New Year’s resolutions can be so tough to keep. It’s a headache trying to accomplish the lofty goals you have set for yourself, let alone staying focused and motivated all along the way. But what if it wasn’t about achieving such an unrealistic ambition? What if it was about changing yourself—your mindset? Psychotherapist, writer, and motivational speaker Katie Gustafson reveals to us that it is not about conquering that resolution, as it is more about becoming the person who will accomplish, with intention, the desired outcomes you’ve set for yourself. She suggests that people should take inventory of themselves and ask, “What is it I really want?”
After years of fumbling through her 20s in an effort to “find my me,” Gustafson found the enneagram, a personality and character typing system that would change her trajectory forever. While pursuing a career in Christian music, she pivoted and retooled as a psychotherapist. “I came to discover that I loved people’s stories and helping them rewrite the parts that weren’t working anymore, even more than I loved writing songs,” says Gustafson.
Gustafson has 15 years of private practice as a psychotherapist and uses the enneagram as the lens through which she practices. She started on a rigorous path of self-study in 2006 and then received formal training in the Narrative Enneagram tradition in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2018. She uses it to help individuals, couples, and corporate teams reach their highest potential. Gustafson believes that learning about your core personality type can educate and equip you, benefiting all areas of life. There are nine types of core personalities.
The enneagram is to be applied for self-understanding, which leads to deeper self-compassion. It is used to better understand who you are and how you operate so you can become more self-aware, living from a place of intention and responsiveness rather than reactivity. The Enneagram goes much deeper than the optics of personality to the core motivations of how and why we think, feel, and behave the way we do.
“One of my favorite settings to teach the enneagram is my Enneagram Mastermind Series. It’s a local group of like-minded women who meet once a month over lunch and learn about the dynamic and life-giving ways to use the enneagram in life and relationships. It’s a safe place to share our stories, meet incredible friends, feel seen and known, and enjoy a delicious lunch,” says Gustafson. Her next group will start up in March of 2025, so stay tuned for registration.
Gustafson is also launching a podcast in April 2025 entitled “Mid-Sentence.” Her podcast focuses on supporting women in their second half of life. Whether they are returning to school or starting a new career, the podcast aims to support ages 40s, 50s, and beyond in their next adventure. And although the podcast is aimed towards women, anybody can benefit from it. “We all have women who are dreaming up their next chapter in [our] lives!” Gustafson wants her listeners to “not be afraid to jump…Dare to dream and create a life you love and don’t want to escape. It’s not about becoming your best self; it’s becoming your favorite self.”
Gustafson loves to do what she does because she understands the other side of therapy and counseling. Like most of us, Gustafson has her own mental health journey. She knows it’s tough. She gets it. She’s there with you. She’s a supporter of the change process and doing inner work, having received hope and healing through her own therapy.
Next year, Gustafson will have a book coming out called Odd Numbers: The Enneagram for Misfits, Mavens, and Everyone in Between. Whether you listen to the podcast, read her book, join the Mastermind Group, or book a session for yourself or your team, Gustafson will guide you into the life and story you want for yourself this year. Give the gift of self-love, self-care, and compassion this holiday season.
@katiegustafson.co
Although the names can study under different titles, the core personality types are:
Type 1-the Reformer
Type 2-the Helper
Type 3-the Achiever
Type 4-the Individualist
Type 5-the Investigator
Type 6- the Loyalist
Type 7-the Enthusiast
Type 8- the Challenger
Type 9- the Peacemaker
Which type are you? Find out with Katie Gustafson