Chris Heuertz Apologizes for Sexual and Spiritual Abuse
Nine types, one stained legacy
Daphne Eck (and friends) are 33 women and men who have faced numerous abuses at the hands of Chris Heuertz, author of the book The Enneagram of Belonging. A “gifted and passionate speaker”, he builds connections with young people who want to make a difference in the world, particularly women of color, and then uses that connection to cross his subordinates’ boundaries. Those boundary crossings have ranged from tokenism to making inappropriate comments and contact with his followers. Of course, Heuertz quickly silences any confrontations and leaves the affected person isolated and confused.
Many people, likely including the 33, have left their jobs, friends, and family to learn from Heuertz as a spiritual leader of sorts. This attests to the level of influence that he exerts over his close followers. Unfortunately, Heuertz’s pattern of cycling through manipulative criticism and lavish “reconciliations” has endured since 2009. Heuertz led a nonprofit called Word Made Flesh at the time and was asked to leave in 2012 after behaving in a sexually predatory manner towards multiple women of color.
In his apology, Heuertz addressed his “past failures” by admitting that he had inappropriate relationships with women, but denied that any of his actions were physical in nature except for one “extended embrace”. Because of his repeated abuse, his marriage to his wife, Phileena, suffered. Heuertz wrote that his “mistakes” were not secret and that abusing his followers was “one of the deepest regrets” of his life. He wrote that he was working with a therapist and a “spiritual director/confessor” and “committed to living confessionally”.
Whether or not he will adhere to his promises of “transparency, vulnerability, and accountability” remains to be seen. However, when Brené Brown deleted her podcast with him without any explanation from either of them, that looks like a failure to uphold his promise. I have reached out to Phileena Heuertz for comment and have not heard back.
