Women’s intuition isn’t always given the credit it deserves.
Honestly, how many times have you heard about it being dismissed as “you’re reading too much into it,” “naaah, it’s just a coincidence,” or, the all-time favorite for gaslighting enthusiasts, “stop being so paranoid”?
But then, we always hear about those moments when a woman gets an inkling. And when she knows? She knows.
[Intuition] is your heartbeat. It is your life force. And it is your power.
— Sonia Choquette, trainer of Mindvalley’s Sixth Sense Superpower program
Call it instinct, call it sixth sense, call it whatever you want. But one thing’s for sure: it lands on the truth.
What is women’s intuition?
Women’s intuition is that lightning-fast knowing you can’t quite explain, but you feel it in your bones. It kicks in before there’s any clear reason why (or before your brain’s even had coffee).
“[Intuition] is your heartbeat,” says Sonia Choquette, the author of Trust Your Vibes and trainer of the Sixth Sense Superpower program on Mindvalley. “It is your life force. And it is your power.”
The self-proclaimed Queen of Intuition would know, having spent decades living by it. For instance, Sonia was boarding a flight to Paris with her family when a sudden gut feeling told her not to get on.
She asked to switch flights, despite pushback from the airline staff. Minutes later, the captain announced the plane had a mechanical issue and wasn’t going anywhere.
Sonia’s not the only one with stories. Chances are, you’ve come across some…
Like the woman whose mother’s intuition kicks in, dragging her kid to the ER and catching an infection just in time. Or the girl who senses something’s off, even though her boyfriend insists it’s “just a drink.” Or a friend who texts “you good?” moments before your world falls apart.
Even the word “intuition” comes with a wink from the past. It traces back to the Latin intueri, meaning to look at or to consider. That same root also gave us tutor, which once meant guardian. In its earliest sense, it was about protection as much as perception.
Over time, women have been the keepers of this kind of knowing. Some say it comes from years of emotional labor, tuning in, holding space, or reading the room. Others see it as wisdom passed down through generations, more felt than taught.
Whatever it may be, it’s real to the people who trust it. And when they do, it often leads them exactly where they need to go.
Is women’s intuition real?
Spoiler: women’s intuition isn’t a myth, a fluke, or a horoscope high. It’s very real, and it’s backed by the way your brain fires, your hormones move, and your life unfolds.
It skips the slow, logical processing and jumps straight to the feeling part: “Something’s off” or “This feels right.”
As Sonia puts it, “Intuition doesn’t tell you what you want to hear. It tells you what you need to hear.”
The science behind women’s intuition
“Intuition isn’t mystical,” says intuitive consultant Laura Day in an interview on The Mindvalley Podcast. “It’s facts hidden within the brain.”
While it might look a little Mary Poppins-esque, under the hood, there’s neurobiology, emotional fluency, and a lifetime of watching things closely. Here’s what research shows:
- Women’s brains tend to have stronger bridges between the left and right hemispheres. That means they’re constantly cross-talking, blending logic and emotion in real time.
- They also tend to score higher in both cognitive and emotional empathy. Not just feeling what someone else feels, but understanding where it’s coming from.
- Estrogen, the hormone most dominant in women, boosts sensitivity to emotional cues. So yes, that moment when she clocks a vibe shift from across the room? There’s chemistry behind it.
- Then there’s lived experience. Certain parts of the brain track what happens and when it happens, allowing women to spot patterns without conscious effort. It’s how the brain uses past experiences to quickly recognize what feels familiar, even before the mind catches up.
So what we call “women’s intuition” is really a mix of brain wiring, hormones, and hard-earned experience. And they’re all working together to read the room before anyone says a word.
How women’s intuition differs from men’s
Myth: intuition is only found in some people.
Fact: that’s so far from the truth.
For women, their sixth sense often shows up in how they make decisions, especially when emotions or relationships are involved. They’re able to read emotional cues faster, recall them with more detail, and factor them into their choices.
Men, however, tend to rely more on task-focused or analytical reasoning. They often lean toward action over emotion.
It’s essentially instinct vs. intuition. The former is hardwired, primal, the kind of thing that makes you flinch when a ball flies at your face. The latter is perception, the kind that knows something’s coming, even when nothing’s been thrown.
But that doesn’t mean a man’s intuition is less pronounced. It just runs through a different channel.
His gut might speak through pattern efficiency. Hers might speak through emotional shifts.
“Everyone is getting intuitive information all the time,” explains Laura. “The difference is who listens, who writes it down, and who acts on it.”
She, like Sonia, would know. Her work with CEOs, creatives, and medical professionals shows how powerful this ability becomes when treated like a tool instead of a party trick. And she teaches people to track their intuition like data by logging, testing, and applying it.
So yes, everyone has inner wisdom. But how it speaks and who’s trained to listen in can make all the difference.
7 signs you have a strong intuition
You don’t need to channel your divine femininity to know your intuition’s working. Most of the time, it shows up in the small moments. The ones that feel obvious only in hindsight.
If any of these sound familiar, chances are, your inner compass is already sharp.
- You get gut feelings often. There’s just a sense deep down that tells you what’s really going on, even without clear proof. Most times, those instincts turn out to be right.
- You read people easily. Even without many words, you can pick up on someone’s energy or mood. It’s almost like their body language or tone gives you all you need.
- You trust yourself. Instead of overthinking, you lean into what feels right. That inner voice usually leads you in the right direction.
- You sense when something’s off. Things might look fine on the surface, but you can feel when something isn’t quite right. That quiet nudge tells you to pay attention.
- You have good timing. The right words or actions just seem to come to you when needed. It’s like things naturally line up when you follow your instincts.
- You feel connected to people or places quickly. There’s an instant sense of familiarity or comfort. Something about the moment feels meaningful without needing an explanation.
- You notice signs and patterns. Little details stand out, like repeated numbers or meaningful coincidences. These small signs seem to guide you or confirm what you’re feeling.
Intuition, according to Sonia, isn’t about predicting the future. That’s the thing people often get wrong.
What it really is, is “about empowering you to make the most informed, creative, authentic, and well-grounded decisions, in the moment, to create the future that you really want.”
How to strengthen your intuition as a woman
There’s a quiet knowing that lives in every woman. Intuitive training helps you hear it clearly, trust it deeply, and move through life with that kind of steady inner certainty that doesn’t waver.
And this is where that power begins.
1. Start listening in
Your intuition can’t get a word in if your brain won’t shut up. The constant narrative. The overthinking. The way we fill silence so we don’t have to feel what’s underneath.
That’s the first thing Sonia teaches: real intuition begins when the ping-pong monologue in your head ends.
According to her, your body (not your brain) is the real antenna. As she’d remind you, it’s your entire being that picks up on subtle shifts: your heart, your gut, your skin, your energy field… But if you don’t make space to listen, you’ll miss it.
Sonia suggests what she calls a “psychic sit-up.” It’s a simple practice that stretches your attention and sharpens your senses. It’s simple:
Just sit and listen. Two minutes. Eyes closed. Ears open. Notice the hum of the fridge, the sound of your breath, and the feeling in the room.
That’s how you start tuning back in.
2. Be open and honest
If you want your sixth sense to actually work, Sonia suggests you get brutally honest with yourself first. Doing so creates real space in your life for guidance to land.
Research even shows that self-connection enhances intuitive decision-making. When you’re clear on what you feel and why, your intuition has room to speak up.
For instance, as a teenager, Sonia once tried to lie to her mom about going to a party. But when her mom asked, “What does your spirit feel?”, she felt the nudge. Her gut feeling told her to stay home, and she listened.
That party ended up being raided. Her honesty with herself, uncomfortable as it was, kept her safe.
Intuition starts flowing when you stop fighting the truth and start listening for what feels real. If something feels off, it probably is. And if a decision brings relief when you imagine not doing it, that’s your clue.
3. Notice the signs
Intuition doesn’t always come with flashing lights. Sometimes, it’s signs from the universe via a craving.
Sonia shares the story of her student, a flight attendant, who kept getting a strange nudge: “It’s a good day for donuts.” It was early, she was tired, and she had a flight to catch, but the voice didn’t let up.
So she pulled into a gas station behind a donut truck, gave in to the craving… and realized her tank was completely empty. That stop saved her from stalling on the highway.
Signs like that aren’t rare. You’ve probably felt them, too. Like a lyric that suddenly feels like a message, a street name that makes your stomach drop, or a book falling off the shelf at just the right time.
They come in all forms. But most people miss them because they’re rushing, distracted, or too plugged into the noise outside to notice what’s within reach.
So slow down. Get quiet. Let your awareness stretch a little further than usual. The more you notice, the more you’ll start to see.
4. Act on your intuition
All the signs, nudges, and inner pings in the world won’t do much if you don’t actually act on them. Unfortunately, many of us second-guess, overthink, and talk ourselves out of following them.
To move from insight to movement, Sonia offers a tool called “Empty the Garbage.” Here’s how you do it:
- Say out loud what you’re afraid of, as fast as you can. Get it all out.
- Then shift focus. Look around the room.
- Breathe.
- Listen to what your inner guidance says next.
It might be, “Call her.” It might be, “Leave.” Or it might be, “Get a donut.” The thing is, usually, it’s surprisingly clear.
Research has found that intuitive decisions can be just as effective as evidence-based ones, especially when someone knows their stuff. For instance, nurses have reported using their inner wisdom as a key part of safe, accurate clinical care.
There’s no guesswork when it comes to intuitive thinking. It’s the fast track your body takes when experience and instinct collide.
5 inspiring examples of women’s intuition
Everyone is getting intuitive information all the time. The difference is who listens, who writes it down, and who acts on it.
— Laura Day, bestselling author of Practical Intuition
Sometimes the strongest proof comes from real stories. Their moments of clarity, courage, and inner knowing, told in their own words, could easily sit among the best women’s intuition quotes out there.
Let’s meet the ladies who didn’t just listen to their gut… they acted on it and changed everything.
1. Marni April on navigating cancer treatment
When intuitive energy healer Marni April got hit with a stage three sarcoma diagnosis, the doctors had a plan. But her body had a message, and it said nope.
“I just felt that it doesn’t feel right,” she shares on Mindvalley Stories. “I started doing energy healing and really taking care of me in a heightened way, a more deeper way.”
By the time doctors removed the tumor, it had shrunk by half and was entirely dead. Her surgeon called it a miracle. Marni calls it intuition.
2. Diana Raab on using intuition to connect with her ancestors
A hummingbird started visiting Diana Raab’s writing studio every morning during the pandemic.
Most people might brush such an encounter off. But the research psychologist, who’s based in the U.S., felt compelled to listen deeper.
What she felt was a message from her grandmother, and that moment became the heartbeat of her latest book, Hummingbird Messages from My Ancestors.
“I realized that there is something in the great beyond that Sonia is always talking about,” she explains. “In addition to guides, it could be people that we know, people that are past, but they can also be spirit guides that we don’t know.”
Through Sonia’s mentorship and encouragement, Diana not only honored those spiritual connections in her writing but now teaches others to do the same.
3. Henrietta Atkin on becoming a mother
Divorce, nearly 40, and no partner in sight, Henrietta Atkin, a musician in the U.S., had every reason to wait. But her intuition didn’t. It practically shouted: BECOME A MOM. NOW.
“What I decided to do was adopt a child as a single parent,” she says. “This was obviously a huge commitment…however, it all felt right. And I trusted my intuition.”
And it not only changed her life; it created one.
4. Sofia Coppola on trusting her creative instincts
Filmmaker Sofia Coppola has often relied on her intuition to guide her creative projects.
Reflecting on her career, she shared that trusting her instincts was crucial, especially when making unconventional choices that later proved successful.
“I think I probably trust my instincts more than I did at the beginning, because you learn over time,” she says in a Vanity Fair interview. And her commitment to following her inner voice has been a driving force behind her unique storytelling style.
5. May Calamawy on following her calling
At 28, May Calamawy felt the pull of something bigger. Grieving her mother’s passing and facing resistance from her family, she left a stable life in Dubai to chase her dream of acting in the U.S.
In an interview with Glamour, she admits she wishes she learned to “listen to [her] gut” earlier on in life. After all, trusting that inner voice led her to breakthrough roles in Moon Knight and Ramy. And while it wasn’t logical or safe, it felt right.
“The more we nurture that side of us, the more it grows,” she says. “Especially as artists, you need that. But more so as women, I feel, it’s good for us to know that and practice that and to teach that to our daughters.”
Embrace everyday magic
If you’ve ever felt that quiet nudge, then you’ve had a taste of intuition. It’s easy to dismiss them, especially when we’re living in a world telling us to be practical, to be polite, and to stop “overthinking.”
But that quiet voice? Still there. Still waiting.
The great thing is, Mindvalley’s suite of free resources is designed to help you reconnect with it. From guided meditations and insightful webinars to interactive quizzes, these tools are crafted to support your journey toward self-discovery and empowerment.
Because when you start tuning back in, answers are the only thing you find. You also find your way back to yourself.
Welcome in.
