Susan the Parent
Susan is a mother of three sons, and her personal growth journey deeply informs her parenting. She and her husband have used the Enneagram to foster self-awareness and emotional intelligence in their family. Today, their children are also using the Enneagram as a lens for understanding themselves and navigating life with empathy and clarity. Susan’s parenting reflects EPP’s core belief: when we understand ourselves, we can break generational cycles and lead lives of greater intention.
The Spark That Became a Movement
Susan’s first experiences teaching the Enneagram in prison unlocked a truth that changed everything — healing is possible, even behind bars.
2012:
First Prison Circle
Susan leads her first Enneagram group with incarcerated men, sparking powerful emotional breakthroughs.
The
Realization
Prisoners aren’t broken — they’re deeply human. With the right tools, they can reconnect to their worth and potential.
EPP
Takes Root
From one circle to a global mission. EPP now delivers trauma-informed programs across prisons, schools, and communities worldwide.
Meet Susan Olesek
Born outside of Boston and raised in Asia, Susan had an early curiosity about human nature. After studying sociology at Occidental College and exploring the field of therapy in Hong Kong and Mumbai, she found herself drawn to the Enneagram—a powerful tool for inner work. Her transformational journey began while working with incarcerated individuals. She witnessed how deeply the Enneagram could shift one’s self-perception, even in the most restricted environments. These experiences reshaped Susan’s understanding of human potential, justice, and healing.
We cannot change what we cannot see. We must be willing to take a look at what is actually going on. On the inside of jails and prisons. On the inside of family systems. And inside of ourselves.
Founder, Susan Olesek
Validating the innocent worth of a person is absolutely the starting point of a transformative conversation—no matter on which side of the prison wall you happen to stand.
Founder, Susan Olesek
