EP433: You Can’t Automate Your Awakening: What AI Gets Wrong About the Enneagram—and What You Deserve Instead

You cannot automate your awakening. Let me guess. You typed a few answers into a free quiz or an online assessment, or asked AI what your Enneagram type is, and suddenly you think you figured yourself out. That's cute. And dangerous. I say that with so much love because I know. I know you're not shallow, and I know you're not lazy. You're not just killing time online. You're seeking and looking for something. Something to finally make sense of why you feel stuck. Why your relationships keep blowing up, or why they never get deep enough. Why success doesn't feel like success. Why no matter how much work you do, something still feels off. So you turn to AI because it's fast. It's confident. It feels smart. You ask it who you are, and it gives you an answer. And you breathe a little easier. Until the answers start to contradict each other. Until the insights feel hollow. Until you realize you're still running in circles, just with prettier language. Now, here's the thing. AI can mimic awareness, but it can't mentor your transformation. Because the Enneagram, it was never meant to be downloaded. It was meant to be lived. It's not just a system. It's a soul map. And you can't automate your awakening. AI doesn't know the difference between your trauma response and your truth. It doesn't hear the fear behind your perfectionism. It doesn't see the grief behind your ambition. It doesn't notice when the story you're telling isn't the one you actually believe anymore. You don't need a faster shortcut to a shallow sense of self. You need a sacred witness who can sit with the messy middle until your real self emerges. So if you've ever felt mistyped, misled, or misunderstood by the very tools that were supposed to help set you free, this episode is for you. Let's talk about what AI gets wrong about the Enneagram, what your soul's been actually searching for, and how to reclaim your edge with real truth, not templated data. Because your transformation, it isn't programmable. It's personal. And it starts right here. Let's go. Hey. Hey. And welcome to the Enneagram Edge. I'm your host, Tracy o', Malley, Enneagram expert, leadership coach, recovering control freak, and your personal translator for the shit you keep repeating but don't totally understand yet. Now, if you're new here, buckle up. This is absolutely not another fluffy Enneagram podcast where we talk about how sweet it is to be an Enneagram, too. And bake cookies for your friends. No, this is the real deal. This show is about using the Enneagram as a tool for transformation. Not just information and definitely not some party trick. Because knowing your type is cute, but embodying your highest expression, that is where your edge is. Every week, I'm bringing you the truth behind the types and the hype. How to stop self sabotaging, lead like a damn legend, and actually understand the people in your life without wanting to scream into a pillow. Or if you're an enneagram8 like me, not throat punch someone. We'll talk about leadership, relationships, business, healing, high performance, and why couples therapy isn't working. But fully understanding your Enneagram blueprint might just save your marriage. I'll drop solo episodes behind the curtain, coaching, and the occasional rant when someone calls the Enneagram just a personality test. So if you're ready to stop playing small and start showing up with unshakable clarity, confidence and. And compassion for yourself and others, this is your space. You've got an edge. Now let's use it. Hey. Hey. Welcome back to another episode of the Enneagram Edge. I am your host, Tracy o', Malley, Enneagram Master. Hi. You know, this has been a topic that is popping, popping right now. And I get a lot of people that will share with me their chatgpt and AI data in regards to the Enneagram. And what prompted me to record this episode and share this information with you is, you know, these are people that have been accurately typed with me and have been on a journey with the Enneagram, and then they'll go to their chatgpt and it pops back wrong information about the Framework. And. And if you didn't know different. And that's why they were bringing it to me, because they've. They've experienced it. They're like, so some. What is this? What does this mean? I'm like, because it's wrong.

Right?

And I get why you want a fast answer and why the Enneagram doesn't work that way. We're going to get into. You know, I don't blame you for wanting fast answers. I am one of those people, too. I mean, I operate as an enneagram 8, very assertively, aggressively fast.

Right.

And I wrestle with the same patterns, the same pain, wondering sometimes what the hell's wrong with me.

Right?

And. And then you find the Enneagram, or at least, you know, the AI generated version of it, and it feels like maybe, just maybe, you'll finally get some clarity, a map A breakthrough. And I do understand the appeal of AI I love it. I use it. And also, like, this is with anything in life and anybody that you learn lead from anything, that anything in this life, you take what you need and leave the rest. And I also know you're tired, and I know you're searching and you want relief. And it, you know, I'm thinking about, like, 13 plus years ago, where the Enneagram was introduced to me. You know, I went to rehab. I was seeking relief. I was seeking more understanding when the Enneagram was presented to me, you know, just like I was like, I don't need any of this. And in taking the time with it, I understood the power of it. And when understood and integrated properly, it can fast track transformation and growth. And now with AI, I think people are like, if I know the Enneagram, my Enneagram type plus use AI, will that accelerate it even more? And I'm here to tell you probably not. And we're going to get into that. You know, AI promises speed, precision, simplicity. You think if I can just figure this out, I'll finally understand myself and maybe even fix myself. But here's the thing. The Enneagram was never meant to be a quick fix. I mean, it can fast track things, and it could streamline some of your growth. And it is a constant evolution of refining and honing your skill set using the tools. And you've heard me probably talk about, you know, if you think about a surgeon, you know, surgeon goes to medical school, they don't take a scalpel out once, and then they're masterful with it, right? And the Enneagram is a tool just like a scalpel. A skilled surgeon has put the reps in, has used that tool over and over and over and, you know, gone different directions in using that tool. And the Enneagram is no different.

Right?

And for you to be able to use this tool with the precision and to accelerate, you know, transformation the way that you want to, you're gonna not have to take the quick fix on this. Enneagram is not some buzzfeed quiz. It's not a personality label you've heard me say. It's a sacred, sacred map. It's an unflinching mirror. And it doesn't work on your timeline. It works on Truth's timeline. And Truth doesn't rush. You know, I wish it did sometimes. One of my favorite phrases that I use all the time with everybody that I love and lead is like, more will. More will always be revealed. And when we have an agenda or we have a goal or we have pain. We want to accelerate. You know, the truth doesn't rush. It invites, it disrupts and it transforms, right? And you have to kind of go through that full evolution of it. So if you're here because you're looking for the fast track, I want you to know you don't need faster answers, right? You don't need faster answers from AI because I think it keeps you from really digesting what all of this means. You need a deeper awareness, and that can't always be rushed, right? And this is where your breakthrough lives. Not in the speed of your search, but in the willingness to stop performing and to start remembering. And it's just like any journey, right? The more time we take if we're. You know, last week I was in New Hampshire visiting a friend. And, you know, we walked through trails and. And through the beach. And I could very easy, easily be like, okay, let's. Let's do three miles and get there. And I would have missed all these miracles along the way and the deeper understanding of myself because I took the time to savor the journey through the forest, through the. The shoreline and things like that. And the Enneagram is no different, right? Remembering who you are, that can't be rushed. That can't be rushed. So AI isn't typing you, okay? A lot of times, and. And I've had many people come and tell me, or they'll book a session with me and they'll be like, well, AI told me that I'm this. And I already know that that's not accurate, right? Here's what most people don't realize when they go to AI to try and figure out their Enneagram type. In fact, I have one client whose husband won't do my assessment because he's like, well, AI already told me, like, okay, like, let's. Let's. Let's get him to do this so I can show where this is inaccurate. And I've done this a few times with people I've had, like, my daughter. I've had other people in my life kind of talk to their chat GPT, and they've already been accurately typed by me, and it comes out wrong. AI isn't typing you. It's mirroring the mask that you've been wearing. It's been. It's been going off what you tell it, right? And most of what we tell, most of the story that we tell about ourselves are these behaviors, these coping mechanisms. It's not the core of who we are. It's not at the root of who we are. So AI isn't typing you. It's kind of parroting what you tell it. And often, especially when we are in protection mode, we're not always consciously telling the truth or mistruth. We're telling it the Persona, right? Think about it. If you're in, if you're an Enneagram too, who's learned to over function like an 8, because it's how you survived your childhood, AI will reflect back that pattern. If you're a 9 who's been praised for being ambitious and low maintenance, AI might call you a 3 or a 7. Why? Because AI reads your behavior. But the Enneagram isn't about behavior. It's about the motive underneath the behavior. And when your motive is buried under years and years and years of adaptation and projection and trauma and performance, AI has no way of knowing what's real and what's rehearsed. It doesn't know when you're answering from fear. It doesn't know when you're defaulting to who you had to be, not who you are. So no, AI doesn't give you your type. It gives you back your mask.

Right?

And that mask may have kept you safe, but it's not going to set you free. And you know, even my AI in my AI, my chat GPT knows me pretty damn well. And there are times I get so frustrated with it. And also I have to take full accountability. Like what am I telling it? Am I really telling it at the truth? Am. Is it. Am I getting to the root of things? You know, and thank goodness my understanding and integration of the Enneagram has become so masterful because I can see through my own unintended. I can see through my own justification or protection mechanisms.

Right?

And I also know if I continue to do that, it's going to keep me stuck. So, you know, these tools are only as skilled as the person using them. And I've used this analogy before. Like you can have a garage full of tools from Home Depot and they're. They can do all sorts of magical things, but if you haven't practiced using them, you don't take them out. And you. You don't know what and when to use them. They're just collecting a lot of dust in your garage and it may still look real nice in there. But we are not here to use the Enneagram. Like dusty ass tools. Like, this is seriously the greatest transformation tool of my lifetime, honestly. So we're here to use this here's the thing, even when AI gets your type right, it still gets the framework wrong. Like I said, I've had clients who've been accurately typed by me. They're going like, hey, I was typed by Enneagram master Tracy o'. Malley. We have come to this conclusion. She's even, you know, told me my tri type and all the things, and sometimes it will pop up. Like, let's say it's an Enneagram too, and you're leaning into your seven wing. I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is so fucking wrong. It drives me nuts, right? So it. Even if it knows your accurate Enneagram type, it doesn't know the nuances of the framework always. So let's say somehow, you know, it gets it right. You've landed on your core type. It's in there, right? Amazing. Huge first step. But then you start, then you ask it to explain your wings or your growth line or your tri type or your subtype, and what do you get back? It's a grab bag of copy and pasted contradictions and outdated theory, sometimes dressed up in very pretty, very convincing language.

Right?

And. And like I said, this is what I've seen over and over and over again. Well, people will say, or they're told they're like a one wing too, and now feel boxed into it when the wings aren't fixed. And you actually need access to both, right? This is the way we use the wings. Sometimes clients are misusing their. Their stress line to justify avoidance or collapse because they read somewhere that their type goes to nine and when really they're just checked out. Or they can use that 9 in a healthier way. AI summarizing the instincts as personality types instead of core survival drives that shape everything underneath the surface is doing you a big disservice, too. So even when your AI has the number and your type right, it gets the map wrong. Because AI scrapes the surface. But transformation happens kind of underground, right? You need more than just regurgitated content. You need a guide who can hold nuance, context and contradiction, ask deeper questions. Because your soul is not a data spreadsheet, right? Integration can't be outsourced. It has to be lived. And this is the thing with all my work with the Enneagram, I've said it millions of times, like, information doesn't equal transformation. It's the integration of the information that equals transformation. And now in the world, that this stuff is even quicker at our fingertips. We thought Google was good. Like, all these AI tools are next level, next level, fast, right? And you know, having your accurate Enneagram type is only the beginning. And it's not a prize. It's the invitation to go deeper. Because the real work isn't just knowing your type. It's noticing when your pattern hijacks your relationships. It's catching yourself mid trigger and choosing differently. It's rebuilding your beautiful identity, not around your type, but around your truth. And using all the components of the framework is really, really important for this to happen. Integration means understanding your nervous system signals, understanding projections in real time, practicing the hard thing when it's inconvenient, disruptive, and not just when it's inspiring, and not just because chat. ChatGPT said, hey, do this right. No AI can teach you that. No chatbot can look into your eyes and say, I know this feels scary, but you're safe now. You don't have to do it that way anymore. And that kind of transformation, it's earned and it's human, right? So how can you use AI wisely, though, without letting it lead you? Because I'm going to use it. I love it. Like I said, it helps me brainstorm things again. We're going to take what we need and leave the rest. But let me be clear. AI isn't evil. It's just limited. And if you're using it as a reflection tool, not a replacement for inner work, you're in a good place. Okay, I'm going to say that. But I am seeing so many people use this for everything in their life. I can see it clear as day online, on social media. I can hear it in the way people will try to explain what's happening to them. So I want to tell you how you can start to use it wisely. In regards to the Enneagram, you can use AI to generate reflection prompts. It's really good for that, right? Again, you'll have the tool of the Enneagram to see your truth, to be human.

Right?

You can let it show you reoccurring patterns in your language or behaviors. You can use it to explore Enneagram type based journaling questions, and then take what resonates and discard the rest. Take what you need, leave the rest, and more will always be revealed. Okay, here's how not to use it. Please do not let it define your type or your identity. Please do not assume everything it tells you is accurate. Even if it sounds good. And I'm telling you this, it pops out. I'm like, geez Louise, I feel like it. And I don't know if this is happening to you too, but like, there are times I will pop something in there and it will pop out something. That sounds so smart. You know, it's kind of like when we read fake news on social media. Like they. They have pictures, they have receipts, they have all this shit that makes it so believable, but it's not. And so I want you to kind of approach your AI tools as like, hmm, consider the source, right? This is a robot, okay? Don't, please don't use it to bypass discomfort or disruption. Or use dispiro Spiritual bypass with insights that make you feel seen but not responsible. Use AI as a flashlight, right? But you still have to walk the path. And ideally, you don't walk it alone. You deserve way more than just a data dump. You deserve a devoted AI guide. And in this journey, this beautiful tool of the Enneagram, like, seriously, it is an accelerant to transformation. When you know how to use the tool, you will be like a skilled surgeon. Surgeon. And use the tool with precision. But many of you have been mistyped, misled, misunderstood by AI, by a book, by a coach. I want to say this. You're not broken, you're not behind. You're just craving real reflection. The kind that can't be downloaded through, you know, a tool. What you need isn't more data. It's devotion to yourself, to the process, to the messy middle between who you were told to be and who you're becoming. This is really sacred work. And if you're ready for that, I'm here. Whether it's your own blueprint, a private session, or really going into learning the foundation of the Enneagram through my master's program. The Enneagram Edge foundations program starts September 3rd. It is four weeks, three hours each week with me live. This is not a pre recorded thing. You get my full curriculum. We go through the entire framework accurately of the Enneagram. It is going to be powerful. Very limited on the spaces. So not only will you get my teachings of the foundations of the Enneagram and the full atlas that it is, you will have live me coaching through the whole process. And that's why I'm keeping the number small. So definitely there is a next step waiting for you. I know you are meant to walk through the fire with real integrity, with sustainable growth and transformation. And you know, sometimes when we have all this information popping out to us so quickly, we become overwhelmed. Overwhelmed. It's like having 10,000 tabs open on the computer. And when there's so Much information. We become paralyzed by it. And I know that you're ready for the next step. And it won't come from a screen.

Right.

It'll come from your soul. Finally saying, I remember. I am ready to remember who the hell I am. And I love the Enneagram. It's a beautiful tool. It's a beautiful tool and I know you're ready for it. Yeah. So this has been a subject that has been on my heart for a while. As somebody who does use AI, it's not going anywhere you want. We want it to work for us, not against us. Not to box us in. You know, there's ways to take what you learn. And especially if you take my certification and Level one through the foundations and then utilize this tool. And like the Level one foundations isn't. If you want to become an Enneagram coach, this is for anyone that really wants to understand the Enneagram, human to human, at a deeper level, so that you can use it the way that you were always meant to. Honestly, it's going to be a beautiful process. And then you can take what you have and utilize some of these tools. Like I said, like a flashlight instead of like the whole goddamn thing. You know what I mean? All right. I would love to hear what you think about AI and your journey with it in the Enneagram. If you're one of those that have used it, I'm curious what it has told you. If you've caught some of the inaccuracies in it, I would love for you to share those with me. You can find me on instagram @tracy o'. Malley. You can go to my website, tracey omalley.com There's a whole certification tab where you can go and see what Level 1 is about the four weeks in September. I would love to have you become part of that squad that understands and is using the Enneagram in ways that transform yourself and anybody that you love and lead. Yeah. Let's. Let's hear what you think about this. And if you have gotten anything from this podcast and 433 episodes, it would mean the world to me too. Have you take some of your precious time to leave a review. Throw me some stars, hopefully five of them. Because we want more people to be exposed to this show, to the Enneagram, taught the accurate way, not in some fluffy, you know, half assed way. We want this kind of information and more people using this tool in ways that really move the needle and allow us to grow, to honor our edge and do the damn thing and honor the calling on our life. All right. Until next time. And that's a wrap. On today's Dive into the Edge. If this episode hit you in the gut or lit a fire under your ass good, that means it's working. Here's the deal. Transformation is not a checkbox. It's a damn decision. And the Enneagram? It's your ultimate power tool when you actually know how to use it. If you loved today's episode, share it with somebody who's ready to stop playing small. Subscribe, leave a review, and if you're really feeling brave, shoot me a message and tell me what cracked open for you. Remember, your edge isn't something to be polished down. It's part of you that was always meant to lead. Until next time. Stay sharp, stay true, and keep walking your edge. It.