Listen On:
Michael Shahan
- Website: michaelshahan.com
- Instagram:@michaelshahan_therapy
- Email: [email protected]
When Michael Shahan graduated as a licensed therapist in 2017, he didn’t set out to become an expert in the Enneagram. But then a couple he was counseling introduced him to it—and his therapy practice changed forever.
I remember one of them saying, ‘My jaw dropped to the floor. I had no idea that he did this because…’ That moment floored me,” Michael recalls. “The Enneagram was doing my work for me.
Since then, Michael’s mission has been clear: help people move from self-judgment to self-leadership. Through therapy, coaching, and teaching, Michael helps individuals discover kindness and clarity in their inner worlds. And his biggest belief?
The problem is the problem, not you.
In This Conversation, Michael Explores:
👉 Why lasting change starts with awareness, not shame
👉 The powerful moment he realized his life’s calling
👉 How the Enneagram can reveal your hidden patterns—and what to do about them
👉 Why we resist the parts of ourselves that hold the key to transformation
👉 How Internal Family Systems (IFS) can free you from cycles of self-criticism
👉 The courageous act of embracing your fears and reframing anxiety
👉 What Michael means when he says: “When you fully accept who you are, then you can change it”
👉 The deep connection between spirituality, self-awareness, and psychological healing
From Self-Judgment to Self-Leadership
Michael knew from an early age he wanted to help people become the best versions of themselves. But like many, he struggled to find the exact path. Was it pastoral ministry, counseling, or something else entirely?
It was during his first therapy session as a counselor that Michael experienced clarity: “My whole body lit up. There was this white-hot energy in my chest, and I knew—I want to do this for a very long time.”
But even in fulfilling work, Michael admits there were challenges:
I realized I was running from my own fear for a long time,” Michael says. “My patterns worked until they didn’t. That’s when real growth happened.
Facing Fear with Courage and Compassion
Michael teaches people that the parts of ourselves we judge most harshly—our anxiety, shame, fear—are often the very parts that protected us at one time.
We try to ignore these parts of us, but real healing comes from getting curious about them. When we approach our parts with compassion instead of judgment, transformation naturally follows.
Michael practices what he preaches. As a type Six on the Enneagram (initially mistyped as a Nine), he knows firsthand how fear can run the show. Yet his biggest breakthrough came not by eradicating fear, but by accepting it:
Acceptance doesn’t mean resigning to your patterns,” he says. “It means acknowledging fear, thanking it for how it’s protected you, and choosing something different. Only then does fear lose its grip.
Michael’s Key Questions for Personal Growth:
- What patterns are you holding onto that once protected you, but are now holding you back?
- If your strongest reaction to yourself is anything but compassion—why?
- How would your life change if you replaced self-judgment with curiosity?
- What would you do differently if you fully accepted your fears instead of fighting them?
For the Leader Who Wants Freedom and Clarity:
📌 Your struggles aren’t signs of failure. They’re invitations to deeper self-awareness.
📌 You don’t have to stay stuck repeating patterns that no longer serve you.
📌 You don’t have to fight against your inner critics; you can embrace them and transform them.
📌 True flourishing, as Michael discovered, comes from learning to recognize your fears, gently accepting their existence, and courageously moving forward anyway.
Want to Connect with Michael?
If you’re ready to move from judgment to clarity, Michael would love to hear from you.
📱Instagram:@michaelshahan_therapy
🌐 Website: michaelshahan.com
✉️ Email: [email protected]
Explore Michael’s courses and resources to start your own journey toward self-leadership.
Questions worth asking:
- Where in your life do you feel anxiety running the show?
- What if your fear is not something to get rid of—but something to learn from?
- How would compassion toward your inner struggles change your leadership?
- Who could you become if you moved past judgment and embraced curiosity today?
Save Years Of Wandering In The Wilderness
Clarify what your next step with one week of daily journal prompts. It doesn’t have to take seven years—or even seven months. You can figure out what to do without abandoning your faith or sense of purpose.
