Intuition, Part 2: It Isn't Magic, It's a Muscle

As promised, in follow-up to last week's newsletter about intuition and how it can be a literal lifesaver and a powerful professional tool, I'm back with a few methods on how you can develop yours.

When I speak of intuition, I'm referring to what the good people at Oxford Languages define as “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning” or “a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.” When asked about this community's relationship to intuition, fifty percent of you said, “I regularly tap into intuition,” while the other fifty percent said, “I'd like to lean into intuition more.”

Fortunately, honing intuition isn't about chasing some mystical gift; it's about creating the right conditions so you can hear it, trust it, and use it wisely. Think of it like a muscle: it strengthens with attention and practice. In my experience, intuition isn't always the most efficient option. There won't always be a precedent for the decisions we make from it. People won't always “get” our choices. But intuition, which 85% of business leaders say informs their decision-making, will always bring peace and clarity.

So how do we deepen our intuition?

Create Space to Hear It

With hundreds of emails, texts, and Slack pings competing for attention each day, it's easy for our inner voice to get drowned out. To cut through the noise:

• Make quiet time a habit: Regular meditation, prayer, and mindful walks make space to help you distinguish intuition from mental chatter.

• Journal your nudges: Write down “gut feelings” as they arise. Revisit later to see which ones proved helpful—this creates “evidence” that can help build trust in your intuition.

• Listen to your body: Intuition often shows up somatically—tightness in your chest, relaxed shoulders, a spark of excitement. Track those cues.

Practice in Low-Stakes Decisions

Like any muscle, intuition strengthens with use. Start small:

• Use intuition to decide which route to drive, which event to attend, or which line to stand in at the store (my personal favorite)

• Reflect afterward: How did following that instinct feel? What was the outcome?

• Over time, you'll learn how intuition shows up uniquely for you.

Integrate with Analysis

In engaging your intuition, remember it's not a call to abandon thinking. Instead:

• Use intuition as a filter to determine what feels right and what feels off, then validate with data, input from trusted sources, and planning.

• Remember, intuition is not an excuse to engage in stereotyping or exclusionary practices. It's not about making biased choices, but about aligning with your inner wisdom and testing whether what arises aligns with your values and principles.

Over time, you'll begin to discern what is intuition from fear, scarcity, or the other emotions that can hamper our decision-making if we're not intentional. If what you're calling intuition feels frantic, urgent, or rooted in scarcity, that's usually fear in disguise. Real intuition—although it can be persistent—feels calm, clear, and steady, even when it asks you to take a bold step.

If you'd like some support in tapping into your intuition and taking some bold next steps in your career, consider coaching. I'd love to explore how I could support you. Book a discovery call today.