Jennifer Aks Wants People to 'Learn' How to 'Listen' to Their Gut After Reading Her New Book 'Your Body Is Speaking'

Jennifer Aks, embodiment coach, author, thought leader and founder of The Power of Gesture®, a groundbreaking bodyset practice that has helped thousands of women since its 2020 inception, is excited for people to get their hands on her new book, Your Body Is Speaking, set to release on September 30.

"Your Body Is Speaking is a powerful call to action to remind us that our bodies hold a deep, innate truth that can guide us in our lives more reliably than any external voice. This book helps people reawaken that truth within themselves, learn how to listen to it, trust it, and be guided by it both personally and professionally," Aks exclusively tells Morning Honey. "Unfortunately, this wisdom has been forgotten. As a society, we've gotten so caught up in external pressures, standards and expectations that we've forgotten how to listen to what's true for us. Instead, we've become addicted to external validation, constantly looking outside ourselves for answers that are within us. As a result, we find ourselves staying in relationships that no longer serve us, jobs that don't feel aligned with our purpose and executing visions at work and at home that don't feel like our own."

"This book introduces bodyset — while we've all heard of mindset, there's another 'set' within us that we don't pay nearly enough attention to. Bodyset is the emotional and physical state that gives us the truthful insight, clarity, and direction we need to find our way home to ourselves," she continues.

Through her signature practice, The Power of Gesture® — a bodyset practice rooted in somatics, emotional, and kinesthetic intelligence — "people learn to awaken their body's wisdom and reconnect to their truth in a way that allows them to lead their lives from an authentic and grounded place," she shares. "And I'm not just talking about corporate leadership — this is about parents leading children, teachers leading students, basically anyone influencing another human. This practice is an accessible and safe way that helps us remember what our ancestors always knew: that our bodies are our greatest teachers, that the wisdom we're seeking is within us and can be trusted."

When Aks was going through a "major transition" in her life, her friend told her she needed to "document" her life.

"I never thought I would write a book, but for whatever reason, my body knew she was right. So I listened and started writing — the most vulnerable moments of my life, emotions I never really thought I would share," she shares. "About a year into this process, I realized there might be something here. I consulted with a coach who saw the power of this work and asked, 'Are you ready to share your story?' I paused. At that moment I wasn't, so I said no. She said, 'Well, that's too bad because no one is writing about the innate body wisdom that we all have. Your story would be very inspiring — how you listened and made one of the most difficult decisions of your life by trusting your body's wisdom. When you're ready, we'll be ready for you. I hope you get ready soon.' That conversation inspired me to dig deeper. Eventually, I circled back, ready to trust my truth, share it and use it to serve others. Writing became like having a conversation with my own soul. There were moments when I'd sit down and the words would just flow through me, like my body was finally getting to tell its story. Other times, when I felt stuck or overwhelmed, I had to practice what I teach — using The Power of Gesture to connect with what I wanted to emerge. The book taught me as much as I hope it teaches others."

For most of her life, Aks "never thought" she was "smart enough to write a book."

"Growing up, I was always comparing myself to what society defined as intelligent, which was all wrapped up in SAT and IQ scores. I didn't excel at either. I was trying to fit into this logical, mathematical way of being that just didn't resonate with me, so I developed this story that I wasn't smart. Writing a book felt completely out of reach — something other people did, not me," she states. "But looking back now, everything makes perfect sense. All the dots align. My struggle with traditional intelligence led me to discover other forms of wisdom. My journey of feeling 'not smart enough' became the very foundation for understanding bodyset and helping others reconnect with their own inner intelligence."

She adds, "The book chose me as much as I chose it. When I started seeing how powerfully this work was transforming people's lives, I realized their stories needed to be told. My story needed to be told. Not because I'm an expert, but because I'm living proof that the intelligence we seek isn't always found in test scores — sometimes it's found in trusting the wisdom your body has been trying to share all along."

While putting pen to paper, Aks realized the "profound importance of sharing personal stories" with others in order to feel less alone.

"But here's what I discovered: our stories are our greatest teachers, and when we share them with honesty, they become medicine for others too. My hope is that when someone reads about my journey or the transformations I've witnessed in my work, they can finally exhale knowing they're not alone. That their struggles aren't evidence they're broken — they're exactly the right information they need to live their next chapter aligned, powerful, and free," she says. "I want people to remember that there's a way to reconnect with their past without reliving it — to approach their story with curiosity instead of judgment, inviting all parts of themselves to have a voice. That their life has been preparing them for this moment. That their struggles have been teaching them and that their body has been speaking to them all along."

"The thread that runs through every story in this book is the same: we disconnect, we remember, we come home to ourselves. And when we do, we don't just heal and empower ourselves — we give others permission to do the same," she adds.

The book's mission is simple yet profound, according to Aks, she wants to help people remember that when they're looking for guidance when it comes to a career change, relationship shift, etc., the "answers are within them."

"I want people to understand that by simply taking a moment to "bodyset" and listen to their body's wisdom, they will find the clarity they've been searching for everywhere else," she says. "And here's what's so important and hopefully comforting. To know that whatever truth emerges does not need to be acted on immediately. They can simply notice, document it in whatever way feels right, and trust that they'll know when the time is right to take action."

She states, "The best part was discovering that my vulnerability could be my greatest strength. Sharing my journey from feeling 'not smart enough' to realizing I was more than I ever thought, or how listening to the wisdom within helped me make one of the most difficult decisions of my life — leaving my 20-year marriage — these stories could help others who feel stuck in societal expectations and patterns make significant shifts for themselves. Knowing I could help people hold boundaries, make changes, step outside the box and create their own rules based on their own truth became everything to me."

Aks' work is built on 30+ years as a dance educator and somatic practitioner. Her signature practice draws from movement, gesture, and kinesthetic intelligence to help individuals — especially leaders, creatives, and changemakers — tap into their inner truth through the body. Aks’ method is centered around the 3 E’s:

• Embody – Reconnect with your innate body wisdom. The body often knows before the mind. (Ex: Place a hand on the belly to check in—what truth is surfacing?)

• Empower – Honor your body's signals when change is needed: a job shift, relationship decision, or pause before burnout. (Ex: Hand to heart to ground in what you know.)

• Elevate – Use movement to shift energy and boost motivation. Even a simple walk or gesture can help rewire thought patterns. (Ex: Intentional movement to spark clarity.)

"What I love about the 3 E's — Embody, Empower, Elevate — is that this framework mirrors the human experience. Throughout life we get thrown off track with major decisions, losses, or transitions and many times through those moments, we become disembodied, disconnected from our strength, our clarity, our power. We become confused, anxious, and possibly live in comparison mode," she explains.

"Your body language doesn't just reflect how you feel — it actually creates how you feel. When we embody confidence through hand gestures or even larger body expression, we're not moving through the motions, we're accessing our truth," she says. "The Power of Gesture® works because our hands contain over 40,000 nerve endings that send direct signals to our brain. This goes on all day long in a communication loop that influences how we feel. This is why, in this practice, we can shift our emotional state in an instant. This brain hand relationship is powerful and one that needs to be awakened by all of us."

Additionally, Aks has a Tedx talk coming up at Folsom on August 16.

"I introduce the concept of bodyset — the body's hidden intelligence, and how essential it is for living and leading our lives in the most authentic and powerful way," she explains. "I talk about my journey in discovering bodyset through dance. As a professional dancer I have performed on many stages, however, my favorite place to dance was the club. I would typically wear a baseball cap that had a large brim so I could stay underneath and get lost in the music. I talk about how I would often look up and catch the eyes of another person in front of me and how when that happened, we would continue to dance and it would be as if we were having a full conversation without saying a word."

"I knew something profound was happening, but I didn’t know what it was exactly until I found the research. Howard Garder, a Harvard professor and psychologist and Daniel Goleman, a science journalist and psychologist, both have done extensive research in two forms of intelligence that we all innately have. Kinesthetic and Emotional. I share this in the talk because it's when these two intelligences are activated that we not only connect with the wisdom within ourselves and realign with our truth, we are able to lead at a much higher level both personally and professionally. I share some stats about this that I hope the audience remembers. I continue with sharing how The Power of Gesture® activates this intelligence and takes them through a live demonstration on how to incorporate it into their daily life," she continues.

She concludes, "I want to empower people — women and men — to know that there is strength in a pause — to know that when their body speaks, it’s time to listen. I want people to know they can take their time making decisions, that whatever truth emerges doesn't require immediate action. The empowerment lies in the discovery itself."