Intuition, Self-Trust, and the Wisdom of the Body with Nikki Novo

This episode is close to my heart in more ways than one.

Bestselling author, speaker, and the creator of the Soul-Led Living podcast Nikki Novo and I go back to childhood, so sitting down with her in Miami felt like a long-overdue conversation between two women who took very different paths to the same place: helping people listen to themselves.

We talk about what intuition really is, why so many of us are afraid to hear it, and how to tell the difference between your inner voice and your anxiety.

Spoiler: they don't sound the same, and Nikki has a beautiful way of explaining how to listen for the calmer one.

We also get into the parts of this that show up in my own practice every day. The mind, body, and spirit are not separate systems. Stress lives in the body. We touch on the gut and the nervous system, on slowing down in a city that rewards the opposite, and on the deeper honesty that tends to arrive in our forties whether we invite it or not.

If you have ever talked yourself out of a feeling you couldn't quite explain, this one is for you.

FAQs

What is intuition?

Intuition is the sense of knowing that arrives before you can reason your way to it. It is often built from years of accumulated experience your conscious mind hasn't paused to catalog. It tends to feel calm and steady and usually speaks in very few words, which is part of what makes it easy to overlook.

How can I tell the difference between intuition and anxiety?

Fear and anxiety tend to move fast, arriving with a rush of words and a sense of urgency. Intuition feels calmer and slower, and it uses fewer words. This does not mean anxiety holds no useful information, only that it takes more sorting to find. A practical approach is to set aside quiet time rather than trying to hear yourself mid-rush, and to write down what surfaces so it doesn't stay stuck in your head.

Why is it so hard to hear my intuition?

It is genuinely difficult to hear yourself when you are moving quickly, and a fast-paced life leaves little room for stillness. Slowing down, even in small ways, gives your better judgment a chance to speak. Many people find that a few minutes of quiet before a hard decision changes what they notice.

Is there really a connection between stress and physical health?

Yes. The gut and brain communicate continuously through what is often called the gut-brain axis, including signaling along the vagus nerve, and stress can affect digestion and contribute to symptoms such as those associated with IBS. Chronic stress, resentment, and a habit of never saying no can take a real toll over time. This is one part of a larger picture, and persistent symptoms are always worth discussing with a clinician.

Can setting boundaries actually improve how I feel?

Boundaries are not a medical treatment, but they are a meaningful form of self-care with real effects on day-to-day wellbeing. Learning to say no, and to be comfortable with it, can ease the physical and emotional load that builds when we consistently put our own needs last.

Does self-worth have anything to do with health?

More than people often realize. It is difficult to follow your instincts, set boundaries, or care for your body constantly when some part of you doubts you deserve the result. Believing you are worthy of feeling well tends to make the day-to-day work of caring for yourself far more sustainable.

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