Institutionalizing Intuition: How I’m Learning to Trust My Gut Without Losing My Grip

My friend Melissa said something the other day that stuck with me. She was talking about her business and mentioned that she and her team were working to “institutionalize intuition.”

As a multi-business owner who works with fellow business owners, I’ve definitely said things like: “We don’t make decisions based on vibes,” or “Feelings aren’t a strategy.” Show me the stats. Let the data drive us. Objective. Logical. Predictable.

However...

The longer I do this work - the longer I run businesses and help others build or reimagine theirs - the more I realize how deeply embedded intuition is in my decision-making.

Sometimes she screams.

Sometimes she whispers.

But she’s always talking to me.

And when I ignore her? Regret. Every time.

So: institutionalizing intuition. What would that even look like in a business? Can you build a process that respects your gut - without treating it like a magic trick or tarot pull?

I don’t have your answer. But here’s where I’m starting:

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1. Identifying my intuition.

First step, name it.

For me, intuition is visceral and a temperature. The best way I can describe it? A hot or cold feeling in my belly. (Bear with me.)

Hot = I’m into it. Energy. Curiosity. Electric.

Cold = It’s off for me. Disconnected. Cracked. Insecure.

Now, I’m not breaking a sweat or shivering - it’s more like catching a draft through a cracked window. I might not always know why something feels the way it does - especially when I’m chilly on something that looks great on paper - but if it hits me that strongly, it gets flagged.

2. Giving it a seat at the table.

Right alongside “What's the research telling us?” or “What do the numbers say?”I’m also asking: “What’s lighting me up?” “Do I feel more friction or flow?”

The way I see it, I’m not replacing logic with feelings. I’m adding another data point. One that’s always been there. I just wasn’t calling it what it was.

3. Honing the practice.

I think of this like training. Intuition is a strong muscle, but it needs to be worked and flexed.

For me, this looks like tracking those strong reactions - a quick jot in my Notes app or reMarkable - and revisiting them later. Was it warm? Cold? What happened? To what end?

This isn’t to turn my belly temp checks into a KPI (ew...), but I do want to get better at listening and awareness - also validating her when she’s right.

4. Normalizing it in conversation.

Still workshopping this one, but I’ve started voicing intuition checks more openly with my team and clients.

It sounds like: “This is more of a gut call, but here’s what I’m picking up on and want to dig into.”

This framing works for me because it creates space for both of us to do that temperature read, while also setting the expectation that we’ll pressure test it with research.

It’s a newer trial-and-error process for me, but I’ve found it often leads to the very tangibles we were missing.

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At the end of the day, I find most small businesses - including mine - weren’t strictly inspired by a market analysis or trend report. They started with a hunch. A spark. A moment of frustration, curiosity, or excitement.

Something that said: look at this.

That, I believe, is intuition.

And like most things, I don’t see institutionalizing intuition as a swing of extremes. I’m not shutting it down. I’m not going full woo. I’m pulling out a chair and inviting her to the table - sitting pretty right next to quantitative data and metrics.

This is an attempt to design a business that respects both the numbers and the knowing. Like I said - workshopping this in real time. Wish me luck?

If you’ve found ways to honor your “spidey senses” in your work - or felt the sting of ignoring it - I’d love to hear how you’re navigating it, too.