Dear IEA Community,

The world is heavy right now.


As we witness tragedy unfolding in communities across the globe, some of us from a distance, and many of our members, affiliates, and their families from the painful center of it, the IEA Global Board wants you to know: we see it; we feel it; and we are not untouched by it.


To every member navigating difficulty, uncertainty, or grief in this season, we acknowledge you. You are not invisible to this community.


In times like these, it would be easy to question the relevance of the work we do. I want to speak directly to that. The Enneagram is just as, if not more, essential in moments of difficulty and hardship as it is in seasons of growth and possibility. The inner work we practice, understanding ourselves, transforming our patterns, deepening our awareness, becomes more essential, not less, when the world is in pain. This work builds better individuals. Better individuals build better organizations and communities. Better organizations and communities influence better decisions. And better decisions, made by more self-aware people, shape a better world.


Each one of us holds that thread.


You may not sit in a seat of political power, but you sit in a seat of influence - with a client, a colleague, a family member, a room. That matters more than we sometimes realize.

So I want to encourage you: go deeper. Let difficulty be an invitation to do more inner work, not less. Let uncertainty remind you why this community exists.

One of the great gifts of the IEA is that we are not alone. We are a global family, spanning cultures, languages, time zones, and traditions, united by a shared belief that awareness changes everything. When times are hard, we lean on one another for support.

To our members, our affiliates, our schools, our training programs, and our accredited professionals around the world, I encourage you to check on one another. Reach out. Show up. Let this community be what it was always meant to be: a place of support, growth, and genuine human care.

Even now, in the midst of all that feels heavy, light still exists. Do not forget to find it. Gratitude is still alive. Joy is still possible. And beauty, even in difficulty, has not left us.

We do this work because the world needs it. NOW more than ever.

With warmth and solidarity,

Milton C. Stewart, MBA

President, International Enneagram Association