Almost everyone has found themselves amidst a decision questioning our judgment and not quite knowing what step to take. What does it take to make the best decision at the moment? Be it as little as what to have for dinner or something as big as how to best manage a mass critical event, this webinar will provide guidance on how to leverage our innate wisdom to make the best decisions and take swift effective actions.

Leading this discussion is Kathy Murphy. Kathy is a 37-year veteran who rose through the ranks serving as one of the first women firefighters and peace officers in the 1970s in assignments including firearms training, leadership training, and cliff and water rescues, among others. After retiring, she became a certified health coach, life coach, and mindset coach and is the CEO of her own coaching business the Rising Tide.

Points covered in this webinar include:

• The need for effective problem-solving and decision-making and the consequences of one bad decision.
• A real-life example of how the gut can steer us into the best path for us.
• What “intuition”, “instincts”, “gut”, and “GPS” is, and what it looks like in real-life interactions.
• The science behind the gut as it relates to the brain’s function and processes and the concept of grid cells.
• Our tendency to doubt the concept of our GPS despite having a history of its efficacy.
• How personal and professional training builds into the database in our subconscious which our GPS will refer to in future decision-making and problem-solving.
• How humans make decisions constantly without much thought and applying this idea to bigger decisions.
• The two decision-making brain processes and the guidelines to facilitate straightforward problem-solving.
• The relationship between the size of the problem, the amount of thinking required, and the stress and pressure involved in making decisions.
• How our “gut” works much like the GPS in our cars such that:
  • We have to utilize it so it can help us.
  • It knows where we are, but we must define where we’re headed.
  • We hear it when we’re not caught up in other thoughts.
  • It is neutral and not emotional, and redirects based on the changes in circumstances.
  • It provides the route and time estimate to get to the goal.
  • It detects hazards that we may be facing.
  • It can only navigate us to a destination one point at a time.
• The concept of rapid cognition that we partake in when making on-the-spot decisions.
• How we all tapped into our GPS navigating an unknown environment when the pandemic started.
• The concept of the Brain to Body connection, and how we can enhance it for better decision-making.
• What it looks like when something is off and how the GPS plays a central role in whether we react or respond to the situation.
• The benefits of responding versus reacting.
• The function of our GPS, and how to use it in our day-to-day decisions.
• Exercises were provided throughout the session to understand:
  • Decisions we’ve made and what the gut said about it.
  • Our brains’ processes when we’re doing something we enjoy.
  • How thoughts go through our mind.
  • Our decision-making capability when in time pressure.
  • How we can verify if the swift decision we make is aligned with what our gut says.
• The importance of recognizing, practicing, and applying the tools we have to hone our GPS.

Questions from the webinar attendees are about:

• Distinguishing helpful gut feelings and GPS from pre-conceived ideas and biases, opinions, or insecurity.
• Tuning into our GPS amidst emotionally charged situations.
• The value of intuition in a data-driven society.
• Indifference to the possible options in decisions.

Click here to view and register for other upcoming Career Management webinars on the JCH Platform.

Resources and Handouts

• Handout: Resources
• Handout: Video Resources
• Video: Learning to Trust Your Instincts
• Recommended Video: Intuition is Your Superpower: The Green Light to Your Destiny (Cameo Gore/TEDx)
• Recommended Video: The Truth about Gut Feelings: Myth or Reality (Natalie Dikken/ TEDx)
• Recommended Video: The Courage to Trust Yourself: Listen to the Nudges (Jo Simpson/ TEDx)
• Recommended Video: Trust Your Gut (David Vorbora/TEDx)
• Recommended Video: Go with Your Gut Feeling (Magnus Walker/ TEDx)
• Recommended Video: How Listening to My Gut Changed EVERYTHING (Rebecca Hirst/ TEDx)
• Recommended Video: The Power of Your Gut and How to Use It (Sonia Choquette/Mindvalley Talks)

Audience Comments

• “The High energy of the presenter & her passion for the subject was contagious.” — Andrea
• “Interesting to learn about how decision-making works in the brain.” — Jennifer
• “Interesting way to present “the gift of fear”. Thank you for the reminders and discussion.” — Jeri
• “I liked the coin flip idea with decision-making and seeing how we feel when it lands.” — Robert
• “Excellent view of the topic.” — Rob