Meet Enneagram Coach Delynn Copley

Enneagram Coach Delynn Copley is coming to Blackberry Farm for an intimate wellness event that invites guests to explore a deeper understanding of themselves and others. Discovering You: Enneagram is designed to be a deep dive into self-discovery, using the Enneagram as a guide.

As we prepare for an enlightening experience, we asked Delynn a little about her personal and professional experience with the Enneagram as well as what she likes to do when she’s not coaching. Interested in discovering your Enneagram type and getting a deeper understanding of what that means? Join us for Discovering You: Enneagram, July 23-26.

What is your Enneagram number, and what attributes do you recognize most from your Enneagram type?
My Enneagram type is Nine. I pay a great deal of attention to how other people are feeling and have the impulse to “cheer them up” when they’re upset. (This is especially true of people in my inner circle.) My personal work is about tolerating dissension around me, which can be challenging sometimes! I am also highly tactful and diplomatic, and I think carefully about how to say things so others won’t be offended. I could go on and on!

What advice would you give to someone who is unsure how or why to discover their Enneagram?
The advice I would give is to keep an open mind, take multiple assessments, read various descriptions of the three types they score highest on, and look very carefully at the “downside” of the types — because it’s easiest to spot Enneagram type by looking at the problematic habits of the type. This requires compassionate self-honesty, and it takes time for some people — sometimes years! But just being in the inquiry is fruitful, and the aim is not to put ourselves in a box, but rather to discover who our best self is.

Can your enneagram change over time?
Enneagram type does not change over time — but the way it’s expressed can change a lot. The Enneagram is a dynamic system and provides a “map” of the way personality moves in different circumstances, including when we’re at our best or when we’re stressed. Different situations will bring out different aspects of our personality, and it’s very important to know that we all have all nine types within us. They’re expressed in different ways but always for the reasons of the dominant type.

How did you get started in the Enneagram space?
I started working with the Enneagram after many years of coaching and facilitating in other modalities. The Enneagram has been extremely useful because it helps people understand patterns or habits of behavior in themselves and others, and the Enneagram framework allows them to make shifts in those behaviors to become a better version of themselves. It also helps people have better relationships with other people by gaining clarity on other people’s motives. I’ve never found another system as useful as the Enneagram.

What if the most rewarding thing about coaching people with their Enneagrams?
I had been a coach for many years before I started using the Enneagram, and when I started using it with my coaching clients, I felt they could far more deeply understand the ways they get themselves stuck than they could without understanding their type. In any facilitation I do, including my work with teams, I always begin with the Enneagram because investing in that foundation enables far greater progress.

What is your favorite hobby, and does it pertain to your personality type?
My favorite hobby is being outside — hiking, cycling, walking, skiing, depending on the season. I think it relates to my Enneagram type Nine (Peacemaker) because I find peace and perspective in nature, and I love doing things that bring me a sense of groundedness and being in my body.

Where is your favorite place to travel to?
Europe, particularly Spain, France and Greece. I think I could live in Europe for years and barely scratch the surface. I love the beaches and the Roman and Greek ruins, the deep sense of history, the food and the wine, and the sensibility about the environment.

What is your favorite place you've ever visited?
My favorite place I’ve ever visited is a beach south of Barcelona. It is beautiful, quiet and extremely peaceful. If I could beam there right now, I would!

What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is All the Light We Cannot See — a brilliant and very moving story set during WWII. I like fiction set in that time because it was so pivotal in history.

Click here to learn more about the Discovering You: Enneagram event and book your stay.