How to tell the difference between your intuition and your fear
Do you ever get a pull toward something, a new direction, a decision, a person, and then immediately talk yourself out of it because your mind hands you ten reasons why it's a bad idea? ✨
If you're never quite sure whether what you're feeling is your intuition or just fear wearing a disguise, episode 13 of the Soul & Strategy podcast is for you. This is something I get asked about constantly, and it's genuinely one of the most useful skills you can build, both in life and in business.
Listen to the full episode above (episode 13), or keep reading below.
We were taught to trust the mind, not the intuition
In the Western world, decision-making has been built almost entirely around logic. Pros and cons lists, weighing job opportunities by salary, choosing what to study based on career prospects - that's what most of us were taught in school. The mind became the default tool for every decision, while intuition got filed away as something a little too mystic to actually rely on.
Here's the problem with that. Your intuition (or your soul) and your mind are not working from the same agenda. Your intuition wants you to expand. Your mind wants to keep you safe. When the mind makes every decision, you stay firmly inside whatever feels familiar, whatever has already been done before, by you or by everyone around you. It's protective, but that protection can also quietly become a limitation.
What intuition actually feels like
Because the mind tends to run the show, it helps to know what the alternative actually feels like. Intuition tends to arrive quickly and quietly, before the mind has a chance to argue, often as a sense of joy or excitement rather than a fully formed plan.
This podcast is actually a good example. Starting it wasn't a decision my mind made. There was no clever strategy behind this move. The real pull was intuitive, a wish to express myself in a fuller way than a short reel or a structured workshop ever allowed, to just let the words flow. My mind came in afterwards to help build the plan, the episode structure, the setup, the timeline, but the actual vision came from somewhere else entirely.
My decision to move to Australia is another example. I was in Germany at the time, in the middle of an internship that hadn't gone well, and I was unsure what to do next. Scrolling through my emails one day, I opened a random newsletter and scrolled to the bottom, and there it was: Sydney. I'd lived there before, and the second I saw that word, something in me lit up. I started looking at old photos, feeling myself back in that space, and I just knew this was where I needed to go.
There was no logical case for it. I had everything in Germany, friends, family, a job I could have found. If I'd written a pros and cons list, the pros column for leaving would have been nearly empty, and COVID was just about to upend everyone's plans anyway. I left regardless, because something deep inside me knew it was the right path. That knowing showed up as pure excitement, an intense feeling around my heart, a kind of certainty I couldn't fully explain in words. Looking back now, I don't think I'd have met my fiancé, become a yoga teacher, or become a coach at all if I hadn't followed it.
The tell: intuition doesn't explain itself; the mind does
That gap between the two, the instant knowing versus the following wave of doubt, is actually one of the clearest signals you can use. Once a nudge shows up, the mind usually follows right behind it with objections. Too expensive, too far, what would people think, how would that even work? Intuition points you toward a direction without offering a plan. The mind wants the how, the why, and the proof that it will work before it agrees to anything.
This distinction shows up in small decisions too, not just big life-changing ones. Ask yourself something as simple as what you want to eat, and notice that first, immediate response before your mind steps in with reasons you should or shouldn't have it.
Why you might feel disconnected from your intuition
If you've ever thought, "I don't really have a strong intuition," that's not actually true; you do, you're likely just disconnected from it. Our modern world is genuinely designed to pull us away from our own inner signals. Constant noise, whether that's social media, podcasts, or music running in the background of everything you do, creates a barrier between you and what you're actually feeling underneath it all.
How to reconnect with your intuition
Reconnecting starts with removing some of that noise. Try spending time by yourself without a podcast playing, going for a walk without music, or simply eating a meal without your phone nearby. Meditation works the same way, creating enough silence for that inner knowing to actually be heard.
From there, practice with low-stakes decisions. What you want for dinner, what you want to wear today based on how it feels rather than how it looks. Notice what genuinely lights you up rather than what you think you should choose.
This matters because intuition lives in the body, not the head. Dropping your awareness down from your mind into your body, through movement, dance, a walk, or a simple body scan, is one of the fastest ways to reconnect. Notice where you feel expansion and where you feel contraction. A yes often shows up as openness, sometimes even nervous excitement; being nervous and excited at the same time is a good sign. A no often shows up as a whole-body tightening, a clear, quiet no that doesn't need convincing.
There's a deeper reason this practice matters too. Every time you say yes to something that isn't aligned, you're quietly saying no to yourself, and your body remembers that pattern of self-neglect over time. Following your intuition, even in small everyday moments, is a way of honouring yourself and reversing that pattern.
Try trusting your intuition for one week
Once you've practised noticing the difference in small moments, it becomes much easier to trust it with bigger decisions. I want to invite you to try something. For one week, follow your first instinct. What you eat, what you wear, how you spend your time. Just for seven days, honour what genuinely feels right instead of what you think you should do.
Key takeaways
Intuition and the mind often want different things. Intuition wants expansion; the mind wants safety.
Intuition tends to arrive quickly and without explanation. The mind follows with reasons, doubts, and objections.
You're not missing an intuition; you're likely just disconnected from it through noise and distraction.
Practising with small, low-stakes decisions builds the trust you'll need for the bigger ones.
Intuition lives in the body. Dropping from your head into your body is one of the fastest ways to reconnect with it.
Saying yes to things that aren't aligned is quietly saying no to yourself. Following your intuition is a way of honouring yourself.
If you're facing a bigger decision right now
If you're currently sitting with a decision and can't quite tell whether it's fear or intuition talking, that's exactly the kind of work I do with clients: learning to tell the two apart so you can move forward with real trust rather than second-guessing yourself. If you'd like support with that, you're welcome to book a free Soul Business Start-Up Session with me!
Listen to the full episode (episode 13) on YouTube, Spotify or Apple for the complete breakdown, and if this resonated with you, follow the Soul & Strategy podcast so you don't miss what's next.
I'd love to hear what collaboration idea you come up with! Come share it with me via DM or comment under the podcast post on Instagram @sabinelehnhardt.
With love,
Sabine 🤍
