What if transformation didn’t have to be so heavy—and instead could be rooted in softness, story, and sacred silliness?
🛠️ Andrew created the Gentle Change Starter Kit —a step-by-step guide to engaging in activism in a way that feels grounded, clear, and just-right for you. He's offering it free for listeners! Grab it here: practice.andrewglang.com/starterkit
“I genuinely think it's pretty solid stuff!” – Andrew
In this playful and wisdom-filled conversation, I’m joined by Andrew Lang, an educator in the Pacific Northwest and lead facilitator of the Gentle Change Collective. Andrew identifies as a Type 1 on the Enneagram, and in our time together, he offers a heartfelt reflection on how his work with grief, community, and story continues to soften and expand his inner world.
Together, we explore:
🔷 How Andrew engages in grief work and joy work through story and community
🔷 His capacity to hold the both/and: the sacred and the silly, structure and fluidity, and how he relates to the 1 energy and the 7 energy within himself
🔷 Andrew’s experience of the loneliness of being the one who sees what’s wrong—and the importance of recognizing the necessity of relationship in order to make things better
🔷 The countercultural messages Andrew absorbed and how they shaped his self-inquiry and inner practice (including what it means to be a man)
🔷 What the Enneagram literature doesn’t reflect about Ones and the inner critic
🔷 How Andrew’s inner work has influenced his political engagement and the importance of not bypassing the inner or the outer work of transformation
🔷 The role of anger in acting with clarity and focus—and when it isn’t so helpful
🔷 How Andrew has learned to get less hung up on behaviors and look at self and others with soft eyes
…and so much more!
I’m touched by Andrew’s playful essence that reminds us we can be gentle as we take action for meaningful change.
Andrew writes a weekly newsletter offering frameworks and practices to support meaningful, sustainable action. He’s the founder of The Gentle Change Collective, which helps those who are overwhelmed by what’s happening in our world and communities feel emboldened to take the first step, to stick with our changework, and be sustained through practices of resilience that help us embody healing and repair in our communities. You can find his work and offerings at www.AndrewGLang.com
And he wrote a book! Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life is a sweet companion to your inner journey, filled with personal stories, contemplative wisdom, and embodiment practices.
Connect with Andrew:
Instagram: @andrewglang
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Connect with Caryn:
Instagram: @carynberley
Events & Resources: https://www.carynberley.com/links
Here are some reflection questions—I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
How do you engage with grief and joy in your own life? What stories and what relationships have helped you hold both with tenderness?
In what ways do you experience the “both/and” in yourself—structure and fluidity, sacred and silly? What parts of you might be asking for more integration?
How has your inner work informed the way you show up in the world? Are there places where you feel invited to bring more alignment between your inner clarity and outer action?
What’s your relationship with anger? When does it feel like a wise ally and when does it get in the way?
Have you found yourself fixated on behaviors—your own or others’? What might it look like to soften your gaze and see with more curiosity and compassion?
How did this interview deepen your understanding of Type 1 or the 1 in you?
What insights or invitations are stirring in you after listening to this episode?
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