Building your business using your human design centers

In this episode, I'm going to be sharing all about how to use your human design centers, and specifically your undefined centers, to grow as a business owner and entrepreneur. So let's dive in.

For anyone who's been studying human design for a while, you will know that there is nothing more fundamental, yet at the same time, complex as your human design centers. While understanding my human design type was what drew me into the human design, once I started understanding the centers and my activations within the centers, that is when I felt like I had truly started to sink my teeth into the human design and understand myself much more deeply.

It has nine different centers, and each center represents your relationship with a certain aspect of yourself, or, in the case of today's podcast episode, your business.

Your centers can be defined, undefined, or open and this definition gives you direction about how to navigate this relationship for yourself and as the owner and primary energy behind your business.

Defined Center

When a center is defined, you & your internal process set the tone for the relationship in your immediate environment. Your process is maybe more fixated, stable, or consistent.

Undefined Center

When a center is undefined, your immediate environment sets the tone for that relationship which means you will likely experience that thing in a variety of ways. Your process may be inconsistent and dependent on your surroundings. But you also get to experience the full spectrum of processes & experiences which makes you WISE, expanding your perspective and giving you a reservoir of experiences to synthesize & pull from depending on the situation.

Open Center

When a center is open, you will experience that relationship similar to an undefined center but the impact of your environment is amplified because as an open center, there are no activated gates to anchor down your perception of all these experiences.

Whether you are defined, undefined, or open, you need to remember that you are intentionally designed this way, and regardless of your design and how you perceive it, the sooner you embrace your design and what comes with it, the sooner you can start realizing the inherent strengths that come with it.

So let’s just get into it and you might even want to pause for a second and pull up your human design chart to follow along.

Your Head Center, Inspiration, and Ideas

It represents your relationship to inspiration & ideas. It is a pressure center which means through your head center you can often experience the pressure to mentally figure out all the questions.

I have a great 6-episode podcast series on this called the Pressurized Soulpreneur that you can check out starting at episode #46 - How your Human Design Pressure Centers Impact your Business

The Podcast series is 6 episodes long and is all about the human design pressure centers as an entrepreneur.

Defined Head Center

When you have your head center defined, your source of inspiration and your source of ideas come internally, and sometimes you might hold yourself back and even stop.

Do you think your thoughts and questions are too much for those around you? You're asking too many questions, and your idea is that you have too many ideas because you probably get a lot of ideas consistently.

Undefined Head Center

If you have an undefined center or an open head center, there are some cool strengths that come along with it. You can use your strengths to adapt to different environments and different people inspire you and generate ideas for you in unexpected ways.

So if you're feeling stagnant, at a loss for ideas, or lacking inspiration, you can just put yourself in a new environment, and you will probably notice a difference.

There are a couple of potential pitfalls to be aware of as an undefined head center:

The first is feeling like you aren't enough as a human or as a person unless a fountain of ideas and inspiration is flowing for you. It's also really easy to get caught up in this cycle of idea overload and not be discerning about what actions you want to take and what ideas you want to take action on.

These irrelevant rabbit holes—or perhaps they are relevant—can get you lost in the weeds and make you ask a lot of questions, which inevitably becomes a procrastination tactic.

I have an open head center, so it is very easy for me to go down those rabbit holes where I'm just asking myself a lot of questions or everything I learn opens up a slew of new questions. I'll let myself go down those rabbit holes, diverting my time and energy away from doing things that will move the needle in my business.

Your Root Center, Time, Evolution, and Personal Growth

Your root center represents your relationship to time, evolution, and personal growth. It is also a pressure center and a motor center which means through your root center you can often experience the pressure to take action and do what it takes to move things forward.

I also talk about this center a lot in the Pressurized Soulpreneur series that you can check out starting at episode #46 - How your Human Design Pressure Centers Impact your Business I wanted to mention it again because it was a fantastic podcast series.

Defined Root Center

When it's defined, you have that constant drive to grow and evolve. You want to make sure that you are following your signs—the signs or your intuition telling you to slow down and rest— and reassure yourself that what you are doing is correct, just as someone with a defined root center would.

You want to make sure that you are using your time efficiently and productively to get things done because the root center is all about that relationship with time, so you want to make sure that you are using your time wisely to grow, evolve, grow your business, etc.

As a defined root center, you also trigger action-taking & desire for personal growth in others just through your presence. I personally have a defined root center, and I know that when I'm in the presence of others, I often know what causes them to act in the way that I do. I spark people into action and get them motivated about taking action.

It's a blessing, but it can also be a curse in some ways, right? As a result, people who are in your surroundings also feel the pressure of a deadline much more strongly.

Undefined/ Open Root Center

When you have that undefined root center, you naturally sense and understand the importance of cycles, particularly rest cycles, when you listen to your own body and pay attention to its cycles.

You're less prone to burnout and overdoing it, as long as you listen to your body. A healthy, undefined root system is here to counterbalance this hustle culture that a lot of us have become accustomed to or grew up in. However, for an undefined root center, there are some potential pitfalls.

The biggest potential pitfall is facing undefined or open root centers are impending deadlines or forced timelines from people around you or the environment around you. It can take a toll on you.

So ask yourself if the time pressure that you're feeling is necessary and self-imposed or if you're being influenced by someone or something other than yourself.

Is it a real deadline, a rumored deadline, or are you being influenced by someone who knows what it is and makes it their agenda is to meet that deadline. It's really important to discern where you're feeling that time pressure from so you can understand if you need to heed that pressure or not.

Your Ajna Center, Your Beliefs, Perspectives, and Systems

Now we're moving from the pressure centers into the awareness centers. Your Ajna Center, which is just underneath your head center at the top, towards the top of your chart, is your mental awareness.

This Ajna Center represents your relationship to beliefs, perspectives, systems, and thought processes, which is directly related to your ability to lead your business and to demonstrate thought leadership in your business and your industry.

Defined Ajna Center

When you have your Ajna Center defined, you have a very specific way that you take in and processing information. You can strategically add pieces to the pool of evidence in support of your own beliefs and perspectives that you then share with the world.

You have a specific way to take in and process information, strategically adding pieces to the pool of evidence in support of your beliefs & perspectives that you share. It might be so natural to you that you don’t even know that it’s your strength of yours.

As a systems & process person, you might feel like too much when it comes to how you structure & simplify your body of knowledge & observations because it can also take a lot of evidence for you to change your beliefs & perspectives

Undefined/Open Ajna Center

You can use your experiences and that open-mindedness to see the system and process gaps, and you can also see how to improve them. You can think outside the box.

You can see & understand all perspectives & beliefs which makes you a great negotiator or mediator. Using your experiences & open mind, you can see system & process gaps & how to improve them & you are quick to see the silver lining.

As an open or undefined Ajna Center, there are some potential pitfalls to be aware of.

It’s easy to feel like you aren’t enough because your views & beliefs change regularly or you introduce different perspectives that shake up the status quo.

You might also feel less than because your thoughts might be all over the place or unstructured & you are envious of people who can be more concise & structured than you. It's important not to judge yourself because your ideas will shift and change depending on the environment that you are in.

Your Splenic Center, Wellness, Physical Intuition, and Health

Your splenic center is part of your physical awareness and represents your relationship to your physical body, health, and wellness which is directly connected to your sustainability as an entrepreneur.

Defined Splenic Center

You have a great sense of what is healthy for you, what is good for you, and what is not.

You also have a very solid connection to what your body is sensing and communicating to you in terms of intuition. So much so that you might feel like you might be out of your mind, or too much when people don’t click or connect with what you know to be true.

There's an intuitiveness to you that people might not get, so you might feel like you're too much for them in those ways,

Undefined/ Open Splenic Center

When your splenic center is undefined or open, you are great at sensing what is good or healthy for others which makes you a great coach because you can guide them to find a healthy balance.

You can observe how others help or hinder themselves, their health, and their sustainability, and pick up what you need and leave what doesn’t fit or work for you. Your wellness practices are always evolving and getting better if you leave your splenic center undefined.

So there are some potential pitfalls for an undefined splenic center:

It might be hard for you to discern what physical signals or signs you're experiencing and where they're coming from—if they're coming from within, if they're coming from your environment, or if they're coming from the people in your environment.

Your intuition might feel a little cloudy or confusing at first until you learn how to decipher it, and you might feel ashamed or less than because you don't have that mind-body connection locked down right away like others seem to have.

Others might seem more sensitive to the nuances of their bodies, but you, as someone whose center is undefined, are more in tune with the nuances of your environment and the people around you. If you pay attention to everything, right?

Your Solar Plexus Center, Emotional Intelligence, and Feelings

Solar Plexus Center is both an awareness center and a motor center. It is your emotional center and your relationship to your emotional awareness.

It represents your relationship to your emotions, your feelings, and your connection to something greater than yourself, your spirituality, which helps you connect to your audience.

Defined Solar Plexus Center

It helps you understand wants, needs, and desires very deeply, for yourself and others, so you can better serve your audience and community. You have a very recognizable pattern for experiencing and processing your emotions. And your emotions set the tone for every room that you're in, so what is the tone that you want to set?

It's really up to you to decide being aware of the tone you bring into any room you enter helps others connect to their own emotions and put them into words, so you might want to do the same.

You might hold back your emotions or feel like your emotions are too much if you have the center defined, but the truth is that other people who have the center undefined are reliant on you to help them feel the emotions that they need to feel in that moment.

Undefined/ Open Solar Plexus Center

When you have the emotional solar plexus undefined or open, one of the biggest strengths that you have is that you're very empathic, and you can quickly tap into the emotions that others around you are feeling.

You know what others are going through without outside influence, you are very emotionally grounded and others come to you when they’re seeking emotional stability.

When you have an undefined or open center there are some pitfalls also:

With that emotional stability, you might also feel less than or “broken” because you might be emotionless in situations where others are experiencing big, strong emotions.

Your emotions are influenced significantly by those around you so when you do experience strong emotions it might catch you by surprise & leave you questioning how to deal with it.

Your Heart or Ego Center, Desire, and Commitment

This represents your relationship to your desires, commitment, and your willpower.

In business, this represents your vision, your goals, and doing what it takes to get there.

Defined Heart Center or Ego Center

You have a solid connection with your desires and you help others connect to theirs. You can get laser-focused on what you want and know what it’s going to take for you to get it.

It’s easy for you to commit to what you believe in, although it sometimes puzzles you why others can’t follow through on their commitments in the same way you can.

You are great about helping others connect to their motivation to take action towards their goals. But at the same time remember that not everyone is meant to be as committed or consistent as you.

Undefined/Open Heart center or Ego center

Not everyone is meant to be as committed or consistent as you are when you have your center undefined or open. One of your most beautiful strengths is that you can create a vision for what you want and your desires can and will grow & evolve with you.

You aren’t meant to be consistent in the sense that you will have roughly the same time and energy every day to devote to something. But when you are motivated and feel the urge you can get a lot done in a short amount of time. On the flip side, allow yourself to rest when the desire & motivation do not there know that those times balance each other out.

That's truly when you're going to hit your stride: noticing when you feel that motivation and that consistent energy and taking advantage of it, while also allowing yourself to rest

When you don't, you’ll see some potential pitfalls of this undefined or open center:

If you’re forcing yourself to be consistent and to keep pushing ahead when the motivation is not there is a recipe for burnout and you’re Not-Self.

Or if there’s a lot of shame in being inconsistent or falling through on commitments you made. But remember you are not designed to be that way.

Your Sacral Center, Creation, and Life Force

The final motor center, your sacral center represents your relationship to aliveness, energy, creativity, and in some ways to receptivity.

These are each a vital force of nature in entrepreneurship because that lust for life is essential in building a business that is sustainable and can stand on its own, that is unique & stands out in a crowded marketplace.

Defined Sacral Center

You have unlimited access to creativity and the drive to bring your ideas & inspiration to life and a defined sacral center can build, particularly when it’s something you are truly excited about.

You inspire others by doing things that truly light you up, things that you could get lost in for hours on end, and when you're in that state, you inspire others. There are sparks, like sparks or lines of magnetism.

That is unmistakable to you, but when you get caught up in building things that aren't truly interesting to you, it truly feels like it's going to suck the life force energy out of you.

Undefined/Open Sacral Center

When you have your sacral center undefined or open, your strengths are that you can get swept up in the moment when you are around others who have that sacral center defined. But you can also then step away, reflect, and make adjustments as needed.

You're more able to recognize the ebb and flow of life and aliveness, and you're more sensitive to when the energy and creativity are flowing and when they aren't.

When you can work around that, that's when your magic can happen because you can see, observe, and appreciate the magic in the world around you and the unique way that you work within this energy.

Potential pitfalls for someone with an undefined or open sacral center are:

Overworking and trying to keep up with people who have that defined sacral center or trying to force your level of output when the energy just isn’t there
This can leave you feeling less than others because you don’t necessarily have access to that sparkly magnetism all the time (it’s ok if you don’t!)

Your G Center, Direction, and Self-Love

Next is your Identity center, your G center represents your relationship to your direction in life, your self-love, and your identity.

From a business perspective, this is the heart and the center of the CEO’s role in business - to guide, nurture, and be clear on the direction of the business & its values

Defined G Center

When you have your G Center defined, there's a sense of certainty about who you are and where you're going. Yes, that may pivot or change course, but innately, you know the trajectory that you're on; you're born with an innate level of self-love and worthiness.

You know who you are and the work that you're putting into the world, and you know how it serves your greater vision for yourself, but you might question yourself a lot because of your certainty, your clarity, and your self-belief.

Undefined/ Open G Center

If you have the G Center undefined or open, your strength truly lies in your ability to try things on for size and see if they're a fit. And when I say that, I'm talking about your identity, your circle of friends, your career, and everything else you can.

Try it on and see if it feels good; maybe it does, and then you can step out of it or grow out of it when you need a change of pace or a jumpstart. It can be just as simple as changing your environment by changing the people you're surrounded with or your location. If you need to shake things up, maybe try something new and see if it fits. If it does, great; if it doesn't, it doesn't, and it's all good.

The strength of the undefined G Center is really about the ability to hold many different and sometimes competing identities, interests, and passions and to be able to move between them seamlessly. It's another heart with an undefined G center. It's a hard thing to accept. But now that I've come along on my journey of embracing it and accepting it, I love this aspect of myself, this undefined G center.

However, there are some potential pitfalls also:

Generally feeling unworthy & less than others because who you are and what you want in life, and how you get it is constantly shifting

Or possibly holding onto identities, environments, or beliefs that don’t serve you any longer because it’s what you know. It’s what’s safe & secure.

Your Throat Center, Manifestation, and Self-Expression

Last but not least is your manifestation center, which is your throat center, and it represents your relationship to creativity and self-expression and bringing ideas to life in business.

Defined Throat Center

When you have defined their throat center, this is where the rubber meets the road and what distinguishes you as a business owner from the other dreamers or people who are simply not ready to create or take action.

You have a consistent way you process & expressing what’s inside you, and depending on the channel or channels that define your throat, what flavor that expression takes and you always have access to your voice and you say what you mean & you mean what you say. You help others speak up for themselves and process what’s within so that it can be expressed and can come out.

Undefined/Open Throat Center

If you have an undefined or open throat center, your strengths are that you truly speak for those around you, and very often you say what everyone is thinking or feeling without saying it out loud. You're the one who says the unsaid, which brings light to the elephant in the room, so to speak.

Your voice initiates change, and it initiates action because you move energy with your voice through those places of friction, and especially when you're recognized or called upon to use your voice, people listen.

You might feel like people don't hear you or don't recognize you, but when people do recognize you and you do speak, it moves the room.

Your words have a very deep wisdom that wakes people up and changes how they do things.

But there are some potential pitfalls of that open or undefined throat center:

Being self-conscious because you don’t always have control over what you say and how it comes out

You might also feel like you don’t always have access to your voice, can’t put words to what you want to say, or don’t feel like you can clearly articulate what’s on your mind or in your body. You might even feel unseen or overlooked.

As an entrepreneur, there can be a lot of shame in this, and many undefined throats feel overlooked or unrecognized.

I hope this has been helpful and insightful for you and that you begin embracing the gifts of all your centers but especially your undefined ones. Bookmark this episode to come back to again and again as you continue your human design experiment.