Nine Centered: The New School of Human Design Podcast

James and Teresa take a break from the guest series to dig into one of their favorite topics: emotional authority. Both are emotional, both have lived it for years, and this episode reflects that depth.

They cover what it actually means to wait through your wave, what clarity feels like in the body, and why the way emotional authority has been taught in the field leaves a lot out. The conversation moves through the three wave phenomena Ra identified, why none of them are actually part of the decision-making process, what emotional intensity has to do with clarity, and how the mind gets emotionally defined people stuck in ways they often don't recognize.

They also get into what it's like to navigate the world as an emotional person alongside splenic people, what non-emotionals get wrong about emotional maturity, and how somatic awareness changes the whole experience of living with a defined solar plexus.

TOPICS COVERED
Teresa's first introduction to Human Design and why emotional authority landed immediatelyWhat Ra got right and where his teaching stopped shortThe difference between wave phenomena and the actual clarity processWhat emotional clarity feels like somaticallyThe three wave types: spike and lock, crash wave, and ratchet wave, and why none of them are decision-making toolsHow the mind amplifies and distorts the emotional processRaw emotional data vs. feeling as interpretationThe splenic/emotional divide and different relationships to time, depth, and informationCo-regulation, emotional empathy, and when you need a splenic person to cut through the fogIntegrating splenic awareness and emotional authority when you have bothWhat non-emotionals misunderstand about emotional maturity

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
The New School of Human Design on IG // ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/newschoolofhumandesign
James Alexander on IG // ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/james_alexander_coaching
Teresa Brenneman on IG // ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/teresaabrenneman

For the next episode of our series focusing on Type, James sits down with Nils Kunisch, a 3/5 Self-Projected Projector, certified NSHD analyst, and seven-year Human Design experimenter based in Germany. Nils works alongside his partner — a trauma therapist with over 15 years of experience — combining Human Design with somatic practice.

This is a rare and honest look at what the Projector experiment actually feels like from the inside. Nils and James cover self-projected authority and how to somatically tell the difference between the mind speaking and the G-Center, the sternum sensation as an Inner Authority marker, and what recognition really feels like versus being projected onto. Nils shares about Desire motivation and its transference to Innocence, Projector energy and what success actually looks like without motors, the Generator-Projector dynamic from both sides of the aura, and why presence is a Projector's most underestimated gift.

They also get into the no-choice conversation, nervous system work as the real foundation of deconditioning, and the traps that even experienced HD students fall into — including forcing Human Design as an explanatory lens onto everything.

Nils is a certified analyst with the New School of Human Design. To learn more about his work or book a session, visit
his site https://paths.to/nils.kunisch
Follow Nils on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nils.humandesign/

In this episode of the Type series, we explore what actually shifts when you live as a Sacral Generator, moving from mental understanding into embodied response, capacity, and trust in the body.
In this conversation, we're joined by Tegan Parkinson and Carina Dusseldorp and we explore lived changes that emerge when Generators stop forcing, stop future-tripping, and begin honoring their sacral energy in daily life, relationships, work, and parenting.
The shift from over-analyzing Human Design to living strategy and authority

What sacral response actually feels like (and why it’s not always loud or dramatic)

Navigating fear, money pressure, and survival energy as a Generator

Capacity, boundaries, and giving from overflow instead of people-pleasing

Trusting the body over the mind, especially in high-stakes moments

Why simplicity, presence, and patience create sustainable satisfaction

Tegan Parkinson
2/4 Sacral Generator | Cross of the Maya
Tegan shares her grounded, embodied approach to Human Design, shaped by years of self-work around anxiety, presence, and nervous system awareness. Human Design became a validation, not a rulebook, helping her trust not knowing and live in deeper alignment with her sacral response. She also does Akashic Records readings.
🔗 Book with Tegan: https://teganparkinson.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teganparky

Carina Dusseldorp
5/2 Sacral Manifesting Generator | Cross of Industry
Carina brings a deeply somatic and holistic lens, reflecting on growing up misunderstood, learning to trust her defined spleen and ego, and creating freedom through honoring her body’s needs. Her work bridges Human Design, embodiment, and parenting through differentiation.
🔗 Book with Carina: https://newschoolofhumandesign.com/profiles/carina-dusseldorp/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carinadusseldorp/

Follow us on Instagram:
The New School of Human Design on IG // ⁠⁠@newschoolofhumandesign⁠⁠
James Alexander on IG // ⁠⁠@james_alexander_coaching⁠⁠
Teresa Brenneman on IG // ⁠⁠@teresaabrenneman⁠⁠

We're back for Season 2 of Nine Centered to explore how life actually changes through the Human Design experiment and what it's like to live it.
This episode kicks off a four-part series on living your design beyond conceptual Human Design, starting with Generators and Manifesting Generators. In the following episodes, we'll hear from all types and a mix of unique perspectives and voices.
Living your design beyond theory and legacy narratives: what does it tangibly look like?

Observing Human Design from birth as Teresa welcomes her baby boy into the world

Emotional authority before and after Human Design and the reality of the wave

Confidence, the 2/4 profile, and responding to callouts

Letting go of optics and external validation, how relational dynamics have shifted

Fear, the body, and deconditioning the spleen

Chronic health issues as communication from the body

Expansion of the NSHD analyst community and featuring more voices on the podcast

Interested in Analyst Training? Semester 2 begins early March and you can still join. ⁠Apply here!⁠
Book sessions:
⁠Teresa⁠
⁠James⁠
⁠Check out our team of Analysts⁠
Follow us on Instagram:
The New School of Human Design on IG // ⁠⁠⁠@newschoolofhumandesign⁠⁠⁠
James Alexander on IG // ⁠⁠⁠@james_alexander_coaching⁠⁠⁠
Teresa Brenneman on IG // ⁠⁠⁠@teresaabrenneman⁠⁠⁠

Are you over-intellectualizing the Human Design System and approaching it with dogma? In this new podcast episode, we explore our relationship with the mind: how it shapes our sense of self, how we orient to the Human Design system, and how we connect with others. We discuss the pitfalls of mental over-intellectualization in the Human Design field and why embodiment is essential for real transformation. 

What you'll hear about in this episode: 
♦️The Mind and Human Design
The mind can distort truth when it leads our experiment.Dogmatic or black-and-white thinking can turn anything—even Human Design—into a cult-like experience. Embodiment is non-negotiable: without it, the system stays theoretical. 
♦️ Returning to the Body
We share personal experiences of becoming disembodied through spiritual overreach and finding their way back through Human Design and inner authority.True understanding arises from felt experience, not belief systems or external validation. 
♦️ Practicing with Integrity
Observe first, then apply Human Design to what you’ve lived.Avoid mental witch hunts for mechanics; let truth reveal itself.Follow what your inner authority draws you to learn—nothing more.Transits and complex teachings should support awareness, not feed anxiety. 
♦️Relationships Through a Nine-Centered Lens
Relate to others beyond their chart; avoid “guru” or superiority traps."Rules" (like sleeping separately) are experiments, not mandates—follow what actually works for your body and relationship. Love is not something conceptual or even mechanical. Embodiment builds honesty, empathy, and trust. 
♦️Deconditioning, Truth, and Embodiment
The system can either pull you deeper into your mind or anchor you in your body.Real growth comes through grounded awareness—being with your experiences, not bypassing them. Cults keep you mental; embodiment brings you home to yourself. 
♦️Announcements
Teresa will be taking a few months off for maternity leave, but don’t worry—James will be hosting some incredible guests in her absence! You can look forward to hearing from some former NSHD students, offering a range of perspectives and insights. 

Analyst Training Enrollment — Enrollment is still open for the 2025–2026 Analyst Training cohort!
Semester 1 has already begun, but if you’re ready to dive in and can catch up with the recordings, there’s still time to join us on this journey. Enrollment will officially close when Semester 2 begins in March 2026, so there's plenty of time to catch up and still get the live experience.
⁠⁠Apply here!⁠⁠

Book sessions:
⁠Teresa⁠
⁠James⁠
⁠Check out our team of Analysts⁠
Follow us on Instagram:
The New School of Human Design on IG // ⁠⁠⁠@newschoolofhumandesign⁠⁠⁠
James Alexander on IG // ⁠⁠⁠@james_alexander_coaching⁠⁠⁠
Teresa Brenneman on IG // ⁠⁠⁠@teresaabrenneman⁠⁠⁠

Human Design, Deconditioning, Embodiment, Mindfulness, Somatics, Self-Trust, Relationships, Personal Growth, Nine-Centered Being, Inner Authority, Human Design Analyst