Bruce Lipton Said, “Your perspective is always limited by how much you know. Expand your knowledge and you will transform your mind.” 

Welcome to The Soul Podcast. I’m Stacey Wheeler.

The beautiful thing about learning is that new knowledge keeps arriving—some from the quiet ping of intuition when we recognize a truth science hasn’t yet proven, and some from the lab itself. Science isn’t carved in stone. That’s its gift. It holds our current best understanding—a placeholder—until a truer truth arrives. Every day, findings revise what we thought we knew about the world… and about ourselves.

In the last episode I talked about epigenetics. Let's look closer. This field is upending how we see inheritance. In simple terms: we don’t just inherit eye color or height. Experiences—stress, trauma, love—can leave chemical “notes” on our DNA that change how genes turn on or off. These notes can be passed to children, grandchildren, and beyond. Yes, emotional DNA—a shorthand, but you get the picture.

I know a woman who is unique. Spiritually experimental, a fearless traveler... what you may think of a a free spirit. When you did deeper, she tells a story. Her father died in a plane crash before the was born. Her widowed mother raised her alone. She left home before she was 17 and never relied on family again. From a purely psychological perspective, we can say that her mother's psychological response to her father's death effected the way she was parented. After all, the death or her father must have been jarring to her mother – a woman with a child on the way. But is that the whole picture? What if two, three generations (or more) of other traumas (experienced by both her father and mother's families) left a silent mark on her, which made her unique and different? New research says that who we become is not just based on what we experience. It's also what our ancestors experienced. 

To better understand this let's look at two landmark mouse studies

1. Odor Fear (2013) – Researchers at Emory University exposed male mice to a cherry-blossom scent paired with mild electric shocks. The mice learned to fear the smell. Their offspring—and even grand-offspring—showed heightened startle responses to that scent without ever being shocked. Brain scans revealed enlarged odor-processing regions. The inheritance? Epigenetic marks on the odor receptor gene. 
2. Stress Response (2017) – Swiss scientists stressed infant mice by separating them from mothers unpredictably. These pups grew into anxious adults. Their children, raised normally, still showed depression-like behaviors and altered stress-hormone genes. The effect persisted at least two generations. 

These aren’t just lab curiosities. They hint that generational trauma—war, famine, abuse—may echo in our cells long after the story is forgotten. Stress and trauma can alter gene expression, influencing descendants generations later. Exactly how many generations, we don't yet know... but it may be a great many. Research is ongoing. 

Now let's look at Instinct vs. Intuition

Animal instincts are like preset functions on a computer—hardwired, automatic, life-saving. A beaver knows how to build a dam without a blueprint. Beavers removed from their parents at birth, and raised away from other beavers still know the complicated geometry required to build a dam. We call this 'instinct' but is it that simple? What if each child whose mother or father played piano was born with the same ability? Wouldn't that be shocking and amazing? 

It seems there's more to inheritance that we fully understand. 

Then there is human intuition. This is more like a sophisticated app you can customize. It draws from: 

• Past experience 
• Cultural stories 
• Personality 
• And yes—possibly epigenetic whispers from ancestors. This is that soft space where the two overlap. 

Both people and animals are born with instincts, yet intuition is flexible. For people, it sharpens with reflection, journaling, stillness. 

Albert Einstein saw this as an often ignored power we all can tap into. He said: 

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” 

In our last episode, we explored emotional inheritance—how fears, griefs, or stresses can leave epigenetic marks that ripple into our reactions. We shared a 4-step ritual to name, trace, release, and rewrite those echoes. Now, let’s use that same gentle framework to discern what’s truly yours from what might be an ancestral imprint—and to honor intuition as the sacred, adaptable gift it is.

Next time a strong feeling or hunch arises—especially one that feels ancient or disproportionate:

1. Pause & Name (from last episode)
   Ask quietly: “Is this reaction mine… or an echo from the lineage?”
   Label it: Fear? Caution? Joy? No judgment—just curiosity.
2. Trace & Journal
   Write the feeling. Note any family story, dream, or memory it stirs.
   Example: “I freeze around loud voices—Grandma fled war…”
3. Breathe & Release
   Inhale: “I receive the wisdom.”
   Exhale: “I release what’s not mine.”
   Feel the body soften. This is where epigenetics meets choice.
4. Act with Intuition
   Now ask: “What does my soul say—beyond the echo?”
   Let intuition (flexible, reflective) dance with reason.
   Move forward lighter.

This isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about reclaiming authorship.
You’re not just healing yourself. You may be rewriting the code for those who follow.

Thank you for listening with an open heart. If this sparked something, share it. Subscribe. Comment in the links below—I’d love to hear your intuitive aha. Until next time—trust the gift.