I've spent the last decade interviewing executives for over 10,000 hours. I learned many valuable lessons in this time. A clear trend I saw was that the best leaders aren't just analytical powerhouses—they're the ones who've figured out how to access something deeper. Something that doesn't live in spreadsheets or strategy decks.
They've learned to listen to their bodies.
The Science Behind Your Gut Feel
Harvard Business Review research shows that people who combine data and intuition outperform those relying on analytics alone. Our subconscious minds send us signals before we intellectualise the issues—this is called Somatic Intelligence. Fancy talk for "gut feel" or just any type of feeling. Shoulders hunching, voice feeling blocked, chest tight. All somatic intelligence.
Antonio Damasio's research on the Somatic Marker Hypothesis demonstrates how physical sensations can guide decision-making in complex situations. Laura Huang, Professor at Harvard Business School, confirms that gut feelings are essential when we're making high-stakes decisions where more data won't give us greater clarity.
Ever wondered why "gut feel" is something commonly discussed? It's the simplest way to explain somatic intelligence.
We are all working with our bodies—we just listen to different extents.
From speaking to such a wide data set, we usually know what our bodies want. When we have made a mistake—signed the wrong contract, moved to the wrong location—we feel it in our body. The interesting thing is we live in a world where we are made to quiet the knowing, and the louder the distractions, the more removed we are and the harder it is to come "home" to our decision-making.
In times of stress, rush, and panic it's really easy to feel like you've switched off your intuition or suppressed it altogether... If you just sit and ask yourself on a scale of 1-10 how strong is your intuition? Breathe… what is your answer?
Sometimes this feels non-existent until you're trying to go to sleep and the meeting you had in the day without the outcome you wanted, the thought of tomorrow's meetings, that email that needed replying to—or you wake in the middle of the night… well that's the body—and try as we may, we can't ignore it forever.
How the Best Leaders Use Somatic Intelligence
Recently, I asked a long-standing client how playing the guitar has impacted his job. His answer was that it "makes me a better me and better leader. It is my therapy, ventilation and energy booster." This just drives me to open up the world of creativity to my clients.
The best leaders I've interviewed over the years tell me about how they innovated production lines, or genome sequencing, or how to excrete radio particles through kidneys, their gardens, the books they're reading, the instruments they play, the food they cook. And honestly? That's where the immense capacity to be excellent sustainably comes from. Hard jobs are hard—executives travel and have long hours. We can't change that, but when purpose runs alongside, the right side of the brain looks after the left.
So the execs I have worked with realise that integrating both sides matters. The left brain—strategic, analytical, data-driven—gets you in the room. But the right brain—creative, intuitive, body-connected—to me it is what makes you sustainably effective.
Simple Ways to Start Listening
You don't need to overhaul your entire life to access somatic intelligence and right brain living. Honestly—just start simple:
Recognize your "yes." What does agreement feel like in your body? Lightness? Expansion? Warmth?
Recognize your "no." What does resistance feel like? Heaviness? Contraction? Tension?
Walk a different route. Check in on your daily processes and do something a bit different. Turn right when you get out of the train not left and walk a block in a different loop—it's simple and it's creative.
Practice daily check-ins. Before your next big decision, pause. What is your body telling you before your mind jumps in?
Find your equivalent of guitar or clay. What activity makes you lose track of time? That's your doorway to the right brain.
We need both sides working together. We need data and intuition. Strategy and somatic intelligence.
Especially now, as we navigate AI, evolving work cultures, and the question of what truly matters—your gut isn't optional. It's essential.
Want to explore somatic intelligence in your leadership? I work with executives 1-on-1 using body-based decision-making tools. Email me at Isabel@kennedycreativeconsulting.com to learn more.
Sources & Further Reading:
Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. Penguin Books.
Huang, L. (2020). Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage. Portfolio/Penguin.
Bonabeau, E. (2003). "Don't Trust Your Gut." Harvard Business Review.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Viking.
Levine, P. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice. North Atlantic Books.
Beck, M. (2001). Finding Your Own North Star. Harmony Books.
Hanh, T.N. (1975). The Miracle of Mindfulness. Beacon Press.