Podcast Summary: Modern Wisdom #990

Episode Title: Dr Tara Swart – How to Use Your Intuition as a Superpower
Host: Chris Williamson
Guest: Dr Tara Swart
Date: September 6, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart exploring the profound yet often overlooked powers of intuition. Chris and Dr Swart tackle why modern society undervalues instinct, the biological and psychological mechanisms behind intuition, the nuances between gut feelings and anxiety, how to harness intuition as a decision-making superpower, and the practical steps individuals can take to better access and trust their inner wisdom. The conversation blends science, personal anecdotes, and philosophical questions, all with a lively and accessible tone.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Modern Dilemma: Logic vs. Intuition

• Dr Swart describes intuition as rooted in primal, physical wisdom—something we’ve sidelined in favor of logic and rationality:

  "We prize logic above anything else... I'm sort of talking about using intuition as well as logic." (00:05, Dr Swart)

• Chris posits that society's scientific revolution and subsequent replication crises have revealed that some "unproven" instincts remain functionally useful:

  "Maybe my gut instinct, I can't give you on a spreadsheet... but when I rely on that sense, ... my decisions tend to be better." (03:15, Chris)

• Both agree that true happiness and connectivity may require re-integrating what feels right, alongside what can be measured and proved.

Instinct, Intuition, and the Body’s Wisdom

• Distinguishing Terms:

  • Instinct: Primitive, survival-driven, can lead to overly risk-averse choices.
  • Intuition: Subtle pattern recognition, experiential wisdom stored in both brain and body.

  "Intuition is wisdom... Instinct is more related to survival." (06:26, Dr Swart)

• Serotonin Hypothesis:

  • 95% of serotonin is produced in the gut, and trauma (or wisdom) may be physically stored in tissues via serotonin’s action on the fascia.
  • Embodied signals (e.g., goosebumps, shivers) may relate to intuition, though the science is still emerging.

  "That hidden wisdom could also be held in the body by the same way that trauma is held..." (10:27, Dr Swart)

Effectiveness vs. Rigor

• Chris observes that in seeking only the explainable, we may have increased societal anxiety and disconnection.
• Scientific validation sometimes circles back to common sense:

  "It feels like when we're connected, we feel good. Had to go through an 80 year study to then come back out the other side..." (05:08, Chris)

Decision-Making: Anxiety vs. Intuition

• Differentiation:

  • Anxiety manifests as a “no” or avoidance.
  • Intuition can often feel like nervous excitement signaling healthy risk-taking.

  "I'm nervous and excited at the same time. That's been the case... before the biggest successes in my life." (16:15, Dr Swart)

• Practical Tools:

  • Journaling helps track which decisions were intuitive vs. anxious, and observe outcomes over time.
  • Hands-on-heart/head/gut exercises: ask for logical, emotional, then intuitive answers separately (21:00–22:00).

The Influence of Upbringing and Culture

• Lack of safety, perfectionism, or critical environments in childhood can erode trust in intuition.

  "If your intuition was ridiculed as a child, that's when you have a... bigger fear of trusting intuition." (22:53, Dr Swart)

• Certain professions (engineering, law, science) discourage intangible skills, though “joining the dots” is itself a form of creativity/intuitive judgment.

Intuition Across the Lifespan

• Older people, with more lived experience, tend to rely more on intuition because they have more "data" for subconscious pattern-matching.

  "It was absolutely the older guys that then chimed in and said that's the exact way that we would make that decision..." (26:48, Dr Swart)

• For younger adults (under 25), intuition may be less trustworthy due to limited experience and ongoing brain maturation.

Biology, Stress, and Intuition

Gut-Brain Connection & Health

• Healthy gut microbiome is foundational to feeling and using intuition.
• Chronic stress raises cortisol, which causes inflammation, disrupts brain blood flow (leading to brain fog), and suppresses access to intuition.

  "If you've got high levels of cortisol, then the brain actually stops sending blood flow to those higher functions..." (30:00+, Dr Swart)

• Antibiotics, hydration, magnesium levels, and diet all affect the gut-brain-immune axis and, thus, intuitive clarity.

Individualizing Gut Health

• General rules for improving gut health: diverse plant-rich diet, fermented foods, probiotics (with certain brands, e.g., Seed, having more research backing).
• Eating in line with genetic ancestry may optimize microbiome function.

  "A tip... is to eat in a way that acknowledges your genetic ancestry." (55:00+)

Social Circles and Psychological Safety

• The people around us deeply impact our willingness to trust intuition.

  "Your tribe provides you psychological safety... that safety and that trust helps you to take healthy risks." (12:36, Dr Swart)

• Romantic partnerships influence immune systems and even subconscious partner selection (MHC and pheromones).
• Culture matters: US encourages risk-taking and intuition more than UK’s “tall poppy” caution.

  "If I could gift something to the UK... it would be encouragement for people following their gut." (41:55, Chris)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Intuitive Journaling:

  "My biggest game-changing tip for journaling is not actually to do with the journaling. It's to do with reading back over it." (47:26, Dr Swart)

• On Building Resilience:

  "I changed [my gratitude practice] to things like my resilience, my vulnerability, my creativity... helped me get to that place of no matter what life throws at me, I will find a way to come out of it stronger." (46:00, Dr Swart)

• On Unexplainable Inner Knowing:

  "That's the million dollar question... I can't explain why, but intuitively this feels like the right thing to do." (11:53–12:36, Chris & Dr Swart)

• On Risk Aversion:

  "My certainty level has to be so absurdly high—99.9%—before I'm prepared to do it. In retrospect, things are obvious and you go, you could have made that decision six months earlier." (61:58, Chris)

• On Embracing Unproven but Useful Practices:

  "There are some things in life that I don't actually feel the need to explain." (67:32, Dr Swart)

Practical Takeaways and Tools

• To Start Accessing Intuition:

  • Clean up gut health: diverse diet, hydration, consider tailored probiotics (54:59).
  • Cultivate awareness: journal decisions and outcomes, noting intuitive nudges (59:00).
  • Experiment: make low-risk decisions based on intuition to build trust stepwise.
  • Hands-on-head/heart/gut exercise for tapping logical, emotional, and intuitive voices (21:00–22:00).
  • Engage in embodiment: gratitude, noticing beauty, yoga, movement (50:31+).

• Social Practice:

  • Surround yourself with supportive, validating people who encourage — not undermine — your gut instincts.
  • Recognize and challenge critical “inner voices” shaped by upbringing or culture (22:53, 24:30).

Exploring the Limits—and the Mystical

• Dr Swart describes phenomena like dreams, synchronicity, “signs from beyond”—not yet explainable by science, but personally transformative and validated by her circle.

• Chris shares skepticism but observes that those with an “abundance mindset” and trust in intuition seem happier, healthier, and more successful.

  “Even if you end up losing in the specific, you gain so much in the general that it doesn’t really matter.” (72:02, Chris)

• Both discuss the future of science possibly validating today’s fringe ideas (e.g., near-death experiences, longevity, consciousness beyond brain).

  "A lot of what we're talking about now... is going to have further explanation." (76:40, Dr Swart)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–05:53 — Logic vs. intuition in modern society
• 06:14–08:11 — Instinct, intuition, and “gut feeling”: differences
• 08:11–13:41 — Serotonin, trauma, and wisdom in the body
• 15:10–18:06 — Distinguishing intuition from anxiety
• 20:38–22:53 — Head/heart/gut alignment exercise
• 24:30–28:35 — Who struggles with intuition and why
• 29:43–35:10 — Stress, the microbiome, and accessing intuition
• 38:13–43:35 — Social influence, relationships, cultural differences
• 47:26–53:04 — Effective journaling and embodiment
• 54:59–60:33 — Building intuition step-by-step
• 61:50–67:32 — Chris’s struggles, access to intuition, and the mystical
• 76:40–78:47 — Psychology vs. metaphysics and the future of intuitive science

Final Thoughts

This engaging conversation delivers both rational analysis and practical advice for anyone interested in integrating intuition into their life. Dr Tara Swart bridges rigorous neuroscience and human experience, encouraging listeners to experiment, reflect, and trust their inner wisdom—one small gut call at a time.

Where to find Dr. Tara Swart:

• Instagram: @drtaraswart
• Website: taraswart.com
• New book: The Signs: The New Science of How to Trust Your Instincts (also available on Audible)

Memorable closing quote:

"No matter what life throws at me, I will find a way to come out of it stronger." (46:00, Dr Swart)