What Is Human Design? A Beginner's Guide To Understanding This Buzzy Personality Test

three women dancing human design types

A lot of us here at Brit + Co love our typology systems. Whether we're discovering more about our zodiac signs, reading up on our Enneagram types, or optimizing our lives for our MBTI types, we've found that there's a lot we can learn about ourselves by leaning into the archetypes that underpin our personalities.

Although I'm very familiar with the systems described above, I'd never really learned much about human design. I'd definitely heard of it — my impression was that it was an uber-specific system that pulled from many different philosophical traditions, including astrology — but I'd never really learned what made it different from other systems, or how it could help me.

I recently sat down with Dana Stiles and Shayna Cornelius, the founders of DayLuna, a human design website and podcast, to talk about what human design is and how you can get started with it. And I have to admit, after hearing a little more about the system, I'm intrigued.

What Is Human Design?

Chart via DayLunaLife.com

In a nutshell, human design uses information similar to that of your birth chart (the time and place of your birth), and pulls from that astrological data to create a map of energy. The idea is that based on your birth time and place, energy flows from different body centers — like a hyper-specific chakra system — and by looking at where energy flows most freely and which centers have reciprocal energy between them, you can determine your strengths, how you make decisions, how you utilize energy, and other important aspects of your personality and life purpose. From your birth info, you can generate a detailed chart (you can do this on DayLunaLife.com, as I did with the faux-birth time chart above) that shows you these energetic centers.

But really, you don't need to understand all this info up front: Dana and Shayna really recommend that to start on your human design journey, you pay attention to three major pieces of info generated by your chart: Your human design type, your type's strategy, and your inner authority style.

The Human Design Types

Based on these energetic patterns, you will fall into one of five categories, known as human design types. Here's an overview of these five types:

  • Manifestors are trailblazers, free thinkers, and often entrepreneurs. They comprise less than 10% of the world's population. "Manifestors are initiators. Their energy is here to be a starter, an innovator," says Dana. "Independence and freedom and being able to really trailblaze are key to their happiness."
  • Generators are highly energetic beings, who have the capacity to get sh*t done and make a big difference in the world through taking action. They make up about 30% of the population. "Generators have this enormous power that they're meant to use doing things that they love," says Dana. "This powerful energy source can really dwindle and drain if they're not doing something that they love."
  • Manifesting Generators have aspects of both of the two previous types. They have the capacity to be highly imaginative and creative like Manifestors, and also have the energetic drive to accomplish big things, like Generators. They make up about 35% of the world's population. "Manifesting generators often have multiple passions, like a jack-of-all trades type person. They often have several careers at once," Dana says. "They're designed to let themselves start new things and then move on when they're bored."
  • Projectors are the world's teachers. They reflect knowledge and purpose back to others, making them great leaders, but they are not highly energetic, so they need to structure their lives differently than the first three types. They make up less than 10% of the population. "They're not here to do, they are here to see, and to share what they see to guide other people toward more efficiency, and toward becoming more authentic," Dana says. "They're only meant to work for 2-4 hours per day, and if they're using more energy than that, they can really burn themselves out over time."
  • Reflectors are quite rare, and make up only 1% of the world's population. These people are true intuitives, and are highly sensitive to energy. They are the most prone to be affected by the cycles of the moon, and are characterized by their sensitive and intuitive nature. "They are extremely empathetic people; all of their energy centers are open, so they're really taking on the energy of the people around them," Dana explains. "They have this sacred purpose of gauging our well-being."

How Can Your Human Design Type Help You?

Once you know your Human Design type, Dana and Shayna recommend focusing on two aspects of your human design blueprint: Your strategy (which is determined by your type) and your authority (which varies even within types).

The Types' Strategies

For Manifestors, the first thing to focus on is that because people can't predict you, they may try to control you, or may project things onto you that aren't true. Therefore, the strategy for Manifestors is informing. In short, make your ideas and intentions clear to others. The more you communicate with others about what you're going to start or create, the better your energy will flow.

As for Generators, in order to find out what you love and what's worth putting your energy into, you need to use the strategy of responding. Let yourself experience things in your environment, and then check in with your body to see if those things are really calling you. You'll know from your physical experience if something you come across is a resounding "YES!" or a "HELL NO!".

Manifesting Generators, because they have aspects of both Manifestors and Generators, will benefit from both of the above strategies. Focus on responding to stimuli in your environment (this will require being in touch with your body, which may be a challenge at first), and then when you know something's a go, inform others around you of your plans.

Projectors need to learn to work less and share more of their insight and guidance. In order to guide other people, you need to use the strategy of waiting for the invitation. If you offer guidance and advice to someone who doesn't want to hear it, it will be a waste of your energy. Wait for others to ask for your input or invite you to share your perspective before doling out advice.

Finally, with their sensitive nature, Reflectors are extremely connected to the moon. Your strategy is to wait 28 days before making your big decisions. By allowing an entire moon cycle to pass, you'll be able to tell whether the decision you planned to make was really your own, or someone else's energy mixing with yours and potentially misleading you.

Inner Authority

The next thing Shayna and Dana recommend focusing on is your inner authority. Because this differs within types, you'll need to generate your chart in order to see what your inner authority is.

Your inner authority represents the best way for you to make decisions. For example, if you have splenic authority (as I do), your decisions are best made through instinct. Someone with emotional authority, on the other hand, will make decisions from the heart. Once you know your inner authority, you can focus on tuning into that aspect of yourself when making decisions.

Tips for Getting Started

Photo by Keila Hötzel on Unsplash

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to human design. Beyond knowing your type, strategy, and inner authority, you can discover all kinds of information about your personal gifts, your life purpose, and other important aspects of your being.

“There’s never going to be a one size, general answer to anything, because it gets so specific - just as specific as we are as humans,” says Shayna.

The first step is to generate your chart and take a look at your type. Get to know your type in depth, so you can start to become aware of how it's impacting your lifestyle.

“Once you generate your chart, the first thing to look at is your type. While human design gets very detailed beyond that, if you only looked at your type and understood what type you are, and how your aura works because of your type, you can use that aura with your strategy that really helps eliminate resistance and increase ease and flow and alignment in your life," Dana explains.

After you understand your type in depth, learn to utilize your type's strategy, and then start tuning into your inner authority. From there, you can go deeper if you want to — but according to Dana and Shayna, your life will already be vastly improved just by paying attention to those three factors.

If you loved learning about human design, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more wellness, personality type quizzes, self-care, and typology content!

Featured photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels. This post has been updated.

Everyone can't stop talking about The Pitt, and with its emotional payoff, weekly release schedule, and 15-episode season, it feels like old school TV is back! The season finale of Max's new medical drama hits the streamer on April 10, but do I have great news for you: The Pitt season 2 is coming in January 2026. Keep reading to find out everything we know!

Here's everything we know about The Pitt season 2, coming to Max in January 2026.

Will there be a season 2 of The Pitt?

Warrick Page/Max

Yes, The Pitt season 2 is coming to Max! And according to Deadline, the upcoming season will take place over Fourth of July weekend.

The show was renewed on February 14, 2025. Sarah Aubrey, Head of Max Original Programming, quote: “It's been a thrill to watch audiences embrace The Pitt as an update to procedural storytelling with a cast who authentically embody the heroics of doctors and nurses on shift in a 2025 emergency room," Sarah Aubrey, Head of Max Original Programming, said in a statement.

"We’re excited and delighted with the audience response for our first season of The Pitt and can’t be more appreciative of our partners at Max and Warner Bros. Television for all of their extraordinary support throughout our first season," John Wells, R. Scott Gemmill, and Noah Wyle added.

Where can I watch The Pitt season 2?

Warrick Page/Max

Not only is The Pitt season 2 on its way, but it's coming super soon! The sophomore season will debut on Max in January 2026. This is a huge relief (and delight) because it breaks the awful pattern we've fallen into recently of waiting two to three years in between seasons of a show.

The Pitt premiered on January 9, 2025, so the second season will debut exactly a year later!

Who's in The Pitt season 2 cast?

Warrick Page/Max

We can expect our favorites to return for The Pitt season 2:

  • Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch: a senior member of the ER staff.
  • Fiona Dourif as Dr. Cassie McKay: a 42-year-old second-year resident.
  • Gerran Howell as Dennis Whitaker: a fourth-year medical student.
  • Tracy Ifeachor as Dr. Heather Collins: an ER senior resident.
  • Katherine LaNasa as Dana Evans: the ER's charge nurse.
  • Patrick Ball as Dr. Frank Langdon: an ER senior resident and Robby's right hand.
  • Taylor Dearden as Dr. Melissa "Mel" King: another second-year resident.
  • Isa Briones as Dr. Trinity Santos: an intern.
  • Supriya Ganesh as Dr. Samira Mohan: one of the third-year residents.
  • Shabana Azeez as Victoria Javadi: a 20-year-old third-year medical student.
And they're looking for more cast members! “We’re calling all pros,” Noah Wyle said at a Contenders TV panel (via Deadline). “We want people who are good with props and who are used to working in a company, with an ensemble. We want creativity. We want passion. We don’t want ego coming to play. We have tremendous people showing up excited.”

“There’s no differentiation between the foreground and the background crew,” he continued. “We are all the company, and we are all going to have a very immersive experience. It’s a very atypical way of working, and hopefully, they’ll come away with something very special.”

How many episodes of The Pitt are there?

Warrick Page/Max

With tomorrow's season finale, The Pitt will have 15 episodes total. Each episode is named for the hour it covers.

  • Season 1, Episode 1 "7:00 A.M." premiered on January 9, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 2 "8:00 A.M." premiered on January 9, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 3 "9:00 A.M." premiered on January 16, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 4 "10:00 A.M." premiered on January 23, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 5 "11:00 A.M." premiered on January 30, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 6 "12:00 P.M." premiered on February 6, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 7 "1:00 P.M." premiered on February 13, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 8 "2:00 P.M." premiered on February 20, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 9 "3:00 P.M." premiered on February 27, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 10 "4:00 P.M." premiered on March 6, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 11 "5:00 P.M." premiered on March 13, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 12 "6:00 P.M." premiered on March 20, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 13 "7:00 P.M." premiered on March 27, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 14 "8:00 P.M." premiered on April 3, 2025
  • Season 1, Episode 15 "9:00 P.M." premieres on April 10, 2025

Where is The Pitt filmed?

Warrick Page/Max

The Pitt season 1 was mainly filmed on a soundstage in Burbank, California, but a few of the exterior shots were taken in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the show is set.

Stay tuned for more news on The Pitt season 2. And read up on the latest news about Netflix's medical drama Pulse.

Just when you thought The White Lotus season 3 finale covered it all, Mike White revealed some there were missing storylines and scenes from the finale cut. The 90-minute finale finally solved the dark murder mystery for the audience, with the cast’s emotional reactions to Chelsea and Rick’s deaths taking center stage. However, there was another undoubtedly viral scene that didn’t make the cut — a sex scene between Piper Ratliff (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Zion (Nicholas Duvernay). Yeah, you read that correctly.

Scroll to find out all the tea on those insane Piper Ratliff deleted scenes we totally wish were in The White Lotusseason 3!

HBO

Remember that uncomfortable dialogue between brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) early on, when Saxon inquired about his sister's virginity? Well, White was looking to wrap that storyline up. The creator said during The White Lotus Official Podcast bonus episode that “she decided to lose her virginity in the script in the last episode.” He describes the cut as “disappointing,” adding that “she actually has sex with Zion.”

“There’s this whole scene where she’s like ‘It’s true. Saxon is right about this one thing. I need to get this over with,’” White said. Apparently, this was supposed to happen after Piper’s revelation that she needs material items to live, kicking her soulful journey of Buddhism to the curb.

White says, “And you know how after she leaves the monastery she’s just like, ‘I need to have sex.’ But in the end, it was one of these things where it was like, it’s already an hour and a half. It would have added 10 minutes to the thing. And it had a little bit of a rom-com vibe in the middle of trying to kill the family with the pong pong fruits. It just felt like I was trying to do too much narratively.”

HBO

During the cast’s Q&A finale panel at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, California, which Brit + Co attended, Hook revealed yet another piece of her character’s story that was left out.

“Mike wrote a lot for this season, and so he had to make some cuts,” Hook told the audience.

“There was this really funny bit with Piper that [White] made, and we filmed it.” In episode two, Ratliff is doing yoga when a man looks at her, and let’s just say her reaction is less than enthused. “There was an encounter like that in almost every episode, and it didn't make it.”

The Cruel Intentions star added, “I just thought it was funny because it was just — Is it in her head? Is it real? It was like she's very uncomfortable in her body.” The actress concluded that she thought it was “cool” and “sad” that those snippets didn’t make the final cut.

With that action packed finale leaving us tearful and utterly shocked simultaneously, we can understand why Piper and Zion’s love scene had to take a backseat.

Looking for more TV & entertainment news? Follow us on Facebook so you never miss a thing!

The Sunrise on the Reaping cast might be the best movie cast of 2026 — and it definitely proves that the Hunger Games team knows exactly what to look for when casting a role. Charlie Plummer as Haymitch? Jesse Plemons as Plutarch? Ralph Fiennes as President Snow? I didn't think it could get much better than that...and then it was announced that Elle Fanning and Emma Thompson could join Sunrise on the Reaping too. I literally just tweeted the other day about Elle joining the movie so it looks like we're all on the same page. Thank you Lionsgate!

Here's everything we know about those Elle Fanning & Emma Thompson Sunrise on the Reaping cast rumors.

Who's playing Effie Trinket in Sunrise on the Reaping?

Elle Fanning has reportedly been offered the role of a young Effie Trinket (played by Elizabeth Banks in the original Hunger Games series), who serves as the District 12 stylist in the 50th Hunger Games.

And the internet has gone crazy. "The most locked in casting director of recent memory," one X user tweeted, while another said, "she's so perfect for the role."

"if this is true then their casting is on point!" a third person adds.

Elle's not the only casting rumor we've heard in the last 48 hours! Emma Thompson is also rumored to be joining the cast as Drusilla Sickle, the District 12 escort (a position Effie holds in the 74th Hunger Games). I quite literally can't think of anyone else more perfect than these two.

As far as fancasts go, Ellen Pompeo is a popular choice for Mags and Maya Hawke is fans' pick for Wiress. Stay tuned for the official Sunrise on the Reaping cast list!

Who else is in the Sunrise on the Reaping cast?

While we haven't heard any rumors about Maysilee Donner, Wyatt Callow, Louella McCoy and Lou Lou, Lenore Dove, Wiress, Mags, Beetee, and Ampert. The other rumored cast members include:

  • Charlie Plummer as Haymitch Abernathy: a 16-year-old tribute from District 12 competing in the 50th Hunger Games.
  • Ralph Fiennes as President Snow: Panem's President after serving as District 12's mentor in the 10th Hunger Games.
  • Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee: District 12's cameraman.
  • Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman: the tribute interview host.
Francis Lawrence will direct Sunrise on the Reaping, while Billy Ray writes the script and Brad Simpson & Nina Jacobson serve as producers.

When can I watch Sunrise on the Reaping?

Sunrise on the Reaping is coming to theaters November 20, 2026.

Who do you want to see in the Sunrise on the Reaping cast? Check out our Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes interview with Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson!

Nexus Point News was the first to report Elle's potential casting.