In this episode, the relationship between the nervous system and intuition is broken down through both science and lived experience. Chronic stress, sympathetic dominance, and lack of safety in the body are explored as the real reasons intuition feels quiet or inaccessible. Regulation is presented as the foundation for clarity, self-trust, and active participation in health and healing.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why intuition goes quiet in survival mode
• Everyone has intuition, but not everyone can access it
• Nervous system regulation as the gateway to intuition
• Why healing cannot be outsourced
• The role of self-efficacy in health outcomes
• Navigating the healthcare system without giving your power away
• Why meditation is suggested and what it actually does
• How quickly the nervous system can begin to shift
• Why you can’t think your way into parasympathetic
• Intuition as body-based information
• How intuition communicates through physical sensations
• Simple daily nervous system regulation practices
• Creating safety before asking for answers

Summit Takeaway:
If you want clearer intuition, don’t ask better questions — create more safety.

Reflection prompts:
Where in your life are you asking for answers before offering safety?
What would change if you regulated first?

If this episode resonated, share it with someone who needs it. To continue the conversation, find me on Instagram @alannacrawford_.
I’ll see you next Wednesday.

** sited source **
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.
🔗 https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

Welcome back to The Summit Effect.

Funny enough, this episode drops on New Year’s Eve — a night basically synonymous with alcohol. So today, we’re diving straight into a question I get asked all the time… and one I personally wrestled with for years:

Can you drink alcohol and still be on a spiritual path?

Short answer?
For most people — yes.
But the why, the how, and the when matter more than almost anything else.

In this episode, we explore alcohol through both lenses — science and soul — without shame, labels, or spiritual superiority. We talk about when alcohol can coexist with intuition, when it absolutely can’t, and why the nervous system is the real gatekeeper of intuitive clarity.

This conversation might ruffle feathers. Sobriety is a powerful and necessary path for many — and I deeply respect it. But healing isn’t black and white, and spirituality isn’t a performance. This episode is about nuance, honesty, and learning to trust your own body instead of outsourcing your knowing.

The Summit Takeaway:

“Spirituality isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. Alcohol doesn’t make you less spiritual — disconnection does. Your only job is to notice: does alcohol bring you closer to yourself… or further away today?”

You are a human living a human experience — grace is part of the path.

And the experience itself?
That’s the real teacher.

This is one of those conversations that doesn’t end when the episode does. Come continue it with me on Instagram @alannacrawford_ and let me know what landed for you.

If you’ve ever tried to understand intuition or energy and thought, “This feels too abstract,” you’re not alone. Most spiritual education jumps straight to the deep end without giving people the buy-in, grounding, or tangibility they need to actually use these tools.

In Episode 1, Alanna explains why — and offers the starting point she wishes she had years ago.

What you’ll hear:

• Why intuition and energy feel so “unreliable” at first
• How her clinical training made her intuitive gifts stronger
• Why she wants to become the practical, everyday bridge into intuition
• The difference between feeling energy vs. interpreting it
• What this podcast will actually teach you over the long run

Summit Takeaway:
Start simple. Intuition becomes powerful when it becomes usable.

If today’s episode made intuition feel a little more human and a lot more doable, hit follow so you never miss an episode. We’re just getting started, and every week I’m giving you one practical tool to help you understand your body and your energy more deeply.

**reference from episode**

Body Literacy = Knowing your internal language.
These 8 questions build that fluency:

1. Nervous System: Am I regulated or activated?
2. Hormones: Do my energy + mood make sense for where I am in my cycle?
3. Metabolism: Did my meals support stable blood sugar today?
4. Digestive Axis: How is my gut talking to me through bloating, cravings, or mood?
5. Pain Patterns: Is tension showing up as information, not a problem?
6. Sleep Cycles: Do I feel restored or wired-tired?

Intuition: Did anything feel like a yes/no in my body today?