How Successful Leaders Reconnect with Their Intuition After Burnout

I’ve been writing about the power and pitfalls of adaptation.  How the very skill that helps us thrive can sometimes lead us so far from ourselves that we can't even decide what to order for dinner. 

Several of you reached out sharing your own stories of losing touch with your inner compass during demanding seasons of leadership.

The question that kept coming up: "How do I find my way back to myself?"

When Your Internal GPS Goes Quiet

If you've been operating primarily from external expectations for an extended period, your inner wisdom doesn't disappear—it just gets quieter. Like a radio station that's gone to static, the signal is still there. You just need to tune back in.

The leaders I work with often describe this disconnection as feeling like they're "going through the motions" or "making decisions in a fog." They can analyze data, weigh options, and execute strategies, but they've lost touch with the subtle internal signals that once guided their best decisions.

The good news? Your inner wisdom is remarkably patient. It's been waiting for you to remember how to listen.

Recalibrating Your Body Compass

Your body holds the memory of what alignment feels like—and what it doesn't.

Find a quiet moment to recall a genuinely happy memory. As you sink into that memory, notice what happens in your body. Where do you feel lightness? Expansion? Warmth? This is your "yes" signal.

Now do the same with a memory that felt genuinely off or uncomfortable. Notice where tension appears, where you contract, what shifts. This is your "no" signal.

Your body compass has been giving you feedback all along—you just need to remember how to read it.

(If you'd like additional support with this process, I've created a guided audio reflection that walks you through calibrating your body compass step by step.)

The Power of Small Preferences

Start making lists of your actual likes and dislikes. Not what you think you should prefer, but what you genuinely do.

Begin small: Do you like your coffee bitter or smooth? Morning meetings or afternoon ones? How much ice do you actually want in your drink?

If you're burned out, the dislikes might come easier first. That's normal. Then consciously look for the likes. What made you smile today? What felt effortless? Start collecting these data points about yourself.

The Five-Year-Old Consultant

Here's a strategy that consistently surprises clients with its effectiveness: When facing a decision, ask yourself what your five-year-old self would choose—not to follow their advice blindly, but to gather valuable intelligence.

Your five-year-old self operates from pure preference, unfiltered by political calculations or people-pleasing tendencies. They'll tell you exactly what sounds fun, interesting, or appealing without weighing whether it's "appropriate" or "strategic."

You're not making impulsive decisions based on a child's logic. You're using their unfiltered response as data about what you're actually drawn to underneath all the adult complexity.

The Gentle Return

Reconnecting with your inner wisdom isn't about dramatic revelations. It's about gentle recognition—remembering who you've always been underneath all the adaptation.

When you reconnect with your inner compass, your external effectiveness doesn't diminish—it deepens. The exhausting work of constant calculation gives way to the ease of aligned action.

What helps you reconnect with your inner compass when you've lost touch with it? I'd love to hear about the strategies that work for you