Enneagram and Marriage

Enneagram and Marriage

The Enneagram and Marriage Podcast, hosted by Christa Hardin, MA, is rooted in two decades of experience counseling and coaching couples. On top of her expert marriage advice, Christa uses the Enneagram to add another layer of understanding in how we work as individuals and gives us deeper insight into how we connect and shine together in marriage and relationships across the collective community.

Episodes

September 3, 2025 42 mins
Join us for a heartwarming conversation with Dave and Ann Wilson, the beloved husband-and-wife team behind FamilyLife Today and former co-founders of Kensington Church in Michigan. As two Enneagram 7s married for over 40 years (and former Detroit Lions chaplains!), they share the beautiful chaos and hard-won wisdom of building lasting love when you're both wired for joy, adventure, and avoiding the hard stuff. We dive into Ann's ne...
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Learn how to break destructive protest behavior cycles before they destroy your marriage! In Part 2 of the protest behaviors series, marriage therapy expert Christa Hardin explores why these patterns escalate from mild criticism or withdrawal to explosive fights and emotional shutdown. Discover childhood origins of each Enneagram type's specific protest strategies, from Type 8s who learned vulnerability was dangerous to Type 5s who...
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Uncover the hidden drama sabotaging marriages everywhere! Marriage coach Christa explores protest behaviors - the unconscious patterns where spouses criticize, withdraw, create drama, or become passive-aggressive instead of directly communicating their needs. Discover why your partner acts out instead of speaking up through specific protest behaviors for each Enneagram type, from Type 1 criticism when feeling unappreciated to Type ...
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Discover an extraordinary journey from gang violence and homelessness to a PhD and community leadership in today's pod! Dr. Terence Lester and his wife, Cecilia Lester share how he went from high school dropout living in his car to earning five degrees and becoming a powerful advocate for educational justice and how they, as a couple, have been helping those with debilitating trauma. This dynamic duo love in motion Type 8/7 marriag...
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Transform your weekends from exhausting catch-up time to genuine restoration! Marriage coach Christa explores how to create weekend rhythms that actually renew your energy, strengthen relationships, and feed your soul. Discover why constant stimulation prevents emotional processing and learn practical strategies for restorative movement , delicious slow food pairings, putting good things in your mind, and including something specia...
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Transform your evenings with sustainable routines inspired by Benjamin Franklin's daily reflection practice! Here in this fast-listen Fall opener, Christa shares her personal 5-9 routine and Reddit research on how people actually spend their after-work hours. Discover evening frameworks for Head, Heart, and Body types, plus the critical fitness reminder for those on GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic) about preventing muscle loss. Le...
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Join marriage coach Christa for a delightfully honest audio diary of her European family adventure! From London subway mishaps to finding her great-grandmother's mysterious grave on the Croatian island of Mali Lošinj, this episode captures the beautiful chaos of ambitious travel with heart and humor. Experience the highs and lows of trains through the English countryside to inside of Jane Austen's home where she wrote all of her bo...
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Navigate the midnight hours of life and faith with profound wisdom from author Aubrey Sampson, Enneagram 4 (4-7 pairing), as we discover what we actually find in spiritual darkness through Aubrey's soul-wrenching journey of losing her best friend Jen and encountering the "dark night of the soul." Learn why spiritual dryness isn't failure but invitation, how to support others through their darkest seasons without trying to fix them,...
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Discover your relationship's hidden superpowers through summer blockbuster wisdom! Christa (7) and Melody (9) explore how storylines and superhero teams demonstrate the best and worst of personality . Analyze the way the SP, SX, and SO instincts in Jurassic World Rebirth go right and wrong, Fantastic Four's perfect type diversity, and dive deep into Cobra Kai's complex dynamics (shadows and shine) where Johnny's Type 8 journey from...
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Have you noticed humans learn better through story, metaphor, and the five senses than through thinking alone? Discover the fun of personality growth through the extraordinary lens of personality patterns we see mirrored in nature this late summer with Dr. Angela Rosenberg, Type 2, author of her book "Being on the Wing: Feathered Reflections on the Enneagram Subtypes." Whether we are lively and animated or more calculated and aff...
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Discover your intimate superpower through sexual integration! In this finale episode, marriage coach Christa reveals what healthy sexual expression looks like for each Enneagram type - from Type 1's relaxed presence finding perfection in imperfect moments to Type 8's gentle strength and vulnerable power. Learn how sexual integration isn't about becoming someone else but accessing your most authentic self in intimate connection. Exp...
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Navigate sexual challenges with compassion through understanding Enneagram shadows in intimacy! Marriage coach Christa explores how each type's protective patterns create predictable conflicts - from Type 1 perfectionism blocking pleasure to Type 8 intensity overwhelming partners to Type 9s disconnecting during intimate moments. Discover common type conflicts like structure vs. spontaneity (1 vs. 7), emotional connection vs. space ...
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Discover the secret pleasure languages that could revolutionize your intimate connection! In this episode of the summer sizzle series, marriage coach Christa reveals how each Enneagram type has a unique way of experiencing and expressing physical pleasure - from visual connection (Types 1,4,7) to touch-centered intimacy (Types 8,9,2) to auditory appreciation (Types 3,6,5). Learn why Type 8s need powerful intensity, how Type 5s expe...
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Understanding how your partner receives intimate invitations is just as important as how they initiate them! Discover why response styles have everything to do with personality as you learn about the gentle approach types, those who need beautiful and unhurried environments, and those who just need to know you see them in their joyful enthusiasm. We also talk about the art of saying "no" well, too, and coming back together again a...
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Discover why you and your partner seem to have completely different experiences during intimacy! In this revelatory episode, Christa explores how your Enneagram type determines whether you connect sexually through your body (Gut Types 8, 9, 1), emotions (Heart Types 2, 3, 4), or mind (Head Types 5, 6, 7). Through real couple stories like Sarah & Mike's breakthrough from "mismatched libidos" to deep connection, you'll understand why...
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Discover the secret language of sexual initiation in marriage through the Enneagram! In this groundbreaking episode, marriage coach Christa explores how each of the nine personality types initiates intimacy in completely different ways - and why misreading these signals creates disconnection in the bedroom. Learn about the three distinct initiation styles: Direct Initiators (Types 8, 3, 7) who pursue with confidence and clarity, Su...
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What if the secret to a happy marriage isn't finding the right person, but creating the right conditions for joy to flourish together? In this uplifting episode, discover why happiness in marriage is less about constant bliss and more about intentional practices that build lasting joy. Learn the difference between fleeting pleasure and sustainable happiness, explore the five pillars of marital joy (shared gratitude, playful connect...
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Tired of the mental exhaustion that comes from constantly wondering what others think of you? In this episode, bestselling author and pastor Sharon Hodde Miller, Enneagram 7 (7-3 pairing) reveals why examining our life without just gazing inward, but also up at God and outwardly to others can also help us to break free from the self-focused scripts that keep us trapped in insecurity. Although some Enneagram patterns fuel self-preoc...
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Sometimes the most powerful chains in marriage are the ones we can't see. In this transformative episode, discover how to identify and break free from the four invisible patterns that keep couples stuck: the Scorekeeper Chain (mental tallies and resentment), the Mind-Reading Chain (expecting partners to anticipate needs), the Perfection Chain (redoing your partner's efforts), or any past-pattern fun/blindly following family-of-orig...
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In this powerful episode, former megachurch pastors Jimmy and Irene Rollins share their raw journey from a marriage that was "surviving, not thriving" to genuine transformation after addiction threatened everything they'd built. For fifteen years, the couple maintained a thriving public ministry while privately struggling—Irene battling alcohol addiction and Jimmy confronting generational patterns of dysfunction—until their 2015 br...
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