And why you still decide otherwise – at work, in relationships, and in life
She sits in a meeting, listens, nods – and immediately feels it: this isn’t going to work.
The arguments are good, the presentation is polished, the concept is well thought out. And yet, there is this feeling. A quiet “no” that cannot be explained.
Two weeks later, the project fails.
And still, in moments like these, we don’t listen to it.
There is a name for what happens here: intuition.
It is far more reliable than we think. And it is not female, says Sacha Gabriella Furrer Zoller, who has been working with leaders for years to help them make better decisions through intuition.
How intuition works: You decide faster than you think
Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman has shown that our brain makes decisions in two ways: fast and slow.
The fast decision – often described as intuition or gut feeling – comes first. Always. It shows up as a feeling, an impulse, a sense that “something is off.” Only afterwards does conscious thinking begin.
What is surprising: the decision has often already been made.
We believe we make rational decisions. In reality, we explain decisions that our brain has already made. Or simply put: you feel it – and then you explain it.
Daniel Kahneman – Why we often don’t decide as rationally as we think
Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist and Nobel Prize laureate in economics. He has researched how people actually make decisions.
His model distinguishes between two types of thinking:
System 1 – fast thinking
intuitive, automatic, unconscious
→ what we experience as intuition
System 2 – slow thinking
analytical, conscious, effortful
→ our classic way of thinking
Important: System 1 is always active first.
Many decisions are made intuitively – and only afterwards justified rationally.
👉 Intuition is not the opposite of reason. It is often its starting point.
What intuition really is: Experience instead of gut feeling
Intuition is often described as a gut feeling. That is too simplistic.
Sacha Gabriella Furrer Zoller, an expert in leadership and decision-making, describes intuition as a trainable ability: “Intuition is a skill that can be developed.”
What feels like a vague sensation is actually a rapid comparison with past experiences. Your brain recognizes patterns, evaluates situations, and draws conclusions – without you consciously controlling it.
That is why intuition is especially strong in situations where there are no clear answers: when dealing with people, dynamics, and decisions under uncertainty.
Why women often ignore their intuition
Most of us don’t have weak intuition – we have too little trust in it.
“We were raised to think rationally. The first question is always: Do you have proof?” says Sacha Gabriella Furrer Zoller.
Intuition, however, provides no numbers, no clear arguments. It is quiet, often subtle – and therefore difficult to defend.
Women experience this particularly often. Their perception is questioned, their feelings are labeled as “too emotional,” and their decisions are expected to be more strongly justified.
The result: many women learn early on to override their intuition.
Instead, they decide “rationally” – and later realize that something was off.
Intuition in everyday life: Three typical situations
Intuition does not appear dramatically. It shows up in everyday life.
- At work: when something doesn’t feel right
A project looks perfect – and yet you hesitate. A client convinces rationally – but drains your energy. - In conversations: when the tone doesn’t match
A sentence, a reaction, a mood in the room – hard to define, but clearly noticeable. - In decisions: when clarity is present
Not loud, but quietly certain. An inner “yes” or “no,” without doubt.
These signals are not weakness. They are information.
Strengthening intuition: What changes when you trust it
When you trust your intuition, what changes is not so much your external world – but your experience.
You make decisions faster, doubt less, and lose less energy overthinking.
Sacha Gabriella Furrer Zoller describes this as inner clarity. Decisions feel more aligned – even when they are not easy.
In everyday life, this means: you recognize earlier when something doesn’t fit – and act earlier. Not only when it escalates. You say no more clearly and need less external validation.
Intuition is therefore not a luxury. It is a real decision-making advantage.
Attention: When intuition can be misleading
As important as intuition is – it is not infallible.
Our brain works with patterns. And these patterns can be distorted – by experiences, insecurities, or biases.
That is why one point is crucial: separating perception from interpretation.
“Many people jump directly from what they perceive to a story about it,” explains Sacha Gabriella Furrer Zoller.
Example:
You sense distance → perception
“The person doesn’t like me” → interpretation
Good decisions happen in between.
Why intuition is becoming more important in the age of AI
In a data-driven world, intuition may seem outdated. But the opposite is true.
Data provides facts. Intuition provides context.
Subtle tones, dynamics, and human behavior cannot be fully measured.
“Intuition is something AI does not have,” says Sacha Gabriella Furrer Zoller.
The more complex the world becomes, the more important it is to make fast, holistic decisions.
And that is exactly what intuition does.
Conclusion: Your intuition is already there
What is intuition?
intuition is the ability to make fast, experience-based decisions without conscious. Most of us do not need to learn intuition.
It is already there.
The real challenge is something else: trusting it again.
Perhaps intuition is not the quiet voice we need to learn to hear. But the truth we too often talk ourselves out of.
How to strengthen your intuition
Intuition is not a mystical gift – it is a skill you can train.
1. Separate perception from interpretation
First notice what is there – without immediately evaluating it.
2. Listen to your body
Tension, energy, resistance – your body often signals faster than your mind.
3. Take micro-moments seriously
Pay attention to small irritations in everyday life. That is often where the information lies.
4. Reflect briefly
After important situations: What felt aligned – and what didn’t?
5. Create space
Less input, more awareness. Intuition needs space.
Conclusion:
👉 Intuition becomes stronger when you learn to listen before you explain.