How to Make Tough Decisions Based on Your Human Design with Erin Claire Jones

I'm sure we both have seen so many people that have built businesses that have, like, done well and yet totally burnt them out. And, like, I think human design is one example of, like, how can you build a thing that, like, not only does well, but also feels really good? And that kind of applies to every part of our lives. Like, how can you parent in a way that feels sustainable? How can you show up in relationships where you can, like, honor those needs that you have? I think it just helps us know, like, how can we really honor our authenticity wherever we are and whatever we're doing?

Erin, welcome back to the Earn your Happy podcast. I'm so excited to have you on.

I'm so happy to be here. It's been a while.

It has been a while. It was back in my house in Santa Monica, so it's been a hot second.

Wow. I'm so happy to be here.

Oh, I'm. I'm thrilled because, you know, you are the human design queen. And my first experience with human design was with you. Like, first it was the Internet, but then it was really with you getting to deep dive, and we had a group of, like, family and friends kind of do a session with you together, which was so much fun, getting to learn about everybody. And it really. I think that really was the beginning of even just this conversation within people in my close circle and family to understand each other more. And so that was so much fun. And now you have a new book out called how do youo Choose? What a great title for what you do. Like, really diving into choosing with your unique design. And if you guys don't know what I'm talking about, I'm gonna have Aaron explain this in. In just a minute. But I know whenever anyone has written a book, I like to just chat on that for a hot second, because the journey of getting called so clearly to a book is because you really do have a message that you're willing to, you know, fight for and, like, stand on that hill and, like, shout to everyone. Because Aaron and I were just chatting before this. You guys. Like, when you decide to write a book, that is a challenge. Like, you're not an author before you're an author, and you have to become this person that you've never been before. You have to get so insanely disciplined and dialed in and clear, and then you have to turn into the marketer for a year. So it's like you're an author for a year to two years, and then you're a marketer for a year, and then you never stop marketing your book. So I want to know, what are some things that were unexpected that you learned about yourself on this journey?

Wow. Well, I would say one lesson for me, and I don't know what it was like when you wrote your book, but, like, I kind of had this vision that I could, like, write the book and, like, run my business, and I would be, like, just great and managing it all. But the book was, like, a far more immersive process than I imagined. It felt like over the past 18 months, like, 90% of my energy has gone to the book. I just didn't feel like I could actually distribute it in all the ways that I wanted to. So I'm so excited to be. For it to be out. And I'm also really, like, looking forward to diving back into my business in a new way. So I don't think I really anticipated that. I think I also, to your point, like, I felt like I was so ready to be done with the writing because I was like, I can't wait to share, but, boy, has the marketing been exhausting. It's been amazing. And now that I'm kind of nearing the end of it, I'm like, I really look forward to the day, which is today, which is now that, like, the book is out in the world, I can, like, take on a life of its own, you know, where, like, I will keep marketing and sharing it, but it also feels like now it's, like, in the hands of people, and they can, like, give it to the people they love, and it can just, like, move from there. So, like, I'm really looking forward to that journey. But I will also say the last piece that has been surprising is that, you know, I've been teaching the system now for 10 years, which is crazy. And. And I feel like I was surprised by how much the book has helped me. You know, I think that I have ended up reading and rereading, as, you know, 1,000 times. And, like, every time I read a new chapter, I'd be like, oh, my God. Like, I see why this friendship is feeling hard in my life, or I see why I'm having this miscommunication communication with my husband, or I see why my daughter is, like, struggling in this way. I felt like returning to the information over and over again just brought me clarity over and over again. And, like, I so want the book to be that for everyone. And it was really such a wild experience to actually experience that myself, even though I wrote the freaking chapters. Wow.

Yeah, it's. It's Crazy that just the editing process and the going back through that is discipline within itself. I remember having to be like, oh, my God. You just pick it back up, read it again, put fresh eyes on. Like, wow. It is like now when I hold books, I have such a new respect for that. I know it takes to get out in the world. So I love that you did this. And let me just tell you, if you thought you knew what you taught before, you know it more now.

Yeah.

So, oh, my God, let's dive in. Because we use human design, I feel like in everything we do, I use it in all my conversations with my girlfriends. So let's just start there for anyone who's new to the conversation, what it is.

So human design is a mystical assessment. It's based on your time, date, and place of birth, and it reveals how you are uniquely wired to operate in every part of your life, from friendship to relationships to career to parenting to business. It really gives us permission and the tools to really do things in a way that feels authentic and aligned for us, I think. So often we see what others are doing and think that it might work for us, and sometimes it does, but often it doesn't. Yeah. And human design reminds us, like, this is how you're wired to make decisions. This is like how you're wired to, like, engage socially or have meetings or show up in friendship or anything. Any of the things. And the last piece that I would say is that I find human design to be equal parts mystical and practical. It's obviously mystical and that it comes from our birth information, but I also find it is so insanely practical. It doesn't just give us all this juicy information that makes us feel very seen. It gives us all these very tangible, practical tools that we can integrate into our everyday. And that really was my focus with this book.

Do you find that you use it for a lot of business people? Like, who's been your main clientele?

Well, now it's been so many people. You know, I would say that when I first started, it was focused almost exclusively on business, but now it's like, you know, we have like, 45,000 people that have their guides. So it's. It's hard to narrow it down. But I would say that it tends to be like, anyone that is kind of at a crossroads where they're just like, I need help with this thing, whether it's romantic relationship or a parenting challenge or a business challenge, and they're looking for insight. But I would say that it's broadened. Like, I Think that the interest in like the team interest and the CEO and executives like that audience has grown in a really big way. Because I think that there's just like an increased openness to any system that will help them do things better. And I think human design has such an impact on business and teams because it really helps them understand each other that I've seen interest there grow in a pretty dramatic way.

Okay, so you've seen this integrated into a lot of teams, like mainstream?

Yes. Yeah, I mean I think that like I would say like I've given talks at a lot of like mainstream companies to teams within. You know, I think that like it is an interesting thing to integrate. Like I don't. Even though some people like integrate human design and hiring and things like that, that's not often what I do. It's more around once you've kind of like built a team, sitting with them and helping them understand how they work best. Because you can just be so precise. You can be like, hey, you know, instead of coming to Lori with like a super open ended question, like it might be useful to present options. You know, like some people might love like a lot of cl collaborative meetings and brainstorming words. Others like might like really minimal meetings. You know, some people might kind of need to be invited in the share. Some people might have more energy than others. So like I feel like there's often so much misunderstanding in teams and also in romantic relationships when we expect someone to be like us and we're really disappointed that they're different. And I think human design just gives us a language like they're wired differently and these are all the ways that we can support them. So I find in team dynamics that's so insanely helpful because it helps, you know, how to kind of like really leverage somebody's unique gifts.

Oh God, for sure. There's so much that I remember learning about specifically my brother in law that we work with because we are, the two of us are so different that it actually helped me understand and get along with them even better. We get along great in life, but in work because we're so opposite, it can feel like we're pushing up against, you know, each other's differing opinions. And I feel like we've been able to work so much better since me understanding how he looks at things is not critical. It's because he really wants to make sure everything is going to work, work out great.

So it's so, it brings so much compassion. You know, I even tell a story in the book of like A couple that was trying to decide whether or not to move to New York City. And one of them was, like, instantly new. Like, she had instant clarity, which her design was like, she's meant to be fast. And she was like, God, my husband's so slow. He's waffling. He's so indecisive. And when we looked at his way of making decisions, he was meant to give himself a full month before he reached his truth. So what she was perceiving as, like, indecisiveness was very much his process of finding his way to what he wanted to do. And so I think that, like, it's just. Just one example of so many that we can, like, interpret these differences as, like, them being wrong or us being wrong when it's just that we're different.

Oh, my God. Okay, so we're gonna dive into the design, then we're gonna talk about my design, and you guys will kind of see how this all works in the world and how it's helped me with decision making. And this is great, because I haven't dove in in a while, like, really since you. So I'm really excited because I feel like I've needed an update. And we'll see how I've made decisions in my life.

Totally. And whether it's aligned with your design.

Exactly. We'll see. In front of everyone. Okay, so let's talk about the different designs and what they are.

Okay, so in human design at the highest level, there are five different types. You know, this is a really important piece, and it's just the first piece. Those types are manifesting generators. Generators, reflectors, projectors, and manifestors. You can look yours up@humandesignblueprint.com. if you don't know your precise time at birth, I would use the closest approximate. You know, I will begin with you, our generator. So generators in human design have boundless energy. When they feel genuinely satisfied and excited by what they're doing, when they're lit up by what they're doing, they have this capacity to kind of go, go, go and really bring ideas to life in such a powerful way. Obviously, you have demonstrated that with your life. I think generators can sometimes struggle with boundaries because they have such natural capacity. People can, like, pile a lot of things onto them. They might feel they should do everything, and so really kind of getting clear on what they feel genuinely available for. Also, what tends to bring generators the most satisfaction is, like, fully expending your energy. Often an ideal day is one where you kind of wake up energized Kind of use up your energy throughout the day, whether it's working on your business, your podcast, exercise, you know, being with your partner. And then you kind of drop into bed delightfully spent. You're like, I left it all on.

The field for sure.

Do you feel that?

Oh my God, that's 100 me.

Yeah.

If I don't use it all, I can feel a little like, yeah, wired still.

Totally. And like, sometimes generators have to like do a workout late at night or like go on a walk or do something. You know, I think often when I'm trying to sense where a generator is at in their life, I'll often kind of check in about how they feel at night because that often is really reflective of their alignment in general. And then I would say lastly, as a generator, you are somebody who's very naturally magnetic. You are not really meant to chase after opportunities or kind of come up with ideas out of thin air. You're meant to kind of see what shows up in your world and kind of naturally sparks you.

I feel that.

Okay, so then we've got manifesting generators. Manifesting generators also have all this boundless energy when they're genuinely excited. But they tend to be quite multi passionate. You know, these are my clients that are like, I'm a coach, you know, I'm also like a lawyer on the side. Also like starting a dance company, like considering opening a juice like company. They're just like, they do so many things and so often they've been made to feel scattered or like they're doing too much when they actually need that level of variety and freshness. They're also super fast. You know, once they've clarity an idea is right, they're often the fastest one to make it happen. So they can often be disappointed in others inefficiency when it's really not about somebody else being incompetent, but just, you know, somebody else having different gifts. And they too are kind of meant to let things come to them and kind of see what sparks their gut response.

Just my husband, I believe I remember.

I think I was trying to remember. Yeah, so again like, so multi passionate in such a beautiful way. But I think often they have been made to feel scattered, like they're doing too much, you know, and that's just, that's their gift being like so multi hyphenate in that way. There are also projectors. Projectors are very natural. Leaders, guides, teachers, advisors, coaches. Really good at kind of asking the right questions, really good at stewarding other people's energy. They're so naturally wise about other people and very sensitive to others. Their energy can really ebb and flow. So a big lesson for us as projectors, I'm saying us because I am one, is really allowing space and rest and pause into our days and really disentangling our worth from how hard we work and how much we do. You know, we don't have the same thing as you where it's like, we've got to use it all up to, like, feel, rest. Well, like, it's good to kind of build and rest throughout the day. And then as projectors, we're really here to be invited in. So really considering where in our lives we feel the most kind of invited in and recognized for our gifts beyond how much we can do, then we've got manifestors. These are kind of the people that are here to disrupt, innovate, trailblaze. You know, they really are so good at getting new ideas started. Their gift is not doing all the doing to keep the idea alive, but really getting it rolling, getting the ball rolling. These are people that crave freedom. Freedom, do what they want, when they want, how they want. They are not really here to be managed or guided or told what to do. And their energy is very bursty. They can be, like, on fire for a couple weeks and then kind of have a couple weeks where they kind of pull back and rest. So really building a life in an ideal world where they can really honor those cycles. And they're here to make the first move. Whether it comes to dating or business, when an urge arises within them, they're really meant to follow it. And then the final type is reflector. This is the rarest type. These people are incredibly sensitive to their environment, always kind of taking in and amplifying the energy that they're around. So really being quite ruthless about where they spend time and who they spend time with is really essential. And these are people that are very fluid. Like different seasons of life, different people, different environments, pull out different parts of them. So their job is not to try to be just one thing, but honor whatever feels like them that day, knowing it's all them. And they're incredibly wise, very kind of objective in their perspective and how they see things. So they thrive in positions where that perspective is kind of what they are really valued for. And their perspective is really invited in.

When you tell people these, do most people say, yeah, that sounds like me, but do they get confused? Because they also feel like other parts.

You know, are you wrong?

Are you for sure Just because sometimes I'm like, am I a manifesting generator, or do most people say, yeah, that's me a fit?

Well, I would say that it depends. Like, I think there's so much nuance underneath our type. I just did a session for somebody last week in la, and she didn't know her birth time, and. But, like, when I met her, I had a very clear sense of what I thought she might be. Okay. And she listened to all five, and she was, like, 100% manifester, and which is what I thought, and it was so fun to see. But, like, I guess what I would say for you is, like, you are a generator. You have all this kind of, like, steady energy, this powerful commitment, but you also do have an aspect of your design this is beyond you being a manifesting generator that you like a very fluid identity. So you also are meant to express your purpose in a bajillion different ways. So, like, I would imagine you kind of would resonate with that multi passionate piece. And I would just say the difference for you as a generator is that it might not look like, you know, doing a bajillion things every day, but, like, you know, one day you really focus on this, and then the next day you really focus on this because there's such a level of depth in your design. So it's not about doing. Not doing many things, but being a little bit more strategic around, like, giving yourself the space to go, really go in.

Oh, yeah, that's. I mean, that is what I've been learning. The reason that's cool to hear and you guys will understand as you're starting to see, like, how helpful it is to even hear. This is the thing that I have done this year and really started at the end of last year, year is to really take specific days to dive in, or I feel so incomplete that I actually get frustrated and my head hits the pillow and I get very upset with myself to the point where I'm, like, angry. And then it creates, like, just a, you know, total, total incoherence in my entire life. So I. I love hearing that. And it just what human design is over and over, which you'll continue to hear. And if you work with Aaron and you go see your designer, when you read this book, it's such confirmation of things you already knew. Instead of being like, oh, I'm a weirdo, or, oh, I'm extra. I need this time to create. Blah, blah, I need more time. Whatever. Yeah, you may need more time. And I think the more that we lean into It. The more magic comes, like, the more you get to see what you're capable of doing. And also, you just feel so much better. There's not so much disruption and, like, lack of feeling a connection, even with yourself and with your creator. Whatever you believe. I feel like that's what you can really lean into. And that's why everybody should read this book. Okay, let's. Let's continue.

Well, I love that. I love that you said that, because I do think I just want to kind of reinforce that. That I feel like the people that are most skeptical tend to really fall in love with human design for that reason. Because it feels like what I articulate to them is not this foreign concept. It's like, they know it. They're like, oh, God, I feel this. I felt it my entire life, but nobody's put it into words.

Yeah.

So it does do that for people where they're like, I know this, and I haven't really allowed it. And now I have permission to allow it for sure. Yeah.

Permission to just lean in and keep creating what you need for yourself to feel better. Because if anything else, I think that we, you know, in our lives, if we weren't putting human design language to it, there's already a language of this that you're speaking that you don't even realize. And it's just like, I want to feel better. I want to feel more me. I want to feel more expressed. And I think human design allows you to lean into how you're going to feel better, feel more aligned, and feel more expressed.

That's exactly right. And, like, again, I think I'm sure we both have seen so many people that have built businesses that have, like, done well and yet totally burnt them out. And, like, I think human design is one example of, like, how can you build a thing that, like, not only does well, but also feels really good? And that kind of applies to every part of our lives. Like, how can you parent in a way that feels sustainable? Like, how can you show up in relationships where you can, like, honor those needs that you have? So I think it just helps us know, like, how can we really honor our authenticity wherever we are and whatever we're doing? Totally.

So should we dive into what my human design says about my work?

Yeah, I love that. So, okay, so you, as a generator, you know, I think that we've talked about this piece already, but I would just say that, like, I would think about, like, what are the parts of your work? And obviously, I know you do many things that, like, feel the most satisfying, like, what are the things that you like on the other side of doing? I'm like, God, that feel, like. Feels so good to have done. And, like, I would make sure to kind of carve out space and do that thing every day, because, like I said, like, when you are really lit up, your energy is boundless. You lift up your team. You're so magnetic. But when you're doing a lot of things that, like, you don't enjoy, which is pretty inevitable in the early stages of building a thing, you know, it's like, how can you make sure you kind of carve out some of that other space and kind of are able to do that because it will give you more energy to do everything else.

Oh, my gosh. I mean, it makes total sense right now because in the beginning, you are, like, you are in so many things you don't necessarily want to be in. So what would you say to somebody who, you know, what would you say to me who literally still has to be in so many things right now, because we're working on it. But I am pushing so hard right now through a lot of really tough stuff and looking for the days where I'm like, oh, my God, when do I get to be creative? When do I get to be creative? Yeah.

So, you know, something I talk about in the book is kind of the need to be, like, primarily satisfied. I feel like there's a lot of generator talk out there. Like, you've got to be lit up by everything you do, which is just, like, often not feasible. So it's like, I would say for you, when there is. You're in a moment of, like, this is hard, and I'm building something, and this is not easy. Like, again, how can you carve out, like, I would say, like, an hour or whatever it is, like, in the morning, I feel like you honestly already do this, but, like, carve out some space for yourself where you're like, I'm gonna do a thing I enjoy just because. Or, like, I'm gonna, like, stack the tasks that really feel like, will feel the best I've done at the top of the day so that, like, it will help me power through all the things that I don't enjoy. And, like, when it is possible to kind of delegate and hand those things off, giving yourself full per. To do that. And also, I would say another thing for you is, like, you are somebody that responds well to specificity, to specific questions. So, like, an example of that would be, like, do you want to do this thing or this one do you want to. Like, is the timing right for this? And so, like, I would say if there's also any uncertainty around where you're putting your energy or how you're approaching it, I would have somebody ask you really specific questions around the issues you're facing to make sure you really have the energy for what you're doing. Does that make sense?

Totally, yeah. For decision making in business. Does that. Does design help with that? Like, what does that look like? What do you tell people if they're having, you know, trouble making decisions?

So everybody has a different way of choosing. I would say in your design, you are what we call an emotional authority. So if you look up your chart again@humandesignblueprint.com, you'll see your type. We talked about that. You'll also see your authority. And so, for example, for Lori, your authority is around the fact that as gut and instinctual as you are in your choices, you are meant to really give yourself, yourself a beat before you say yes. So I would actually recommend for you, like, pay attention to your first instinct and then check back in a day or two later and see if that instinct is still strong. You're also somebody who's got, like, a very powerful, very active mind. So I can imagine it's really easy to logic your way into or out of basically.