Ready Set Coach Podcast

Breaking Down Human Design for Coaches with Erin Hines of Darn Good Business Coach

• Emily Merrell and Lexie Smith • Season 2 • Episode 106

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In this episode of the Ready Set Coach Podcast, Emily Merrell sits down with Human Design business coach Erin Hines for an insightful conversation on how Human Design can revolutionize coaching. Erin shares her journey into Human Design and highlights how it has transformed her coaching practice by enabling her to create personalized strategies for her clients.

The conversation delves into the practical applications of Human Design in coaching, business, and parenting. Erin offers actionable insights on how understanding energy types can foster stronger workplace dynamics and sustainable practices. Emily and Erin reflect on how tools like Human Design and other personality frameworks provide a holistic view of an individual’s strengths and preferences. This approach enhances client relationships for coaches and ensures alignment in marketing, messaging, and business operations. Whether you're new to Human Design or a seasoned enthusiast, this episode is packed with tips, anecdotes, and inspiration to help you integrate this powerful system into your coaching journey.


Here’s what you’ll learn: 

  • Discover hthe uman design and how it combines ancient systems like astrology and the I Ching with modern sciences like genetics and physics to provide a blueprint for your energy and decision-making style.
  • Learn about the five main types—Manifestors, Generators, Manifesting Generators, Projectors, and Reflectors—and how each type operates energetically.
  • Explore how understanding your human design can inform your coaching style, business decisions, and client interactions.
  • Knowing your type, strategy, and authority can clarify and ease your life and career.
  • Discover how human design can be applied in the workplace to improve team dynamics, productivity, and communication.
  • Insights into how human design can help you better understand and communicate with your children, fostering alignment and ease.
  • Learn how to tailor your marketing strategy and messaging based on your design to resonate authentically with your audience.
  • Knowing your energy type and flow can help create a sustainable business model and prevent burnout.
  • Hear how integrating human design into coaching fosters deeper connections and personalized client strategies.
  • Learn how Erin discovered human design, integrated it into her business, and uses it to help coaches build thriving, sustainable practices.

Listener Links: 



Emily Merrell  

Okay, hello, welcome to the Ready Set coach podcast. I am so excited. I have a co host today that is not Lexie, and it is the fabulous, incredible Erin Hines. She is a human design business coach, and I will let her elaborate more on her incredible special specialty. But Aaron, welcome to the show.


Erin Hines  

Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm excited. I love this baby set coach program. Isn't it


Emily Merrell  

fun? It's It's funny, how, like a pandemic idea? Do you know? Actually, you've probably heard this story before, but it was basically spawned by the idea. I had a client that was, like, circling myself and Lexie, and was like, should I hire you, or should I hire Lexie? And I was like, we're very, very different. So I went to Lexie, and I was like, Maybe we should create something together. And that's how Ready Set coach was born. I love that.



It's just like a simple idea, and then it blossomed into this huge group of coaches, and it's


Emily Merrell  

great, yeah. And we and, like, our hypothesis was, well, what's a problem that we wish we had had solved, like earlier on, and it was both of us came to the agreement, I wish we had learned how to, like be coaches, or, you know, had had support, because, you know, we were both so different in our initiation into coaching, but we, I kind of like mandated my way into coaching. And, you know, there's so many different programs for, like, the generalists, so I thought, wouldn't it be fun to create something for coaches? Well, exactly. And like, what I really liked is just being surrounded by other coaches, because just like, get inspiration, see what other people are doing, and support each other. And it's just like, it's a fantastic group. It's really, it really is. And I, I, we were talking pre call too. I think it's always fun surrounding yourself with coaches, versus your friends who, well, you can find coaches will will probe a little deeper and ask those questions where I don't know, I will be with some friends, and they're like, so surface level at times. Yeah,



they don't like, this is a deep conversation, but then they like, they don't get that deep because they don't understand, like, even what I'm exactly talking about. So yeah, it's great to have those other coaches that know exactly what you're going through and, like, give you, like, that 10 point advice. And human design


Emily Merrell  

is such an interesting topic, I feel like they're the people that are down the rabbit hole of human design, or have never heard about it before in their lives. So I want to first hear like, Can you define what human design is? And then tell us your journey into getting into human design. Yeah. So



human design, I like to think of it as the science of differentiation, and it's just a system that takes your birth date, your birth time, and your birthplace, and it combines ancient astrology, like just astrology and the eye chain, but then also mixes in modern sciences like physics and genetics to really create this chart that shows how you're designed. And the way I like to think of it is like where each human in the world is like a little puzzle piece, and when we're living our life as that puzzle piece, all the puzzle pieces fit together, and there's more of a harmonious life is easy, and we're all like easily flowing. So human design is really just all about, like, living your most authentic self, and how to make decisions with ease how to kind of go down this path. It's like your North Star. And you could always go back to your human design. If you're feeling a little wobbly or unsure in life, you could something to go back to and be like, Oh, okay, this is how I could get back on track with what I'm here to do in this world and live, you know, my best life.


Emily Merrell  

I think it is such a cool I love what you said that, like, basically that puzzle piece, and, you know, a map of who you are and understanding a blueprint, even, of who you are. And so I know there's different types of human designs. Can you define, like, what the different variety, the variety pack of human designs they are?



Yeah. So, yeah, there's a lot to human design. But like the real basics, is there's five different types, so you're going to fall into one of those five types. And you're either going to be a manifester a generator, which I'm a generator, and then there's the manifesting generator, which is kind of combination of the manifester and the generator, and then there's projectors, and then there's reflectors. And so you'll fall into one of those there. The population is about 37% or generators. So most likely, you know, a generator, manifesting generators, is about 30% then there's manifestors, that's about like 10, nine, 10% and then also projectors, and then the rest are reflectors. But that's only about 1% of the population, so there. It's a really small


Emily Merrell  

one. Yeah, I had, I had a reflector work for me, and it was, she was such a reflector, it was actually kind of wild. I would, I'm, I'm a projector, and while I would be like, Okay, let's go do something she did. Well, let's think about it and like, let's really reflect on, like, what we're gonna do. And it was so, it was so fascinating to see the differences of like, how we get stuff done. And I know a lot of people will bring human design into the workplace too, and I think that's a really powerful tool where, you know, as a projector, like I needed to be, I need to be invited into a project, or I need to, like, be included into the project where maybe a different type, like, can just jump right in. So it is cool to have that understanding and that kind of, like, that blueprint of how people best work with one another.



Yeah, it's a lot about learning how your energy works. And, like you said, projectors, you need to be more like, invited or like seen, and it's, you know, it's going to be 10 times more difficult if you just like, hey, I'm going to go do this and just like force, because you're very much, like, a big picture thinking. So like, if you just start forcing your ideas onto someone that's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like they don't want to hear that. Like, if you give your opinion, and it's unsolicited, in a sense or so, it's like, it's a lot about how your energy works in human design. So it's like, it's fantastic in the workplace to really understand how your co workers, or, I mean especially yourself, how your energy flows, and like, what you could do to best utilize your energy so you don't burn out. But then it's good to know how your coworkers, or your employee, or whoever you're working with, how their energy works. So you're not, you know, pushing something onto them, because, like a manifester, they need breaks, like they could work, work, work, but they need, like, that time for rest. And that's not necessarily, you know, you're supposed to be there from nine to five and work, you know, the entire time. Well, not everyone can do that. Like, that's how they're going to burn out. So some people just need some more, you know, a few more breaks, and then they're going to be, like, super productive in that time they are working. And it just kind of fascinating to understand people. And human design really brings that, like, another layer of, kind of, like emotional intelligence and like, just digging into that, a little bit of just understanding how people are all different, and you really just need to utilize their strengths, versus kind of pinhole them into a certain way,


Emily Merrell  

yeah, that we're all the same and that we can all work the same capacity. It always makes me wonder, like people who did, who were cigarette smokers and took multiple breaks a day, I wonder if those were like manifesters, they needed to just reset. Every hour for 20 minutes.



Yeah, exactly. And it just, it is very fascinating to think about that, but it's like, one of those things. Most people don't know your human design, but it's like so many times, like, I just want to walk up to you, like, what's your human design? Tell me more. I always appreciate


Emily Merrell  

when I'm on a call and I'm like, chatting with the person, or we're in a one on one breakout session, and I'm able to be like, I can get a vibe with them really quickly, and we can kind of play a language game that only a specific type of person can do. So I'm like, What's your astrology? And then they say it, and then I'm like, What's your rising sign, and then they say it, and then like, what's your human design? And then what's, you know, what's your Enneagram? And like, we kind of just now have this full picture of someone based on these snapshot information or numbers that they provide us. Yeah, yeah,



no, it's just, like, fascinating. Because, like, I just love people, and I think that's kind of partly why I love human design, is like, I love people and like understanding them, and because, like, people are fascinating, and this, yeah, human design gives you another level of just knowing someone, and I love it.


Emily Merrell  

I know I will, like, text my husband and be like, so remind me what time you were born. He's like, oh god. What is she doing? Or, you know, text my best friend, who is very not into this world at all. And I'm like, just for fun, like, what day of the week, you know, what? You know, just ask the different things. She's like, Oh, God, here we are. Emily's gonna go down the rabbit hole on me to understand our complexities. But how did you like, what was your journey into human design?



Yeah, so it was about, I think I found about two years ago. So okay, and I had already started my business. I was just doing solely, like, business analyst, business architecture, really helping coaches and business owners improve their processes. And then I was on a networking call, and someone mentioned human design, and they kept talking about it, and I felt so lost. But then like, oh, so I have to call. I was like, oh, let's go look this up. And I did. And then it's just like, it was fascinating to me, because I've done, like, a lot of personality test, Myers, Briggs, or Strength Finders. And it like it's good insight about yourself. But there's something about human design that I was like, oh, like, I feel so seen. Or like, wow, this feels like so spot on to who I am. And so I kind of just went down the rabbit hole of learning everything I could about my design, and I found it so helpful as being a coach and being able to understand, make tell you stuff, like how to market and like how to just run your business, and how to make decisions on, like, what path you should take next, or what project I should work on. So it's like, so helpful, just for me personally, that it was like, hey, this would be, like, super helpful if I knew my client's design. So, like, I could really. Help them coach to create, like, a really sustainable business model, or, like, help with their market, or whatever it was, like, how they should, you know, make sales and like, if I knew their design, I could take, like, my coaching that next level, because it's, like, personalized to them and like, specifically how their energy works. Because my whole goal is like, so you don't burn out, you don't, like, get frustrated and like, up against the wall or, like, just stuck. I want, you know, things to be easy and rolling and like, you're not constantly overthinking things. And I was like, oh, human design. I need to bring this my business so I could help coaches and with like, another level, so then, like, once they really understand themselves, we could make really specific changes in their businesses and create, like, a business model that's really sustainable and fun, like, so they're really excited every day, because that's how I was starting to feel, and that's kind of how I brought it into my business. And I just kept getting deeper and deeper into it. It's like, it's just like, I love it. I


Emily Merrell  

love that you had one conversation that legitimately changed your life. Yeah, exactly right. It just it started you off in a journey that has probably then changed, and then you've been the catalyst for so many people and your clients and leading them through that. And I love what you said too, about like, utilizing human design to inform your marketing or to inform your your messaging, and like, the way that you want to talk to your potential client.



Yeah, it just, it is like, like, it is a lot to like, get into. So, like, if you never heard of it, like, don't worry about just, like, learn the basics. Like, could change your life if you know, like, your strategy and your authority and your type that will solely change your life. If you know, it gets a little overwhelming learning at all. But it's like, it's fascinating how something so simple is like, your birth time, your place, like it could tell you so much about you, and it does seem like a little woo, woo. But like, I'm okay with that, because like it feels it feels good to me, like it feel like I'm seen, and like this is who I'm supposed to be. And so I'll just roll with it totally. And


Emily Merrell  

I think, I think it's really neat too, how the founder of it, and now I'm blanking on his name to remember what's his name.



Ra, ru, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I never


Emily Merrell  

know how to say it. I never know how to say it. And so, like, I love the fact that it's also a little bit more modern. It's not. It's something, as you mentioned, like there's like a mixture of astrology and i Chang I Ching, or I Ching and and then a little bit of science. Like it's like the perfect recipe of it all. And then there is that next step that you could go through with, Gene keys. Have you done gene keys at all? Oh



yeah, I want to bring that in my business, but that's like a whole nother level. Oh, it's


Emily Merrell  

and it's amazing. And again, it's like a depth and an understanding and a just that, that fact of being able to understand yourself, and I like, how incredible would this have been when we were in our 20s and we're writing in our diaries, like, who am I? What's What am I supposed to do with my life and being able to have that much more insight of self?



Yeah, exactly because, like, I'm thinking, like, when I have kids, like, if I know their design and like, there's kind of, like, ways you should ask, like, for me as a generator, like, I really need to be asked those yes or no questions. Like, if you ask me an open ended question, my mind, like, goes blank. So if, like, I could raise my children in this way, like, how they're kind of like, so they don't feel stuck or something's wrong with them, it just kind of makes their life a little easier, too. And, like, it's just fascinating


Emily Merrell  

my sons, I did his like, the moment, the moment he was born, like a crazy person. Um, so let me see. I think he's a generator. Uh, let's see if I have it here. Official of like an official doc for him, of his blood type, oh, yeah, his human design. He's a manifesting generator, and his inner authority is emotional solar plexus. And he has a three, five profile trial and error definition, split definition. And so I found and then I did his rising. What is he? You're right, what's your rising sun? Your your rising sign? Is it your moon?



No. It should say, um. It should say rising. Or,


Emily Merrell  

let's see, let's see, I have it linked somewhere, um, oh, it didn't automatically go his son is a Libra. I did his gene keys. Like I did everything. It's here, but it clearly, it like, cleared out, and maybe this wasn't it. I did his gene keys at some point, I kind of just went all crazy on my son, which is hilarious. Oh, he's a hologenic profile. Yeah. Anyways, it was just, it was so fascinating. I need to screenshot it so it doesn't go away. But doing all of those things and like seeing, see, understanding your kids. So my son's a manifesting generator. So how should I talk to him? Like, what would be a good way to talk to him? I'm actually going to take notes on



this so it's, it's like he needs things to risk. Respond to like, I was saying he's because he's part generator, like I am. It's like the yes or no questions, like, Don't ask him, like, what do you want to eat for dinner? Like, ask, do you want spaghetti? Do you want tacos? Like, give very specific things. So he could say just yes or no, because it's all about that sacral gut response.


Emily Merrell  

That's so funny, because it's so true. That's exactly how he is. When I ask him, like, what did you do today? He'll be like,



too much. It's just like, your brain goes blank, yeah, yeah.


Emily Merrell  

And I'm like, did you play magnet tiles? Yeah. Did you eat apples? No, you know. And then he will say the thing. So that's so funny. That's so cool to have. So for those that are listening in our coaches or coaching curious, how do you like, how maybe, actually, this is a good question in terms of, if you're building your coaching program and you're not quite sure what type of coach you should be, have you seen one type, type of design, like, is a better Coach for X, Y and Z, than this or I



mean, so human design is definitely not supposed to like. It's not meant to box you in or pinpoint you in a certain direction. It's it just to kind of like, help you align to like, what really brings you joy. And so I wouldn't say there's necessarily like, one specific type that's like a better coach. It's more of just really emphasizing like you as a projector. I'm guessing you're like a really good coach, because you see more of the big picture and things that other people might see. And so you like, really utilize that as a coach to help people, like, maybe their blind spots. And so it's more like that and understanding more like your energy. But I mean, I could say like a manifester, it's one of those that they they just do what they want to do, and so they're very good at helping you understand, like, stop listening to those people and just go do it. Or, like, there's different I guess Each type has kind of, like, their strengths, like a manifesting generator. They're very good at, like, getting a lot done. So they could really help you organize to get a lot done as a coach and, like, lay out what you want to do and figure out, like, the steps in the whole like, I guess, you know, reverse engineer or something. But then, like me, as a generator, I'm very good at, like, helping you pinpoint, like, what brings you, like, the most joy, and helping you focus and revolve like, staying in your zone of genius. So it's like every type kind of has strengths, not necessarily, like you're going to be the best at, you know, business coaching, or, yeah, like nutritional coach. It's more of like using those strengths as your type to be like the best coach you could be based on your strengths.


Emily Merrell  

I love that. And, yeah, being able to hone in on a particular area is so helpful. So at the ready. Set coach podcast, we love giving homework to our listeners. So, Aaron, what kind of homework should we give today?



I mean, keep it simple and just go look up your design. Yeah, keep it simple. I mean, my website, you could get free charts, like a lot of places my website has it, and then when you download your chart, it does give you a little more detail of what each thing means. But there's, you know, just Google it. There's a million places you could get your free chart. And to keep it simple, just like, see what your design is, and like your type, and just like, look into that and see kind of what that means. Just keep it very simple. And because, like, at least just that, doing that will give you a lot of insight to who you are,


Emily Merrell  

inform everything. And so where can people find more out? Find out more about you? Come



on my Instagram, I got LinkedIn, and then my website. Darn good business coach.com has all the information about me, and then, plus, you could get your free chart and learn more about you. I


Emily Merrell  

love the name darn good business coach. That's so fun. I I honestly think you should be a damn good business coach. But, you know, that's me. I guess that might be more prohibitive in some schools and some some areas.



Yes, well, exactly. I was like, I want to be PG, I don't


Emily Merrell  

know. Yeah, exactly, I want to be safe for work. Basically, yeah, exactly. Erin, thank you so much for a leading us down the path of human design and how it informs coaching. And for those listening, definitely go check out Erin and all the work she's doing. She hosts incredible workshops. We actually have a workshop coming up with second degree society, my other company, but she also hosts things elsewhere. So check out her offerings. And as always, we'll see you the next time. Are you ready to sing with me? Erin Betty, set



coach podcast.



Everyone's like, oh God, here we go. All right, have a great day. Everyone. Bye.