It was the summer of 1992, and a seventeen-year-old girl was riding in a beige van on a twelve-hour road trip home to Indiana. The windows were down, the highway stretched on forever, and her mind kept drifting back to the same person, a guy named Chad she'd met just a few days earlier at a barbershop convention in New Orleans.
This wasn't your typical teenage crush. Something deeper was happening. Something she couldn't explain with logic or reason. There was an undeniable pull, a quiet knowing that settled into her bones during that long drive home. Her head was spinning with the usual teenage thoughts, would he call, did he feel the same way, but underneath all of that noise, something steady and sure was humming. A feeling that said, "Pay attention. This one matters."
That seventeen-year-old girl was me. And that quiet, steady hum? That was the first time I truly recognized my GodRod intuition at work, even though I wouldn't have a name for it until years later.
Chad and I have been married since 1994. And looking back, I can see that my GodRod was going off like an alarm bell during that van ride home. It knew, long before my conscious mind caught up, that this man was my soulmate.
Now, you might be thinking, "Great love story, Stacey, but what does your high school romance have to do with my business?" Everything. Because the same inner compass that guided me toward my husband has guided every major decision I've made since, from walking away from my six-figure corporate career at 48, to building a $2 million real estate portfolio from just $50K, to creating the number one training program for women in the short-term rental industry.
Your GodRod intuition isn't just for love stories. It's for business decisions, career pivots, partnership opportunities, and those moments when something looks perfect on paper but feels wrong in your gut. Learning the language of your GodRod is one of the most powerful skills you can develop as an entrepreneur, and it's a cornerstone concept I teach in LIVE BIG.
In this article, I'm going to walk you through exactly what your GodRod is, why it matters, how to hear it more clearly, and how to use it alongside logic and strategy to make decisions that align with your deepest values and biggest dreams. Whether you call it intuition, a gut feeling, or divine guidance, you have this power inside you right now, and it's time to start listening.
Table of Contents
What Is Your GodRod? Understanding Your Intuition Superpower
Picture a steel rebar, strong, unwavering, stabilized through the very core of your being. This isn't a flimsy antenna you can attach or detach at will. It's anchored deep within you, its roots intertwined with your values, beliefs, and your faith. This rebar extends upward and emerges proudly at the crown of your head, acting as your personal antenna.
This is your GodRod.
Just like rebar strengthens concrete, your GodRod provides an inner strength and support system. It allows you to face challenging decisions with unwavering confidence, guiding you toward opportunities and connections that logic alone might miss.
Now, here's the important part: while my faith informs my personal view of intuition, I understand that this concept has many interpretations. Call it your GodRod, your intuition, your inner knowing, or just a gut feeling, the key takeaway is to recognize its power and learn to leverage it effectively. The name matters far less than the practice of tuning in.
Your GodRod isn't a Magic 8 Ball. It's not about closing your eyes and hoping for answers to fall from the sky. It's about developing a deep, practiced relationship with the part of yourself that processes information below the surface of your conscious awareness. It's the part that takes in a thousand tiny cues, body language, vocal tone, past experience, pattern recognition, and delivers a verdict before your analytical mind has even finished gathering data.
In LIVE BIG, I describe the GodRod as a secret weapon for making incredible decisions, seizing opportunities, and building a business that's true to you. And that's not just a nice-sounding idea. The research backs it up.
The Science Behind Gut Feelings and Business Intuition
I know, I know. Some of you are reading "GodRod" and thinking, "This sounds a little out there, Stacey." And I get it. But here's what's fascinating, science is increasingly validating what many of us have felt our entire lives: intuition is real, measurable, and surprisingly accurate.
Research published in the journal Psychological Science found that people can use unconscious information to make more confident and accurate decisions. In the study, participants were exposed to emotional cues they weren't consciously aware of, yet their brains still processed those signals and used them to guide subsequent choices. The researchers concluded that gut instincts can be measured scientifically and that they improve over time with practice.
As Psychology Today explains, intuition relies on powers of pattern-matching. Your mind combs through experiences stored in long-term memory, identifies similar situations, and presents in-the-moment judgments based on them. It's not magic, it's your brain doing incredibly sophisticated processing below the level of your conscious awareness.
A study from Tel Aviv University found that when people were forced to make choices based on instinct alone, they made the right call up to ninety percent of the time. Ninety percent! That inner compass of yours isn't just whispering random suggestions. It's drawing on a lifetime of accumulated wisdom to steer you in the right direction.
As Scientific American has reported, upper-level managers and executives tend to rely more heavily on intuition than their junior counterparts, not because they're less analytical, but because they've developed enough experience for their unconscious pattern recognition to become a reliable decision-making tool.
Stacey Says: "Your GodRod is your secret weapon, not a Magic 8 Ball. Intuition is a powerful force, but it thrives with a partner, cold, hard logic. Don't ditch research, data, and analysis just because your gut whispers a certain direction."
Why Entrepreneurs Need Their GodRod More Than Ever
Let's be honest, running a business is a nonstop parade of decisions. Some are small (which social media platform should I post on today?), and some are massive (should I take on this business partner? Should I invest in this property? Should I walk away from my six-figure salary?).
And here's the truth that nobody tells you in business school: data alone won't give you the answer to most of the decisions that really matter. You can run spreadsheets until your eyes cross, but at some point, you have to make a call. That's where your GodRod comes in.
Here's why business intuition matters more than ever in today's entrepreneurial landscape:
The speed of business has accelerated. You don't always have six months to analyze a decision. Sometimes opportunities show up and you've got forty-eight hours to decide. Your GodRod helps you process complex information quickly and arrive at a confident decision when the clock is ticking.
Information overload is real. We have more data available to us than any generation in history, and honestly? It can be paralyzing. Analysis paralysis is one of the biggest dream-killers I see in the entrepreneurs I work with. Your GodRod cuts through the noise and helps you focus on what actually matters.
Authenticity wins in business. Customers, clients, and partners can sense when you're making decisions that are misaligned with your values. When you lead from your GodRod, from that deep, authentic place inside you, people feel it. They trust you. They want to work with you. They come back.
Your conscious mind has limits. Researchers suggest that your conscious mind can process roughly forty to fifty bits of information per second. Your subconscious? Approximately eleven million bits per second. Your GodRod is tapping into that massive reservoir of processing power that your analytical brain simply cannot access.
The 8 Superpowers of Your GodRod
In LIVE BIG, I break down the specific superpowers your GodRod gives you when you learn to trust it. Think of these as the reasons this skill is non-negotiable for any entrepreneur who wants to play at a higher level:
1. Decisions on Fire. Sometimes you have to make a call fast. Your GodRod combines past experiences, subconscious wisdom, and pure intuition to give you instant insights. It's like having a secret advisor whispering the best choice in your ear.
2. Aligned and Authentic You. Trusting your GodRod keeps you true to yourself and your business vision. It helps you make choices that resonate with your core values, building integrity that shines through to your team, clients, and everyone you meet.
3. Ultimate Radar. While data and logic are important, sometimes they can leave you spinning. Your GodRod cuts through the noise, giving you the confidence to make quick decisions, especially when time is tight.
4. Opportunity Spotter. Your GodRod is strategically navigating a treasure map behind the scenes. It helps you sniff out amazing opportunities that might go unnoticed otherwise.
5. Risk Whisperer. Your GodRod sends subtle signals, a flicker of unease or a feeling in the pit of your stomach, to warn you of potential risks or situations that don't feel right.
6. Thinking Outside the Box. Your GodRod can help you think non-linearly, opening doors to creative solutions and unconventional approaches.
7. Building Bridges. Trusting your GodRod fosters authenticity, which shows confidence and conviction in your decisions. People appreciate a leader who follows their instincts.
8. EQ Master. Your GodRod and emotional intelligence are best friends. By trusting your intuition, you become a master at understanding others, making better judgments, and building a team that truly clicks.
How to Tap Into Your GodRod: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ready to turn that inner murmur into a game-changing superpower? Here's the step-by-step process I teach in LIVE BIG to help you develop your GodRod intuition from a whisper into a roar.
Step 1: Silence the Chatter
Think of your intuition like a shy friend at a crowded party. All the noise drowns them out. To hear your GodRod clearly, you have to create some quiet space.
Dedicate time each day to meditation, journaling, or simply taking a walk in nature. Let the mental chatter settle, and open yourself to the subtle whispers of your inner voice.
These days, I dedicate more than just a few minutes each day for self-exploration, sometimes, it's an entire weekend. Regardless of how long you spend, it's incredibly important to give yourself "space for space," as one of my mentors calls it. Spend time with silence around you and intentionally open your ears so you can begin to hear what your intuition is telling you.
According to Mayo Clinic, mindfulness meditation can help calm the nervous system, reduce cortisol levels, and improve focus, all of which create the mental clarity your GodRod needs to be heard.
Step 2: Get Body Smart
Your GodRod doesn't communicate through a booming voice from the heavens. It's a subtle symphony playing within you. Sometimes it's a flutter of your heart, a surge of excitement. Other times, it's an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach. My GodRod often puts a "heavy" feeling on my chest if something is off.
Think of it like this: you wouldn't ignore a flashing red light on your car's dashboard, right? That light is a warning, a signal to take action. Your GodRod operates the same way. A sudden wave of unease before signing a contract? Your intuition might be sensing details you haven't consciously processed. A tightness in your jaw during a conversation with a potential business partner? Your GodRod might be picking up on a mismatch in values.
The key is to learn the language of your GodRod. Pay attention to the subtle shifts in your body, the goosebumps, the chills, the butterflies. These are all whispers of wisdom waiting to be heard. The more you tune in, the clearer the messages become.
Step 3: Practice Makes Progress
Tapping into your intuition is like strengthening a muscle, it requires practice, patience, and trust. Start with something small. Maybe it's choosing a restaurant based on a gut feeling or trying a new approach to a task because it feels right.
Do it again with another small decision, and again. With each step, you'll build the confidence to trust your inner compass more deeply.
When it comes to bigger decisions, your GodRod is your powerful ally. Yes, data and logic are essential, but don't forget to check in with your intuition. Sometimes there's a pull you can't fully explain, a feeling that defies logic but simply feels right. Don't ignore that.
Step 4: Celebrate the Wins (and Learn from the Losses)
Your entrepreneurial journey will be filled with both triumphs and setbacks. The important part is celebrating the wins and learning from the losses, all while recognizing how your GodRod played a role in each.
When things go wrong, ask yourself: what was my intuition trying to tell me that I didn't listen to? What signals did I overlook? Take some time to jot down mental notes about how you can use that experience to fine-tune your decision-making.
Every success and every stumble is a piece of the puzzle. By recognizing the role your intuition played, or didn't play, in each situation, you're building a powerful map for navigating your journey.
Step 5: Journal Your Journey
Your GodRod doesn't always have a booming voice or a flashing neon sign. Sometimes it speaks in whispers, a simple feeling inside. That's where your trusty journal comes in. It's your personal GodRod translator.
Keep it by your side, always ready to capture those precious whispers. Don't worry about perfect grammar or lengthy entries. Jot down random thoughts that pop into your head, even if they seem outlandish. Did you have a vivid dream about a new product design? Write it down. Feeling a tightness in your chest while negotiating a contract term? Note it.
Think of your journal as a treasure map, slowly revealing the secret code of your intuition. As you consistently capture these fleeting messages, patterns will emerge. You might start to notice that a surge of butterflies consistently precedes a brilliant business idea. Or perhaps a knot in your gut always appears when you're on the wrong track.
What Does the GodRod Feel Like? Learning Your Body's Language
One of the most common questions I get is: "How do I know if it's my GodRod talking or just anxiety?" It's a great question, and here's the honest answer, it takes practice to learn the difference.
Here are some general patterns I've noticed in my own life and in the women I mentor:
GodRod signals tend to feel: Calm but certain. Quiet but persistent. Like a knowing that doesn't need to justify itself. It often comes with a sense of peace, even if the message itself is uncomfortable (like "walk away from this deal").
Anxiety signals tend to feel: Frantic. Spinning. Full of "what ifs" and worst-case scenarios. Anxiety gets louder the more you engage with it. Your GodRod gets clearer the more you get still.
Your GodRod might show up as: A heaviness in your chest, a flutter in your stomach, goosebumps on your arms, a sudden sense of clarity, an unexplainable pull toward (or away from) something, or a deep sense of peace about a decision that seems risky on the surface.
The more you practice the steps I outlined above, especially the journaling and body awareness, the faster you'll learn to distinguish your GodRod's voice from the noise of fear and overthinking.
Stacey Says: "Your GodRod isn't just about avoiding danger zones. It's your personal compass, leading you toward opportunities and experiences that align with your deepest desires."
GodRod in Action: Real Stories of Intuition at Work
Let me share a story from one of my retreats that perfectly illustrates the power of the GodRod in action.
I hosted a retreat, and let's be real, it was no small commitment. It came with a hefty price tag and happened right when many kids were going back to school. Several of the women who attended felt like they just didn't have the time. Some missed their kids' first day back. One incredible woman even missed her son's first birthday.
But despite all of that, they each felt a powerful, undeniable pull saying, "I need to be there." They didn't know it then, but that was their GodRod guiding them.
One attendee, a highly successful CEO with a jam-packed calendar, hesitantly committed. Even though the retreat was four days, she only carved out three, booking her flight to leave early. But after just the first day, she said, "What I've learned today has been life-changing. I can't leave early. I have to stay."
That was her GodRod in action, leading her exactly where she needed to be.
Here's the thing, often, we don't recognize that inner knowing right away. But when we tap into it, when we listen to that gut feeling, it guides us toward what's right, even if it defies logic. Sometimes that unexplainable pull can't be rationalized, and that's okay. Don't resist it. Trust it.
And then there's my own story with Chad. When I met him at that barbershop convention in New Orleans, I was seventeen years old. Logic said this was just a fun summer memory. But my GodRod said otherwise. During that twelve-hour van ride home, something in me knew, before any rational part of my brain could have figured it out, that this person was going to be a central part of my life story. Over thirty years of marriage later, I'd say my GodRod nailed that one.
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." , Jim Rohn
Common Mistakes People Make With Intuition
Even when you believe in the power of your GodRod, there are some common pitfalls that can trip you up. Here's what to watch out for:
Mistake #1: Confusing fear with intuition. Fear screams. Intuition whispers. If the voice in your head is panicky, spiraling, and full of worst-case scenarios, that's probably fear talking, not your GodRod. Your GodRod tends to deliver its messages with a calm, steady certainty, even when the message itself is scary.
Mistake #2: Ignoring your GodRod because it doesn't make "logical" sense. Some of the best decisions you'll ever make won't look great on a spreadsheet. If your gut is telling you something that contradicts the data, don't dismiss it. Investigate further. Your GodRod may be picking up on information your conscious mind hasn't processed yet.
Mistake #3: Using intuition as an excuse to skip your homework. I'll say it again, your GodRod is not a Magic 8 Ball. It works best as a partner to research, data, and strategic thinking. Don't skip your due diligence just because you "have a feeling." Use your GodRod as one powerful input among many.
Mistake #4: Not practicing between big decisions. If you only try to use your GodRod when the stakes are high, you won't have developed the skill enough to trust it. Practice on small decisions every single day. What should I eat for lunch? Which route should I drive today? Should I reach out to this person? Build the muscle so it's strong when you really need it.
Mistake #5: Beating yourself up when you miss a signal. You're human. You're going to have times when you ignore your GodRod and later realize it was spot on. That's okay. When you LIVE BIG, every setback becomes a learning opportunity. Reflect on what your intuition was trying to tell you, and use that experience to sharpen your listening skills going forward.
When Skepticism Creeps In: Addressing the "Woo-Woo" Factor
I know what some of you might be thinking: "This all sounds a little woo-woo, Stacey."
And I hear you. When I first started talking about brain exercises and intuition, some people thought I was completely "coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs," as I like to say. But here's the thing, the more research that comes out about how our brains process information, the more we see that intuition isn't woo-woo at all. It's neuroscience.
Harvard Health has published extensive research on how the brain continues to adapt and rewire in response to learning, experience, and behavior well into adulthood. This process, called neuroplasticity, means that the more you practice tuning into your intuition, the stronger those neural pathways become. You're literally building a better antenna.
The science is clear: your brain processes vastly more information than you're consciously aware of. Your GodRod is simply the delivery mechanism for that processing. It's not supernatural, it's your brain working at full capacity in a way that your conscious mind can't always keep up with.
So if you're a skeptic, I'd encourage you to try the exercises in this article for thirty days. Start small. Practice daily. Keep a journal. And then look at the results. I think you'll be surprised at how much wisdom has been waiting for you to quiet down long enough to hear it.
What is the GodRod concept and how does it work for business intuition?
The GodRod is a concept developed by Stacey St. John in her bestselling book LIVE BIG. It describes your intuition as a strong, unwavering force, like a steel rebar anchored through the core of your being that acts as a personal antenna for guidance. The GodRod works by helping entrepreneurs tap into unconscious pattern recognition, emotional intelligence, and accumulated life experience to make faster, more aligned business decisions. While rooted in faith for Stacey personally, the concept is inclusive of all interpretations of intuition. To use your GodRod effectively, you practice silencing mental chatter through meditation or journaling, developing body awareness to recognize physical signals like gut feelings or chest tightness, and building confidence through small daily decisions before applying it to major business choices. The GodRod works best as a partner to logic and data, not a replacement for them.
How can entrepreneurs develop stronger intuition for decision-making?
Entrepreneurs can develop stronger intuition through five key practices: First, create daily quiet time through meditation, journaling, or nature walks to reduce mental noise and allow intuitive signals to surface. Second, develop body awareness by noticing physical sensations, such as gut feelings, chest tightness, or unexplained excitement, that accompany different situations. Third, practice on small decisions daily to build your intuitive muscle before relying on it for high-stakes choices. Fourth, keep an intuition journal to track when gut feelings prove right or wrong, helping you identify patterns over time. Fifth, celebrate wins and analyze losses by reflecting on what role intuition played in outcomes. Research published in Psychological Science confirms that intuitive decision-making improves with practice and experience, making it a skill that any entrepreneur can systematically develop over time.
Your GodRod and Your Garden of Dreams
Your GodRod doesn't operate in isolation. It works hand-in-hand with every other concept in the LIVE BIG framework.
When you're cultivating your Garden of Dreams, planting those Dream Seeds and filling your Watering Cans with strategic initiatives, your GodRod is the compass that helps you decide which seeds to plant in the first place. It's the thing that tells you, "This opportunity is aligned with who you are and where you're going," or "Something about this doesn't feel right, dig deeper before you commit."
When you Boss² Up and align your behaviors with your outcomes, your GodRod helps you stay on track. It's the signal that tells you when you're drifting away from your vision and when you're locked in on exactly the right path.
And when it comes to the Commit-Be-Do approach I teach in LIVE BIG? Your GodRod is often the force that helps you commit in the first place. It's the thing that says, "You're ready for this", even when your analytical mind is still making pro-con lists.
As Gino Wickman, the brilliant mind behind the Entrepreneurial Operating System, has taught through his work: the best businesses run on a combination of vision, data, and discipline. But I'd add one more ingredient to that list, intuition. Because without it, you might build a business that looks great on paper but feels completely wrong in your soul.
Frequently Asked Questions About GodRod Intuition
Is the GodRod a religious concept?
The GodRod is informed by Stacey St. John's personal faith, but it is designed to be inclusive and adaptable. Whether you connect with it as divine guidance, intuition, a gut feeling, or unconscious pattern recognition, the practices for developing and trusting it are the same. The GodRod concept focuses on building a stronger relationship with your inner knowing, regardless of your spiritual background. In LIVE BIG, Stacey emphasizes that the name matters far less than the practice of learning to listen to your inner compass and using it as a tool for better decision-making in business and in life.
Can you trust your gut feeling when making big financial decisions?
Research supports using intuition as one input among several when making significant financial decisions. Studies published in Psychological Science demonstrate that gut feelings can guide accurate choices, especially when you have relevant experience in the domain you're deciding about. However, intuition works best when paired with data analysis, strategic planning, and advice from trusted mentors. The key is to check in with your GodRod after doing your homework, if the numbers look good but something feels off, that dissonance is worth investigating before moving forward.
Trust the Hum: Your GodRod Is Already Speaking
Remember that seventeen-year-old girl in the beige van, riding twelve hours home from New Orleans with a feeling she couldn't explain? She didn't have a name for what she was experiencing. She didn't have a framework or a five-step process. All she had was a hum, a quiet, steady knowing that said, "This matters. Pay attention."
That hum has never steered me wrong. Not when it told me Chad was the one. Not when it nudged me to walk away from my corporate career. Not when it pushed me to start a business that scared the daylights out of me. Not when it whispered, "You should write a book."
Your GodRod is already speaking to you. It's been speaking to you your entire life. The question isn't whether you have this power, you do. The question is whether you're willing to get quiet enough to hear it, brave enough to trust it, and committed enough to practice using it every single day.
Learning the language of your GodRod intuition isn't about becoming psychic or abandoning logic. It's about becoming whole, a leader who uses every tool available, including the incredible processing power of your subconscious mind and the wisdom that lives in your body.
So today, I challenge you: create some quiet. Put down the phone. Step away from the spreadsheet. Take a walk. Take a breath. And listen.
Your GodRod has something to tell you. And I have a feeling it's going to be exactly what you need to hear.
About Stacey St. John
Stacey St. John is the bestselling author of LIVE BIG: An Entrepreneur's Playbook to Boss Up Your Business, Show Up for Yourself, and Step into Your Dream Life and the founder of LIVE BIG®, the platform helping women entrepreneurs build businesses and lives that light them up.
A Certified Stagnation Assassin (https://stagnationassassins.com) and host of The STR Sisterhood Podcast, Stacey is an advisor to high-performing women and an architect of scalable, life-first businesses. She built the #1 training, mentoring, and mastermind program for women in the short-term rental industry and grew the Female Short-Term Rental Investors community to more than 60,000 members worldwide.
Stacey turned $50K into a $4M real estate portfolio, walked away from her six-figure corporate career at 48, and has been featured in Forbes, named a Wheel of Fortune winner, and recognized as a Guinness World Record holder. She now helps women stop building businesses that drain them and start building businesses that fuel them.
Learn more at LiveBigWithStacey.com.