Can I really trust my intuition?

Have you ever had a moment in coaching (or in any conversation) where you feel something before you can explain it? A shift in your conversation partner’s tone. A slight pause. A tightening in your own chest. All of these are data points, and learning to trust them can transform your coaching.

A hunch, a sensation in your body, a whisper of insight that turned out to be exactly what the client needed? That’s intuition at work. And in coaching, intuition is not just a nice-to-have; it’s essential - and important to invite clients to pay attention to their own intuition. 

Intuition: More Than a Gut Feeling

Some people think of intuition as a magical ability, something mystical or unreliable. But neuroscientists describe intuition as rapid subconscious processing—your brain recognizing patterns and making connections faster than your conscious mind can keep up.

Studies using fMRI scans show that intuitive decision-making activates the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the same area involved in emotional regulation and complex problem-solving.

Intuition is not irrational—it’s pre-rational. It’s your brain and body picking up on cues you haven’t consciously processed yet. 

Intuition and the Body: A Two-Way Street

Your body is an incredible receiver of intuitive information. Research on the gut-brain connection shows that the enteric nervous system (often called the "second brain") communicates directly with the brain, influencing emotions, decision-making, and perception.

This means that the sensations in your body—warmth, tightness, lightness, a sudden deep breath—are not random. They are signals. They are information. Some people override these signals, dismissing them as irrelevant. But as a coach, your body is one of your most powerful tools for attuning to your client’s unspoken truths.

The best coaches I know regularly check in with their bodies:

• What am I sensing in this moment?
• What is my body telling me about what’s happening here?
• Where is my attention being drawn?

Sometimes, your intuition will pull you toward a question or an insight that seems to come from nowhere. And often, when you trust it, the client responds with, “How did you know to ask that?”

Emotions: Intuition’s Translator

Intuition and emotions are deeply linked. Karla McLaren describes emotions as messengers—they bring us information before our rational mind catches up. Fear alerts us to danger. Anger shows us where a boundary has been crossed. Sadness lets us know what needs to be released.

When we suppress emotions, we also suppress intuition. Some people try to keep coaching purely intellectual, staying in the land of logic and strategy. But that’s not where deep transformation happens. True coaching presence means being attuned to the emotional undercurrents in the conversation—both in your client and in yourself.

If a client says, “Everything is fine,” but their voice has a slight hesitation, your intuition might sense something unspoken. Instead of ignoring it, you might gently say, “I noticed a pause just now. What’s happening for you?” And that simple moment of attunement can open up a whole new level of conversation.

Trusting Your Intuition Without Projection

There’s a fine line between intuition and projection. Some people assume their hunches are always right and impose their interpretations onto clients. That’s not coaching—that’s assumption. Intuition is an invitation, not a conclusion.

A masterful coach uses intuition with openness and curiosity, not certainty. Instead of saying, “I know what’s happening here,” a coach might say, “Something in me is wondering about X. Does that resonate with you?” This way, the client remains the expert in their own experience, and intuition becomes a tool for deeper exploration.

Building Your Intuitive Muscles

Like any skill, intuition gets stronger with practice. Here’s how you can cultivate it in your coaching:

1. Slow down. Intuition speaks in whispers, not shouts. Leave space for silence. Give yourself time to notice what arises.
2. Listen to your body. Pay attention to the physical sensations that accompany insights. Over time, you’ll learn the language of your own intuition.
3. Get comfortable with “not knowing.” Intuition doesn’t always come with proof. Trusting it means being willing to explore without needing immediate validation.
4. Use intuition as a question, not an answer. Instead of making assumptions, turn your hunch into an open-ended inquiry. “I have a sense that… what do you think?”
5. Reflect on past experiences. Think about times when your intuition was right. What did it feel like? What signals did you receive? The more you notice, the more you’ll trust yourself.

When you partner with your intuition—rooted in your emotions, your body, and the intelligence of your subconscious—you become a more attuned, responsive, and transformational coach. And when you invite your clients to trust their own intuition? That’s where the real magic happens.

So next time you feel that whisper of insight, that nudge toward a question you can’t quite explain—pause. Breathe. And trust. Your coaching (and your clients) will be better for it.