On a recent Friday afternoon, I sat sipping a coffee, surrounded by charts detailing the nine “enneagram” personality types, and learning more about myself than I had ever expected to at a Starbucks. Lesley Tracy, a retired consultant who holds a master’s degree in psychology and has devoted much of her time to studying the enneagram model, asked me deep, soul-searching questions over the hum of the Michael Buble background music, in an effort to categorize my personality. I had interviewed her for an hour the previous week, and sat nervously in my chair.
The enneagram is a set of nine personality types. Its structure resembles a nine-pointed star, one point for each personality type. Each person has a basic personality type, even though we often see bits of ourselves in each type. They are labeled 1-9, each having their own strengths, weaknesses, drivers and fears. These types are usually forged during childhood.
“Its really what motivates you. They say it’s a combination of genetics and parenting,” explained Tracy. “And parents are great, but none of them are ever perfect, and everyone has needs that don’t typically always get met.”
Tracy first discovered the enneagram during the 90s after a friend introduced her to the concept.
“I still remember my first reaction was, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m that type,’” said Tracy. “And that is what happens, sometimes there’s a real rejection of the type, because you see the weaknesses, and you start to see the parts of yourself you don’t really want to see. But I got really intrigued with it, and I started to study it on my own.”
Tracy began referring to enneagram concepts in her consulting work, where she helped client teams work with each other more effectively. She tested everyone’s type, so they could understand their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as their co-workers, and form a more effective and understanding team. She immediately saw a positive effect.
“It was pretty amazing to see how well everybody integrated,” said Tracy.
Tracy grew up on Long Island, and spent most of her career in Washington D.C. as a consultant, before retiring in Marblehead 25 years ago. For the last five years, she has studied the enneagram and its benefits, and now plans to share her knowledge with others. On her website, changingbehaviorsconsluting.com, Tracy offers consulting services for organizations to help navigate generational gaps, and use the enneagrams to build effective teams. She was a panelist at the Embrace and Elevate North Shore Conference for Women last May, and at the EnneaSummit in October 2025.
Some experts point to limited evidence that the enneagram is an accurate psychological tool. Even Tracy says that it’s not an “exact science.” However, several studies show that it is on-par with other widely popular personality tests, and a useful tool for personal and spiritual growth. According to Tracy, they can be used “anywhere you have relationships. You’re trying to make people function together. It’s an effective way to really start to see who you are.”
As Tracy expounded on my personality type, the experience was slightly jarring, just as she warned me. As I eyed the cake-pops behind the counter, Tracy told me that I was driven mainly by external rewards. The enneagram test she administered told me I was a type 3, which sometimes dwells too much on a desire for success and fear of failure. (So feel free to give me some positive feedback on this article). I felt a little rattled as I left, but Tracy had given me a little bit of an out; she explained that the enneagram model is meant to help us with personal growth and allow us to mitigate the negative aspects of ourselves.
“They help us understand our weaknesses and our strengths,” said Tracy. “Typically, we know a lot about them, but we may start seeing them differently.”
