261. What Your Body Knows That Your Mind Has Been Ignoring with Jen Aks

In this episode of the Happy Whole You Podcast, Jen Aks shares her powerful journey from feeling "not smart enough" in a test-score-driven world to reclaiming her innate wisdom and creating a body-based practice that helps others do the same. She and the host explore multiple forms of intelligence—kinesthetic, emotional, and somatic—while challenging the old stories that keep us small. Jen also guides a simple, hands-on somatic exercise live on the show to demonstrate how we can listen to and love our bodies, calm our nervous systems, and reconnect with our authentic selves.

Key Points

• How a childhood story of "not being smart" shaped Jen's life—and how she rewrote it
• Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences and why test scores are not the ultimate measure of intelligence
• The power of kinesthetic, emotional, and somatic intelligence in real-life success and fulfillment
• Why so many people (especially teens and young adults) feel like they don't belong in today's comparison-driven culture
• The concept of "body set": using hands on heart and belly to pause, notice, and reconnect
• Introduction to Jen's somatic practice and the Power of Gesture—using hand movements to embody and release emotions
• A live guided exercise to ease lower-back tension using touch, breath, and loving attention
• Why simply paying attention and pausing (without attaching meaning) is the first step to reconnecting with your body's wisdom
• How emotional and body-based practices can support leaders, executives, students, and kids alike
• Where to find Jen's work, including her book Your Body Is Speaking and her "Body Set to Reset" 5‑day email series

About Jen Aks:

Her journey into leadership and embodiment began as a self-conscious student who felt unseen by traditional education. Through decades as a dance educator, she rediscovered the body's wisdom and the power of kinesthetic and emotional intelligence.

Today, she helps others reconnect with their inner intelligence, worthiness, and courage—guiding them toward embodied leadership and aligned, purposeful living.

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