Why "Just Be Yourself" Is Terrible Advice: The Enneagram, Authenticity, and Finding Yourself

How to Start Over Without Leaving Yourself Behind

Career Change, Divorce, Empty Nest, Retirement, and Other Life Transitions Life transitions come in many forms, but they often ask the same things of us: What do we take with us? What do we leave behind? What needs to be honored before we move forward?  In this episode, Sandy shares seven questions that she uses with coaching clients who are navigating major life changes. These aren't quick fixes or silver linings wrapped in motivational quotes. They're thoughtful questions designed to help you reflect, find closure, and step into your next chapter with intention. You'll explore: • What you want to carry forward • What no longer deserves a seat in the moving van • How to honor the past without getting stuck there • Which areas of well-being need your attention right now • What Sheila from accounting taught us about boundaries and letting go If you're going through a career transition, divorce, grief, an empty nest, retirement, a breakup, or any other major life change, this episode is for you. ___ Beyond the Type Episode on True Self/False Self: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312 [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312] ___ Stay in touch! Sign up for my newsletter here and receive my 9 Ways to Communicate Better guide: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication] ___ Are you a coach looking for support?  Check out my new small-group mentor coaching program: Patterns, Presence, and the Enneagram. NBHWC approved for 9 CEs (ICF CCEs pending approval). Learn more here: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/coaches-enneagram [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/coaches-enneagram] ___ life transitions, career change, divorce, breaking up, empty nest syndrome, retirement, grief, personal growth, life coaching, emotional well-being, navigating change, starting over, new beginnings, midlife reinvention, letting go, personal growth, self-discovery, life coaching, Enneagram, identity loss, layoff, job loss, what to do when life changes, how to start over, navigating change, beginning again, life after divorce, empty nester, career transition, midlife women, holistic life coach, personal development, emotional wellness, self-awareness, beyond the type podcast, Sandy Swanson, Swanson Coaching

Why You Feel Guilty Resting (And Why Summer Makes It Worse)

Why do so many people feel guilty when they slow down, even when their body and intuition are telling them to do exactly that?  If you've ever felt low-energy, nostalgic, or experienced "summer sadness" during the warmer months when everyone else seems to be thriving, this episode is for you. Sandy opens with a personal story about sitting alone in her car on her birthday, feeling forgotten and weepy, listening to the radio, and letting herself be sad for a while. And how, surprisingly, that felt exactly right. She also talks about crabs. No, not those kinds of crabs, yikes - the Cancer season kind of crabs. And what the symbolism of this time of year might have to say about why you've been feeling the way you've been feeling lately. Sandy also brings in the Enneagram, looking at how each type's stance relates to rest, productivity, guilt, and the cultural pressure to always be building, optimizing, or becoming the next version of yourself.  ___ Stay in touch! Sign up for my newsletter here and receive my 9 Ways to Communicate Better guide: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication] Podcast Ep - Stances:  Why You Withdraw, Talk Too Much,  or Bulldoze People https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149067197 [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149067197] ___ rest guilt, guilty for resting, why do I feel guilty when I'm not productive, summer sadness, summer blues, feeling low in summer, why do I feel sad in summer, summer depression, emotional exhaustion, burnout recovery, permission to rest, slowing down, nervous system regulation, productivity shame, Enneagram and rest, Enneagram personal growth, Enneagram burnout, Enneagram withdrawing types, self-compassion, inner critic, people pleasing and rest, hustle culture, beyond the type podcast, Sandy Swanson, SwansonCoaching, holistic life coaching, emotional intelligence, seasonal emotions, Cancer season, summer anxiety, leadership burnout, rest without guilt

The Enneagram Guide to Surviving (and Understanding) Your Family This Summer

You've done the work. The therapy, the journaling, the coaching, maybe you've had a few real breakthroughs. And then summer rolls around. And so does the inevitable trip home to see your family, friends, and people from your past. And it feels like all of your hard work just goes right out the window. Why does this always happen??!? In this episode of Beyond the Type, Sandy answers that question, explores why outdated versions of ourselves seem to show up uninvited, and how our Enneagram type (and the types of the people we grew up with) shape that whole experience of "going home". In this episode: * Why your nervous system doesn't read a calendar (and why that matters when you walk into your childhood home) * How Enneagram Types 4, 5, and 9 relate differently to the past, and what that means for nostalgia * What it's like growing up with (or being) a Type 1, Type 2, or Type 6 * How big, future-facing energy (Types 3, 7, 8) shows up in family dynamics * Three exercises to bring a little more awareness to your next visit home, and why naming things (your fears, your hopes, what "role" you playing when you were younger) is important Sandy also stresses the importance of compassion - both for your family and for yourself - and why it's important to remember to pack some compassion in your suitcase when you're getting ready for that trip home. ___ Beyond the Type Episode on True Self/False Self: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312 [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312] ___ Stay in touch! Sign up for my newsletter here and receive my 9 Ways to Communicate Better guide: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication] ___ Enneagram, Enneagram types, Enneagram and family, family of origin, going home for the holidays, family triggers, family patterns, childhood patterns, personal growth, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, family dynamics, Enneagram type 1, Enneagram type 2, Enneagram type 6, Enneagram type 4, Enneagram type 5, Enneagram type 9, Enneagram type 3, Enneagram type 7, Enneagram type 8, holistic life coach, leadership coach, inner critic, people pleasing, family relationships, summer vacation, family gatherings, why do I regress around my family, nervous system regulation, self-compassion, communication skills, Beyond the Type podcast, Sandy Swanson

June Check-In: Forget the Goals. How Are You, Really?

If you've ever felt exhausted despite doing all the "right" things, stuck between who you were in January and who you are now, or quietly haunted by a feeling you keep pushing aside — this episode is for you. In this episode of Beyond the Type, holistic life and leadership coach Sandy Swanson invites you to do something radical: stop measuring your progress and start checking in with yourself. And June is an excellent time to do just that. Sandy offers three powerful self-reflection questions to help you assess where your energy has actually been going, where you've felt most like yourself (and where you haven't), and what's been quietly asking for your attention that you keep putting off. In this episode: * Why midyear is the most underrated moment for honest self-reflection * The difference between healthy adaptation and chronic self-abandonment * How "longing" is information — not indulgence Consider this your permission slip to pull over, take stock, and stop dragging around goals that no longer fit — so you can travel a little lighter into the second half of the year. ___ Beyond the Type Episode on True Self/False Self: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312 [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312] ___ Stay in touch! Sign up for my newsletter here and receive my 9 Ways to Communicate Better guide: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication] ___ June check-in, midyear check-in, self-reflection, personal growth, Enneagram, life coaching, women in transition, emotional wellness, nervous system, identity, life and leadership coach, Beyond the Type podcast, Sandy Swanson, holistic coaching, Type 2 Enneagram, Type 9 Enneagram, burnout, self-awareness, setting intentions, goal setting, midlife, career transition

Why "Just Be Yourself" Is Terrible Advice: The Enneagram, Authenticity, and Finding Yourself

Have you ever been told to "just be yourself" and wondered what that even means? In this episode, Sandy explores the difference between the True Self and the False Self through the lens of the Enneagram. We look at how personality patterns develop, why authenticity can feel so difficult, and how each of the nine Enneagram types can lose touch with their deeper essence. Because before we can *be* ourselves, we have to know who that self actually is. In this episode: • What the True Self and False Self really mean • Why "just be yourself" isn't always helpful advice • How the Enneagram reveals the difference between personality and essence • The unique "static" and "signal" of all 9 Enneagram types • What authenticity actually feels like • How presence helps us reconnect with who we really are • Why personal growth is more about uncovering than fixing This episode draws on teachings from Richard Rohr, Mory Fontanez, and the Enneagram tradition. If you've ever felt disconnected from yourself, this episode offers a different way of understanding who you really are. ___ Learn more about Enneagram Typing Interviews here: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/typinginterview [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/typinginterview] Podcast Ep #1 - Start Here: Coaching, the Enneagram, and Your Shade of Blue: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149050344 [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149050344] Podcast Ep - Stances:  Why You Withdraw, Talk Too Much,  or Bulldoze People https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149067197 [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149067197] Richard Rohr - Immortal Diamond (book): https://amzn.to/4dSQv1S [https://amzn.to/4dSQv1S] Mory Fontanez - Higher Self: Reclaiming the Power of Your Intuition (book): https://amzn.to/4uornoy [https://amzn.to/4uornoy] ___ Beyond the Type episode on True Self/False Self: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312 [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/podcasts/beyond-the-type-an-enneagram-inspired-podcast-about-being-human/episodes/2149215312] ___ Stay in touch! Sign up for my newsletter here and receive my 9 Ways to Communicate Better guide: https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication [https://www.swansoncoaching.com/communication] ___ 🔹Hi! I'm Sandy, Professional Certified Coach (ICF-PCC), National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), and self-proclaimed Enneagram nerd.🤓 🔹I’m a holistic life and leadership coach (some clients call me a "people whisperer"), and I'm dedicated to helping you understand yourself and others more deeply so you can live with confidence, clarity, and compassion. 🔹I’m also a mentor coach and love helping brand-new coaches with their coaching skills. 🔹 My coaching philosophy:  You don't need to be fixed, you need to be found.  🏳️‍🌈 Proud to support LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities 🏳️‍🌈 ___ Enneagram, true self, false self, authenticity, self-discovery, self-awareness, personal growth, identity, intuition, Richard Rohr, Mory Fontanez, Enneagram types, personality patterns, ego, essence, higher self, finding yourself, emotional growth, spiritual growth, coaching, mindfulness, presence, authentic living.