What does it actually mean to become a person of deep character in a culture obsessed with personality, platform, and performance?

On this episode of Typology, Ian Morgan Cron sits down with therapist, spiritual director, professor, and author Dr. Chuck DeGroat to explore the slow and courageous work of becoming whole.

Drawing on his new book, Who You're Becoming: The Slow and Courageous Work of Cultivating Character in a Narcissistic Age, Chuck invites us to look beneath the image we present to the world and consider the person we are becoming.

Together, Ian and Chuck explore authenticity, vulnerability, spiritual formation, leadership, and the challenge of cultivating genuine character in a world that often rewards the opposite. It's a conversation about telling ourselves the truth, moving beyond performance, and embracing the deeper work of growth.

Because becoming whole isn't about building a better image. It's about becoming a more integrated, honest, and courageous human being.

In this episode, we explore:

• What it means to cultivate deep character in a culture of performance

• The difference between appearing authentic and doing the work of becoming whole

• Why vulnerability and honest self-examination matter

• The relationship between spiritual formation, leadership, and character

• How we can become more intentional about the people we are becoming

Chuck DeGroat serves at Western Theological Seminary and is the founder of the Soul Care Collaborative. He is a therapist, spiritual director, professor, and author whose work explores the intersection of psychology, spiritual formation, trauma, leadership, and faith.

Listen in, reflect on who you're becoming, and join us for another conversation about the mystery of personality and the great human adventure.

Subscribe to Typology for more conversations about the Enneagram, self-awareness, and the work of becoming who we were created to be.

None of us becomes who we are on our own. We carry the stories, wounds, wisdom, and unfinished hopes of the people who came before us. Sometimes we recognize those inheritances; sometimes they show up in us before we even have words for them.

This week on Typology, Anthony and I sit down with J.S. Park, hospital chaplain and author of We Are Made of Us, to talk about the complicated, beautiful truth that understanding ourselves means getting curious about the people and stories that shape us. Joon's work has brought him alongside people at life's most vulnerable thresholds, where family histories and old patterns often come into view. He invites us to look at our own stories with a little more curiosity and a little less judgment.

Whether you're a Two, a Four, or simply someone whose family story is still unfolding, I hope this conversation offers you a little insight, compassion, and room to breathe.

In this episode:

• How culture and family shape the way we understand our Enneagram type
• The "June bow": why we sometimes rush people through grief
• Moving beyond codependence and independence toward interdependence
• A more compassionate question to ask about difficult family relationships
• Listening to our aging parents and honoring the stories they carry

Resources: We Are Made of Us by J.S. Park [link] · J.S. Park on Instagram [handle/link] · Take the Typology Institute Enneagram Assessment [link]

Wm. Paul Young returns to Typology for a wide-ranging conversation about forgiveness, redemption, regret, grief, and hope. Paul shares what he's learned from his friendships with men on death row, the surprising story of how he came to release expectations of his father, and why forgiveness and reconciliation aren't the same thing. We also talk about forgiving ourselves, having "sorrow days," staying present instead of future-tripping, and the redemptive ways God can meet us in the middle of our biggest mistakes. Plus, Paul shares the story behind The Return of the Shack, his long-awaited continuation of the story that began with The Shack.

ABOUT PAUL YOUNG

Wm. Paul Young was born in Canada and raised among a Stone Age tribe by his missionary parents in the highlands of former New Guinea. He suffered great loss as a child and young adult and now enjoys the "wastefulness of grace" with his family in the Pacific Northwest. He is the author of Lies We Believe About God and the New York Times bestsellers The Shack, Cross Roads, and Eve.

The Return of the Shack
The Shack
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