Part one: five honest answers about your intuition
Of all the questions people bring to me, this is the one I hear most
After more than 30 years of working as an intuitive here at InnerVisions, I understand why. I bet you've had a moment you couldn't explain. You think of a friend, and the phone rings. You walk into a room and something feels off. You meet someone new and simply know you can trust them.
Then the doubt creeps in, doesn't it? Was that real, or did I just imagine it?
So let me answer you gently and honestly. Yes, intuition is real, and these days science agrees. But the more useful question is how to use it well, so that's where we'll finish.
Intuition isn't something you have to earn. It's something you learn.
What the research shows
In 2016, researchers at the University of New South Wales showed people emotional images too quickly to be consciously seen, while they made a simple decision. And here's the lovely part: those hidden images still helped them choose faster and more accurately. Lead researcher Joel Pearson said intuition "does, indeed, exist". Even better, people got better at trusting it the more they used it.
There's a reason we call it a gut feeling, too. Your gut and heart are linked to your brain through the vagus nerve. So when your body knows before your mind can explain it, that's not your imagination.
You're far from alone
In March 2026, a survey of 2,000 Americans by Talker Research found that one in four had a hunch or gut feeling about something in the past year that later proved true. One in five said they feel they're basically psychic.
So if you've ever had that quiet hunch, or a nudge you just couldn't explain, you're in very good company.
What successful people say
Laura Huang is a professor of management at Northeastern University in Boston, and she has spent years studying intuition. For her 2025 book, You Already Know: The Science of Mastering Your Intuition, she interviewed entrepreneurs, investors, Olympic athletes and prize winning writers. She expected hard work to be the secret of their success. Instead, they told her it was their gut feeling.
Her conclusion is beautifully simple: "We all have intuition." She describes it as drawing on everything you've lived and learned, including things you didn't even realise you knew.
"Intuition is the invisible thread that binds every dish, every decision."
René Redzepi, chef behind Noma in Copenhagen, one of the world's most celebrated restaurants.
How to use it for the best results
Intuition isn't a gift kept for a chosen few. It's part of being human, and it rarely shouts. It arrives as a quiet nudge, a hunch or a sudden 'pop' of knowing. Here's how to hear it more clearly.
1. Get calm first.
Ask yourself, would I still feel this way if I were completely calm? A few slow breaths, with the out breath longer than the in breath, make room for the real answer.
2. Turn down the noise.
Other people's opinions and the rush to decide can drown out your inner voice. Step away, or sleep on it.
3. Ask one clear question.
Notice the very first response, whether it's a feeling, a picture, a word or a 'pop' of knowing, before your thinking mind steps in.
4. Let intuition and common sense work together.
If a hunch feels strong but the facts don't add up, gather a little more information first.
5. Look back and learn.
Intuition grows like a muscle. Notice, record or journal when your hunch was right, when it wasn't, and why.
Here's how it can look in everyday life.
You're driving home and get a calm nudge to take a different way. Later, you find out there was a traffic block that lasted over an hour.
You're offered a job that looks perfect on paper, yet something feels heavy every time you think about it. You ask a few more questions and discover four people have left the role in a year.
A friend keeps popping into your mind for no reason, so you send a quick message to see how she is. She replies that she's had a really hard week, and your text came at just the right moment.
These are just a few of the many ways your intuition can work for you in everyday life. But… how often have you overridden that 'nudge' or 'pop' out of the blue, and later wished you'd listened!
Your intuitive answer usually arrives quietly. Your opportunity is to be ready to listen for it, and choose whether to respond or not.
Try this week - your 'hunch' journal trains your intuitive awareness
Keep a small notebook on you for seven days
• Each day, write down one hunch, 'pop' or 'nudge', however small. Who might call. How a meeting will go. Which way feels right.
• Add the date, and a word or two about how it felt in your body.
• At the end of the week, read back through your notes.
You may be surprised how often you already knew!
Ready to trust that nudge?
Join me for my new six week online class, Liberate Your Intuition. I'll teach you tried and tested ways to recognise, grow and trust your own intuitive style, gently, personally and with plenty of practice.
We start on Saturday 6 February 2027, 11am to 12.15pm NZ time on Zoom, with just six places in each class. Early bird is NZ$399 until 31 December (full price NZ$599).
Stop second guessing. Start trusting yourself.
With warm blessings, Yolanda.
Further reading
If you'd love to explore the research behind this article, here's where to start.
1. Lufityanto, Donkin and Pearson (2016), Measuring Intuition, Psychological Science
This is the University of New South Wales study that measured intuition in the lab for the first time. It found that emotional information people weren't even aware of helped them make faster, more accurate and more confident decisions.
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/psychological-science/0956797616629403/
2. Laura Huang (2025), You Already Know: The Science of Mastering Your Intuition, Penguin
Laura Huang is a professor of management at Northeastern University in Boston. She explains how your gut feel draws on everything you've lived and learned, and shares practical exercises to help you trust it more. It's an easy, inspiring read, and you'll find it at Unity Books here in New Zealand.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/471993/you-already-know-by-huang-laura/9780241776452
3. Talker Research (March 2026), survey of 2,000 American adults on gut feelings and intuition
This online survey asked everyday people how they use their intuition. One in four had a gut feeling in the past year that later proved true, and one in five said they feel they're basically psychic.
https://talkerresearch.com/gen-z-most-likely-to-think-theyre-psychic/
