautiful, way to bring those two things together.

Steph Barron Hall: 23:21

Yeah, that's so cool. I really like that and I don't know if you remember this, but in 2019 I was trying to find somebody who would do an Ingram collections and I emailed you

Chrissy: 23:33

Do you remember me saying that I had been working on something?

Steph Barron Hall: 23:36

Yes, and you showed me some of the sketches I think and I was like, oh, that's really cool I can't wait to make them up because obviously I'm not a like jewelry designer. I have

Chrissy: 23:44

was so long ago. Yeah, I know, and I'm not kidding, I've been working on it since. I thought I was close then. Do you remember me saying, it's almost, it's almost, yeah. No, I changed my mind. Like, it's not ready. It's not ready.

Steph Barron Hall: 23:56

I think that it's worth it. And I think what, you know, you ended up with is really beautiful. so you have your gift, which I also think is really cool. because it's really easy for me anyway, with the Enneagram and just with myself, like I just tend to be really self critical. and so I get caught up in like all of the things that I wish I could change. I was just talking with a Somebody this week, a client who was like, I just hate my type. And I think that's common, especially for threes, who just learned about the Enneagram and they're like, Oh no, people can see me. so I love that you framed it as a, as a positive aspect, even like the thing that, you know, you're shining forth in personality, there can still be some positive thing, but also you have the guiding light as well.

Chrissy: 24:43

right. Yeah, I think that that's something that I don't know, maybe I just naturally do as a seven. I don't know, but I, but I don't see it like that somehow. I mean, I do, but to me, all of those things that are like, quote unquote, like wrong with each type or whatever are like, I'm like, that's just, that's just like an awareness of your blind spot. This is awesome. Now, you know, and like, you can be aware of it and everything's going to be like, everything's going to be awesome now, you know, like, I don't know. So I'm really thinking about it in that, in that way, just. as a, as a, yeah, I mean, there's just such beauty in every type. And, and again, like, I mean, you know, we, we have, we have every type in us as well, you know? And so, um, yeah, I feel, I feel like just being aware of the, of the strengths that we each have and we each bring to any situation is just such a, a nice way to, a nice, nice, perspective and, and a way to, to think about things.

Steph Barron Hall: 25:41

I wonder if we could run through each of the symbols, like not the symbols themselves, but like talk about each gift and guiding

Chrissy: 25:49

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I would love to, let's do it. Okay. Okay. So which one do you want to start with?

Steph Barron Hall: 25:55

let's start with type one.

Chrissy: 25:56

So type one, this was actually the hardest one for me. Type one. The, the gift is integrity., And I actually changed this one at the last minute and now I'm like, no, I'm so glad I changed it. Like it should be integrity, but it, which is funny. Cause I just made a new friend who happened to be a one at the time. And I was just blown away by his integrity. Like, I just couldn't, I couldn't believe it. Like, I mean, you, this is how you live. Like this is, this is genuine. Like you just, you just such a like solid compass towards like, what is, I mean, anyways, and it's not that I don't, that I don't try and trying to do it, but I just have doubt constantly about which is actually like, right, you know, or, or good. And so his just. Absolute like true north towards integrity was so, it was so compelling to me. And, I had had like improvement or something like that kind of a four. And now, anyway, so integrity is the gift and the guiding light is acceptance. and then for two, the, the gift is connection, really connecting with others and that, that depth and being able to see, seeing others and and Meeting them there and that sort of thing. I think such a beautiful gift of, of twos. and the, the guiding light is worthiness and for three, the, the gift is achievement guiding light is authenticity and for fours, it is. The gift is, uniqueness, the gift is uniqueness and the guiding light is connectedness. that one, yeah, that one I feel like sometimes people are like, what do you mean by that? And really it's just that like oneness with all, like, it's just that, that knowing that you belong and you are connected to, to, to things and to all things. And, for fives. It is, competence or expertise or that, that, that symbol is really about like, knowledge and that sort of thing. And, I don't know, I get stuck a lot of times on the pinpointing the exact right word for, for fires, but the, the guiding light is abundance. And for six, the, the gift is, the gift is protection. And

Steph Barron Hall: 28:08

Mm hmm.

Chrissy: 28:09

that one again was challenging for me. Because the, the idea of like security and security and, and, and loyalty and all that sort of thing, what it, what it ended up feeling like to me was the real sort of underlining thing was, you This need to protect others and their space and their, their community and, and all that sort of thing. And so that is almost like a foundational element for, for, all of those things. I felt like, like the idea of being like protecting, and then the guiding light of faith, mostly in themselves.

Steph Barron Hall: 28:46

Mm

Chrissy: 28:47

And, and then for sevens, the is enthusiasm and the guiding light of presence, being present. For eights, it's, taking charge and then like letting go. And for nines, it is harmony, the gift of harmony. And, self empowerment for,

Steph Barron Hall: 29:08

like that.

Chrissy: 29:09

for their guiding light.

Steph Barron Hall: 29:11

So with the guiding lights, I'm curious because I noticed that they align a lot with the virtues of the Enneagram and I'm curious if that was intentional. Mm hmm.

Chrissy: 29:20

That's a great question. Not, not directly intentional. No, I mean, gosh, I should show you the spreadsheets. Like there were so many data points that I was looking at for this kind of thing, because, you know, Yeah, so yes, I'm sure like that was definitely like part of what I was looking at for sure.

Steph Barron Hall: 29:38

Yeah, because I just noticed that as you're going through and even like going back to four of connectedness, like describing it as being one with all of humanity and like almost like the, the whole concept of, you know, growth or forest is about, yes, it's like beautiful that you are distinct and significant, but like, you're not, you know, separate, you're not like a different kind of species or something like. You are one of the people, you know, like, and everyone has their own uniqueness and everyone has their own similarities and kind of that blending in that actually, you know, can be really scary for, for four is just like for all of us. I think when we're not in a great place, our, our virtues and our like higher ideals are, you know, essential self or whatever is really scary. Right. when we read the description, we're not ready there for it yet when it's scary, but,

Chrissy: 30:30

It's such a good point. I love that you just said that. Yeah, it's true. And because a lot of times that's where I feel like if you read your That sort of guiding light. And you're like, oh hell no, you're like, mm, it's probably because it's the right one. But when I think of that for presence for me, it just makes me uncomfortable, you know?

Steph Barron Hall: 30:51

Yeah. Yeah. And then you think about, you know, I've worked with some type seven clients about this image of sobriety for the virtue. And even like sometimes for seven clients, like there can be this, resistance to the concept of, being grounded.

Chrissy: 31:09

Yeah. It's feel it, it does. It feels scary. It's funny that you mentioned that because, in the last four years, I've really doubled down on all my like, you know, therapy and personal growth work, and it really again, and because of that discovery that I had with. The, that chart. So I'm like, you know what? I don't think I'm bipolar. I think I just haven't dealt with my shit yet. You know, I'm like, okay, it's time, Chrissy. It's time. You got it. You got to slow down and, you know, dig into that. And, and that was one of the things that came up for me, like right at the beginning was I've never felt grounded in my life. I don't even know what that means. And, it's such an unsettling feeling, but, but I would take that any day over feeling stuck or, especially if I'm stuck in feeling, you know, so there was, I did a lot of work with just around, like you said, like that idea of, of, being grounded and, And the coolest thing is that it's almost like the whole time I've been, I've been obsessively seeking fullness and intensity and just like fullness of life. This idea that I just want to squeeze every ounce out of things and, and not miss, like if there's a potential experience, that's like almost, I just want it to be epic. I want everything to be epic. Like if you start doing this and you're like, but it could be this. And so you start thinking about how you could make it even better. And, and, and so it's just this. Constant, you know, seeking. And once I, once I was able to get a handle on how to be present, I realized that like that everything that I've been searching for and craving is actually in the moment that that bliss and fullness that you feel when you are truly present. It's just, it's just. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's everything and it's, it's just been, it's been, I actually feel like I'm a different person now than I was two years ago for real transformation and it is because of that ability to now I can be present. I actually feel grounded most of the time and it's just been a massive shift.

Steph Barron Hall: 33:19

Yeah, that's incredible, and that's really hard work for sevens. I know. And, you know, it's hard work for all of us, but yeah, I think it's hard work for sevens. And, one of the metaphors I really like to use when I think about the Enneagram is, You know, we're looking through a pinhole, right? Like our, our type just cause it, we only have like this small pinhole of like visibility into how the world really is. And so, the growth work that we do is to like really zoom out and to be able to see more of the full picture. And, you know, for sevens, it's like, okay, I can, I have like this very specific vision of what it will look like. to have more fullness. And in reality, if you just, you know, open the lens a little bit more than you can see

Chrissy: 34:04

Yeah. Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 34:05

that it's already here.

Chrissy: 34:06

It's, it's way easier. I mean, it's actually not, but it is like, you don't have to be chasing. Like it's, it is in you, it is here. And it's been, and the beautiful thing is that presence actually amplifies my strength. Like I feel like the enthusiasm I feel for any moment and, and what is around me. It's like, I feel like myself more, more than I ever have.

Steph Barron Hall: 34:38

Yeah.

Chrissy: 34:39

because it, all that chasing felt empty at the, in the end, but I know it's, the, the irony of it.

Steph Barron Hall: 34:45

I'm curious, because I'm sure that if sevens are listening, they're like, okay, how the heck did she like black magic this situation to find this? Like, what skills or practices have been most useful for you?

Chrissy: 34:58

okay. Well, there, I would say the most important thing was actually being able to understand, be able to get out of my body a little bit and see, see my mind working. That like through meditation, I use the waking up app. I use the waking up app and it just, it was, it's just a fantastic way to just train your mind and be able to see your thoughts as thoughts and not as your, as you like separating thoughts from your actual being. That was almost like the. Foundation for that. I, I feel like I didn't realize that. I'm not my thoughts, you know, I, I honored my thoughts way too much before. And, so that was the, that was the first step. And, and then I feel like just practicing, well, practicing actual, like gratitude. I, I hesitate to say gratitude because. I often confuse that with enthusiasm, you know what I mean? Like so, but actual gratitude, like peaceful gratitude where you just appreciate what is as it is compared to what I often do, which is I appreciated it so much. And then I'm like, and now, you know, what's next and like, where can we take this? And, and so. that that peaceful gratitude, I think, has been has been a huge, and finding that just in everyday things again. It's almost like a type of meditation looking at a leaf and just really looking at that leaf and seeing the details in it. And it's like, it almost brings me to tears. Now. I don't sounds like. It's cheesy, but I can look at anything pretty much now and I feel just this like being overwhelmed by this, the majesty of life, you know, and the world. And, so I think just sort of nurturing that in yourself and, and, I think that can be a really good place to start. And then, know, it's, it's funny, but I did, I don't know if you've heard of RTT therapy, but like rapid transformational therapy, that was by far the most impactful form of therapy I'd done. I tried tons of different things and talk therapy. This really didn't help me that much. Cause I'm already in my head all the, like, I don't, I do not. Yeah. So that was huge. And that, created a really good foundation. It essentially reprogrammed a lot of the, The sort of core beliefs that I hadn't, didn't even realize I had, and made, made space for new ones that really served me. So yeah, those are, those are, I

Steph Barron Hall: 37:33

Yeah.

Chrissy: 37:34

yeah, the most impactful.

Steph Barron Hall: 37:37

Those are excellent. And I think so helpful, especially because they're so accessible for people. Like, I think sometimes, you know, we get really intimidated with growth work because we're like, Oh my gosh, like I'm going to have to buy all these expensive things or like do all this expensive therapy. And you know, even just starting with podcast or not podcast, meditation, even a meditation app. Like there are tons of great free ones. I use insight timer a lot, which is free. and, or, you know, looking at a leaf, like, I think that that's really cool. and I love the differentiation between. enthusiasm and peaceful gratitude. because like, I can see where that would get confused and how enthusiasm is just like, You know, it's just like throwing gasoline on the fire. It's like, let's go, you know, if, if this fire is big, let's see how much bigger we can make it. And you know, having that perspective of there's a different way to experience gratitude.

Chrissy: 38:32

Yeah. Yeah. It is funny because, I have to also catch myself on when I'm feeling gratitude for something. Not my next thing is often like, who could I share this with? Who else would love this too, you know, rather than just being present in that moment. it's another like sneaky way of like, what's next? The whole, yeah. So, yeah. How do you feel about your, the, the guiding light for three?

Steph Barron Hall: 38:56

Yeah, I think it's really helpful. so I think authenticity really aligns well with veracity. and I think. It's been a process for me. So like last year I went through this season of burnout and I'm still kind of coming out of it in a sense. Like I have not made it back onto like social medias and stuff like that. but through this season of burnout, I finally kind of like realized like I don't actually have capacity anymore to do things that don't feel. Aligned. obviously everyone has to wash their dishes. You know what I mean? but like. What I mean is to show up in spaces where it's like, it feels not aligned. And so I think, sorry, what I mean by that is, doing things that it's like, well, this is just the way that it has to be done. Like some people have these certain. Ways that you're supposed to write a sales page or sell coaching or like how much your coaching packages should cost and all these things. And it's just been a discovery process of like, if I don't want to do that, then I'm not going to do it that way. and I think that that's been really important for me. And so I think it's a really helpful part of the process. it's hard for me sometimes to think of achievement as a gift. because I had this real, like, belief that anything about the three that kind of came naturally. Was bad and it should it's something to get rid of right? and so I worked for a long time on just suppressing anything that was like three ish if I did want to like push really hard at something I would just be like no we can't do that That's wrong. That's, that's bad. And I think there's like other, other reasons kind of for that, but it's just been in like the last year again. or even like the last six months that I've been like, Oh, like it can be like a really help healthy and helpful and beautiful thing to have that side of me. It doesn't mean I have to be driven by it, but I can offer

Chrissy: 40:54

it's fantastic. I mean, as long as you're, it's aligned with what you are truly, what you truly care about. I mean, the ability to actually be efficient with resources and your time and being able to get people on board and make something happen, I mean, it's just such a superpower, you know? And I feel like. Yeah, I don't know. I know I can. I can see exactly what you're saying. I know where you're coming from. but from the outside, I'm just, that's just like, wow, what a great, what a great, natural, natural gift, as long as, of course, it's, it's feeling aligned with you and, and, and your, and your truth and that sort of thing, for sure.

Steph Barron Hall: 41:34

Yeah. And I

Chrissy: 41:35

are you feeling about it now, though? Do you feel like you can lean into it a bit more?

Steph Barron Hall: 41:39

Yeah, I mean, I'm starting to and I think, what I'm recognizing is the difference between, you know, achievement in the sense of like building things and like doing things that are like useful in the world, versus kind of achievement for achievement sake or, running myself ragged for that. So. It's hard work, right? Because, like, I want it to happen overnight. Like, I want it to be done yesterday, but finding ways to do work that I'm really passionate about, which I do get to do. I'm, like, super lucky to be able to do that, but also to make sure that I am, yes, working hard and intentionally at it. Like, I think that's, like, I find a lot of, meaning in that, but also, you know, Making space for the other things that are important to me in my life, and kind of having a bit of separation between work and home, which when you own your own business, it just, it all blends.

Chrissy: 42:36

own challenge, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. I

Steph Barron Hall: 42:39

I'm curious, about, totally lost my train of thought. Um, oh, I wanted to ask if you have gotten pushback on any of the other, like, little words. Yeah.

Chrissy: 42:52

haven't actually, I thought I was going to get a lot more, but that's also just, I think, how my mind works. I, I'm not skeptical, but, I have this definite lens of wait, but what about this? And, and so I was expecting. A lot of people to be questioning, why did you choose this? It should be this or, but I'm really surprised actually. And I, and I don't know, I wonder if it's because of the, we, we did add a, like a, like an apparent, like an explanation behind the words, which I think is really important because a word, it can just be interpreted so many different ways, right. And it's really, it's really about the sentiment, the concept more than like the specific word. So, Yeah, it's been yeah, I haven't we haven't had much of that of light I mean, we'll see what happens. I don't know

Steph Barron Hall: 43:41

no, I was just curious. I think,

Chrissy: 43:43

People coming in with with ideas and that to be honest, that's part of why I think I was and the reason why it was taking so long to actually sort of publish this was I wanted to feel really sure about it and it, that's hard to, it's hard to feel really sure when we're talking about concepts and language and that sort of thing and, and the possibilities for things to be interpreted different ways and, and whatnot. So, at some, at some point, you have to stop worrying about it being perfect and just, you know, get it out there.

Steph Barron Hall: 44:16

yeah, absolutely.

Chrissy: 44:18

Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 44:20

I was kind of thinking about that. I mean, I, I noticed as you were walking through them that it really was an exercise in like limitation, you know, especially as a seven, I'm sure to like declare one word for each of these categories for each type. but like for type eight, I guess type eight is the only one that's two words or something. Right.

Chrissy: 44:39

Yeah. Letting go. I mean, is there a word for that? Like, I don't know.

Steph Barron Hall: 44:43

well, the thing that. It evokes for me is like a feeling of lightness. Like, apes so often carry the world on their shoulders. Like. And they kind of, especially like social aids, which I ended up working a lot with social aids, but just in general, they, they just, they're so protective of everyone, not just themselves, but of, of people in their lives. And like, they carry so much. And so the concept of letting go to me just reminds me of that concept of like lightness of, of not having to carry so much of a burden, And letting go of a lot of the stuff that they have had to carry. especially like a lot of the time we see that AIDS are parentified as children. And so,

Chrissy: 45:32

Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 45:32

ability, it aligns with innocence.

Chrissy: 45:34

I can see that, that, that lightness. Yeah. I feel like, For me, a lot of it too, at least the eights that I had in my life, I felt like the letting go piece almost had, it had a lot to do with making space for other energies and others opinions and other, that sort of thing to, to sort of come in. Like it's almost like letting go, but also letting down your guard, letting down that wall, letting down, because you don't know if you, if you, Believe the universe is on your side. You can let, you need to let that goodness in. And, and so there's a, there's an element of that for me that I, again, it was really hard to not, um, but doing all this, doing all these, all this work to, to be thinking about the people in my life, because obviously it's a very small, small, tiny sampling of the actual, like what's out there of every types. But, but still, I mean, I, I have so many eights in my life and that was always like a, like a pain point when I could just feel them, this, this, this resistance to actually like, they wouldn't allow themselves to be permeable at all, in, in, in certain points, especially if there was any. conflict and I felt like that was, it limits the, it limits the experience, their, their, their experience, potential experience. Yeah, but I do love the symbol for that one. Letting go. That's one of my favorite ones.

Steph Barron Hall: 47:03

They're all so good. And I, I, I'm not a fan of like Enneagram, like, Merch, basically. I mean, I, I did start my business creating like coffee mugs, but I Would not probably wear like a t shirt that had like I'm a three on it But I like that it's not Like there is a steeper meaning and if somebody doesn't know about it, they're not gonna know.

Chrissy: 47:32

Do you, do you feel like, I know you said at the beginning, you weren't excited about being a three, but do you feel differently now?

Steph Barron Hall: 47:40

Um

Chrissy: 47:40

working towards, towards

Steph Barron Hall: 47:43

Yeah, I think I think I do feel differently, but mostly just because I've worked so much on like self acceptance and self compassion over the last few years. So I think that feels different. I think I can see some of the good things, you know, about three as well, like, that have allowed me to do a lot of like the teaching and the type of work that I do naturally because. I'm not afraid to get up on the stage, you know, like, I think it's fun. a lot of people are totally terrified and

Chrissy: 48:11

am one of those people. Yeah,

Steph Barron Hall: 48:17

for all of us. And so, yeah, I think I can appreciate some

Chrissy: 48:20

I love threes. I have so many threes. I find that like threes, threes, sevens and eights, I find the most, I have it most of my life, except lately nines, so many nines in my,

Steph Barron Hall: 48:30

Hmm.

Chrissy: 48:31

It's interesting. My son's a nine. He's taught me so much. Oh my gosh. He's my, my best teacher, actually.

Steph Barron Hall: 48:38

Just like manifesting that like peaceful gratitude, like you were saying.

Chrissy: 48:41

can be in contentment. He's just like, he's just so happy with whatever is at the moment. Like, it's just, do you want anything? No, I'm good. You know, like, what, what do you mean? Like, but you could have all these things like you don't want ice cream or like, you know, it's just so interesting. He just, he's very content and like, yeah, peaceful energy. It's, it's really, it's really beautiful to be around. Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 49:04

Yeah. Yeah. I do appreciate that. And I've been noticing that a lot lately, just how, for so many of us, the people in our lives, you know, a lot of the time it's like opposite the tract. Right. And so they bring out some different things that we, we need to learn from. Okay.

Chrissy: 49:23

Yep. I agree. I agree. Well, it's funny because I think that in a way, actually, like, if I look at my past, it was, you know, sevens, threes and eights. Why? Probably because they kept moving too and I didn't have to slow down, right? But now I feel like if I look at it, I've just have a lot more of a range of types and especially a lot of nines and, yeah, it's, it's like, I'm, I'm okay now just chilling and. You know, that sort of thing. And, yeah, it's been, it's been nice.

Steph Barron Hall: 49:55

Yeah, that's beautiful. Well done on all of your growth work. I think that that's really

Chrissy: 50:00

It's scary. Right? Gosh, it's scary. But honestly, like the Enneagram was the, was really the catalyst. I didn't realize that like. There was as much stuff under there as there was because I'm a master at making everything Like changing the story so that everything is actually awesome. So I had no idea Yeah, yeah, it's good.

Steph Barron Hall: 50:24

Yeah. Um, well, okay, before we get into our final few questions, where can everyone find Golden and especially this collection?

Chrissy: 50:36

Yeah, so we are we only sell online at at golden. com GLDN. com There, there should be, you should see links to the Enneagram collection, but if not, you can just search Enneagram, um, on, on our site. And other than that, uh, on social, you can find us on Instagram and TikTok at it's golden, spelled out G L D E N N E G T, of course. And yeah. That's, those are the main spots, yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 51:09

gonna link that up in the show notes, of course, and, uh, show everyone what my, um, wear it all the time. I actually, the first week I had this necklace, I had a horrible allergic reaction to something. And I was like, no, please don't be to the necklace. It wasn't. Everything was fine. I became allergic to alpaca sweaters, suddenly out of nowhere.

Chrissy: 51:34

Me too, and it's the worst because they're so soft and amazing.

Steph Barron Hall: 51:38

I know it was sudden. I was like, oh my gosh, now I have hives all the time. Anytime I wear that. Um, so yes, thrilled with the necklace. I definitely want to show everyone. Um, it's. So beautiful. Um, so final two closing questions that I ask all of my guests. So first one is, tell me about a book that has helped you refresh you or shaped you in the last year.

Chrissy: 52:02

Ooh, it, it's, I actually came, re read a book that I had been reading a lot at the beginning of my which is The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and it's just, it's just such a fantastic place to start or to book to go back to, to refresh that, that awareness of your, of your mind and your thought patterns. And, and it's just, it's about presence and, I find it just really grounding, actually. That's really, that's probably the best word to describe it.

Steph Barron Hall: 52:36

Beautiful. I love that. Okay. finally, what is a piece of advice that has really stuck with you?

Chrissy: 52:42

The one, the advice I think I've been coming back to the most lately is something that I heard in, in actually the waking up meditation app that I, that I use, and it's, This may be the last time, so savor the moment, essentially, and this concept of this might be the last time you drive to work, or this might be the last time you go skiing, or this might be the last time you visit this place, and I remind myself of that as much as I can whenever there's, whenever I feel like there's this, this, this beautiful moment happening, but I'm not really present in it. I'm, I'm already moving on to the next thing. And I take a moment and honestly, like 30 seconds of feeling it, like, like letting yourself feel like this is the last time I'm going to be here or be with this person. It's so moving. It's so moving. It just fills you with so much gratitude. And, it's, it's the best mantra. I love it. I actually, I want to get a tattoo on my arm. I've just says the last time, because I feel like it's so powerful. it's just a beautiful lens to, to, to see things through. It's almost like this combination of presence and gratitude together, which I think is, is fantastic.

Steph Barron Hall: 54:01

Yeah. And it forces you to like slow down and to really see. Yeah. I love that. Beautiful.

Chrissy: 54:07

Yeah.

Steph Barron Hall: 54:08

Well, thank you so much for joining me today. This has been so fun and I really appreciate you sharing all of the things that you've shared about the, your perspective on the Enneagram and, this collection. Like I said, I, I really appreciate it. And I've actually been sharing it with my friends too, just like in text, be like, Oh my gosh, look at this. so I really hope that, all of our listeners love it as well.

Chrissy: 54:29

Thank you so much, Stephanie. I've really enjoyed this. It's, it's been fantastic speaking with you. Thank you.

Steph Barron Hall: 54:35

Thanks. Thanks so much for listening to Enneagram IRL. If you love the show, be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating and review. This is the easiest way to make sure new people find the show. And it's so helpful for a new podcast like this one, if you want to stay connected. Sign up for my email list in the show notes or message me on instagram at nine types co to tell me your one big takeaway from today's show I'd love to hear from you. I know there are a million podcasts you could have been listening to, and I feel so grateful that you chose to spend this time with me. Can't wait to meet you right back here for another episode of any grim IRL very soon. The Enneagram and real life podcast is a production of nine types co LLC. It's created and produced by Stephanie Barron hall. With editing support from Brandon Hall. And additional support from crits collaborations. Thanks to dr dream chip for our amazing theme song and you can also check out all of their music on spotify