Living as a 1/3 Emotional Manifestor and Entrepreneur: A Deep Dive Into My Human Design Chart
If you’ve ever looked at your Human Design chart and thought, Okay… but what do I actually do with this in real life? This post is for you.
In this episode of Under the Surface, I read my own Human Design chart as if I were a client: looking at my type, strategy, authority, centers, channels, profile, and incarnation cross through the lens of lived experience and entrepreneurship.
I’ve been studying, practicing, and teaching Human Design for over six years now, and this system has completely reshaped how I understand my energy, my work, and my business. My hope is that by walking you through my chart, you’ll see yourself more clearly in yours, and feel permission to build a life and business that actually fit you.
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My Human Design at a Glance
Here’s the quick overview of my chart:
Type: Manifestor
Strategy: Inform & initiate
Authority: Emotional (Solar Plexus)
Profile: 1/3 (Investigator / Martyr)
Incarnation Cross: Right Angle Cross of Explanation
Defined Centers: Emotional Solar Plexus, Heart/Ego, Spleen, Ajna, Throat
Undefined Centers: Head, G, Sacral, Root
Key Channels:
12–22: Channel of Openness (emotional / creative expression)
23–43: Channel of Structuring (the “Freak to Genius” channel)
44–26: Channel of Surrender (also called the “Channel of Marketing”)
I built my entire business with this chart as the foundation… not by trying to be the “perfect” Manifestor, but by paying attention to how my energy actually works in real time, and then rebuilding my life and work around that.
If you don’t have your chart yet, you can grab it at the button below:
Being an Emotional Manifestor: Here to Have Emotional Impact
When I first found Human Design, I actually thought I was a Projector. My mom is a 3/5 Projector and I’d always put her on a pedestal, so when my chart came back as Manifestor, I was like, “Nope. Wrong.”
But once I started experimenting with the Manifestor strategy — informing, initiating, honoring my bursts of energy — everything started to click.
The Manifestor Aura: Repelling as a Feature, Not a Flaw
Manifestors are about 8–9% of the population and we’re designed with a “closed, repelling” aura. I know that can sound harsh, but here’s how I’ve learned to see it:
It protects the vision I’m here to initiate.
It repels what’s not for me, so I’m not constantly pulled off-course.
It helps me attract the people who are meant to be in my field.
In business, this has looked like:
Creating offers and containers that are not for everyone
Letting some people be turned off, and trusting that’s on purpose
Calling in the clients who are truly ready to be activated, not just entertained
Emotional Authority: Riding the Wave Without Making It Mean Something
As an Emotional Manifestor, I’m here to have an emotional impact. My emotional solar plexus is defined, which means:
I’m always somewhere on an emotional wave
Clarity comes over time, not in the moment
My emotions are not “problems to fix,” they’re energy to be felt and expressed
I carry the Channel of Openness (12–22), which often looks like:
Unpredictable highs and lows
Sudden waves of melancholy, creativity, or deep longing
A huge amount of creative energy on the “upswing” after a low
The trick with this wave (and one I’m still mastering) is:
Not over-identifying with any single point on the wave
Not making big decisions at the emotional high or low
Channeling the intensity into creative expression: poetry, dance, singing, speaking, performing
If you’re emotional, especially with 12–22, the lows are not proof that something is “wrong with you.” They’re part of your creative cycle.
The Channels That Shape My Work
12–22: Channel of Openness — Emotional Expression & Creative Mojo
This channel is deeply creative, moody, and expressive. People with 12–22 are often:
Poets
Performers
Dancers
Vocal artists or emotional storytellers
For me, it’s the part of my chart that:
Craves artistic expression (dance, poetry, singing)
Feels everything very deeply
Wants to share those emotions when the timing is right
Key lesson:
Don’t try to “logic your way out” of your feelings. Feel them. Move them. Turn them into art.
23–43: Channel of Structuring — The “Freak to Genius” Channel
This channel connects the Ajna (mind) to the Throat (expression). It’s nicknamed the “Freak to Genius” channel because:
When you share your insights in the right timing and with the right people, you’re seen as a genius.
When you share them with the wrong audience or at the wrong time, people look at you like you’re speaking another language.
This shows up for me as:
Ideas that arrive like lightning bolts… sudden “I just know” downloads
Feeling like I’m channeling information in client sessions
A deep urge to make complex concepts simple and usable
In practice, this has taught me:
Not every insight is meant for every room
I need to wait for the right context and invitations to share
Simplicity and efficiency in language are everything
This is also part of why I created resources like the Embodied Business Blueprint — to take something abstract (Human Design + business) and turn it into a practical, step-by-step framework. (If you want to start aligning your business model, offers, and schedule with your design, this is your next step.)
44–26: Channel of Surrender — The “Channel of Marketing”
This one is unconscious in my chart, which means:
Other people often see it in me before I see it in myself
I can feel it working, but my mind doesn’t always understand it
44–26 links the Spleen (instinct, intuition, fear, survival) to the Heart/Ego (willpower, worth, commitment) and has a few key themes:
Reading people deeply. I can “smell” someone’s potential and see what they really want beneath the story.
Packaging solutions. I’m good at seeing where someone is, where they want to go, and what kind of container or offer will get them there.
Marketing with integrity. In its shadow, this energy can manipulate people’s fears. In its higher expression, it speaks to the truth of someone’s potential and gives them the nudge they need to claim it.
This is a huge part of how I work with clients:
Naming what they’re afraid of
Reflecting what I see in them
Helping them choose the path that aligns with their true capacity and desires
If you’re a coach, creator, or guide with this channel, your gift isn’t just “selling.” It’s accurately reading potential and offering the right bridge to help people meet it.
My Defined Centers: Emotional, Intuitive, and Willful
A few highlights from my defined centers:
Defined Emotional Solar Plexus
Deep emotional awareness, passion, and desire
A constant wave of emotional energy that fuels creativity and impact
Here to move people emotionally, not just inform them
Defined Spleen
Strong survival instincts and body wisdom
A powerful immune system and a natural “knowing” of what’s healthy for me
The ability to sense danger, safety, and vitality in people and spaces
Defined Heart/Ego
Consistent willpower and drive
Deep themes around self-worth, commitment, and capacity
A need for cycles of hard work and real rest (especially as a woman)
In business, this has meant:
I can commit hard and push through when needed
But I absolutely need time to recover afterwards… and support from my community, team, and family
My Undefined Centers: Where I Absorb and Amplify Energy
This is where things get spicy for entrepreneurship, burnout, and identity.
Undefined Sacral: Borrowed Energy & Burnout
If you’re a Manifestor, Projector, or Reflector, your Sacral is undefined. That means:
You don’t have consistent “go all day” energy
You tend to amplify the Sacral energy of others
Burnout can sneak up on you because you don’t know when to stop
My experience:
I used to work doubles in the bar/restaurant world, on my feet from 10am–2/3am
I’d run on everyone else’s energy and then crash hard
In business, I tried to mimic a 9–5, Monday–Friday schedule and it just… did not work
What does work:
Honoring my bursts of energy instead of forcing consistency
Building a schedule and business model that allows for ebb and flow
Creating real alone time to discharge other people’s energy
Undefined Root: Stress, Pressure & Time Blindness
The Root center is the pressure to start, move, respond, and do. With an undefined Root:
Everything can feel urgent
It’s hard to tell what actually needs attention and what doesn’t
Time can feel slippery (hello, time blindness and neurodivergence)
Old coping strategies:
Drinking, partying, overworking, numbing out
New coping strategies:
Intense, intentional movement (treadmill sprints, heavy sweating, breathless cardio)
Breathwork, meditation, and nervous system support
Practices that help me discharge pressure in a healthy way
Undefined Head: Ideas That Aren’t All Mine
With a completely open Head center:
I’m highly inspired by everything and everyone
Ideas come in constantly… in the shower, on walks, during client calls
It’s easy to feel pressured to “figure it all out” or execute every idea
The big shift was realizing:
Not every idea is for me.
Sometimes I get ideas that are for my clients, and once I started recognizing that, everything calmed down. Now I can:
Capture ideas and redirect them where they belong
Use mindfulness to choose which thoughts to keep engaging
Relieve myself of the pressure to chase every mental spark
Undefined G Center: Identity as a Shape-Shifter
The G center is about identity, direction, and love. With it undefined:
I feel like a different person in different environments
I tend to mirror the people I’m around
My identity is more fluid and chameleon-like
This has shown up as:
Trying to “curate” a consistent brand or persona and feeling suffocated
Struggling to niche down in a rigid way
Needing to ask: Do I like who I am in this room? Do I like the version of me that emerges around these people?
For undefined Gs, environment and relationships are everything. You become more of who you can be when you’re around people who truly see, love, and respect you.
My 1/3 Profile: Lived Experiment + Embodied Wisdom
Your profile is the “role” you’re here to play in this life. As a 1/3:
The 1 (Investigator) is deeply curious, foundation-focused, and security-oriented. I want to understand things fully so I can feel grounded.
The 3 (Martyr/Experimenter) learns through trial and error, experimentation, and “let’s see what happens if…”
This combination looks like:
Researching and building solid foundations
Then… messing with them, testing them, breaking them, rebuilding them
Turning mistakes, failures, and “what was I thinking?” moments into embodied wisdom
In my business, the 1/3 profile has meant:
Slow and steady foundation-building over years
Throwing spaghetti at the wall, running offers that didn’t quite fit, pivoting and refining
Now being able to support my clients on a much deeper level because I don’t just know this work, I’ve lived it
If you’re a 1/3, your growth is not supposed to be linear or tidy. It’s supposed to be lived, messy, and very, very real.
The Cross of Explanation: Making the Mystical Practical
My incarnation cross — the Right Angle Cross of Explanation — colors my whole life with a specific theme:
Taking abstract, layered, “out there” concepts and explaining them in a way that’s simple, efficient, and immediately usable.
This shows up as:
Breaking down Human Design so my kids can understand it
Teaching CEOs and spiritual entrepreneurs alike in language that lands
Running Embodied by Design as a space where people don’t just learn Human Design, they embody it and use it in their work
It hasn’t always been effortless. When I was little, I barely spoke to anyone but my parents. The shadow of Gate 23 (my conscious Sun) is “dumbness” — not stupidity, but silence.
Over time, through:
Public speaking in school
Leading classes, readings, and sessions
Recording hundreds of hours of content
…I’ve honed my voice and leaned into the part of my purpose that says: you’re here to change how people understand things through what you say.
If you’re here for that kind of depth and translation, you’re in the right place.
Want to Take This Deeper With Your Own Chart?
If this breakdown lit something up in you and you’re ready to apply this to your life and business, here are a few ways to go deeper with me:
1. Get Your Free Chart + Personalized Breakdown
Start with the basics.
👉 Get your free Human Design chart + breakdown
You’ll get your chart and a clear explanation of your type, strategy, authority, and centers so you can begin your own experiment.
2. Align Your Business with Your Design
If you’re a coach, creator, or service provider who wants to build a business around your actual energy (not hustle culture), the Embodied Business Blueprint is your next step.
👉 Grab the Embodied Business Blueprint
Use it to:
Align your offers and business model with your type and authority
Rework your schedule and workload around your real energetic patterns
Start making decisions like the version of you who’s already in alignment
3. Explore Embodied by Design (EBD)
If you’re ready to go all in on this work — to become the kind of practitioner who can read charts deeply, facilitate transformation, and integrate Human Design into your business — this is where we do that.
👉 Explore Embodied by Design, my Human Design certification
Inside EBD, I teach you not only the HD system, but how to apply it in real client work… blending intuition, strategy, and embodiment.
4. Come Hang Out on Instagram
If you want more behind-the-scenes, riffs, chart breakdowns, and real-time shares of my own experiment as a 1/3 Emotional Manifestor:
👉 Follow me on Instagram @krystalewoods
If you have questions about any part of my chart, or you share placements with me, drop a comment below. I’d love to know what resonated and what you want me to break down next.
We’re all just figuring out how to live our design in the real world. I’m glad we get to do it together.