Stronger Than You Think
How your head, heart, and gut all play a role in making better decisions
We’re smarter than we think.
Which makes us stronger, too.
Not just book-smart. Body-smart. Gut-smart.
The kind of intelligence that doesn’t always shout – but knows.
I used to think good decisions came from the right spreadsheet or the clearest logic.
Turns out, some of my best calls have come from the body.
From instinct. From emotion. From a sense that something just felt true.
The Brain Thinks in Threes
We like to think we’re rational. But most of what drives us happens below the surface.
Triune brain theory, developed by American neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean, says we’ve got three layers working together:
A thinking brain, plans and solves
A feeling brain, tuned to emotion, memory, and mood
A protective brain, wired for survival, habit, and instinct
Daniel Kahneman built on this. His research found that only 5% of our processing power comes from conscious thought. The other 95% is fast, automatic, emotional, embodied.
That blew my mind a bit. It also helped me understand why I’ve ignored gut feelings in the past – and regretted it.
Here’s a diagram I use in workshops. It maps the three parts of the brain and how each shows up in life and work.
Thoughts. Feelings. Knowing.
Here’s how I bring this into strengths work. Instead of sorting CliftonStrengths by domain, I look at them through sense:
Thought sense when strengths show up through thinking
Felt sense when strengths show up through emotion
Known sense when strengths show up through gut-level certainty
Not a science. But it’s helped me - and the teams I coach - make more sense of what we already feel.
We All Lead with Something
Some of us live in our heads.
Some lead with the heart.
Some just know.
There’s no best version. But there is risk in assuming everyone senses the world like we do.
I’ve seen teams talk past each other, one person asking for evidence, the other trying to name a feeling they haven’t quite figured out yet.
It’s not misbehaviour. It’s miscommunication.
But when we bring our senses together - mine, yours, ours - the picture sharpens.
What I miss, you might feel.
What you can’t name, I might already know.
Thought Sense
What’s your head telling you?
These are the thinkers, the planners, the pattern-spotters:
Analytical, Context, Deliberative, Futuristic, Ideation, Input, Intellection, Learner, Strategic
They love clarity.
But can get stuck in loops. (Ask me how I know.)
Felt Sense
What’s your heart telling you?
These strengths feel the shift in energy.
They know when the tone has changed, even if no one’s said a word:
Adaptability, Developer, Empathy, Harmony, Includer, Positivity, Relator, Connectedness
This isn’t about being “too emotional.”
It’s about tuning into something real.
Known Sense
What’s your gut telling you?
This is deep certainty. The “I just know” space:
Belief, Command, Consistency, Discipline, Focus, Responsibility, Self-Assurance, Significance, Individualization
These strengths draw from what we’ve internalised but never named.
What mBraining calls the wisdom of the head, heart, and gut working in sync.
When they’re aligned – it’s powerful.
But First, Quiet
To hear any of this, I need to slow down.
Julia Cameron, who wrote The Artist’s Way, recommends three rituals that unlock clarity:
Journaling set a 10-minute timer. Write whatever’s in your head. No edits. Throw it away when you’re done.
Walking not for exercise. Just movement. Rhythm helps ideas land.
Creative appointments take yourself somewhere solo. A coffee. A gallery. A wander.
I do all three. Not every day. But often enough to keep my gut connected to my head.
When You’re Stuck
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that good decisions aren’t just thought through.
They’re felt.
They’re known.
So next time you’re stuck, ask:
What am I thinking?
What am I feeling?
What do I know?
Then pause.
The answer is probably already there.
It’s just waiting for the volume to drop.
A Quick Story
The shortest time I ever held a job was three weeks.
On paper, it looked like the right move. Great organisation. Solid team.
But the minute I got there, something didn’t sit right.
My gut knew. Loud and clear.
The hard part? It had been speaking before I took the job – but I brushed it aside.
I told myself I was overthinking it. That I was lucky to have the offer. That the doubts would settle once I started.
They didn’t.
I ended up leaving after three weeks.
If I’d listened earlier, I could have saved my manager, the team I left, and the organisation I joined a whole heap of pain.
That moment taught me something I’ve never forgotten:
Gut truth often shows up before logic has a story to tell.
Now I listen sooner.
Try This: Capture the Smarts
Here’s a quick activity I use when my brain’s spinning and after I’ve slowed down.
As mentioned earlier – take a walk, journal, or do something you enjoy.
Grab a blank sheet of paper. Fold it into four.
Across the top, write your two options – for example, do the thing / don’t do the thing.
Down the left, write:
• Best thing that could happen
• Worst thing that could happen
Fill in the boxes. Don’t overthink it. Just let it come.
Then notice:
• Which square gives you energy?
• Which one makes your body shrink?
That’s your full intelligence at work.
Not just your head. All of you.