More Than a Gut Feeling: The Science and Soul of Intuition

In this episode, Anna Quigley — coach, speaker, and former import business owner — shares how intuition can help women trust themselves, align with their purpose, and manifest meaningful goals. Drawing from her unique journey that took her from corporate life in San Francisco to a mountaintop in India, and eventually to running a fair trade business, Anna reveals grounded, practical ways to tap into the inner guidance system we all have.

We explore the real science behind gut feelings, how to quiet the mind so intuition can speak up, and why midlife might actually be the best time to start listening. If you’ve ever felt a quiet nudge and wondered whether to trust it, this conversation is for you.

✨ Topics Discussed:

• What science says about gut feelings, heart wisdom, and your “second brain”
• The 4 ways intuition speaks to us — and how to recognize your own
• Why midlife is the perfect time to reconnect with your inner guidance
• What gets in the way of hearing intuition (and how to quiet the noise)
• Why it’s never too late to start something new — even in your 50s, 60s, or 70s

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Intuition isn’t a mystery — your body is wired to guide you
• Your rational mind means well, but it can drown out deeper wisdom
• Trusting yourself gets easier with practice (and a little quiet space)
• The signs are always there — the question is, are you listening

Noteworthy Quotes: 

"We often dismiss the things that come naturally to us. Especially as women, we tend to undervalue what feels easy—even when that’s exactly where our gifts live."

"Learning to trust your intuition is a skill. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to recognize that quiet voice—and the more powerful your choices become."

"The rational mind gives us great ideas, but intuition adds the magic. It’s the secret sauce that turns ideas into innovation."

Anna's Bio: Anna Quigley is a coach, speaker, and former business owner with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and fair-trade leadership. She spent eight years running her own import company and has been studying intuition for over 40 years. Today, she helps women trust their inner guidance, align with their purpose, and manifest meaningful goals through 1:1 coaching, a transformative mastermind, and live workshops. Based in Southern California, Anna is passionate about leading women toward clarity, confidence, and intentional living.

More About Anna:
Website: theintuitionzone.com
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Coaching Session
Free Resources

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Chapters

• 0:00 Meeting Anna Quigley
• 5:14 From California to India: Anna's Journey
• 9:42 Finding Purpose Through Import Business
• 17:44 The Science Behind Intuition
• 23:14 How Intuition Communicates With Us
• 31:08 Working With Clients and Resources

Transcript

Lauri Wakefield [00:00:41]:
Hi. Welcome to the Inspired Living for Women podcast. Thanks for joining me today. I'm your host, Lauri Wakefield, and my guest today is Anna Quigley. Would you like to say hi, Anna?

Anna Quigley [00:00:50]:
Hi, everyone. Glad to be here.

Lauri Wakefield [00:00:52]:
Glad to have you. Anna is a coach, speaker, and former business owner with over thirty years of experience in sales, marketing, and fair trade leadership—including eight years running her own import company. She helps women trust their intuition, align with their purpose, and manifest meaningful goals through one-on-one coaching, a transformative mastermind, and live workshops.

One thing I wanted to mention is that you have two bachelor’s degrees—one in journalism and one in psychology. And you earned both while living in Southern California?

Anna Quigley [00:01:26]:
Correct. Yes. Mostly, yes.

Lauri Wakefield [00:01:28]:
You moved to Southern California when you were nine, from Ohio, right?

Anna Quigley [00:01:33]:
Yeah, I was dragged by my parents. What do you do?

Lauri Wakefield [00:01:36]:
You were in Southern California for a while. Can you share a little about that, and what transitions came next?

Anna Quigley [00:01:43]:
Lots of transitions. I stayed through college and then wanted to live somewhere with seasons, so I moved to Colorado and started my career there. But I’m a bit of a rolling stone and an adventurer. I eventually returned to California and finally fulfilled a long-time dream of moving to San Francisco.

Lauri Wakefield [00:02:10]:
Was that for a job, or did you just decide to go?

Anna Quigley [00:02:13]:
I had a job offer, but it fell through right as I was planning the move. I went to San Francisco anyway and figured it out. My intuition guided me to the right opportunities.

Lauri Wakefield [00:02:29]:
How long did you live in San Francisco?

Anna Quigley [00:02:31]:
About eight and a half to nine years. I absolutely loved it. It was a dream come true—I even bought a Queen Anne Victorian. Everything felt aligned... until it didn’t.

Lauri Wakefield [00:02:49]:
Right. You eventually made a big move from there. We’ve only visited San Francisco once—my brother and sister-in-law live out that way.

Anna Quigley [00:02:56]:
It’s a fantastic city.

Lauri Wakefield [00:02:58]:
So what happened that led you to leave?

Anna Quigley [00:03:03]:
Everything started unraveling. Within a few months, I lost my job due to industry changes, and I got into a legal dispute with the person I co-owned the house with. It was chaos. It felt like the bottom fell out of my life. I had to really lean into my intuition. I literally said out loud, “I need clarity—I’m going to sit on a mountaintop and meditate.” And two days later, my cousin called and said, “I’m going to India to an ashram. Want to come?”

Lauri Wakefield [00:04:01]:
Just out of the blue?

Anna Quigley [00:04:03]:
Totally out of the blue. And the ashram? On a mountaintop. I said yes, even though my rational mind told me to stay and sort everything out. But I followed my intuition and went.

Lauri Wakefield [00:04:34]:
How long were you there?

Anna Quigley [00:04:45]:
Three weeks. People either love India or don’t, but I had felt drawn to it since junior high. When I arrived, I felt like I was where I needed to be.

Lauri Wakefield [00:05:04]:
And that experience helped guide your next steps?

Anna Quigley [00:05:11]:
It planted a seed. When I returned and moved to Washington State, I wasn’t sure what was next. But I remembered a suggestion from Sarah Richardson—when you’re unsure about direction, ask friends two questions: “What do you think I love?” and “What do you think I’m good at?” Everyone said travel, but a few mentioned how good I was at accessorizing and decorating. I dismissed it at first, but it ultimately led me to start an import business. I returned to India and sourced goods from fair trade and women-owned businesses.

Lauri Wakefield [00:06:46]:
It’s so true—we don’t always recognize what comes naturally to us as valuable.

Anna Quigley [00:07:01]:
Exactly. We often discount what feels easy. But those natural talents are often our greatest gifts.

Lauri Wakefield [00:07:36]:
You ran the import business for about eight years?

Anna Quigley [00:07:57]:
Yes. My first buying trip ended up being extended because I was scheduled to fly back on September 12, 2001. With everything shut down, I stayed in India an extra week. When I returned, people told me not to launch the business because the market was shaky. But I was passionate about it and pushed forward.

Lauri Wakefield [00:08:49]:
Now, you help others tap into their intuition. Is that your full focus?

Anna Quigley [00:09:00]:
Yes. I use intuition as a tool to help people find purpose and navigate transitions. We also work with visualization and other mind-body techniques. Many of my clients are in midlife and feel the call to share something more, even if their lives are “good.”

Lauri Wakefield [00:09:55]:
You’ve studied intuition for over 40 years. Can you share some of the science behind it?

Anna Quigley [00:10:13]:
Absolutely. We receive around 11 million bits of information every second, but our brain only processes about 1%. The rest is taken in by our body—especially the heart and gut. These organs send signals to the amygdala, which governs emotion and decision-making. Our heart has about 40,000 specialized neurons, and our gut is even called the “second brain.”

This explains why intuitive insights often come as gut feelings or a sense of knowing. Our subconscious is always processing. It’s why we wake up with solutions or ideas. We’re tuning into that frequency when we relax or let go—what I call the “power of the shower.” Malcolm Gladwell calls it “thin slicing”—making accurate decisions without knowing exactly how.

Lauri Wakefield [00:12:46]:
Right. That relaxed state really seems to open things up.

Anna Quigley [00:13:24]:
Exactly. Intuition isn’t loud. It whispers. And we can dial into it by shifting our energy or state—nature, water, movement, stillness. That’s how the ideas flow in.

Lauri Wakefield [00:13:43]:
You’re in Southern California again now?

Anna Quigley [00:13:47]:
Yes. I never planned to return, but life had other ideas. It feels right for now—being close to family and friends.

Lauri Wakefield [00:14:12]:
Do you have any personal stories that highlight how intuition has shown up for you?

Anna Quigley [00:14:17]:
Yeah. I do. And let me preface it because one of the things that I consider intuition—I think it's one of our guidance systems. It's our internal guidance system. And, like GPS in our car—sometimes I call intuition our GPS—our "God Positioning System." We use intuition. It comes built in. It's standard equipment in our bodies. Everybody has it. Whether we use it or not, who knows? But we've learned to trust our car’s GPS. All we have to do is tell it what the destination is—what’s our goal? Where do we want to go? And then we let go. We trust it’s going to get us there. It may not be the route our rational mind would choose, but we know we’ll arrive. Intuition works the same way.

Set the goal clearly—where you want to go. When you learn to trust your intuition and let go, it brings up all kinds of opportunities and ideas. I’ll tell a story on myself. Not long ago, I was coming home from a relaxing acupuncture session. I didn’t want to take the freeway—I wanted a peaceful road through the hills and trees. That was the plan. But as I approached the freeway ramp, I clearly heard, “Take the freeway.” And I was so irritated. I said, “No, I want the peaceful route.” So I ignored it. Two blocks later, same thing: “Turn around. Take the freeway.” My rational mind kicked in, “No, I have a plan. This is how I’m going.”

Looking back, I was like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum. So I ignored it again. I turned another corner—and hit construction. I sat there thinking, “Okay. This is what happens when I don’t listen to my intuition.”

The point is, when we do listen to intuition, it may say something as simple as “Take the freeway.” If I’d listened, I’d have had a smooth ride home. I never would’ve known the difference—but that’s the point. Sometimes we don’t get to know why. You might run into a friend you’ve been meaning to call. You won’t always know in the moment, but later it makes sense.

Lauri Wakefield [00:16:24]:
But—

Anna Quigley [00:16:24]:
—you don’t always need to know the reason why. Right?

Lauri Wakefield [00:16:29]:
Exactly.

Anna Quigley [00:16:31]:
That’s how you learn. I know my intuition’s voice like I know a friend’s voice on the phone. But I’m still human. I don’t always listen.

Lauri Wakefield [00:16:50]:
Yeah. I don’t think it’s something anyone can do perfectly. Do you have any other stories you’d like to share?

Anna Quigley [00:16:58]:
There are so many. But maybe it’s helpful to talk about how intuition shows up—what the signals are. They’re often referred to as the “Four Clairs.” When we think about the science, these are the ways the heart and gut send us messages.

The first is claircognizance—clear knowing. It’s that moment when you say, “I don’t know how I know, but I know.” It’s instant and undeniable. That’s claircognizance, and what Malcolm Gladwell called “thin slicing.”

Then there's clairaudience—clear hearing. That quiet whisper you hear, like the one that said “Take the freeway.” I’ve had it yell at me before—once I was about to cross an intersection and a car ran the red light. That whisper can be literal or it can show up when several people tell you about the same book or movie in a short time. I’ve learned to pay attention. It means something in that book or situation is meant for me.

Next is clairvoyance—clear seeing. Not like “I see dead people,” but more like—let’s say you’re deciding between the beach or the mountains for a vacation. Suddenly you keep seeing Bahamas billboards or Hawaii flight deals. Or maybe you’re car shopping and the model and color you’ve been considering suddenly show up everywhere.

Lastly, clairsentience—clear feeling. That’s your gut. That second brain. You feel the truth in your body—chills, a deep calm, or butterflies when meeting someone who feels familiar. We have to learn to recognize these signals. They’re always there, trying to guide us.

Lauri Wakefield [00:19:33]:
Yeah. And if you’re not ready to receive it, you might not even notice the signs.

Anna Quigley [00:19:44]:
Exactly. You might drive the same route for years and never see the sign that suddenly speaks to you one day. Why that day? What’s going on in your life that made you ready to see it? That’s why I encourage people to track their intuitive hits. Ask, “How did it come through—was it a voice, a feeling?” What happened after? Did you meet someone? Did something unfold? It helps build your awareness of how your body receives intuition.

Lauri Wakefield [00:20:38]:
And maybe each person has one “clair” that’s stronger?

Anna Quigley [00:20:46]:
Absolutely. For many people, clairsentience is the easiest—it’s that gut feeling, the chills. But we all can access different ones. As you start paying attention, you notice how it shifts.

Lauri Wakefield [00:21:09]:
Do you ever still question whether it’s really your intuition?

Anna Quigley [00:21:21]:
Absolutely. The rational mind is powerful. We’ve been conditioned to prioritize logic. But intuition doesn’t always “make sense.” It’s a skill. The more you practice it, the more you trust it. Like in my GPS story—I knew the voice, but I still ignored it. I paid the price.

Lauri Wakefield [00:22:04]:
You ignored it—and paid for it.

Anna Quigley [00:22:06]:
I did. I got home safely—it was just a delay. But it reminded me: I know better. And sometimes it’s the small stuff—like errands. That whisper saying “check your list again” can save you from three unnecessary trips. There’s no “small” with intuition. The more we stay open—especially in nature, in stillness—the more we access it. It’s like turning down the dial on your logical brain and tuning into a quieter frequency.

Lauri Wakefield [00:23:08]:
Would you say you’re more left-brained or right-brained?

Anna Quigley [00:23:13]:
Left-brained. Very logical. When I first started learning about this, I needed proof. I tested it. Once, I was looking for something specific. I got the intuitive nudge to go to a store—but I stopped at others first. None had it. I got to the store my intuition pointed me to, and they didn’t have it out either. On my way out, I heard “Just ask.” I argued with that voice, but finally I asked the clerk. She said, “Oh yes, that came in this morning. We haven’t put it out yet.” I was hooked. That’s when I started studying the science behind it.

Lauri Wakefield [00:24:26]:
So your logical brain needed that validation.

Anna Quigley [00:24:34]:
And just automatically. But I love that I can document this. It's science is there's just ongoing research in this field. The whole mind body quantum mind body technique. I use a lot of visualization and have solid techniques on how to use that to manifest.

Lauri Wakefield [00:24:50]:
You know? So let yeah. Let's talk a little bit about are you are did you wanna add anything more to that, or would you rather get into how you actually help your clients right now? Because you do work one on one with clients, and then you also have a mastermind that you're

Anna Quigley [00:25:03]:
Sure.

Lauri Wakefield [00:25:04]:
That you offer. Yeah. So when yeah. So when you work with your clients one on one, is there do they have a certain number of sessions that they go through, or is it just depend on the person?

Anna Quigley [00:25:16]:
Yeah. We can do a one on one, or we'll do a block of six. I really I I think one is not enough, really, because we start with where are they and what is it they're trying to get to or what are they feeling. And it can take time to really uncover that urge, that inkling. What is that? What does that look like? Ideally, in my mastermind, it's a six month program, twice a month, virtual. So, you know, people can be from anywhere. And we start with that uncovering, that discovery. What is the inkling? What is that you're feeling called to do? And how to transition from that solid, like, my San Francisco life was to, okay. Now we're gonna take that leap of faith. That doesn't come immediately for most people, so it's a transition. Then when you have that insight and you're clear on what you wanna do, you have to take action. And how do you do that? So that's where sensory imagination since, actually, since we know that the senses are responsible for the large part of intuition, using our sensory almost reengineering by using sensory imagination to clarify that vision can also ignite intuition and bring ideas and help people manifest the ultimate goal even faster. So that's what we do in the six month program. A little more involved, but much more detail.

Lauri Wakefield [00:26:43]:
So I'm sure when you're working with the clients one on one, that you have techniques that you use just depending on what would work best for them.

Anna Quigley [00:26:49]:
Exactly. Because everyone's journey is different. Everyone's at a different place in their journey. Some are in crisis and others are just, yeah, I'm just feeling a little dissatisfied. I'm midlife or I'm 50 or 60 or whatever, and it's just I have a good life. You're calling and just I think there's more. I have something to give, and I need to by what that is to figure that out. That's a gift for me to be able to help people figure that out and share their gift. We we all have unique gifts to share.

Lauri Wakefield [00:27:15]:
Yeah. Was I gonna I you do offer a free twenty minute call. Right?

Anna Quigley [00:27:21]:
Absolutely. Sometimes, all it takes is just one conversation just to get clarity, to start on a path. So I'm happy to do that. Yeah. Absolutely. We can just talk about where you are and where you're feeling like you might wanna go and see if that's something I can help with. Yeah.

Lauri Wakefield [00:27:40]:
And you do have on your website, which will which I'll link to in the show notes. I'll mention too when we close. But you have other resources that you have available?

Anna Quigley [00:27:50]:
Oh, I have a whole sheet if people are interested in the and a lot of the science too. People that movies that talk about intuition and books and

Lauri Wakefield [00:27:58]:
Okay.

Anna Quigley [00:27:59]:
Research articles of someone else's science minded and wants to know that. But movies are fun. I have so many examples from Star Wars. It's I love talking about the Star Wars examples. Right. It's the whole thing so in your face, but

Lauri Wakefield [00:28:13]:
yeah. Yeah. All of that. So those they can find those on your contact page. Is that where they're looking at? Okay.

Anna Quigley [00:28:18]:
Yeah. Yeah.

Lauri Wakefield [00:28:19]:
And then the coaching, the free 20 the free twenty minute session, they can find that in the services coaching. Yeah.

Anna Quigley [00:28:27]:
On the contact to page.

Lauri Wakefield [00:28:29]:
Oh, okay.

Anna Quigley [00:28:30]:
Okay. They can just yeah. They can sign up and download a tracking sheet that they can start using and just to, like, a guideline to the keys to start listening to their intuition if they're really just beginning. And they can, yeah, book the session with me

Lauri Wakefield [00:28:45]:
on that.

Anna Quigley [00:28:46]:
So there's interviews. There's blog posts. I started years ago, but but interviewing people on how they found their purpose. So I'm editing those stories and getting those up on the website too because needing to understand the science behind it about biographies and learning. How now how did you get and I think that's important. I learned from how you've done what you've done and how

Lauri Wakefield [00:29:08]:
Yeah. That's I was gonna say to your psychology degree that kinda shows that you have an interest in human behavior too. And

Anna Quigley [00:29:15]:
Most definitely. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah.

Lauri Wakefield [00:29:18]:
One thing I was gonna ask too, it's different from what we were just talking about. But do you think that sometimes when you're trying to get to just let yourself know things intuitively and you you ask people and they give you feedback that it can interfere with the process?

Anna Quigley [00:29:32]:
It can. That's where practicing and getting to know what your own intuition sounds like is the benefit. Doesn't it because it can be confusing. It's like someone and particularly someone that you're close to, if they're Right. Oh, no. You really should do this. It's easy to be swayed. That's where the challenge is. And the more confident you become and trusting you become of how your intuition speaks to you, it get it's easier to say, I appreciate the input, Justin, but it it doesn't feel right for me.

Lauri Wakefield [00:30:02]:
Yeah. I yeah. When we were talking about that, I I don't I'm sure everybody does have time in my life where somebody said, oh, you should do this or do that, and you listen to them. And it was really more when I was younger. It might not have been something big, but it's like I'm thinking they either don't know me well or, yeah. I mean, how many I I can tell you I can tell you one thing. This is funny. It was my mother-in-law at the time. She and I I had I had two small kids, and I didn't have a lot of work experience. And so she she told me she said, yeah. On your resume, she said, just put in there you that you can do this and this. And she said, I used to do that, and then I would just go into the job. They would hire me, and I'd watch them and pick try to pick it up really quickly. It was like, that was one thing I did not listen to because I'm very if I can't do something, I would rather say, I don't and that's not something I've ever done. I don't know how to do it. I'd like to learn or I can learn.

Anna Quigley [00:30:53]:
Yeah. I can Something like that.

Lauri Wakefield [00:30:54]:
Yeah. I could never in doing something like that. Going into the work like, into the job, and they're like, I thought you knew how to do that. I thought you said you knew how to do that. Yeah.

Anna Quigley [00:31:04]:
You hear stories about I I don't know why actors and things coming in as, oh, you need to roller skate. Oh, I need to roller skate or Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I've never been on skates in my life. Yeah. They can yeah.

Lauri Wakefield [00:31:13]:
No. Break your leg. Yeah.

Anna Quigley [00:31:15]:
Exactly. I wanna mention one thing too because I love this little trick on listening. I think people if you wanna play, ask your intuition a question. If there's something that you're thinking about or not sure about or something, just talk to your intuition. Even if you're not practiced listening to it, just talk to it and ask it a question, and then just be with it for a bit and just see what shows up. It's something that's amazing. I think it's a fun little trick.

Lauri Wakefield [00:31:45]:
Yeah. I think it's something for people who haven't really experienced or been open minded to it to just trust with the little things and then

Anna Quigley [00:31:52]:
That's it. It comes with practice. Yeah. You didn't trust the GPS in your car right away. It's I don't know if it's gonna get there. Ultimately, it does.

Lauri Wakefield [00:31:59]:
I know better.

Anna Quigley [00:32:01]:
I know better. Now branch of mind being the bully again Yeah. And bless it because it protects us and keeps us all crap. But but intuition, it's the secret sauce. The rational mind comes up with great ideas and all of this good stuff. But intuition is what adds that little bit of magic to it, that creative thing. It takes an idea to an invention. That's that's special little thing. So, yeah, it's fun. Daydream. Have fun. Many benefits - stress reduction, and increased creativity, and how many things come. I think it's the best gift you can give yourself is learning to listen to your intuition because it's been such a powerful and amazing tool for me my whole life. I'm obviously an advocate, so that's why I was drawn to this career. I'm in my life to share what I know, and hopefully it helps others.

Lauri Wakefield [00:32:53]:
Sounds like you sure know a lot about it. So

Anna Quigley [00:32:56]:
I and I bet I learned the hard way, and hopefully, I can help you bypass some of those bumpy pots spots.

Lauri Wakefield [00:33:03]:
So do you wanna add anything else to what we've been talking about? Are we

Anna Quigley [00:33:07]:
Just to probably just a reminder that the chaos in San Francisco, I I had that opportunity to listen to my intuition even though my rational mind was like, no. You gotta stay. You gotta stay with the attorneys. And I listened to that, and I took a leap of faith, and I stepped into an extraordinary adventure in my life. The next adventure, You just never know. And just a reminder that it you're never too late to follow your passion and your reminder that your intuition is always speaking to you. The question is, are you listening? Are you listening? Yeah.

Lauri Wakefield [00:33:45]:
So that's gonna wrap things up for this episode. Thanks so much for joining me today. If you'd like more if you'd like more information about Anna, you can visit her website at theintuitionzone.com. I'll link to that in in the show notes and also link to the two things that we talked about. Actually, it's it would be just that page, the contact page. If you'd like to see the show notes for today's podcast, you can find them on my website at inspiredlivingforwomen.com. The show notes will be listed under podcast show notes episode 20. If you'd like to join me as I continue my conversations with other guests exploring topics for women 40, please be sure to subscribe to the inspired living for women podcast. Thanks again, and have a great day.