The Rules Beneath the Rules | The Diplomat and the Navigating One

In this episode of The Enneagram in a Movie podcast, Mario Sikora, TJ Dawe and TJ Ingrassia talk about The Diplomat's Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) as a Navigating One, focusing on the first season. They explore how Kate's relentless drive to identify problems and fix them operates within a highly navigating world of protocols, unspoken rules and relational chess moves. Kate appears controlled and confident, but underneath sits self-doubt rooted in her sky-high standards. The hosts also examine her complex marriage to Hal (played by Rufus Sewell) and why the entire diplomatic world is essentially a Navigating One ecosystem.

“We tend to think that Ones are always squared away, and always polished and very presnicky about this or about that, but she’s not. And it’s because not all Ones are, particularly the Navigating Ones. They’re striving to feel perfect about very specific things, and it may not be the things you think they should think they’re perfect about.” - Mario [16:42]

“I felt like the show was a great example of why Navigating is such the best word to describe this instinctual bias and not social.” - TJ Ingrassia [24:49]

“So she can play the game as needed. It’s not her natural thing, but she can do it, and she does it well.” - TJ Dawe [29:44]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:02] Intro

[03:41] About this week’s series

[05:35] Hosts’ reactions

[09:32] Kate as a Type One

[18:06] Kate’s got a temper

[22:37] The world of diplomacy is Navigating One

[28:54] The Zone of Inner Conflict

[32:53] Indirect communication and optics

[37:42] Connections and alliances

[42:20] Kate as a Navigating One