Sexual
Enneagram Type 6:
"Strength/Beauty"

At 34, Sarah's Sexual Six (SX6) patterns had turned her natural desire for connection into an exhausting dance of strength and testing. Her role as a new team lead at a local community center perfectly highlighted her inner conflict - constantly oscillating between seeking strong mentors and proving she didn't need them at all.

Her relationships became a complex web of push and pull. One day she'd eagerly seek guidance from her experienced supervisor, soaking up every bit of advice, but the next day she'd forcefully reject help, determined to prove her independence. Even friendships followed this pattern - drawing close to people she admired for their strength, then challenging them to prove they were worthy of her trust.

Behind this behavior lay a deeper struggle: her inner saboteur kept her believing that she needed to be simultaneously invulnerable and perfectly supported, and that showing any vulnerability would make her appear weak while accepting any support would make her appear dependent.

Despite tireless efforts to maintain this delicate balance, her disconnected patterns created increasing isolation. Team meetings became unconscious battlegrounds - either aligning intensely with authority or rebelliously opposing it, leaving little room for genuine collaboration.

The wake-up call came during a staff development day. After confidently presenting her department's achievements, she found herself struggling with an unexpected challenge from a new project. Her supervisor offered some practical suggestions, and Sarah heard herself responding with her usual defensive 'I can handle it.' But this time, she caught her colleague's knowing smile - the same colleague who'd witnessed Sarah's passionate speech just last week about the importance of mentorship and support. The irony of her contradictory behavior suddenly became clear, making her question whether her pursuit of strength was actually making her stronger.

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Through Pi9™ Enneagram coaching, Sarah transformed her relationship with strength and support. Her natural leadership ability evolved from a push-pull dynamic into balanced confidence, allowing her to develop what she called her 'Both-And Practice' - discovering she could be both strong and supported at the same time.

Her leadership style shifted from alternating extremes to consistent presence. While maintaining her natural protective instincts, she learned to integrate seeking guidance with trusting her own judgment, discovering that true strength flows from the ability to be both capable and collaborative. Each interaction became an opportunity for genuine exchange rather than a test of independence or allegiance.

Behind this transformation lay a profound realization: authentic power includes both giving and receiving support, and real strength means being secure enough to be vulnerable when appropriate.

Through practice, she discovered that true leadership felt different from her old oscillating patterns. Team interactions began flowing with natural authority instead of defensive independence, allowing space for both seeking guidance and offering it.

The evidence of change emerged during another staff development day months later. When facing a complex challenge, she found herself naturally saying, 'I have some ideas about this, and I'd also value everyone's input.' Her colleague noted afterward: 'You know what's different? You're not trying to be either the strongest or the most supported person in the room anymore - you're just authentically present.' Most meaningfully, she noticed how this new integration of strength and openness actually created the secure connections she'd always sought.