Jackie Valdez: How to Cultivate Intuition for Leadership and Daily Decisions | #207

Decision-makers, leaders, and high-performers often rely on data, analysis, and willpower to navigate complexity. Yet there's a quieter, faster signal that many overlook: intuition. Intuitive counselor Jackie Valdez joins the show to demystify this innate capacity—explaining that intuition is not a mystical gift reserved for a few, but a practical skill made of only two components: deep listening and trust.

The payoff is clear: when you learn to access your intuition, you gain clarity under pressure, reduce decision fatigue, and lead with greater presence. Instead of being hijacked by anxiety, worst-case scenarios, or the emotional energy of a room, you become grounded and responsive rather than reactive. The conversation explores how stillness and breath work directly influence your ability to listen beyond words—a skill Valdez calls "listening to sounds your ears can't hear."

Key concepts include the relationship between **breath and thought**, the distinction between **memory and intuition**, and a simple grounding technique (feet + tongue on the roof of the mouth) that any leader can use in a tense meeting to regain composure. Valdez also introduces her "Word of the Month" practice, where focusing on a single virtue (like service) for 30 days reprograms your awareness and your energy.

Highlights

Intuition is available to everyone—not just "psychics"—and every "aha" moment is an intuitive flash.Deep listening requires letting energy move through you without projection or expectation.Grounding yourself in your feet during meetings prevents you from absorbing others' agitation.Visualizing the best-case scenario is just as powerful (and more productive) than rehearsing worst-case fears.

Important Concepts and Frameworks

Intuition = Deep Listening + Trust — The two pillars of intuition are listening beyond what the ears can hear and trusting your own inner knowing.Stillness & Concentration — Stillness is built through concentration; deep meditation (and intuitive clarity) requires a disciplined, focused mind, not a blank one.The Breath-Thought Connection — How you breathe determines how you think. Long, slow breathing empties the mind of fear, anxiety, and anticipation.Discernment (Is This Mine?) — The ability to sense whether an emotion or energy belongs to you or was picked up from others. Key to emotional self-regulation.Word of the Month (Virtue & Saboteur) — A 30-day practice of holding one virtue (e.g., service) and one saboteur (e.g., greed) in aware