Keeping In Touch With Your Intuition: Business Strategist Vanessa Ann Miller On How To Get In Touch With Your Intuition And When To Trust Your Intuition When Making Decisions
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Be intentional about calming your mind to get in touch with your intuition. Have a meditation practice where you can sit in silence without distractions for a few minutes each day. If you’re new to meditation and quieting your mind, simply focus on your breath coming in and out.
Intuition is defined as the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning. Where does intuition come from? Can it be trusted? How can someone tune in to their intuition? To address these questions, we are talking to business leaders, coaches, mental health experts, authors, and anyone who is an authority on “How to Get In Touch With Your Intuition And When To Trust Your Intuition When Making Decisions.” As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vanessa Ann Miller.
Vanessa Ann Miller is a business and money strategist with a mission to empower women all over the globe to normalize financial freedom.
She has helped countless clients create consistent $10K+ months by healing their relationship with money, reframing their mindset, and implementing simplistic business strategies.
Vanessa truly believes with the right mindset, confidence, and solid strategy, women can design the business of their dreams & attract a steady flow of income in their most authentic and intuitive way.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Growing up I had an interesting blend of experiences. From being the younger sister to the only child after my parents split and my half-sister lived with my mom to the oldest child when my father who I lived with had more children. Birth order has an interesting influence on how we program our beliefs.
I, fortunately, was able to experience lack and abundance during childhood as my father had financial ups and downs. I say fortunately because it has helped me appreciate the “little things” in life while still trusting that more is to come.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote is by Tony Robbins: “energy flows where attention goes”. We can operate at effect and only focus on what we don’t want. When I made the shift to focus on what I do want, I received more of it.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I honestly can’t name just one! There are many books that have awakened my soul and mind to all the possibilities available to us during our time on Earth. If I had to choose, the Book of Love and Creation and the other books in this series by Paul Selig have been potent in wisdom for me.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s begin with a definition of terms so that each of us and our readers are on the same page. What exactly does intuition mean? Can you explain?
Intuition to me means that small voice inside nudging us in a certain direction or to make certain decisions. When ignored too often, it’s hard to hear. Sometimes it can feel like a strong desire that we can’t explain.
How would you define common sense? Are intuition and common sense related?
I see common sense as more logical and decided with our conscious awareness. Intuition and common sense can work together in decision-making.
How are they different from each other?
In my opinion, intuition is fueled by our subconscious mind which stores all memories and emotions and runs 95% of brain activity. Common sense is more like the conscious awareness that takes in information through our 5 senses and a reaction to our environment. How many times have you heard someone say “well that makes sense”? That’s them making a decision based on what they see and hear. But when someone says, “it just feels right”, they can’t explain why they’re being guided to this decision.
What are the positive aspects of being in touch with your intuition? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
So many! Inside my group program, the quanTIME leap Academy, I teach the Balanced Workweek Framework which allows a Goddess Day to calm your mind and relax your nervous system to tune into your intuition. The members who follow this practice have found more ease in decision-making and clarity so they’re living a more fulfilled life.
One member was able to release business activities that didn’t feel aligned even though it would make logical sense to another entrepreneur. This boosted her excitement and confidence in business which led to attracting the right clients and collaboration partners.
Are there negative aspects to being guided by intuition? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
I don’t think there are any negative aspects of being guided by your intuition. I think a problem can occur when someone can’t tell if it’s their intuition speaking to them. Increasing your awareness, practicing mindfulness, and learning to trust your intuition helps you distinguish between what’s intuition and what is logical reasoning.
Can you give some guidance about when one should make a decision based on their intuition and when one should use other methods to come to a decision?
I believe the best decisions are made when you have clarity and you’re in a calm state. When we’re under pressure or stress, it reduces the gray matter volume in the frontal lobe and hippocampus all of which are responsible for memory, reasoning, and self-control. It’s most important to be in this clear, calm state when making decisions.
If a situation arises when you must make an immediate decision, you’ll likely have a better outcome if you’ve been practicing mindfulness and getting in touch with your intuition.
I think we’re guided by our intuition more than we realize but if you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, then likely you’ve allowed too many distractions and misaligned commitments to get you off track.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that hold someone back from trusting their intuition?
Beliefs systems built on fear or lack. This usually leads to looking for answers outside of yourself, not feeling safe with your decisions, poor boundaries and not taking self-responsibility. Fear and lack create so much uncertainty that people don’t know what to believe or think about themselves and their capabilities.
Here is the central question of our discussion. What are five methods that someone can use to become more in touch with their intuition?
1 . Be intentional about calming your mind to get in touch with your intuition. Have a meditation practice where you can sit in silence without distractions for a few minutes each day. If you’re new to meditation and quieting your mind, simply focus on your breath coming in and out.
2 . Journal after meditation. I practice asking my subconscious mind what it would like me to know. Then based on that answer, I allow more questions to come up and then I answer those questions. After this “brain dump”, my mind is more clear and my body literally relaxes.
3 . Set clear boundaries and priorities. Too often we take on too much which forces us to make more daily micro-decisions than we need. Sometimes important things get shoved to the side because we get overwhelmed. This leads to stress that clouds our judgment and ability to get in touch with our intuition.
4 . Ask yourself: “For what purpose do I want to get in touch with my intuition?” Showing your logical mind (conscious awareness) the benefits of being in tune with your intuition gives it a reason to work with your subconscious mind/intuition.
5 . Get to the root cause of negative emotions and limiting beliefs that may be blocking your ability to tap into your intuition. As I mentioned, when our beliefs system is built on fear and lack, we’ll have a hard time trusting ourselves and feeling safe in our environment which makes us question if it’s intuition we’re hearing or “crazy” talk.
You are a person of significant influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Stop the hustle! Slow down and know that everything you desire is attainable when you can trust and have intentional focus. As Americans, we tend to feel shame or guilt if we’re not working hard but it just causes stress which results in toxic situations and relationships. Working harder doesn’t always lead to success. It’s strategic and resourceful action that opens up more ease, flow, and opportunities.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Ya mean besides Oprah?! Oprah has always been at the top of my list of powerhouse women I’d like to meet. I even photoshopped a picture of my head over Marie Forleo’s head when she met Oprah. Haha!
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I like to hang out on Instagram at @vanessaannmiller. I also have a weekly podcast called the Aligned Business Woman and upload a weekly YouTube video.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Keeping In Touch With Your Intuition: Business Strategist Vanessa Ann Miller On How To Get In Touch… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.