When Intuition Doesn’t Go How You Hoped

When your “yes” leads to a spiral instead of peace

We’ve all had those moments where we follow our intuition—feeling lit up, guided, clear—and then… it doesn’t go how we hoped.

Maybe you said yes to a job, a relationship, a move, or even something simple like a new routine or coffee shop visit—and instead of peace, everything seemed to go off track. The mind rushes in: “Was that really my intuition? Did I mess it up?”

I’ve been there. Most recently… with my nails.

What started as an intuitive yes to try hard gel turned into an entire spiral. The nails broke. I got frustrated. I tried new products. Appointments got canceled. I ended up having to cut them all short—and fully melted down.

But through it all, something bigger was happening.

Following intuition isn’t about guaranteed outcomes or comfort—it’s about clarity.
Even if things fall apart, even if it gets messy or doesn’t last, it doesn’t mean the earlier choice was wrong. It might just mean the path is still unfolding.

A Series of Yeses That Didn’t “Work Out”

It started simply. A broken nail during a weekend with friends. They encouraged me to take a little time for myself and go get it fixed, and it felt like such a kind, intuitive yes. I was supported. I had space. So I followed the pull and decided to try something new—hard gel. It looked beautiful. It felt like the right choice. I even shared it in my newsletter as one of my favorite things that month.

And then… it broke. Just a few days later. In a triggered moment, while schlepping groceries in the Costco parking lot after a stressful interaction with Trevor and trying to juggle everything with Leo.

Cue: spiral.

Not just about the nail—but the cost, the energy, the frustration, the buildup of why does this keep happening?

When One Aligned Choice Leads to Another… and Still Feels Wrong

What followed was a series of intuitive yeses that turned into more messes:

• Fixing the nail with more hard gel (still didn’t hold up).

• Trying Dazzle Dry after feeling frustrated with the maintenance (hated it).

• Cancelling appointments when they didn’t feel right (but still left feeling unsure).

• Finally landing on builder gel… only to be told I needed to cut all my nails short.

And that’s when I really spiraled. Not just because I didn’t like how they looked short—but because a piece of my identity felt like it had been cut off with them. I didn’t realize how deeply attached I was to the image of myself as “someone with long, beautiful nails” until that identity was stripped away.

It felt like I was doing everything “right”:
✔️ Following the intuitive nudges
✔️ Releasing emotions
✔️ Listening, adjusting, pivoting
…and it still felt like chaos.

What Your Spiral Might Actually Be Showing You

In the middle of my meltdown at the nail salon, I asked:

How could this be right?
How could intuition lead me here?

And what came through was this:

✨ Just because it didn’t go how you hoped doesn’t mean the earlier yes was wrong.
✨ Intuition doesn’t promise comfort—it promises clarity.
✨ It’s not a mistake. It’s an unfolding.

Every “wrong turn” was actually refining me. Revealing old patterns. Showing me attachments I didn’t know I had. Helping me slow down. Soften. Be less reactive. Let go of needing everything to look perfect.

Even the nail breaks became a mirror. I started noticing that they happened most often when I was rushing, forcing, or emotionally charged. They weren’t a failure—they were feedback. Invitations to move more gently. Live more slowly. Let go of proving, pushing, performing.

The Shift: From Attachment to Preference

One of the biggest breakthroughs came after yet another broken nail—this time, the night before vacation. Cue full meltdown, emergency babysitter, multiple frantic phone calls… and me crying in my car outside the wrong nail salon location.

But the chaos gave me clarity.
I can’t live this attached to my nails anymore.
I realized I wanted to care about how they looked, but not need them to be perfect in order to feel okay. I wanted the freedom to get them fixed… without the pressure to have to. I wanted preference, not obsession.

And that realization changed everything.

The next time one chipped, I let it be.
No meltdown. No frantic energy. Just… acceptance.

The Podcast Episode That Got Interrupted

Even as I recorded this podcast, I experienced the same pattern.

I felt a clear yes to record. I was in flow. And then, just minutes before the end, Leo woke up. I tried to push through—recording the final thoughts while holding him—but it felt forced. So I paused. I let it be incomplete.

And at first, my mind said, “See? You shouldn’t have recorded. It got interrupted. You got it wrong.”

But then I caught it.
No—I didn’t get it wrong.
It just didn’t go how I thought.
And the interruption became part of the message.

Just like the nails, the podcast didn’t unfold perfectly, but it led to more insight. More softness. More surrender.

Sometimes the Detours Are the Alignment

That’s really what I want to leave you with.

✨ You didn’t get it wrong.
✨ Your intuition isn’t broken.
✨ The mess is part of the unfolding.
✨ The thing that looks like a detour might be the exact direction you’re meant to go.

Even when it doesn’t make sense yet. Even when your mind is clinging to how it should have gone.

Your flow isn’t being ruined—it’s being refined.
Your intuition didn’t fail you—it’s still guiding you.
You are allowed to begin again from right here.

And sometimes, even a missing coffee cup or a broken nail can be the breadcrumb that leads you to your next “yes.”

Press Play for a Breath of Clarity & Calm