What Does It Mean to Be Intuitive? 10 Signs You’re Ignoring Your Inner Voice (Without Even Realizing It)
Episode #1: Your Intuition Called… You Sent It To Voicemail
You’ve probably Googled it at least once…
If you’ve ever Googled “Am I intuitive?”—let’s settle that once and for all: YES. You are.
On the very first episode of Trust Yourself! — A Sisterhood of Self-Worth and Intuition, we play a very revealing and slightly uncomfortable game of Never Have I Ever to show you exactly what it looks like when you dismiss your intuition—whether you call it a gut feeling, a weird vibe, or just a “something feels off” moment.
But here’s the kicker:
If you don’t really understand what intuition is... how can you ever trust it?
Most people think intuition is “just a gut feeling.” But gut feelings can also be fear, anxiety, or conditioning.
So how do you know the difference?
Lucky for you, Sissy created a free PDF that breaks it all down.
[Download it here]
In this article, we’ll go deeper into:
What intuition really feels like (with science + stories)
Why you keep brushing it off (and how that’s not your fault)
10 sneaky ways you’ve probably ignored it this week
Easy tools to start building intuitive trust again
What Does It Actually Mean to Be Intuitive?
Most people think intuition = “a hunch” or “gut feeling.”
But here’s what’s actually happening in your body and brain:
Your vagus nerve connects your brain to your gut which:
Plays a significant role in facilitating the gut-brain connection and the transmission of information that can contribute to intuitive feelings.
Which is why you feel your intuition in your body before you can rationalize it.
Intuition sends signals faster than your conscious brain can process—it's like spiritual WiFi.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS)
Bundle of nerves at the base of your brainstem that filters the billions of bits of sensory input your body experiences every second
Filters info based on what you deem “important” which tends to be statements you BELIEVE to be true
So if you don’t believe in your intuition? You’ll filter out those signs before they register.
Translation? You’ve probably been feeling your truth all along… but society, self-doubt, or even science class taught you to tune it out.
10 Subtle Signs You’re Suppressing Your Intuition
Keep track and count your “yes” answers. Be honest.
You said “yes” to something even though your whole body screamed “NO.”
You let someone talk you out of something that felt so right.
You followed a plan even though every part of you wanted to pivot.
You ignored red flags and later wished you hadn’t.
You got chills or a weird vibe about a place… but went in anyway.
You felt drained by someone—but kept hanging out with them.
You kept your mouth shut when something felt off.
You heard a little voice say “turn left”… and went right.
You felt guilty for wanting more in life.
You brushed off a dream or inner nudge as “silly” or “woo-woo.”
How many fingers did you put up?
DM us on Instagram @trustyourselfpodcast or comment on our Episode 1 post. We want to know.
No SHAME in this game!! We lost count of our fingers so give yourself GRACE!
Here’s Why We Ignore Intuition (Even When It’s Screaming at Us)
Let’s get real. Here’s what blocks intuition most:
Fear of being wrong
Overthinking + relying only on logic
Trauma, gaslighting, or dismissal from others
People-pleasing & external validation seeking
Societal pressure to “be nice,” “be polite,” “don’t be weird”
Ignoring your intuition doesn’t just cause regret—it erodes self-trust. It creates decision fatigue, anxiety, chronic stress, and that awful “stuck” feeling.
What Happens in Your Brain When You Suppress It
Heidi + Elise break this down beautifully in episode #1:
You get an intuitive hit—physical reaction, gut feeling, nudge, dream
Your brain overrides it: “I’m probably just overreacting”
Your RAS kicks in, scanning for proof you’re wrong
Other people weigh in, causing you to second-guess
Self-doubt spirals
You gaslight yourself
You ignore it
You regret it… and repeat.
Sound familiar? You’re not broken. You’ve been conditioned.
How to Start Rebuilding Trust with Your Intuition (Right Now)
1. Use the Hair Tie Trick
Snap a rubber band on your wrist every time you override your intuition. Catch it in real-time.
2. Pause Before Saying Yes
When someone asks something over email or text, stop. Breathe. Ask:
“What does my gut say?”
Then respond accordingly. No need for excuses.
3. Create House Rules
In our house? You never dismiss a dream. Make it a rule to honor your nudges—even the wild ones.
4. Give Intuition a Time + Place
Morning coffee? A journaling spot? A sticky note on your mirror? Make space daily to ask:
“What do I need to hear today?”
Journal Prompt
Reflect on this:
What’s one time I ignored my intuition—and what would I have done differently if I had trusted it instead?
Write it down. Then write what your intuition is telling you now.
Join the Sisterhood
Ready to stop second-guessing yourself and start building real self-trust?
Join our Substack newsletter here where we share stories, wins, cringey lessons, and tools to help you strengthen your intuition every week.
The Universe ALWAYS Has Your Back!
Full Episode Transcript Below:
Heidi (00:01)
How many times have you felt something was off, but you talked yourself out of it? So you're ignoring your intuition and it just leads you to regret. But here's the thing, it doesn't just lead to regret. It also teaches you to doubt yourself. So today we're diving into what happens when you don't listen and why it always catches up to you.
For generations, women were shamed for trusting themselves, sensing things before they happened, and believing in their own power. No one encouraged them to embrace it until now. Welcome to Trust Yourself.
Okay Sissy, need to tell me, what does it look like when you ignore your intuition?
Elise (00:45)
So, I've always thought when you suppress your intuition, you are receiving a nudge, whether that's from the universe, your higher self, God, just an inner knowing, whatever you want to call that, but you're dismissing it. And there's many reasons we dismiss it. It could be for me, fear of being wrong. I hate being wrong. Same. Or just overthinking, right? Relying on logic. Cause we're always taught to prioritize facts and data over
our feelings. It could also be trauma or past conditioning. If we've been ignored or dismissed or gaslit in the past, we may not trust our own inner voice. And then another thing that could dismiss it is honestly, really sadly, societal conditioning. We always feel like we have to fit in, follow the rules.
I mean, it starts super young, like even my son, Frankie, who loved to wear dresses in preschool every day. But one day he came home and I'm like, how about this dress, Frankie? And he said, no, that's for girls. And then also my name isn't Frankie anymore. It's Frank. That's a boy name. It starts so young, right? But Heidi, I'm curious what you think about suppressing your intuition. Do you think it?
Heidi (02:00)
It's kind of sad.
Elise (02:07)
It always feels like a red flag or can it be more subtle?
Heidi (02:10)
I think it could be both and I think this is why. So Sissy, I know you love facts and science and things rooted in neuroscience. you know, from my former life as a nurse, I can tell you with certainty, there is something called the vagus nerve. And that is actually what it connects your gut and your brain. So when people say they have that gut feeling, it's literally in their gut because that vagus nerve sends signals
actually faster than our conscious thoughts. So when we have that gut feeling, maybe you do feel it in your belly. It can either be excitement or it can be nervousness. It can be anxiousness. It's how you perceive it though. So to me, when I think about is intuition loud or quiet or big red flag or not, it's really dependent on how tuned in you are. So the more that we're suppressing our intuition, the more
that we're layering on these other things, it's harder to hear our intuition. But when we are tapped in, we can instantly feel those gut feelings. And it's harder to ignore them the more tapped in you are. At least that's how I'm feeling with it lately.
Elise (03:27)
And that's why I think it's so important to realize when and where and why we're dismissing our intuition because when we do ignore it, you're second guessing yourself constantly. So every decision feels like a mental battle, right? You're leading into overwhelm and spiraling, overthinking, analysis, paralysis, all those horrible things.
Also, when we dismiss it, we have so much anxiety, self-doubt. my gosh, our body holds on to stress physically. That one hit home.
Heidi (04:02)
Yes,
you have all this stress too, girl.
Elise (04:04)
I do. But another one that I do a lot is relying way too much on external validation. I other people's opinions, which also just leads to more confusion. So that's a vicious cycle. And then if you dismiss your intuition, you're also making choices that don't align with your true self. And you miss out on those aligning opportunities. You feel stuck, disconnected, and then you can also ignore or brush off those
Heidi (04:11)
Wonder where that came from.
Elise (04:34)
red flags. I think this topic is also especially important right now because we're being inundated with information, sometimes fake news, false information, AI, everything is just making it even harder for us to trust ourselves in general.
Heidi (04:52)
Sissy, I also love that you pointed out the other day when you were talking about AI and how it's kind of a little bit scary sometimes, but how our initials for our company is innate abilities. And so that's IA. And you were saying how, it's like we're anti AI or the opposite of AI because we're teaching people to get back into their intuition, which is that inner knowing. So we don't need AI. I mean, we do. We love chat actually.
Elise (05:19)
Actually, AI is great to an extent. You still need human intuition, which AI can never have. So yes, in that sense, we are anti-AI. Yay!
Heidi (05:30)
The human connection, the human interaction is always going to be necessary in the world. So love it. But how do we even know when we're doing this? If this is all happening subconsciously, how do we know when we're suppressing our intuitions? We need examples, right? I'm a very visual learner and I need examples. So my favorite way to do this is to play a game. Are you ready to play a game?
Elise (05:57)
Family loves
games, are you kidding me?
Heidi (05:59)
my gosh. Yeah, I forgot. Game I forgot about game night. We used to do game night all the time. And I feel like me and my dad were the ones that hated it, even though we would always do it. So we're going to play Never Have I Ever. If you have never played, which by the way, sis, you're playing along too, as well as sissy and me. So we're all playing together.
So with Never Have I Ever, the way I want to play it is that if you have done it, I want you to put one finger up.
Elise (06:31)
Side note, if you're driving, please just count in your head. Sorry, that motherly side of me needed to come out.
Heidi (06:38)
That is true. Keep a mental tally. Okay, so you ready to jump in? All right. Never have I ever had a full body no and still said, sure, sounds great. Ding. I maybe was thinking of you when I wrote that question. Okay. Sure. Sounds great. Even though inside you're like, no, please, dear God. Okay. Next question.
Elise (06:44)
Hell yeah.
Heidi (07:04)
Never have I ever let someone talk me out of something even though it felt right to me. Never have I ever forced myself to follow a plan even when every part of me wanted to pivot. Yes. That's for me. I feel like I've for sure have done that before when you're following this plan and you're like, nope, I got to stick to it because I'm a Virgo, by the way. I like to stick to plans.
Elise (07:10)
Yes?
And I married a Virgo. great, I work with a Virgo and I married a Virgo. got plans all around me.
Heidi (07:37)
That's
a Virgo energy, get it? Okay, next question. Never have I ever ignored red flags and later wished I had trusted myself.
Elise (07:48)
Can I do a half a finger for that?
Heidi (07:50)
Why are you doing half a finger?
Elise (07:52)
Because I think I actually do know I have followed through on things that are giant red flags for me. I'm like, that's a hard pass. Sorry.
Heidi (07:59)
that's really lucky. Lucky you, sissy. When I was younger, I definitely ignored red flags, specifically in terms of relationships. I'm sure you could speak on that for me on my behalf, but no. Let's continue our game. Never have I ever gotten chills or a weird feeling about a place and still walked in.
like a horror movie. I have, have. my gosh. I did this when I was, we were house hunting. my goodness. We were house hunting and there was a house we walked into and instantly my husband and I both looked at each other like, this house is creepy as shit. And there was like little figurines of crosses over each doorway. And it was terrifying. It was terrifying. But of course we were like with our realtor and we're like, yeah, show us everything. And inside we're like, can we please get out?
Elise (08:58)
love weird houses.
Heidi (09:00)
I do too. I would love to live in like a slightly haunted house, not a real haunted house.
Elise (09:05)
But obviously that's my dream goal right there. Goal. We dig.
Heidi (09:08)
Okay.
Never have I ever felt drained around someone but kept hanging out with them anyways.
Elise (09:15)
I put up ten fingers for that.
Heidi (09:17)
I was for sure also thinking of you when I wrote this question. It's funny to think that that's your intuition speaking though too, because you wouldn't necessarily think like, this person drains me, but I'm friends with them. That's your intuition literally manifesting as a physical reaction of like you are being drained by this person for a reason. They are maybe not meant to be in your life. Just keep that in your back pocket, sissy.
Elise (09:45)
Okay, thanks.
Heidi (09:47)
The more you know. Okay, never have I ever kept my mouth shut when I knew I should have spoken up.
Elise (09:54)
I'm trying to think. I definitely know there's moments though when I've seen something that's not quite right and I just kind of pretend not to see it. Our society has conditioned us to believe and remember, keep to yourself, don't look, don't stare, don't point, don't say anything.
Heidi (10:10)
It is sad. It is sad. But yeah, I think that's right on the nose. And it doesn't always have to be saying something bad. It almost is like there's been times where in my head I want to be like, my God, I want to shout at that woman that her outfit is on fucking point. And she's either like too far away and it would be super fucking creepy if I was like, girl, love your outfit. But like, maybe I should anyways. So just keep that in mind too. Maybe.
Elise (10:32)
Always do it.
Heidi (10:36)
Anytime you feel like you need to say something, just fucking say it, because you might make somebody's day. OK, I just have a few more of these. Never have I ever heard that little voice say, turn left, but went right and instantly regretted it. OK, this one was for me. Sorry.
I honestly also have a great internal GPS, but the thing what happened was I was going down the way that I always go and something said turn here and I was like, well, that's not the way to go to where I'm trying to go. But then not two seconds later, I got pulled over.
Elise (11:20)
shit.
Heidi (11:23)
And it was actually the worst. And it was, had my daughter Margo in the car and she thought it was fucking hilarious, but she was like, mom, were you speeding? And I was like, looked, I was like, I really truly was so zoned out. Like I have no fucking clue how fast I was going. And so the officer comes up and he's like, do you know why I pulled you over? And I was like, I'm guessing I was speeding. He's like, no, you missed a stop sign. was like, shit.
Oopsies. So I think my brain was trying to tell me like, Heidi, maybe you should like wake up because you're falling asleep or something. Like I wasn't actually falling asleep, but you know how you just get into autopilot when you're driving places. And I think my intuition was trying to tell me like turn right or turn left. Like you need to do a different scenery so you can pay more attention.
Elise (12:13)
Get in the present moment. was so great.
Heidi (12:15)
Last one. Never have I ever felt guilty for wanting more. Yeah. I feel like as women, we all feel little guilty when we want more. Always. As women, we're taught to be the caregivers, the one who puts other people first, and we never really put ourselves first. So it might feel weird to be like, is feeling guilty for wanting more something to do with your intuition? But what I noticed was...
The universe never gives you a feeling or an idea or a goal that you're not worthy of or that you can't have happen. So if you're wanting more, you shouldn't feel guilty. Go fucking get more, right? So how many fingers did you have up? Two.
Elise (13:02)
Yes. Okay.
Okay, I kinda lost track. did too.
But I'm pretty sure I was around like six or seven and a half.
Heidi (13:12)
Well, I think I had 10 questions, but I may have forgotten one because it felt like it was getting too much, but that's OK. sis, I want you to head to our Instagram and send us a DM or comment on our post for this podcast and let us know how many fingers you had in this never have I ever game.
Elise (13:31)
I loved that game. Thank you for doing that because that is like one of my favorites.
Heidi (13:35)
It really brings me back to like your 20s, right? Like drinking never like it was a drinking game when we were in our 20s. yes. I just. No, that wasn't it.
Elise (13:42)
Or was that
But I love that. each of those examples, there's specific steps that are happening when you are in the moment of getting that intuitive hit. there's something that happens within your brain rapid fire when you specifically suppress that intuition. And so I kind of want to break that. I want to break that down really quick. The first thing, obviously you get an intuitive hit.
Right? You get a gut feeling, you get a knowing, you get a physical reaction. You might get goosebumps. I don't know. However, however you get your intuitive information, you'll have that. And then the very next thing that happens when you suppress it is your logical brain overrides it. So you're thinking, maybe I'm overreacting. I should be more practical. And this is a way for our bodies to protect ourselves.
from all of the times that we were wrong, right? you're, Heidi, you know more about this than I do. It's, what is it? Reticular activating system? You're Raz.
Heidi (14:51)
your ass? Yes. Not your ass, but your ass.
Elise (14:54)
braz, that part in your in your brain that is ciphering through all different kinds of information. It is looking for proof, right? So it's looking for all that proof of those times that we were wrong. And it's saying, don't do it. You're wrong then. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. And then what else can happen is we have external influences step in. So like someone else giving their opinion, like, don't think that dress looks good on you. you're right. And
the inner saboteur takes over your self doubt. You're like, yes, you know what? I've been wrong before. I'm always wrong. That's me. And then you start to just gaslight yourself. I'm just being too emotional. And then you ignore the nudge and later you regret it. So that's, that's the big general steps that happen when you suppress your intuition. And it's again, it's a cyclical thing. So the more you're suppressing it, the easier it is for this to happen.
again and again and again.
Heidi (15:55)
Now that we know that, well, what do we do about it?
Elise (15:59)
Thanks for that depressing information now
Heidi (16:02)
Stop suppressing our intuitive hits though if it just keeps compounding and like where do we break this cycle? Awareness is the biggest piece. Once you start to become aware of these intuitive hits, the more you can actually pause and reflect on them and then sense where it's coming from. Does it feel like it's coming from your gut or your brain? But also, is it enough to just be aware? Is just
you know, realizing now that all those moments that we just played in our Never Have I Ever are moments where we're suppressing our intuition. Is that enough? I don't think so. I think we can be proactive. And I think that we can really start doing thought pattern interrupts. So you could do things like the elastic trick. So if you have a hair, I call them hair tie. People call them lots of different things. Hair tie, elastic band. It's been hair tie and I've always been made fun of when I call it something different.
Elise (16:55)
It's hair tie, let's be honest.
Heidi (17:00)
So have a hair tie or something like a rubber band on your wrist and you can snap that whenever you have this thought that follows your intuition where you're trying to suppress it. So you have that intuitive hit and then you're like, no, I'm just gonna ignore that. Snap that and be like, nope, I'm going to act on it. And I think it's really important to do these little steps because the more you can just build the confidence in it, the more you can start to trust it. So do little tiny,
Low risk thing, so okay.
Elise (17:31)
Unless your wrist is starting to like well, yeah from
Heidi (17:35)
Do it that hard
now. Jesus Christ, woman.
Elise (17:38)
I'm
just saying multiple times, like I'm suppressing it every single day.
Heidi (17:42)
What I think is important is to find these low risk moments. when somebody, I find it really easy when somebody's sending an email because that person's not directly in front of you, but if they send you an email saying, hey, I'd really like you to take on this project or would you like to go to this happy hour, blah, blah, whatever, insert event thing that you don't want to do here, instead of just immediately responding with like, my gosh, of course I'll do that. Or yes, I'll take that on. You have that moment to pause because it's an
email, they're not standing right there. So that's a moment where you can really check in with your intuition. What is your first gut instinct? Do you want to do this thing? Do you not want to do this thing? If you don't want to do this thing, that's when you have the first moment to be able to say, I can't take that on right now. I just don't have the time. You don't even need an explanation. Just be like, sorry, I can't, right? No is a full sentence. That's what they say. Yeah. So little things like that can really add up and start boosting your confidence.
And another thing that you can do is just really be intentional with intuition and give it an honorary place in the day or a space in your house where you really set the intention to check in with your intuition. Maybe it's journaling, maybe it's just when you have your coffee in the morning, it can just really be a time where it's just for you. It can be five minutes. It doesn't have to be this long drawn out 10 minute good morning routine that all these people on Instagram are trying to show me. And I'm just like,
Girl, I got two little kids and I am not doing any of those.
Elise (19:11)
about
another proactive tip being just to make house rules too. for example, if you notice someone maybe making you feel bad or dismissive of something like, sometimes I get these weird crazy ass dreams and you know, my husband thinks it's cool but maybe he says something like, well, it's just a dream Elise or it's kind of weird but we make it a house rule.
Don't dismiss anyone's dreams. No matter how batshit crazy they are, don't dismiss them. They're just dreams and you can take what you want from them.
Heidi (19:49)
I'm not going to tell you about my dreams because they're scary.
Elise (19:51)
We can go into dreams like real deep, but we don't have to do that.
Heidi (19:55)
Now you've got the tools, but remember always when you're working with your intuition, give yourself grace. I still screw up with this and I still, obviously we've been talking about this. I still catch myself suppressing my intuition. This is not going to be something that like, okay, I'm aware of it. Now it's never gonna happen again. No, it's gonna happen all the time. But the biggest thing that you can take away from this is just to remember to start listening.
start listening to your intuition, start sensing it and start acknowledging it. Don't just brush it off and consider it like some silly thing that I'm not gonna listen to. No, honor it because that is your own self. That's your true self trying to speak with you. Honor it, give it space. So intuition is not about being perfect. It's about practicing, trusting yourself again. And every time you listen to it, it gets stronger. So just keep that in mind.
Elise (20:51)
And one thing that helps me is having an accountability partner. My sister to call me out when I start ignoring my intuition. She has this fun thing she likes to do. She can totally read me and she'll say, do you have something else you want to say, Sissy? I do. And I usually do. So we would love to be your accountability partner too.
Heidi (21:08)
Yep,
So
a way you can do that is just to head to our website and there's a link for you to join our sisterhood on Substack. So we're going to be in there posting. We post our weekly newsletter with fresh takes on how to start trusting yourself and your intuition. We're also going to be sharing our fun and also cringey stories on how our journey has been going so far because we're still on this journey of trusting ourselves and tapping into our intuition. So we'll share all of that on our Substack, but mostly it's a space for us to interact.
I want you to share your wins, share your struggles, and we'll be right there with you to cheer alongside you or pick you up and brush you off a little bit if you need to.
Elise (21:51)
Until next week, it's your move sis.
Heidi (21:53)
Make it count.