Episode 149: The Return to Self-Trust: Listening, Learning, and Leading from Within
If you've ever felt disconnected from that quiet, steady part of yourself, the one that just knows, this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, I’m opening up about what it really looks like to rebuild self-trust after seasons of doubt, fear, and even mental health struggles. I’m sharing the messy, beautiful process of learning to listen to your intuition again, how I’ve been practicing this in my own life (yes, even from the YMCA sauna at 6:30 a.m.), and why this inner work has changed everything for me.
Why We Lose Trust With Ourselves
We don’t wake up one day suddenly disconnected from our intuition, it’s something that happens slowly, over time. For many of us, it starts with wounds or experiences that taught us we couldn’t be trusted. Maybe a decision we made didn’t turn out the way we hoped, or someone’s opinion became louder than our own. In my case, I share openly about how my mental health journey shook my confidence in myself. But I’ve learned that those moments don’t define us, they’re invitations to heal and rediscover the strength we still carry.
Rebuilding the Connection
Reconnecting to your inner wisdom is a gentle process, not a switch you flip overnight. I like to think of it as “exposure therapy for your soul.” It’s about slowly teaching yourself that it’s safe to listen again. For me, that happens in quiet moments, sitting in the sauna, breathing deeply, and letting my thoughts settle. I notice where my mind goes, ask myself curious questions, and sometimes even have what feels like my own little therapy session. It’s not fancy or perfect. It’s simply space and that’s where the healing happens.
Living From the Knowing
When you start trusting yourself again, you begin to realize there’s no map and that’s actually the most freeing part. As Glennon Doyle writes in Untamed, “There is no map. We are all pioneers.” No one else can tell you what your path should look like because no one else has lived your life. The more you listen inward, the steadier you become. The noise quiets. The anxiety eases. And you begin to walk your path with courage, anchored in your own truth.
This journey of rebuilding trust with yourself is sacred work. It doesn’t require grand gestures, just small, consistent moments of choosing to listen inward rather than outward. I hope this episode encourages you to make space for that kind of listening this week. You deserve to feel grounded in who you are and confident in your own wisdom.
If this message resonated with you, share the episode with someone who might need it, and don’t forget to head to tillagepodcast.com for today’s show notes and resources. Until next time, keep leaning into your inner knowing, it’s been waiting for you.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
There’s a steadiness that comes when you begin to trust yourself again. It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s built through small moments of choosing your own voice over the noise.
Many of us lose that trust early on. Past experiences taught us that we couldn’t be trusted. Narratives whispered that we weren’t capable or wise enough. Over time, we learned to look outward for validation instead of inward for truth.
Rebuilding that connection is gentle work. It’s like exposure therapy for your soul, slowly teaching your nervous system that it’s safe to listen again.
Start small. Notice where your thoughts wander. Ask yourself curious questions without judgment. Write down what comes up. Protect the wisdom you uncover because it’s sacred.
There is no map for this journey. You are the pioneer. The more you listen to your inner knowing, the steadier you’ll feel, and the freer you’ll become, untethered from the expectations and opinions of others, anchored in the quiet strength of your own truth.
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