Soul Talks With Bill & Kristi Gaultiere

We all need to be loved. For Enneagram Twos, the deep core belief that you aren’t loved or wanted can drive you to secure love from others by focusing on meeting their needs while denying your own. If you are a Two or connect to Two through a wing, line, or relationship, understanding shame and the role solitude plays in soul care is critical.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi discuss solitude as a key soul care practice for Twos to combat unconscious coping mechanisms. You’ll learn how to practice the discipline of solitude to reorient you to the love and embrace of Jesus rather than denying your own needs or striving to meet them in unhealthy ways.Resources for this Episode:Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramContact Soul Shepherding to Invite Bill & Kristi to SpeakSoul Shepherding InstituteSoul Shepherding Enneagram Resources

As leaders and soul shepherds, we seek to be responsible and do our best. But the wisdom of God is to do your best, but don’t trust your best!Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi discuss abandoning outcomes to God, the primary soul care practice for Enneagram Ones. All types can struggle with wanting our work and relationships to go a certain way. You’ll learn specific ways to train in abandoning outcomes until it proves to be an easy yoke with Jesus and a source of joy and peace.Resources for this Episode:Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramYour Best Life in Jesus’ Easy YokeContact Soul Shepherding to Invite Bill & Kristi to SpeakEnneagram & Emotions Video CourseSoul Shepherding Enneagram ResourcesEnneagram and Emotions AssessmentYour Enneagram Map: Guides for Each Type to Flourish in God’s Love

Stepping outside of our normal routines and habits of life to draw close to the Lord in retreat fosters incredible healing, growth, and life change. These extended windows of time allow you to explore your hurts, hopes, dysfunctions, and needs. Tune in for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi share the power of an immersive retreat for each Enneagram type. You’ll learn the key spiritual discipline for each of the nine types and ways to practice them on retreat to become more like Jesus.Resources for this Episode:Soul Shepherding InstituteHealthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramSoul Shepherding Enneagram ResourcesSpiritual Direction Training CertificateUpcoming Soul Shepherding Institute Dates

Reading the classics of devotion to Jesus is an incredible source of encouragement for our faith. When a devotional classic highlights lessons and struggles by someone with our Enneagram type, the impact is even more profound. Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi explore a devotional classic written by an Enneagram Three. Reading classics by Enneagram types you relate to personally or types of those you love helps you understand each type’s root sin and strengths in a deeper and more personal way. You’ll be blessed as you explore some of these classics for yourself.Resources for this Episode:Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramYour Enneagram MapSoul Shepherding Enneagram Resources

Cultivating our enthrallment with Jesus is so important because we are shaped by what we love. For all nine Enneagram types, the Gospels show us Jesus as the healthy and holy perfection of our type.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi reveal Jesus as the perfect Enneagram Six. Jesus is the exemplary Loyalist, trusting in God’s authority, and a pragmatic problem solver. As you come to appreciate Jesus as the perfection of your own Enneagram type, you will be drawn to become more like him.Resources for this Episode:Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramSoul Shepherding Enneagram ResourcesEnneagram & Emotions Free AssessmentContact Soul Shepherding to Invite Bill & Kristi to Speak

Each Enneagram type has a unique emotional alarm that is an unconscious behavior pattern. This alarm helps us identify the lie from the enemy that we have believed in the area we are most vulnerable.Tune into this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi discuss the power of your emotional alarm to reveal your slide into unhealthy parts of your personality. Learning to recognize this alarm will help you ask for the empathy you need to bring this lie to surface, refute it, and find greater freedom and dependence on Jesus.Resources for this Episode:Enneagram & Emotions AssessmentSoul Shepherding Enneagram ResourcesHealthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramEnneagram & Emotions Course

Our personality can charm us when we only focus on its positive aspects and remain unaware of our needs and the unconscious areas where we are broken or dysfunctional. These ways of coping work for a while, but ultimately limit our growth and health in Jesus.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi explore the blindspots of our Enneagram type through the example of type Nines. When you recognize the ways your personality is controlling you, you can process your core emotions with empathy to gain freedom in Christ and flourish in his love.Resources for this Episode:Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramEnneagram & Emotions CourseSoul Shepherding Enneagram Resources

We each have habitual approaches to securing ourselves that come out of our unhealthy selves. When we learn to recognize these false messages operating in the background of our activities, we grow in awareness of our own needs and emotions.  Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi discuss how to use your  Enneagram map for growth and health. Through the example of Enneagram Twos, you’ll see how you can employ this map to recognize when you are depending on yourself to have your needs met rather than depending on Jesus. These targeted insights into your personality give you a path for growth and help you understand those you love.Resources for this Episode:Your Enneagram Map: Guides For Each Type to Flourish in God’s LoveHealthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramEnneagram & Emotional Free AssessmentEnneagram & Emotions CourseSoul Shepherding Enneagram Resources

Much of our personalities are unconscious and habitual defense mechanisms and coping patterns for dealing with pain, problems, and sin, causing us to miss God’s love and grace. The power of the Enneagram as a tool is to help us grow in self-awareness so we can receive God’s grace in areas we need it most.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi explore Your Enneagram Map: Guides For Each Type to Flourish in God’s Love. We each have three to four subsidiary types for our primary Enneagram type, and this resource will help you understand the patterns of interaction between these wing, stress, and growth types both in your personality and in your relationships with others. As you learn to receive empathy for your specific areas of struggle, you can discover authentic joy.Resources for this Episode:Your Enneagram Map: Guides For Each Type to Flourish in God’s LoveHealthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramEnneagram & Emotions CourseEnneagram &am

Our journey of self-awareness is intertwined with our journey of knowing God. Having language to describe our experiences and understand ourselves and others helps us to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. This knowledge opens the door for repentance and personal growth.Tune in for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi unpack the benefits of the Enneagram for intimacy with Jesus and emotional health. The Enneagram helps us become healthier, whole, and holy as we gain awareness of our unconscious sin, stress, and pain and learn how our personality blocks us from depending on Jesus. As you understand the challenges you and your loved ones face in your personalities, you can minister the Lord’s empathy to one another and become more like Jesus. Resources for this Episode:Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramEnneagram & Emotions Course

Perhaps you have been curious about the Enneagram, but wonder about its origins and symbol. As Christians we ask questions of any tool we use — is this consistent with the teachings and values of the Bible? Is it helping me in my relationship with God? Is this helping me to become a more loving person? God is the source of truth, and all truth is God’s truth.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi discuss using the Enneagram as Christians. As teachers of the Enneagram for over 15 years, they have found it to be a powerful tool for personal growth to help us understand the complexities of our personality — including our unconscious sin, pain, and defense mechanisms. You’ll learn a discerning and Christ-centered approach to the Enneagram that will deepen your intimacy with Jesus so you can grow in Christ-likeness.Resources for this Episode:Enneagram & Emotions CourseHealthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramSoul Shepherding Sr. Spiritual Dir

Our thoughts influence how we feel and act, and some of the thoughts in our heads can keep us from fully embracing God’s life and love for us. Allowing all of these narratives to remain unchecked can hinder our growth, but there is hope for us to quiet the noise and discern the voice of our Lord.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Kristi and Gem Fadling discuss Gem’s newest book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads. As they share some of the important questions you can ask of the thoughts in your head, you’ll learn to agree with God’s grace, become aware of the work of the enemy, and embrace a new pattern of noticing, discerning, and responding so you can be a vessel who overflows God’s love to others.Resources for this Episode:Hold That Thought: Sorting Through The Voices In Our HeadsSoul Shepherding Sr. Spiritual DirectorsSoul Shepherding Sr. Coaches

Our stories are powerful. We make sense of our own soul stories as we find ourselves in God and his story becomes our story. Living reflectively, engaging curiosity, and cultivating a calm presence requires slowing down in our ordinary, day to day existence, so our story is woven together with Jesus.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi talk with Rich Villodas about his new book, Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World. You’ll be encouraged to live out of your true center, practicing abiding in Jesus, the calmest presence of all. As we live the contemplative life, Jesus himself enters our wounds, redeeming our stories so we can become wounded healers.Resources for this Episode:Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured WorldEnneagram and Emotions ResourcesSoul Shepherding InstituteSoul Shepherding NetworkEarn a Certificate in Spiritual Direction

Weariness, compassion fatigue, and burnout are the natural result of statistics like these: 44% of pastors are not taking a regular day off, let alone a sabbath day, 63% are not getting enough exercise based on the recommended minimum, 31% get no exercise at all, and 85% of pastors have never taken a sabbatical. We need the renewal that comes from truly resting in God’s presence.  Tune in to Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi unpack our universal need for rest. You’ll receive practical tips for real rest through relational and individual disciplines that you can practice anywhere to draw in close to the Lord. Even small moments of time throughout your day can become opportunities for restorative intimacy with Jesus.Resources for this Episode:Sabbaticalguide.comSoul Shepherding InstituteSoul Shepherding Sr. Spiritual DirectorsSoul Shepherding Sr. CoachesBreath Prayer Guides

Spiritual rest in God’s presence is so important for our mental health. Yet sometimes we avoid true rest because we fear the influx of unprocessed emotional distress that rises up when we create space to slow down. Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi examine the importance of rest for our mental health. Jesus set boundaries to care for his own soul by resting and prioritizing intimacy with his Abba. You can train in real rest with Jesus that invigorates you, focuses you, and makes you emotionally alive in order to flourish in your work, relationships, and ministry. Resources for this Episode:Soul Shepherding InstituteThe Mental Health CollectiveSoul Shepherding NetworkSoul Shepherding Sr. Spiritual DirectorsSoul Shepherding Sr. CoachesSabbatical Guide and Sabbatical CoachingEnneagram & Emotions Video CourseHealthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramSoul Shepherding Enneagram Resources

How is therapy different from spiritual direction? How do I know which one I need? Understanding the difference is important, especially when there are not enough professionals to meet the growing mental health need. Tune in for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi explore the distinctives and overlap between therapy and spiritual direction. While mental health disorders require the skills and training of a therapist for diagnosis and treatment, many of the things we often associate with therapy can be discussed in spiritual direction. Emotions, anxiety, discouragement, relationship problems, distress, conflict, and hurt can be processed with a spiritual director in a prayerful, safe, and confidential space where you can be emotionally honest and receive the care and love of Jesus.Resources for this Episode:Soul Shepherding InstituteSoul Shepherding Sr. Spiritual DirectorsSoul Shepherding Sr. CoachesSpiritual Direction Training CertificateHealthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spir

We can use spiritual disciplines in ways that are healing and helpful or in ways that are ineffective and toxic for our mental health. If we deny or negate our emotions, disciplines are not helpful because they disconnect our deeper self from God and from other people.Tune in for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi discuss the mental health benefits of customized spiritual disciplines. If practiced with emotional honesty, spiritual disciplines tailored to your personality can help you become more aware of your emotions, needs, brokenness, and sin so you can confess them, ask for what you need, and receive compassion and grace where you need it most.Resources for this Episode:Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith: Growing Emotionally and Spiritually Through the EnneagramEnneagram & Emotions CourseSoul Shepherding Enneagram Resources

When anxiety grips us, it can feel like the walls are closing in. Anxiety disorders affect 31% of Americans, and all of us will experience anxiety and stress overload at some point in our lives. Even though this feels like an inescapable part of life, it is possible to experience freedom from anxiety! Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi explore anxiety and panic attacks. Though it is common to think avoiding triggers is the answer, anxiety presents an opportunity from the Lord to dig deeper into underlying emotions. You will understand the roots of anxiety, find pathways for dealing with these feelings, and access the support you need. You don’t have to let anxiety limit your life.Resources for this Episode:Soul Shepherding’s Enneagram & Emotions CoursePre-order Healthy Feelings, Thriving FaithSoul Shepherding InstituteSpiritual Direction Training ProgramSoul Shepherding Sr. Spiritual DirectorsSoul Shepherding Sr. Coaches

Many Christians are told their depression is a lack of faith, and if they only think differently and trust God their depression will go away. This sort of shaming holds us back from getting the help we need. Mental health conditions affect our ability to access our insight, intelligence, and brainpower and can disconnect us from God.  Depression is paralyzing, but action is curative.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi help us understand depression. You’ll learn about the spectrum of depression and various interventions that help so you can join Jesus in his love and ministry to those suffering in this way.Resources for this Episode:Soul Shepherding Sr. Spiritual DirectorsSoul Shepherding Sr. CoachesSpiritual Direction Training CertificateCoaching Training Program

Suicide is an issue that isn’t often discussed in church. Yet it is the 12th leading cause of death in the US and the 3rd leading cause of death for ages 10-19. As soul shepherds, we have an opportunity to compassionately love those struggling with mental health challenges, and most tenderly, anyone who is suicidal.Join us for this episode of Soul Talks as Bill and Kristi discuss suicide and God’s mercy for the hurting. You will learn some warning signs of suicide, ways to check in with someone who is struggling, and steps to get them help. As we care for those in a vulnerable state, we want to minister God’s kindness, empathy, and love to them.Resources for this Episode:Soul Shepherding Institute