Human Design Field Notes

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you want to. And in Human Design, that distinction is especially important for people with Willpower Authority.

Also called Ego or Heart Authority, this rare decision-making authority is all about desire, motivation, and making commitments your heart is genuinely behind.

In this episode of Human Design Field Notes, we're exploring what it means to follow your willpower, why being a little selfish might actually be a good thing, and how to tell the difference between something you want to do and something you think you should do.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• Who has Willpower Authority and the difference between Ego Manifested and Ego Projected Authority
• How to recognize when your heart is truly in a decision
• Why having the ability to do something doesn't mean you should commit to it
• The difference between genuine desire and obligation
• Why willpower isn't an unlimited resource, and why rest matters
• How to support partners, friends, and children with Willpower Authority
• A simple In the Field experiment to help you recognize the difference between want and should

The big takeaway? You don't have to say yes just because you're capable, qualified, or everyone else thinks it's a fantastic opportunity. Your time and energy are valuable, and what you genuinely want deserves a place in your decisions.

Want to explore your Human Design?

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I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
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What if you could know whether something was right for you, in an instant, without being able to explain why?

In Human Design, Splenic Authority is all about intuition, instinct, and knowing in the present moment. Unlike Emotional Authority, which needs time, Splenic Authority is immediate. But there's a catch: it's incredibly quiet, and that intuitive knowing can disappear almost as quickly as it arrives.

In this episode of Human Design Field Notes, we're exploring what Splenic Authority feels like, how to recognize those subtle intuitive hits, and why your biggest challenge might be trusting what you knew before your mind got involved.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• Who has Splenic Authority and how it works
• What a Splenic yes or no might feel like in your body
• Why your intuition can arrive in an instant and disappear just as quickly
• How overthinking and other people's opinions can drown out your inner knowing
• Everyday examples of Splenic Authority in action
• How to support a partner or child with Splenic Authority
• A simple In the Field experiment to help you recognize your own intuitive hits

The big takeaway? Your intuition doesn't always come with an explanation. Sometimes the most useful thing you can do is notice what you sensed before you started thinking.

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Book a private Human Design reading: Curious about your own Authority and how it shows up in your life, relationships, and work? Book a reading here.

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If you have Sacral Authority, your body has a remarkably simple way of telling you yes or no, often before your mind has had a chance to weigh in.

Sacral Authority belongs to Generators and Manifesting Generators, and it’s all about learning to recognize your body’s immediate response to what’s in front of you.

In this episode, we explore:

• What Sacral Authority is and who has it
• Why your Sacral response can be thought of as an energy-allocation system helping you recognize what you actually have energy for
• What a Sacral yes and no can sound and feel like in your body
• The classic uh-huh and unh-unh responses and the other, sometimes subtler ways your Sacral might communicate
• Why a Sacral yes doesn’t mean something will necessarily be easy or enjoyable every step of the way
• How to tell the difference between a genuine bodily response and your mind arriving with a very convincing list of reasons
• Why people-pleasing can make your Sacral response particularly difficult to hear
• A personal example of my mind saying, “Of course this makes sense,” while my body was giving me a very clear NO
• Why a no today doesn’t necessarily mean no forever—it might simply mean not this, not now
• How yes/no questions can help someone with Sacral Authority get out of their head and back into their body
• How to support a partner, friend or child with Sacral Authority without asking them to rationalize or explain what they simply know
• And in In the Field, a simple experiment you can use to begin recognizing what yes and no actually feel like in your body

The big idea in this episode:

Your Sacral response isn't simply telling you what you like. It's helping you decide where to spend your life-force energy.

Want to explore your Human Design?

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
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Book a Human Design reading with me
Want to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
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Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
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Do you need time to make a decision? Even when everyone around you seems to know exactly what they want?

You might have Emotional Authority.

In this episode, we’re beginning our series on Authority: your Human Design decision-making system. And we’re starting with Emotional Authority, the most common authority in Human Design. 

If you have Emotional Authority, clarity doesn’t necessarily arrive in the moment. You’re designed to experience your emotional wave, to move through the excitement, doubt, highs and lows, and allow clarity to emerge over time.

In other words: you don’t have to know yet.

We’ll talk about what an emotional wave can actually feel like, why you might regret decisions made in a moment of excitement (or turn down something you really want during a low), and some simple language you can use when someone wants an answer before you’re ready. 

And because apparently knitting + horseback riding + Iceland is a real retreat and frankly, who wouldn't need a minute to process that? We’ll use a real-world example to walk-through what Emotional Authority can look like in practice. 

We’ll also cover how Emotional Authority works alongside your Energy Type and Strategy, including the sometimes-confusing combination of Emotional Authority + Sacral response for Generators and Manifesting Generators. 

Finally, we’ll talk about how to support the Emotional Authorities in your life, including children, without rushing them into decisions before they’ve had time to find their own clarity.

The big takeaway? Your need for time isn’t indecision. It’s part of your decision-making process.

Want to explore your Human Design?

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
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 YOUR FREE CHART

Book a Human Design reading with me
W

ant to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
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Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
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What happens when you stop following all the rules about how you’re supposed to build a business and start paying attention to how you’re actually designed to work?

Welcome to the first Field Notes episode.

Alongside the Human Design teaching episodes, I’m taking you behind the scenes as I rebuild my coaching business using my own Human Design. I’ll share the experiments, decisions, things that work, things that don’t, and what I’m learning along the way.

In this episode, I’m sharing how I’m using my Generator strategy and Sacral Authority to make real business decisions, from starting this podcast and pricing my Human Design readings to saying no to an opportunity that looked like a very sensible yes on paper.

I’m also questioning some of the business rules I’ve followed (and taught!) for years. Do I really need to niche down? Do I have to publish every single week? Does this podcast need to be on YouTube just because that's what you're supposed to do?

And finally, I’ll introduce you to my 1/3 profile, the Investigator/Experimenter and why learning about it completely changed the way I think about marketing this new business. Research it. Try it. See what happens. Report back. It turns out this whole Field Notes experiment is rather perfectly designed for me.

If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to live your Human Design rather than simply understand your chart, this is where we start.

Want to explore your Human Design?

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
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Book a Human Design reading with me
Want to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
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Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
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We’ve spent the last five episodes exploring each of the Human Design energy types individually. But Human Design isn’t just about understanding your own type. It’s also about understanding how all of our different energies work together.

So in this mini episode, we’re zooming out.

Using a village of 100 people, I’ll show you what happens when we put all five energy types together and give everyone a role to play.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• How Manifestors initiate and get new ideas moving
• Why Generators and Manifesting Generators provide so much of the life-force energy that gets things built
• How Projectors can step back, see the bigger picture, and guide how energy is being used
• Why Reflectors can act as a barometer for the health of the whole community
• Why being capable of doing something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best use of your energy
• What happens when we expect everyone to work and contribute in the same way
• How understanding your energy can help you question where you may be exhausted, bored, burned out, or simply trying to operate like someone you’re not

Human Design isn’t about deciding which energy type is best. It’s about recognizing that we were never all meant to do the same job.

What are you meant to do? How does your energy operate best? How are you designed to make decisions? What are your natural strengths? And where might you have gotten off track?

This is the bigger conversation I want to explore on Human Design Field Notes.

And next episode, we’re taking it out into the field with my first official Field Notes episode. I’ll share what I’m discovering as I experiment with my own design and use Human Design to build my next business in real time.

Want to explore your Human Design?

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
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Book a Human Design reading with me
Want to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
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Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
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Reflectors are the rarest energy type in Human Design, making up only about 1% of the population. With all nine energy centres undefined, they are incredibly receptive to the people, energy, and environments around them, giving them a unique ability to reflect back what is happening in a group, relationship, or community.

In this episode, we’re breaking down Reflector energy in a simple, practical way, including:

• What makes Reflectors so rare and different from every other energy type
• Why Reflectors are often described as mirrors or barometers for their communities
• What it means to have all nine energy centres undefined
• Why Reflectors can feel like different versions of themselves around different people and environments
• Their strategy of waiting a lunar cycle for big decisions
• Why surprise can signal alignment and disappointment can tell you something is off
• How environment and the people around them can profoundly affect a Reflector
• Why consistency isn’t necessarily the goal for Reflectors
• How to support a Reflector partner, friend, or child
• The importance of giving Reflectors time, space, and permission to change
• A simple experiment for noticing what belongs to you and what you might be sampling from the people around you

If you’re a Reflector, you may have spent a lot of your life wondering why you feel so different, why you need more time to make decisions, why your energy changes so much depending on who you’re with, or why advice that seems to work for everyone else just doesn’t seem to work for you.

Maybe you don’t need to fix that changeability and sensitivity. Maybe they’re part of what makes you uniquely equipped to experience, observe, and reflect the world around you.

Want to explore your Human Design?

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
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Book a Human Design reading with me
Want to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
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Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
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Projectors are the guides, seers, teachers, and leaders of our world. With an incredible ability to see deeply into people and systems, they often recognize patterns, possibilities, and problems that everyone else misses.

But Projectors aren’t designed to use their energy like the majority of the population. Understanding that difference can change everything.

In this episode, we’re breaking down Projector energy in a simple, practical way, including:

• What makes Projector energy different from the other energy types
• Why Projectors can make such powerful guides, teachers, and leaders
• Their focused, penetrating aura and why people can feel so deeply seen by them
• Why Projectors need to think differently about work, productivity, rest, and burnout
• Their strategy of waiting for the invitation
• Why success can signal alignment and bitterness can tell you something is off
• Where Projectors can get stuck, including overworking, forcing their opinions, and chasing recognition
• How to support a Projector partner, friend, or child
• What an invitation actually looks like and why waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing
• How to share your insight without becoming the dreaded know-it-all

I also share a personal story about my Projector sister-in-law and the summer I tried to follow her advice to relax, do nothing, go for coffee, read books, and enjoy having nowhere to be. It sounded wonderful. My Generator body had other plans.

If you’re a Projector, this episode is an invitation to stop measuring your value by how much you can produce and start recognizing the power of what you see. And if you have a Projector in your life, you might start understanding just how meaningful it can be to simply ask, "What do you think?"

Want to explore your Human Design?

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
GET YOUR FREE CHART

Book a Human Design reading with me
Want to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
BOOK A READING

Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
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Manifesting Generators, or Mani Gens, are the fast-moving, multi-passionate energy type of Human Design. They have the sustainable sacral energy of a Generator combined with the initiating energy of a Manifestor, which means they’re often here to do things a little differently, and rarely in a straight line.

In this episode, we’re breaking down Manifesting Generator energy in a simple, practical way, including:

• Why Mani Gens tend to be multi-passionate, fast-moving, and constantly evolving
• Their strategy of waiting to respond and then informing
• Why satisfaction and peace can signal alignment, while frustration and anger can tell you something is off
• Why Mani Gens are famous for skipping steps and finding shortcuts
• Where they can get stuck, including people pleasing, boredom, staying too long, and trying to force shortcuts
• How to support a Manifesting Generator partner, friend, or child
• Why changing interests, careers, or directions doesn’t necessarily mean you’re flaky
• How Mani Gens can create businesses and lives that leave room for variety, change, and reinvention
• Simple ways to experiment with your Manifesting Generator energy out in the wild
  

If you’re a Manifesting Generator, this episode is an invitation to stop apologizing for the pivots, unfinished projects, changing interests, and unconventional paths that may have followed you throughout your life. Your path doesn’t have to be linear to be right for you.

And if you have a Mani Gen in your life, this episode might help you understand why giving them room to change their mind, follow their excitement, and do things their own way can make such a difference.

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
GET YOUR FREE CHART

Book a Human Design reading with me
Want to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
BOOK A READING

Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
LEARN MORE

Manifestors are the fire starters of Human Design. Independent, innovative, and designed to initiate, they’re here to bring new ideas into the world and create momentum around them.

In this episode, we’re breaking down Manifestor energy in a simple, practical way, including:

• What makes Manifestor energy different from the other energy types
• Why their aura can feel powerful, selective, or hard to read
• Their strategy of informing and initiating
• Why peace is a sign of alignment and anger can signal that something is off
• Where Manifestors can get stuck, including people pleasing, asking permission, overworking, and feeling controlled
• How to support a Manifestor partner, friend, or child
• Simple experiments Manifestors can try out in the wild
  

If you’re a Manifestor, this episode will help you understand why you may have spent your life wanting the freedom to do things your own way. And if you have a Manifestor in your life, it might help you how to support that fiercely independent person a whole lot better.

Want to explore your Human Design?

Get your free Human Design chart
Not sure of your type, authority, profile or gates? Start by getting your free chart here:
GET YOUR FREE CHART

Book a Human Design reading with me
Want to go deeper into your own design? Book a one-on-one reading and we’ll explore your chart together.
BOOK A READING

Want to learn Human Design yourself?
I highly recommend Leah McLoud's Human Design Mastery program. You can check out the program here. (Note: this is an affiliate link)
LEARN MORE