Some rabbit holes are deeper than others, and as Fives we often fall in headfirst.

In this episode, we explore the obsessive way Fives pursue information: how it starts, what fuels it, and what happens when it spirals out of control. We share personal stories of late-night research binges, conspiracy rabbit holes, and the paradox of being both empowered and paralyzed by too much knowledge. We also look at what pulls us out—how connection, embodiment, and purpose help break the loop.

IN THIS EPISODE:

🔹 Obsession as a Coping Mechanism – How fear, curiosity, or meaning-seeking can launch Fives into obsessive research.
🔹 Personal Rabbit Holes – From sharks and UFOs to ancient civilizations and gorilla sexuality, we share some of our most intense information obsessions.
🔹 Productivity vs. Paralysis – When does research become a tool for action—and when is it just a distraction?
🔹 The Cost of Obsession – How our informational fixations can isolate us, disrupt relationships, and interfere with real life.
🔹 Recovery Tactics – What helps us stop the spiral: embodiment, social anchors, and learning to trust gut feelings.
🔹 Using Our Powers for Good – The surprising ways our research has helped others and even landed us jobs.
🔹 Knowing When to Stop – Why learning to pause is just as important as learning to dig deep.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

📩 Join the weekly newsletter: enneagramfive.com/newsletter
💬 Join the community: enneagramfive.com/community
🗒️ Full transcript and show notes: enneagramfive.com/48

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

📢 What’s your favorite informational rabbit hole you’ve gone down? Did it help or hurt? Share your story in the community!

The Newsletter Built for Fives

🔹 Get weekly insights tailored for your overactive mind.
🔹 Practical strategies to stop overthinking and start engaging.
🔹 Growth, connection, and energy management—without the fluff.

👉 Sign up free at enneagramfive.com/newsletter.

***

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE:

➡️ #27: Subtypes

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CONNECT:

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SAY THANKS:

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We Fives often pride ourselves on intellect, but emotional intelligence is a whole different skill set.

In this episode, Sam E. Greenberg, PhD. joins us to explore what emotional intelligence actually means, why it's challenging for Fives, and how our relationships have pushed us to grow. We share real-life stories about misreading emotions, struggling to stay in our bodies, and the surprising benefits we've discovered from learning to feel more deeply.

We also dig into the shadow side of emotional intelligence, the ways different types approach emotions, and practical advice for Fives who want to build this vital skill.

IN THIS EPISODE:

🔹 Defining Emotional Intelligence – What it really means and why it's not just about understanding feelings intellectually.
🔹 Relationships as Teachers – How close relationships with Fours, Twos, and Sixes have accelerated our emotional growth (sometimes painfully).
🔹 Emotional Blind Spots – Real stories about misreading cues, confusing neutrality with happiness, and accidentally sending the wrong signals.
🔹 Building Emotional Intelligence – Why somatic work, creativity, and tolerating discomfort are critical for Fives—and what’s helped us the most.
🔹 Emotional Manipulation – How emotionally intelligent people can sometimes use their skills for manipulation, and how to spot it.
🔹 Moving from Intellectualizing to Feeling – Why staying in our bodies instead of our heads opens a deeper, richer emotional world.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

📩 Join the weekly newsletter: enneagramfive.com/newsletter
💬 Join the community: enneagramfive.com/community
🗒️ Full transcript and show notes: enneagramfive.com/47

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

📢 How has emotional intelligence shown up in your life as a Five? Have you found ways to grow it? Share your stories in the community!

The Newsletter Built for Fives

🔹 Get weekly insights tailored for your overactive mind.
🔹 Practical strategies to stop overthinking and start engaging.
🔹 Growth, connection, and energy management—without the fluff.

👉 Sign up free at enneagramfive.com/newsletter.

***

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE:

➡️ #27: Subtypes

***

CONNECT:

📷 Connect on Instagram
🧵 Connect on Threads
💼 Connect on LinkedIn
📹 Subscribe on YouTube

***

SAY THANKS:

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
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Fives often feel like outsiders, but what if the group we’ve always longed for already exists?

In this episode, we invite two longtime friends to join us for a candid conversation about what it’s really like to be friends with a Five. From hilarious stories to hard truths, we explore the highs and lows of maintaining deep, long-term friendships—especially when you tend to live in your head.

We reflect on shared histories, missed connections, and the emotional work required to sustain meaningful relationships over time. If you've ever struggled with investing in friendships, drifting apart from people you care about, or wondering whether you're too much (or not enough), this one is for you.

IN THIS EPISODE:

🔹 Friendship from the Outside In — What it’s like to be friends with a Five, from the perspective of a Seven and a Two.
🔹 Drifting, Reconnecting, and Reconstructing — Why friendships with Fives often fade and rekindle, and what holds them together long-term.
🔹 Anxiety, Energy, and Avoidance — How social anxiety, overthinking, and energy management affect how Fives show up in friendships.
🔹 From Judgement to Acceptance — How shared religious backgrounds shaped our self-righteousness, shame, and eventual emotional growth.
🔹 The Power of Being Seen — Why honest feedback from close friends is vital—and how it can transform your relationship with yourself.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

📩 Join the weekly newsletter: enneagramfive.com/newsletter
💬 Join the community: enneagramfive.com/community
🗒️ Full transcript and show notes: enneagramfive.com/46

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

📣 What has your experience been like maintaining friendships as a Five? Do you relate to the cycles of connection and withdrawal we talked about? Share your story in the community!

The Newsletter Built for Fives

🔹 Get weekly insights tailored for your overactive mind.
🔹 Practical strategies to stop overthinking and start engaging.
🔹 Growth, connection, and energy management—without the fluff.

👉 Sign up free at enneagramfive.com/newsletter.

***

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE:

➡️ #27: Subtypes

***

CONNECT:

📷 Connect on Instagram
🧵 Connect on Threads
💼 Connect on LinkedIn
📹 Subscribe on YouTube

***

SAY THANKS:

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify