The Intuition of Marie Forleo

Marie Forleo's mission is "to help you realize your greatest potential and use your gifts to change the world." She will be one of the many brilliant speakers featured at the Success 3.0 Summit this October 31st. Here, we talk to her about intuition, the importance of giving back, and what it takes to be a spiritual ass-kicker.

You talk a lot about listening to your intuition. When did you first learn to listen to yours, and how do you listen?

For as long as I can remember, my mom taught me to listen to “that small voice inside”. She told me, very plainly, that I’m an intuitive being; that I have the ability to know things beyond logic or reason. When working on the floor of the NYSE on Wall Street, I knew it wasn’t my path, but I didn’t know what else I was supposed to do with my life. My intuition told me that I needed to leave that job and that, eventually, everything would turn out fine. Of course, it turned out better than fine.

How do I listen? My intuition speaks very loudly, very viscerally. When presented with any option, I’ll usually feel an extreme sense of dread or an extreme sense of lightness and excitement. My body doesn’t lie. It has a truth and I cannot not listen.

Why is it important to you to make giving back through charities, such a key part of your business model?

The majority of us won what Warren Buffett calls the ovarian lottery. By stroke of sheer luck, we were born in place with clean running water, food, shelter and basic access to education. For over a billion of our fellow human beings, this is not the case. As the saying goes - talent is universal, opportunity is not. Every business has a tremendous opportunity to be a force for good and I feel it’s my responsibility to use everything in my power to chip away at poverty and injustice and create a better world for us all.

What is the connection for you between health and success?

Our body is the vessel through which we express our love and contribution to the world. If we don’t pro-actively invest in our health, we’re not living up to the fullness of our potential.

You are a self-described 'spiritual ass-kicker' what does that mean to you?

When I trained dancers as a Nike Elite Master trainer, I would challenge people (and myself) to work at their edge. I would encourage and inspire them to push themselves just a bit more, a bit harder, a bit longer. When it comes to everyday life, I work just as hard to challenge myself and others to dig deep and reach further to achieve the highest potential of our souls.