Stephen J. Costello, PhD

Philosopher, Psychoanalyst, Enneagram Coach, Corporate Consultant, Author, Founder of the Viktor Frankl Institute of Ireland

Promoting personality development, perspective, and purpose in work and life through the Enneagram, practical philosophy, and contemporary psychology.

Knowing who you are changes everything.

We are at our best when we are aligned less with our ego and more with our essence.

Insights are drawn from

The Enneagram, with its focus on motivation.

The Enneagram is a personality profiling system which shows how our unconscious motivations determine our behaviour.

‘I believe it [the Enneagram] is truly the MOST PROFOUND tool I’ve ever come across in my 50+ years as a doctor, therapist, professor, teacher, and author’, Dr David N. Daniels, M.D. (formerly Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford Medical School).

Viktor Frankl’s school of psychology, with its emphasis on meaning.

Logotherapy points the way to wholeness and highlights the importance of attitude (mindset).

‘Like iron filings in a magnetic field, man’s life is brought in order through his orientation toward meaning’, Viktor Frankl (Austrian psychiatrist and philosopher).

Stoicism, with its concentration on the mind.

Philosophy in Graeco-Roman times was a way of life offering practical remedies through a series of existential exercises. The aim was to form more than inform – to transform.

‘The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts’, Marcus Aurelius (Stoic Emperor and philosopher)

 

Taken together, these three interrelated sources offer a wealth of wisdom to individuals and organisations, powerful tools and technologies for transformative change.

Formula for Flourishing

We are much more than our ego-personality, which holds us hostage, keeping us in a trap/trance. When we shift gears from the ego (the acquired or false self) to the authentic, true Self, we become happier and more effective. This new alignment is what empowers, enhances, and enables us to excel at everything we do.

Four things are necessary:

Discovery

Deploying our gifts, talents, skills, and interests

Detachment

Distancing from our ego-agendas and other peoples’ expectations.

Discernment

Determining what brings out the best in us.

Direction

Devising an action-plan to move forward.

This work is carried out through a SOAR perspective, the objectives of which are to:

S

See yourself clearly, including your shadow-side (perception & knowledge).

O

Order your life according to goal setting (integration & momentum).

A

Awaken to your possibilities and the meaning of the moment (depth & creativity).

R

Rewrite your future/story (imagination & renewal).

Thus, concentrating on:

Strengths

Opportunities

Aspirations

Results

In this process, engaging with the Five As is essential:

Awareness: self-observation and understanding, grounded in the present.

Acceptance: facing challenges rather than fighting or fleeing them.

Appreciation: gratitude for what one has and is.

Action: resolute decisiveness.

Adherence: commitment to the practice.

Free Resource

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What People Say About Me

Client Testimonials

"Stephen approaches his work with great flexibility and enthusiasm. Feedback from SAP Ireland attendees was 100% positive where all recommended that workshops should be extended. Stephen’s relaxed style and extensive knowledge additionally helped people engage with the topic."
Kevin Conroy
"A very positive, confirming, and motivational session with Dr Stephen Costello. The storytelling parts especially made an impact. This was outstanding!"
Nadine Stille
“Thank you for organizing the ‘Meaning in work’ training. It was very interesting, and I found the training useful for the job. Dr Costello explained the topic really well and shared several practical examples that were easy to relate to."
Hanna-Kaisa Himanen
"I really enjoyed it and would happily have sat there for the rest of the day!! I think that our engineers would really benefit from a half-day workshop on this topic, especially under an Employee Engagement aspect. I’d be more than happy to get involved in this, if this would be a possibility. This has been one of the most influential learning experiences I’ve had so far."
Agnes Eising
"I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dr. Stephen’s a wonderful speaker and the session was very thought-provoking. I definitely think there is a place for this kind of session to be offered regularly."
Susan Byrne