The Inner Critic: The Mouthpiece of the Ego

The Imbalances of the Centers of Intelligence

In the Enneagram, there are some Types that disassociate from their Center of Intelligence and other Types where one Center “enslaves” another. Which pattern do you fall into, and what is actually happening beneath the surface? In this episode, Michael, Hari Prasada, and Rasanath explore the concept of the Imbalances of the Centers. They break down the mechanics behind the first and second imbalances and how these patterns form unconsciously.  Links Enneagram Library Live [https://www.upbuild.com/enneagram-library-live]:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom. Upbuild Coaching Training Program [https://www.upbuild.com/coaching-training]. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October. Upbuild Website [https://www.upbuild.com/] Instagram: @upbuildnyc [https://www.instagram.com/upbuildnyc/] Facebook: Upbuild [https://www.facebook.com/UpbuildNewYorkCity/] LinkedIn: Upbuild [https://www.linkedin.com/company/upbuild]

The Harmonics: How Each Enneagram Type Approaches Conflict

One of the most overlooked dimensions of the Enneagram is how we handle conflict. In this episode, Michael, Hari Prasada, and Rasanath explore the three Harmonics: Competency, Emotional Realness, and Positive Outlook. Each represents a distinct strategy for restoring harmony, yet each can just as easily create more disconnection when singularly used or distorted. They unpack how each Enneagram Type leans on one of these approaches, how that strategy breaks down at lower levels of awareness, and why relying on just one Harmonic leaves conflict unresolved. Links Enneagram Library Live [https://www.upbuild.com/enneagram-library-live]:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom. Upbuild Coaching Training Program [https://www.upbuild.com/coaching-training]. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October. Upbuild Website [https://www.upbuild.com/] Instagram: @upbuildnyc [https://www.instagram.com/upbuildnyc/] Facebook: Upbuild [https://www.facebook.com/UpbuildNewYorkCity/] LinkedIn: Upbuild [https://www.linkedin.com/company/upbuild]

The Inner Critic: The Mouthpiece of the Ego

We live in a constant negotiation with an Inner Critic that tells us we are not enough. In this episode, Vipin, Hari Prasada, and Rasanath shed light on the Inner Critic as the mouthpiece of the ego. Using the Enneagram, they show how this voice operates differently across the Types and how it’s rooted in our Basic Fear, continuously pushing us to become someone we think we should be. They introduce the idea of the Inner Critic game, where we are perpetually earning and losing points based on how well we meet our ego’s expectations. From perfectionism to performance-driven validation, this system quietly shapes our thoughts, behaviors, relationships, and culture, forever creating a heightening tension, and at best, the sense of never quite arriving. This episode is not about silencing the Inner Critic. It’s about understanding it, seeing the patterns more clearly, and beginning to work with it by greater awareness, compassion, and newfound freedom. Links Enneagram Library Live [https://www.upbuild.com/enneagram-library-live]:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom. Upbuild Coaching Training Program [https://www.upbuild.com/coaching-training]. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October. Upbuild Website [https://www.upbuild.com/] Instagram: @upbuildnyc [https://www.instagram.com/upbuildnyc/] Facebook: Upbuild [https://www.facebook.com/UpbuildNewYorkCity/] LinkedIn: Upbuild [https://www.linkedin.com/company/upbuild]

The Shock Point and Red Flag Fears: What Makes Us Slip Down the Levels of Consciousness

This episode introduces the Transitional Fears, the fears that arise at key thresholds between Levels of Consciousness. Vipin, Hari Prasada, and Rasanath show how these fears are expressions of deeper existential anxiety, why they feel so convincing, and how recognizing them can help you interrupt the ego’s patterns and return to a more conscious way of being. Links Enneagram Library Live [https://www.upbuild.com/enneagram-library-live]:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom. Upbuild Coaching Training Program [https://www.upbuild.com/coaching-training]. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October. Upbuild Website [https://www.upbuild.com/] Instagram: @upbuildnyc [https://www.instagram.com/upbuildnyc/] Facebook: Upbuild [https://www.facebook.com/UpbuildNewYorkCity/] LinkedIn: Upbuild [https://www.linkedin.com/company/upbuild]

Parental Orientation: Attachment, Frustration, and Rejection in the Enneagram

Every Enneagram Type carries a specific relationship to nurturing and protective energy. That relationship begins in childhood, but it does not stay there. In this episode, Vipin, Hari Prasada, and Rasanath unpack Parental Orientation, the Object Relations framework that explains attachment, frustration, and rejection across all nine Types. They explore how each Type internalizes the nurturing and protective functions and how those early adaptations shape adult behavior, leadership style, relationship patterns, emotional tone, and even our unconscious bias toward strength and softness. By mapping the three relational stances onto the Enneagram, they reveal a precise psychological matrix that helps explain why we seek certain energies, resist others, and feel chronically disappointed in specific ways. Links Enneagram Library Live [https://www.upbuild.com/enneagram-library-live]:  Join our bi-weekly conversations and teachings on the Enneagram to help you see yourself, others, and the human condition more clearly. Thursdays at 6:15p ET on Zoom. Upbuild Coaching Training Program [https://www.upbuild.com/coaching-training]. Get your ICF certification. Starts in October. Upbuild Website [https://www.upbuild.com/] Instagram: @upbuildnyc [https://www.instagram.com/upbuildnyc/] Facebook: Upbuild [https://www.facebook.com/UpbuildNewYorkCity/] LinkedIn: Upbuild [https://www.linkedin.com/company/upbuild]