It feels like I’ve told the story about why I quit my job in television news countless times, and I’m always a bit surprised by how frequently the question comes up not only in interviews I’ve done with other people, but also in day-to-day conversations with friends or other people I meet. Why? they ask. Why would you leave a job you worked so hard to get, and one you so thoroughly enjoyed?

The answer is about as simples as it gets, although there was nothing simple about me getting there: It just felt right. It felt like it was time.

I’m ashamed to say that it took me literal years to learn how to trust my gut. We’re conditioned as women, I find, to silence that deep-down part of our souls–our hearts–that we feel so often crying out, having been told for the bulk of our formative years things like, Stop overreacting. Or Just calm down; everything is as it should be.

In its worst form, this negative reinforcement–this willful ignoring of our gut instinct that something is wrong–can result in instances that lead to physical or emotional danger. In its mildest form, it merely keeps us in stasis–never chasing bigger or better things–because it would be too scary to do so, the shift needed to kick us into the next gear too frightening.

So let’s just go ahead and say it:

After learning how to trust my gut thoroughly (it’s never been wrong, guys, from bad relationships to dicey people to career decisions and more), I call bullshit on anyone or anything that heretofore is telling me to ignore it. Not gonna happen anymore.

Hear me, and hear me well: Your gut, your intuition, your heart is there to guide you. It’s part of your compass. It’s your internal GPS. Your innate BS detector. Your spiritual spidey sense. Don’t you ever, ever ignore it again, because it is nature’s way of letting you know if you’re on the right or wrong path.

This week’s podcast episode is with a woman who’s created her own method for tuning into your instinct and using it to help you rise. Jessie May Wolfe‘s career spanned the fashion, publishing and marketing worlds, and it landed her in a place where she is now literally changing lives.

I’d be honored if you followed your heart (see what I did there 😉 ) and clicked on over to check out this week’s episode.

And tell me, do you listen to your heart? I hope this interview gives you permission to listen just a little more closely to what you already know.