Alison Kermode, creator of The EVOL&ved Training Series, teaches leaders how to tap into their intuition to transform decision-making.
Alison Kermode has an important message for today’s data-focused corporate world: intuition matters. As the creator of The EVOL&ved Training Series (“Evolved”), Kermode helps leaders and organizations bring the mind (data) and heart (intuition) into balance. She can sense that business leaders have placed the mind on a proverbial pedestal, giving it all the credit while neglecting the deep, innate intelligence that comes from within.
Balancing the Mind and the Heart: The Foundation of The EVOL&ved Training Series
Kermode teaches the importance of balance, specifically, balancing the amount of attention or energy we give the mind and the heart. In one of the training modules, Kermode emphasizes that the key to unlocking more effective decision-making lies in integrating both the mind and heart muscles.
“We’re probably in our heads 85% of the time and in our hearts maybe 15%… and that’s being generous,” she says, noting that this imbalance contributes to the disconnected, high-stress environments seen in many workplaces today.
Bringing the mind and heart into harmony isn’t just about making better business decisions, it’s also about creating emotionally healthier, more connected organizations.
“When I refer to ‘heart energy,’ I mean empathy, compassion, and intuition,” she says.
EVOL&ved Decision-Making: A Ground-Breaking Approach to Evolving Leadership and Catapulting Companies to Greatness
One of the most impactful concepts Kermode teaches is EVOL&ved Decision-Making. It is a framework she developed to help leaders combine data-driven analysis with intuition.
“As I consult for companies, I see how many Executives rely on data alone to make decisions and then wonder why their numbers have remained stagnant, or even in the negative, for years,” she explains. “But if we want businesses to evolve, we need leaders who can tune into a feeling when making decisions.”
Through EVOL&ved Decision-Making, leaders learn how to integrate their inner knowing into their decision-making processes. This means taking time to pause, reflect, and ask not just what the data says but also what feels right.
“I often encourage my clients to put their hand on their heart and take three very deep breaths. Then see if they can feel what the best option is,” Kermode explains. “This process is like working out. The more you practice this, the stronger the intuitive muscle will get.”
Real Business Results
Using her own intuition during strategy sessions, Alison’s clients have experienced exponential transformation. As Alison works with consulting clients to help them increase their revenue, she uses a holistic approach. She reviews some numbers and then talks to the group and listens to what everyone is saying. She then tunes into her intuition and allows the intuitive feelings to guide the strategy sessions. It’s proven to be a very effective technique that helped clients like The SLAM Collaborative, who had a Division that had been stuck in a non-growth pattern for years, more than double their profits after working with Alison in this unique way.
David Neal, Principal and Chairman, Construction Services, The SLAM Collaborative, shares, “Alison really helped us focus our path using a combination of industry expertise, intuition, and a data-driven focus that helped us increase our profits. After working with Alison, our Construction Services Division experienced its second-best year in the history of our firm — with our profits more than doubling from the previous years.”
While intuition is very important, Alison is no stranger to data. In fact, she’s a self-professed data nerd. She has been designing databases to track data throughout her career. She knows the incredible power of data. But data alone will not bring your company to the next level of growth.
“I have managed million-dollar marketing budgets throughout my career and had to make decisions as to where to spend the limited budget dollars. I have always had a knack for being able to feel which options will have the lowest cost but the highest return on investment. And that is the goal — to spend your very precious resources wisely. Those companies that use a balance of data and intuition are the ones that are going to experience higher levels of growth,” she says.
Kermode acknowledges that this shift can feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable, for leaders who are accustomed to relying solely on analytics. But she insists that it’s necessary for creating more expansive and abundant organizations.
“We’re drowning in data, and it’s creating confusion when it comes to decision making which can lead to ‘analysis paralysis,’” Kermode explains. “We’ve become so focused on data and what the numbers say that we’ve forgotten about intuition, which can lead to more effective and efficient business decisions.”
Why Less Data and More Intuition Matters
For Kermode, the over-reliance on data isn’t just a business problem — it’s a symptom of a deeper issue. In her training, she teaches that intuition is a natural ability everyone possesses, but we have been taught to ignore it.
“There’s a knowing inside of us — a deep intelligence — that we just don’t tap into,” she says. “It’s something we’re all born with. Look at kids. They’re so in tune with their intuition. But as they grow, we essentially teach it out of them. We teach them to disregard it.”
Kermode points to a quote from Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, to bring home her point. “Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that, in his opinion, ‘intuition is more important than intellect.’ That’s a pretty powerful statement from one of the most successful businessmen of our time. Maybe, just maybe, he was on to something,” she shares.
For Kermode, this recognition and acknowledgment of intuition’s value is central to her approach.
“The data can guide us, but it can’t tell the whole story. When you combine data with intuition, that’s when you unlock the potential for truly transformative decisions,” she explains. “We’ve been conditioned to believe that intuition is unreliable, but the most successful leaders I’ve worked with aren’t the ones who know the most—they’re the ones who are heart-centered and use their intuition to steer the company to greatness,” she explains.
For more information on The EVOL&ved Training Series, visit the website.
