Jackie Valdez: How to Cultivate Intuition for Leadership and Daily Decisions | #207
Decision-makers, leaders, and high-performers often rely on data, analysis, and willpower to navigate complexity. Yet there's a quieter, faster signal that many overlook: intuition. Intuitive counselor Jackie Valdez joins the show to demystify this innate capacity—explaining that intuition is not a mystical gift reserved for a few, but a practical skill made of only two components: deep listening and trust.
The payoff is clear: when you learn to access your intuition, you gain clarity under pressure, reduce decision fatigue, and lead with greater presence. Instead of being hijacked by anxiety, worst-case scenarios, or the emotional energy of a room, you become grounded and responsive rather than reactive. The conversation explores how stillness and breath work directly influence your ability to listen beyond words—a skill Valdez calls "listening to sounds your ears can't hear."
Key concepts include the relationship between **breath and thought**, the distinction between **memory and intuition**, and a simple grounding technique (feet + tongue on the roof of the mouth) that any leader can use in a tense meeting to regain composure. Valdez also introduces her "Word of the Month" practice, where focusing on a single virtue (like service) for 30 days reprograms your awareness and your energy.
Highlights
The payoff is clear: when you learn to access your intuition, you gain clarity under pressure, reduce decision fatigue, and lead with greater presence. Instead of being hijacked by anxiety, worst-case scenarios, or the emotional energy of a room, you become grounded and responsive rather than reactive. The conversation explores how stillness and breath work directly influence your ability to listen beyond words—a skill Valdez calls "listening to sounds your ears can't hear."
Key concepts include the relationship between **breath and thought**, the distinction between **memory and intuition**, and a simple grounding technique (feet + tongue on the roof of the mouth) that any leader can use in a tense meeting to regain composure. Valdez also introduces her "Word of the Month" practice, where focusing on a single virtue (like service) for 30 days reprograms your awareness and your energy.
Highlights
- Intuition is available to everyone—not just "psychics"—and every "aha" moment is an intuitive flash.
- Deep listening requires letting energy move through you without projection or expectation.
- Grounding yourself in your feet during meetings prevents you from absorbing others' agitation.
- Visualizing the best-case scenario is just as powerful (and more productive) than rehearsing worst-case fears.
Important Concepts and Frameworks
- Intuition = Deep Listening + Trust — The two pillars of intuition are listening beyond what the ears can hear and trusting your own inner knowing.
- Stillness & Concentration — Stillness is built through concentration; deep meditation (and intuitive clarity) requires a disciplined, focused mind, not a blank one.
- The Breath-Thought Connection — How you breathe determines how you think. Long, slow breathing empties the mind of fear, anxiety, and anticipation.
- Discernment (Is This Mine?) — The ability to sense whether an emotion or energy belongs to you or was picked up from others. Key to emotional self-regulation.
- Word of the Month (Virtue & Saboteur) — A 30-day practice of holding one virtue (e.g., service) and one saboteur (e.g., greed) in awareness to shift perception and behavior.
- Memory vs. Intuition — Memory is stored information; intuition is live reception. Valdez uses a mental "card catalog" visualization to keep them separate.
- Feeling the Feet / Tongue on the Roof of the Mouth — A real-time grounding technique for high-pressure situations (meetings, calls, negotiations) that forces deeper breathing and presence.
- Worst-Case Scenario (WCS) Visualization — Repeatedly visualizing the worst outcome actually attracts it; redirecting focus to the best-case scenario is an act of self-control.
Tools & Resources Mentioned
- Word of the Month (First Sunday Sessions) — Monthly guided practice focusing on a virtue and a saboteur to meditate on for 30 days.| https://saintsintraining.com/
Calls to Action
- Practice "feet on the floor, tongue on the roof of your mouth" in your next tense meeting—feel how it shifts your groundedness.
- Pick one virtue and one saboteur to hold in your awareness for the next 30 days; notice how often they show up in your daily life.
- When you catch yourself visualizing the worst-case scenario, consciously redirect to the best-case scenario for 30 seconds.
- Before your next important conversation, take three long, slow breaths to empty anticipation and arrive fully present.
- At the end of each day, ask: "Did I listen more than I talked? Did I let energy move through me, or did I hold onto it?"
Key Quotes
- "Listening is our greatest gift of learning." — Jackie Valdez
- "Intuition is made up of only two things: very deep listening and trust." — Jackie Valdez
- "If you wanna develop presence, you need to be present." — Simon Vetter
- "It's easy to be bad. It's easy to malign. Kindness requires inner strength." — Jackie Valdez
- "Peace is not neutrality. It is inner strength. It is self-control." — Jackie Valdez
Chapters
00:23 — What Is an Intuitive Counselor and How Does Intuition Work?
04:24 — The Two Elements of Intuition: Stillness and Deep Listening
09:48 — Leadership Presence: Why Being Present Creates Executive Presence
14:32 — The Mirror Analogy: Using Intuition to See Your Own Patterns
19:10 — Why You Feel Different After Leaving the Grocery Store
23:44 — Every "Aha Moment" Is Intuition at Work
26:16 — How Negative Emotions Block Intuitive Clarity and How to Shift
36:42 — Three Grounding Tools for Busy Professionals
42:17 — Why Worst-Case Visualization Undermines Your Decisions
46:22 — Final Advice: Become Interested in What Others Are Actually Saying
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This Episode's Guest:
Jackie Valdez
Website: https://saintsintraining.com/
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About the Host
Simon Vetter
Website: https://simonvetter.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thevisionarchitect/
Creators and Guests
Host
Simon Vetter
Simon Vetter, known as The Vision Architect, is an international executive coach, professional speaker and author of "Leading with Vision". He helps leaders create crystal-clear vision and practical execution, aligning teams and accelerating performance. His work is trusted by organizations including AbbVie, Cisco, Lennar, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Siemens. Born in Switzerland and shaped by 27+ years in San Diego, Simon blends Swiss precision with Californian innovation: pragmatic, energizing and actionable for real-world leadership pressure.
