How to Trust Yourself Again: A Simple Way to Hear Your Body’s Yes and No #254

Season #7 April 22, 2026

Many empathic women don’t struggle to know what they want — they struggle to trust what they know.

When you naturally sense emotional dynamics, anticipate reactions, and consider everyone else’s needs, your own internal signal can start to feel quieter. Decisions that should feel simple begin to feel layered.

In this episode, we explore a practical, body-based tool for rebuilding self-trust: muscle testing.

Muscle testing helps you reconnect with your body’s natural yes and no responses so decisions feel clearer, steadier, and more aligned.

This is not about outsourcing your intuition or becoming someone different. It’s about learning how to listen to signals your body has been giving you all along.

You’ll learn:
• why empathic women often second-guess themselves
• how your nervous system processes information before conscious thought
• why self-trust requires internal safety
• what muscle testing is and how it works
• step-by-step instructions for reliable muscle testing
• common mistakes that create false results
• how to use muscle testing in everyday decisions
• why practicing on small decisions builds confidence for bigger ones
• how body awareness strengthens intuition

Self-trust is built through repetition, not pressure.

Your body already knows how to communicate with you.
This episode helps you begin hearing those signals again.

Resources Mentioned

Blink – Malcolm Gladwell
The Gift of Fear – Gavin de Becker

Continue the Work

Inside the Empowered Empath Collective, we practice applying tools like this in real life situations with support and structure.

Join the waitlist for the IGNITE Retreat:
brendawinkle.com/igniteretreat

Keywords

self trust, intuition development, muscle testing, empathic women, nervous system awareness, embodied intuition, somatic decision making, emotional intelligence, highly sensitive person, inner knowing, intuitive development

YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION (SEO optimized)

How do you know when something is truly right for you?

Many empathic women don’t struggle with clarity — they struggle with trusting their own knowing.

Years of considering others’ needs, anticipating reactions, and trying to maintain harmony can cause your internal signal to feel quieter.

In this episode of Your Yes Filled Life, Brenda Winkle teaches a simple and practical method to rebuild self-trust using muscle testing.

Muscle testing helps you reconnect with your body’s yes and no responses so decisions feel more grounded, clear, and aligned.

In this episode:
• why empathic women second guess themselves
• how intuition actually works in the body
• why the nervous system influences decision making
• how to muscle test step by step
• mistakes to avoid when muscle testing
• how to begin strengthening your inner knowing

Self-trust grows when you learn how to stay connected to yourself — even when decisions feel emotionally complex.

Resources mentioned:
Blink – Malcolm Gladwell - https://a.co/d/0hIefrUd (affiliate link)
The Gift of Fear – Gavin de Becker - https://a.co/d/01DAWghh (affiliate link)

Explore deeper support:
Empowered Empath Collective - https://www.skool.com/empoweredempathcollective
IGNITE Retreat waitlist:
https://www.brendawinkle.com/igniteretreat

Subscribe for weekly conversations on intuition, nervous system wisdom, and living fully as an empathic woman.

#youryesfilledlife #selftrust #intuitiondevelopment #empathicwomen #nervoussystem

Episode Transcript

[Brenda Winkle] 11:54:41
Hello, and welcome!

[Brenda Winkle] 11:54:53
Hello, and welcome to Your Yes Filled Life. I'm your host, Brenda Winkle. Many empathic women don't struggle to know what they want,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:03
It's really more about a struggle to trust

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:07
what you know. Because you've spent years, perhaps a lifetime, considering what everyone else wants,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:15
or what their preferences are, or what the cost of them not getting what they want might be. You've spent years anticipating reactions, and…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:26
Thinking things through from literally every angle.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:30
And at some point, your internal signal

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:35
At some point, your internal signal

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:38
gets quieter for most of us with deep empathy and compassion. And that means sometimes you pause.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:45
Or, you second-guess. Or you make the decision, and then you come back to it again and again and again and again, wondering if you've done the right thing.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:55:55
Or you make decisions by committee, asking everyone you know what they think,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:01
And then that ends up feeling overwhelming and confusing, so…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:05
You wait, and delay.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:07
And it has nothing to do with whether or not you know what you want to do or what's right.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:13
It's actually because…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:15
You don't feel safe enough to trust.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:18
Yourself, yet, and…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:21
It's also because you have been showing up

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:24
In a certain way, as the concierge in some roles in your life. Not every role, probably.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:31
But in a lot of them. So in today's episode, I want to share a very simple, practical way…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:37
To begin to rebuild

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:39
that self-trust. Now, this isn't gonna go perfectly, it's not gonna happen one time on your first time,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:45
But, this is something that you can increase in small, repeatable moments.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:51
And the thing we're going to talk about today is…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:56:53
Muscle testing. Now, before we go any further, if you hear muscle testing and think, wait,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:00
I don't know what that is. This might be too woo for me.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:04
Just hang in there for a second, because this isn't about becoming somebody that you're not, and if you are, woo.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:10
you know, cheers to you. And if you're not, and you're like, mm, I'm kind of woo, adjacent, cheers to you.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:16
This is about reconnecting with something that's already happening inside your body.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:21
So, I can't tell you the number of conversations I have with very intelligent,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:29
Very attuned, very empathic, intuitive people,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:32
who are disconnected from their inner knowing, and I recognize it because I've…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:38
Ben, you. And here's the thing I'd love to offer. Your body…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:43
is constantly processing information.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:46
We oftentimes think that

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:49
intuition comes from the third eye.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:52
If you've heard that, like, that space between your eyebrows, and we have all the images that that's what intuition is, we…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:57:59
Picture people sitting on meditation pillows, or with crystal balls,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:03
And, yeah, that's…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:05
I mean, that can happen, but…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:07
That's not really how intuition works for the vast majority of us, also.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:14
The crystal ball thing, that's called divination. That has…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:16
I mean, it's something different, so let's just clear that up.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:19
So, when we're thinking about intuition, you have…

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:24
Several different intuitive centers inside your own body, and new research reveals you don't have 6 or 5 senses, I should say. You don't have the 5 senses.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:39
And new research is coming out around the census. So many times we talk about the five senses, you know?

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:46
Taste, touch, smell, vision, and hearing.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:50
And then if you are following any of the Clairs, it's all of those five senses plus knowing.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:56
for claircognizance.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:58:57
And when we think about those clairs, we're thinking about the five senses, or when we think about your senses, we're thinking about those five senses, but

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:05
New research reveals

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:07
You don't have five senses, you have as many as

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:11
32 census.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:13
So, you're getting information from all different kinds

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:18
of senses inside your body,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:20
And they have a lot to do with body sensations.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:24
And I've taught before on the podcast, even, about the intuitive bodies, meaning the mental field is what we think of as your mind,

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:32
That has your intellect, that has your intelligence. Then we have the emotional body, which is really connected to all your emotions.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:40
And that lives just outside the heart. And then we've talked about the intuitive body, which is deeper in the body, inside the gut.

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:47
And we know from science that your stomach lining and your heart both contain

[Brenda Winkle] 11:59:54
Brain cells. So we know that these intuitive centers actually exist and function as part of your intelligence.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:02
So, doesn't it make sense to incorporate so many different body parts into your decisions? I think it does.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:10
And here's the thing. Your body is cued into so many different things, and it's processing information even faster than your mind is,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:19
And then it's sending that information back into your thinking mind. It's picking up on what's aligned for you, what's not aligned for you,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:26
It's picking up on safety cues, it's noticing patterns. If you've ever read the work by Malcolm Gladwell,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:34
He wrote an incredible book called Blink,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:37
Which is talking about this, how you know in the blink of an eye that something is either right or wrong for you.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:44
There's another book called The Gift of Fear, and I believe the author is Gavin McGraw, and again, we're talking about this sudden, instant knowing. We're really referencing exactly what I'm talking about to you in this episode, which is…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:00:57
How your body knows so much.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:02
before you even consciously think about it. And a lot of times, we talk ourselves out of the body wisdom.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:10
So you've learned to override it. You've learned to…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:14
really lean on the intellect, the intelligence, and to kind of distance yourself a little bit from that intuition.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:23
So,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:25
we're gonna really allow you to think about this a different way.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:30
So you'll still be able to access your intuition,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:33
and your intelligence, and your intellect,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:36
And… we're going to allow you to be able to

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:45
But many empathic women have learned to override

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:49
the intelligence that's coming from the body.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:52
They really heavily rely on the intelligence that's in the mind.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:01:56
And you're doing this so that you can think instead of feel.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:01
To analyze instead of notice,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:04
And to check externally instead of internally.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:08
So, I want to really make sure that I say the goal here is not to get it right.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:12
The goal is to start listening,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:15
to your body.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:17
And if you have been disconnected from your body for many years, the term embodiment probably drives you crazy. You're like, what does that even mean?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:26
And… when we think about embodiment, which really is a buzzword right now, I'm grateful for that, because that's the work I do.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:33
But it really means in your body.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:36
So many times, we're so disconnected from our bodies, we're not even tuned in to sensations.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:42
Like, fatigue?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:45
Or pain, until we stop. That's why, at the end of the day,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:49
You can be going, going, going, going, going really fast, really pretty hard, and then you get in the car to drive home, and you're like, whoa.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:02:58
I'm tired. It's because you've been pushing down and overriding all those signals.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:04
of fatigue. And there's nothing wrong with that, by the way. That happens to all of us. It's how our bodies are made.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:11
It's part of our nervous system, so that we have a little bit more oomph.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:16
To get through stressful situations, our nervous systems are doing that intentionally,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:20
It's part of a stress response, and it's necessary. So we don't want to make that bad. It's actually important.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:26
But this is also what's happening. So muscle testing is a way to begin

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:31
to connect with your own

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:34
yeses and nos.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:36
by tuning in to the body.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:38
Now, a couple things.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:41
About muscle testing. We want to make sure that we're

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:46
hydrated and resourced.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:48
Meaning, you're not exhausted, you've eaten fairly recently, like, within 4 to 6 hours,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:55
Because if you're exhausted, you're dehydrated,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:03:59
you're super hungry,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:01
You're going to get false answers, which is why we want to always start by testing

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:07
For yes and no.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:10
And when we test for yes or no, we want to test something that you know without a shadow of a doubt,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:18
You know to be true, so that when your body says yes, you're like, oh yeah, that is true.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:23
And then when your body says no, you're like, oh yeah, that's also a no for me. So the thing I love to teach…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:28
is muscle tests using your name when you're

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:33
First of all, testing for yes or no, okay?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:35
So, when we muscle test, the reason this works is you get into the body and out of your mind.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:41
But in order to actually get into the body and out of your mind,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:45
There's something you're going to need to do, and that is…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:49
I'm gonna ask you to put your arms at your sides, to stand up, maybe reverse that order,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:55
And you're gonna close your eyes.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:04:57
Then you're gonna test for yes.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:00
Say, my name is, and then say your name.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:02
So in my example, I would say, my name is Brenda, and then wait.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:07
For a response.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:10
If you are actually in your body, and it's going to be aligned for you to muscle test in that moment,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:16
You're going to gently tip forward. It'll be noticeable.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:20
But it's not like you're gonna fall down.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:22
And then, you want to gently test for no.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:26
So say something that your name isn't. My name is…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:30
Bentley, that's my dog's name.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:32
And then you're gonna wait for your body to respond. If you're in your body, you're going to gently tip back.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:39
It will be noticeable, but you won't fall down.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:42
Now, if you test for yes, and you tip forward,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:46
that's a good sign you're in your body.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:48
If you test for no and you tip backward, that's a good sign.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:52
You're in your body. If…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:05:55
Either of those two things is mixed up, and you test for yes, and you go backward.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:00
Or you test for no, and you go forward, this is not the right time to muscle test. There are some things you need to do

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:07
First, before you can trust that muscle testing. This is one of the things that drives me crazy on social media, because there's so many people out there that don't teach this part.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:16
This is essential. You have to test for yes and no before you begin.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:22
So, if you got a false positive or false negative,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:26
There's one thing I want you to do, and that is…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:30
Drink some water. Not, like, a couple sips, but, like, a cup of water, and that just makes me think, I want to drink of my own water.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:38
So you're gonna drink your water,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:40
And then just wait a couple seconds.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:43
Then invitation to stand back up, widen your stance,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:48
And test again. In almost every case,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:51
then your answers will be true. Your yes will be a yes, your no will be a no. Once you've tested,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:06:57
Then, it's time for the actual muscle testing to begin.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:01
Do not skip this step.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:04
of testing for your yes and your no, because if you do, you're not going to be able to trust the answers.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:11
Okay? So when your muscle testing,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:14
The best way that I can teach it, and this is assuming you're able to stand, and I'll give you an alternative if you're not able to stand.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:22
If you're able to stand, the best way to do it is to stand up straight with your arms by your sides,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:28
Your feet a comfortable width apart, there should be just a little bit of space between your feet.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:33
And, this is really important…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:36
Close your eyes.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:38
Then do your test for yes, test for no.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:40
If that is all…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:42
going the appropriate direction, then you can begin your actual muscle testing.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:46
So, when we get ready to do the actual muscle testing…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:52
We want to create statements that you're either saying out loud, or saying in your mind.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:07:58
And we want them to be singular statements,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:01
that have a clear yes,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:03
Or no. Because if you have, like, multiple options in a statement, then that's confusing, and you're not going to get a good answer.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:10
So, an example of a multiple statement is…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:14
Um, let's see, something I should… I would be deciding today. Should I have lunch before or after my client?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:21
That is not going to get me a muscle testing answer, because I asked two questions.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:26
Should I have lunch before my client? Should I have lunch after my client?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:30
Do you see what I mean? So you want to ask a really singular statement.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:35
Is it of the highest good for me to have lunch before my client today?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:39
Then muscle test for that.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:41
This is something I'm really considering right now, because I'm hungry.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:45
And so, you can do this. In fact, I recommend you do this, with really simple, everyday things for a while, so that you can really start to feel

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:55
What does that yes feel like in your body?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:08:57
And what does that know feel like in your body?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:01
Self-trust is built through repetition.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:04
So, I invite you to use this

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:06
throughout your day. You can use it on decisions like I just mentioned.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:11
You can also use it if you're grocery shopping, if you happen to be the one physically grocery shopping, and you can hold

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:16
different varieties. I do this often, by the way. People probably think I'm nuts at the grocery store, but I'll be… I'll hold something up to my heart, and then I'll just muscle test it.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:27
Is this for my highest good? Is this what my body wants?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:30
And if I've tested for yes and tested for no, which I take the time to do in the grocery store,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:35
Um, I'll get my answer if it's a line for me, or if it's not a line for me. I don't have a ton of food allergies, I'm just allergic to a couple things.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:43
But some really common foods have some of my key allergies.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:49
And so, I like to be careful, especially when I'm buying any kind of prepared

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:54
Chicken, because I have an allergy to something they often put in chicken.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:09:59
So I can muscle test it, and I get the right answer every single time. And you will, too.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:05
So you can test it on food, and then once you really learn

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:08
to trust your own body's muscle testing on the everyday things, like,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:13
When should I eat lunch? What route should I take?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:16
then you can begin to apply it

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:18
to bigger issues in your life.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:21
Now, let's say, for example, you're on a call.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:25
And you're sitting down, you're on Zoom, and you can't stand up.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:29
Let me give you some other alternatives, or maybe you don't have the ability to stand up.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:34
So, this will work for you as well. So there's two other ways that you can muscle test. One is by sitting really tall,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:42
If you have the ability to do that, you can muscle test from a seated position.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:47
And so in that case, you're gonna lay your hands gently in your lap. It doesn't really matter if it's palm up or palm down. Just gently lay your arms in your lap.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:10:56
And then you're gonna do the same thing, testing for yes, testing for no,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:00
And then go into the thing that you want to do. So maybe you're on a call, and you're trying to make a decision about whether something is aligned for you, whether it's an aligned client,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:10
an aligned job offer.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:11
whatever the case may be, and you'll actually find yourself tipping forward gently on the yes, just like you would if you were standing,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:18
And gently tipping backward for the no, just like you would if you were standing. So this can be used in a seated position as well.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:25
And I really do want you to try this. I want you to try this, because if you don't try this, you're gonna think, oh, Brenda.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:32
Oh, Brenda, sounds like my mom. Oh, Brenda! Um…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:38
You're gonna think I'm making it up, so I want you to test it. I want you to try and prove me wrong. You're not gonna do it.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:43
You're not gonna do it. You're not gonna prove me wrong. You're gonna prove me right, but I still want you to try to myth-bust this.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:50
Because it's going to prove to you that you have so much body wisdom,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:11:55
right inside you, and it's easily accessible. Okay, so you can muscle test standing.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:00
And you can muscle test sitting.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:02
Now, there's one more way that you can reliably muscle test.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:07
But, it's not fail-safe.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:10
And that is when you interlock a ring finger and a thumb on each hand.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:15
And so you just make a circle with one hand with your ring finger and your thumb, and a circle around and through that.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:22
So that they're interlocked, they're linked.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:24
And then your yes is going to be difficult to pull apart, and your no…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:29
will easily slide, and if you're watching on YouTube, you can see it's, yes,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:34
And no. It's very easy.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:37
I do like this.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:39
But, I'm going to share this one with you with caution. There's a little caution flag here on this

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:45
finger muscle testing, and that is…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:48
You can overwrite it with your will.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:12:51
So you can get some false answers. So, if this is a really big decision, I do not recommend you use this finger muscle testing.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:00
If it's a really big life decision kind of thing,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:04
Please use the full body testing if you're able.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:07
The seated body testing, if you're able, and if you are not able to stand or sit,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:12
Then you can use the interlocking finger one.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:14
But make sure your eyes are closed, and make sure your statements are singular.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:18
Okay? So, your real…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:21
Life isn't going to ask you, like, is it coffee or tea today? It's not…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:26
like that. Most moments that you can really apply this to are

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:31
Do I say yes to this?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:35
Do I respond today, or do I wait?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:38
Do I keep going? Do I take a break?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:40
Is this actually a line for me?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:43
And this… this part is the place where many empathic women freeze.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:49
Not because you don't know, not even because you don't have access, but because you've learned

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:54
that… or been taught, or socialized, or conditioned,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:13:58
that other people's responses matter more than you… than your own.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:02
And this is why…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:05
Muscle testing is so important as you come back into your body.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:09
Now, I want to mention that there is one other kind of muscle testing that you'll see on social media, and you may even encounter, and you'll find this often

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:18
in certain healing spaces, chiropractic offices, energetic practitioner offices,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:23
And that's where you hold out your arm, and then they push it down to test for yes or no, and if it's a yes, it stays up.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:31
If it's a no, it goes down.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:33
It's harder to do on yourself.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:35
And so, I don't recommend you doing it on yourself, but you could have somebody that you trust,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:40
Muscle test on you that way, so you just extend your arm out straight. If it's a yes, your arm will stay pretty much

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:47
raised out straight, and if it's a no, then you'll notice a little bounce.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:52
And so I had a chiropractor I was working with once who used this to test for different things, and it was really reliable, but again…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:14:59
It was not reliable when I was doing it on myself.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:03
And so the most reliable gold standard one is the one where you're standing.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:07
Now, self-trust doesn't come

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:09
from having the right answer.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:12
It comes from staying connected

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:14
to yourself, so that you can listen.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:18
When the answer really matters.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:21
So, here's what I want you to practice today, okay?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:25
I want you to pick something small, something kind of everyday decision type of thing. I want you to pause.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:32
And then… I invite you to create a singular statement that is easily answered by a yes or a no,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:40
And test it.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:42
Now, you might be surprised, you might find, like, for example, the can of soup that you're planning to have for lunch is not actually one of the best interest for you, or you might find that your body is… like, if you do…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:15:54
a muscle testing around making a salad today, you might find that your body doesn't want the salad today. Maybe your body wants something…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:02
different? I don't know. But do it in something every day. And so you can test with the item on your chest, if you want,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:09
Or you can simply test…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:12
by thinking about whatever the decision is, whether it's an item,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:15
or a decision, or even an outcome.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:18
So, that's how you're gonna do that. And I really want to hear from you. Will you please DM me on Instagram at BrendaWinkle?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:25
And let me know…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:27
What happened? Let me know how this works for you. I love hearing from you. You're never bothering me.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:32
So, DM me. I love hearing from you there.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:36
Now, this is the kind of work that we practice more deeply in MySpaces.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:41
not just understanding what to do, but learning how to apply it in real life.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:47
So, you know, probably if you've been listening to the podcast for a while, that I have a membership.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:52
And what you may not know is that membership has shifted identity and even title

[Brenda Winkle] 12:16:58
It's now called the Empowered Empath Collective.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:02
And inside the Empowered Empath Collective,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:06
This type of self-awareness and self-inquiry becomes part of your weekly rhythm.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:11
It's a practice to help listen to yourself and to really practice listening to yourself and your body in real situations with support.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:21
It's not a lot of information given, it's actual integration.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:24
And for those of you who are feeling a deeper pull,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:27
I'm opening a waitlist for my next in-person experience.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:32
It's a retreat called the Ignite

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:35
Self-trust retreat.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:37
And this is where the work moves out of your head,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:41
And into your body. And this is where you're gonna have the space to hear yourself clearly again, without the noise of daily life. And if that's something you're curious about, you can join the waitlist at BrendaWinkle.com forward slash ignite

[Brenda Winkle] 12:17:55
retreat. And I'm going to put the links to the membership, the Empowered Empath Collective, which is hosted on school,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:02
Which is so seamless, beautiful user experience.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:06
As well as the retreat. And if you're interested in the retreat, get on the waitlist.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:10
Because when it opens, there's only 10 spots.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:14
for this retreat. You don't have to become someone else to be able to trust yourself, and…

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:20
You don't need more information.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:22
you have a lot of information. You need moments of integration.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:26
of pause, of honesty.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:28
of self-inquiry.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:30
And willingness to listen.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:32
And your body has been communicating with you for your entire life.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:36
This is just an invitation to start hearing it again.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:40
Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, and you got something out of it, would you please consider sharing it with 3 of your friends?

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:49
And if you haven't left the podcast, a rating and review in a while,

[Brenda Winkle] 12:18:53
It would mean so much if you could take 30 seconds and leave the podcast a rating and review wherever you're listening right now.

[Brenda Winkle] 12:19:00
Thanks for being here. Bye for now.

How to Trust Yourself Again: A Simple Way to Hear Your Body’s Yes and No #254

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