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Running Ahrens

One Couple. Two People. Four Kids. And decades of figuring it out—together.

Running Ahrens is a podcast about the long game of marriage, parenting, business, and personal growth. Hosted by Justin and Sarah Ahrens, a couple married for over 30 years with four kids and decades of entrepreneurial experience, this show is about the lessons learned through successes, failures, and everything in between.

With a focus on mindset, honesty, accountability, and kindness, Justin and Sarah dive into real conversations about building a family, running businesses, navigating faith, friendships, and growing through the hard stuff. Still learning, still laughing, still running together, they share what they’ve figured out (and what they haven’t) with humor, humility, and heart.

Along the way, they’re joined by friends, guests, and even their kids for open, often funny, and always heartfelt conversations about what really matters: relationships, resilience, and the lessons that come with time. You’ll also hear about the books, tools, and resources that have helped them along the way, so you can take what resonates and apply it to your own life.

If you’re looking for honest stories, practical wisdom, and a reminder that no one’s running this race perfectly, you’re in the right place.

All Episodes

Running Ahrens

The Enneagram in Real Life: Marriage, Parenting, and Work

November 03, 2025 • Season 1 • Episode 18

Self-awareness only matters if it changes how we show up.
That’s what this conversation is about.

In part two of our Enneagram series, we sit back down with Michael Burditt Norton, a certified Enneagram teacher and conscious leadership coach, to explore what happens when understanding becomes practice.

How does awareness change the way we love, lead, parent, and connect?
How do we use the Enneagram as a guide without turning it into a label or a weapon?
And what does it look like to live more awake in our relationships, our work, and ourselves?

Michael helps us take the Enneagram off the page and into real life, offering practical wisdom for couples, families, and teams who want to grow with more empathy, honesty, and presence.

Takeaways & Talking Points

Awareness in Action How understanding your patterns leads to compassion and better communication at home and work.

Love and Leadership Why the same tools that deepen marriage can strengthen teams and friendships.

Parenting with Perspective Seeing your kids’ worldviews without trying to fix them, and finding grace for your own.

Emotional Intelligence at Work How conscious leadership and the Enneagram help build trust, curiosity, and courage in teams.

Staying Human Why emotional connection is our greatest strength in an age of artificial intelligence.

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)

Awareness is only useful when it changes behavior.
You can’t lead others if you won’t look at yourself.
Curiosity is stronger than control.
Presence turns conflict into connection.
Every relationship gets better with compassion.

Stats Worth Knowing

Leaders with high emotional intelligence outperform others by up to 30%.
Self-aware teams report higher trust and collaboration.
Strong relationships are built on understanding differences, not eliminating them.

The Enneagram isn’t about who you are, it’s about how you see.
When you learn to see yourself clearly, you make space for everyone else to be seen too.

Thanks for listening,
Justin & Sarah

PS: The conversation doesn’t stop here. Visit the Running Ahrens AI Hub to explore our custom AI tools, including EnneaQuest—your guided Enneagram companion.

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