Trust the Inklings: Anna Quigley on Intuition, Midlife, and the Second Act

Episode Summary What if the feeling you can’t explain is actually the clearest voice you have? In this episode of A Joyful Rebellion, intuition coach and speaker Anna Quigley breaks down how to recognize, trust, and train your inner guidance—especially in midlife. Anna shares the surprising “shopping test” that convinced her intuition was real (complete with a last-minute nudge to “just ask”), the freeway vs. back-road detour that saved her 30 minutes, and why she believes midlife isn’t a crisis—it’s a calling. We dig into the difference between intuition and emotion, why the rational mind can act like a “bully,” and practical ways to create the calm your intuition needs to be heard: two quiet minutes in the car, time in nature, water, yoga, meditation, even a simple tracking sheet to gather “evidence” you can trust. You’ll also learn how intuition shows up—gut feelings, a quiet inner voice, “thin slicing” certainty, and repeating cues—plus questions to rediscover what you loved before life got noisy. This is a gentle, actionable roadmap from distraction to discernment.   Show Notes & Chapters [00:00] Opening: “Have you ever had a hunch so strong it felt like more than a feeling?” [02:00] Why intuition (not “woo-woo”)—Anna’s origin story and early seeking [04:00] The “shopping test” & the inner nudge to “just ask” (it worked) [06:00] Leaving a beloved but toxic job; realizing “it’s my time” [07:00] Midlife crisis as calling; what second-act purpose looks like [12:00] The practice of calm: meditation, yoga, nature, water; turning down the rational mind [13:00] The rational mind as “bully”; emotion vs. intuition (discernment) [16:00] Ideas in motion: a scientist’s best insights while running at Torrey Pines [18:00] The freeway/back-road story: ignoring guidance = 30 minutes of construction [20:00] Client win: “dig a little deeper”—the job that became five times bigger [22:00] How to build trust: use a tracking sheet; notice patterns & results [24:00] How intuition shows up: gut, chills, inner voice, “thin slicing,” repeating cues [31:00] Finding direction: what you loved as a kid; ask friends “what am I really good at?” [33:00] A personal example: importing what she loved (accessories) after feedback clicked [35:00] Tiny practices: two quiet minutes in the car; water as a shortcut to calm [37:00] “Go sit on the mountain”: traveling to an ashram and learning next-step faith [40:00] Closing challenge: review your life’s turning points—where was intuition already guiding? Resources Coaching & speaking with Anna Quigley (San Diego-based; virtual groups and talks) Intuition practice ideas: meditation, yoga, nature/water time, personal tracking sheet