Episode 322: Finding Rhythm Through Human Design After Wellness Rules Failed You
In this episode, I discuss what it really means to find rhythm in your wellness — not through more rules, protocols, or plans, but through your Human Design.
Because if you’ve been doing “all the right things” and still feel off… it’s not a “you” problem. It’s a mismatch.
We’ll unpack:
Why popular wellness rhythms don’t stick
What finding your own rhythm actually looks and feels like
How Human Design gives you the blueprint to rebuild trust with your body, your energy, and your timing
Listen to the Episode:
“Here’s the thing that I’ve personally learned and experienced – and what most people won’t say out loud: It’s possible to “know” your Human Design and still be performing someone else’s idea of wellness.”
Read the Transcript:
When I decided to take a summer break, I planned to use that time to focus on finishing my signature program and I’m so happy to share with you that the Find Your Flow program is finally done! I just didn’t anticipate that it would take me another 14 weeks to get it done! When I started the break in July, all of the content was planned and scripted.
But as usual, I underestimated the production work, and then I found myself reviewing it over and over again saying, “this part could be better.” You know how it goes.
Anyway, it’s my long-winded, and completely on-brand way of saying, it’s so nice to finally be back here with you! Thank you for your patience!
I’ve missed you and I’ve appreciated all your messages, comments and DM’s asking when the show would be back.
Honestly? This episode feels like a return — not just to the podcast, but to a deeper part of my work.
If you’ve been here with me for a while, we’ve been walking this Human Design path together for several years. And by now, you’ve likely learned the sometimes ambiguous language of Human Design, experimented with your Authority, maybe you’ve tracked your energy, tried different rituals, reworked your schedule, tried all the things…
And maybe you’re still feeling a little off. Still a little disconnected. Still not quite in rhythm.
If that’s you — this episode is for you.
Today, I want to talk about how to find your rhythm again, through your Human Design. And I’m especially talking to you if you’ve already done the foundational work and it still feels like things aren’t quite clicking.
Because here’s the thing that I’ve personally learned and experienced – and what most people won’t say out loud: It’s possible to “know” your Human Design and still be performing someone else’s idea of wellness.
Think about that for a moment.
Let’s be honest — you’ve probably already tried the meal plans, the blood sugar balancing, the morning routine, the biohacks, the affirmations. You’ve journaled. Meditated. Taken all the supplements. Said the mantras. Counted the things. Maybe even tracked your tracking.
And if you’ve been with me here for a while, then I know you’ve done these things because we’ve talked about them here over the years, and I’ve done them too!
Now, to be clear, I’m not here to knock those things because they do help.
I counted calories for the first time back in 2004 and it helped me learn about portions and how, even though eating Kashi cereal was “healthy” (or so I thought it was), eating the whole box wasn’t actually the ideal thing to do.
Counting calories was my foray into learning how to fuel my body, especially once I started getting into endurance training. That then led to counting macros – learning more about how carbs, protein and fats impacted my training.
I could go on and on but the point I’m trying to make is that none of these things were “bad.”
I know there’s parts of the wellness world that label them as “bad” and in my opinion, they’re not. What was “bad” was your relationship to these things which may or may not have had anything to do with these practices itself.
And these things were layers, each one led me to the next step in my wellness journey, ultimately to the place I am now, here with you.
So, these things, and things like, meditation, breathwork, mantras, they all do work…until they don’t.
Or for some, maybe they never really did.
And somewhere along the way, even Human Design — this framework that was supposed to liberate you — started to feel like another checklist.
I can almost feel you nodding your head along with me. Because I know I’m not alone in this thinking.
So, if you’ve thought this or felt this too, it’s important to know that they’re not failures.
It doesn’t mean that Human Design is wrong, it doesn’t mean that you’ve been doing things wrong, I rather think of it as signs that you’re ready for the next layer of your journey.
We’ve established that my brain thinks in layers, so along that same thought process, I’ve always thought of Human Design as multi-layered in and of itself.
In fact, I’ve structured my work around this notion. If you’ve ever had a Human Design Reading with me, or ordered a Playbook, which is my way of doing readings, then you know that I think of the first layer, as Level 1 – the foundations of Human Design, your Type, Strategy, Authority. The second layer, Level 2, as the Energy Centers, and the third layer, Level 3, as The Variables.
But here’s what I’ve to know - from my own experiences and that of my clients – even the most beautiful map, the most ideal plan, the most logical approach can’t replace your own rhythm.
Structure doesn’t guarantee regulation. Precision doesn’t guarantee peace.
Let’s talk about rhythm. What do I mean by “rhythm.”
Rhythm is not productivity hacks. It’s not a routine. It’s not another 5-step morning protocol.
What I talk about “rhythm,” I’m talking about your internal rhythm — how your energy, mood, digestion, and clarity want to move through the day.
Human Design gives us clues:
Your energy type tells us about your general output and rest patterns.
If you’re a Manifestor, Projector, or Reflector, your energy is more cyclical and you need to make space than a Generator or Manifesting Generator.
So, while not limiting, certain activities will require a different approach. For example, as a Projector, using a marathon training plan designed for a Generator or Manifesting Generator wasn’t ideal or effective for me. That doesn’t mean that running marathons is a bad thing or that Manifestors, Projectors or Reflectors can’t run marathons, they just need to be mindful of how their energy moves – their internal rhythm – and take a different approach to training.
Your Determination reveals how your body wants to digest the world.
Your Determination – how you nourish your body and brain means that just because your friend eats simply or perhaps is thriving on a raw diet, doesn’t mean that those approaches will work for you, who has a Sound Determination. Perhaps they work for your friends because it aligns with their Determination, but it doesn’t with yours – your way is different – not better, not worse, just different – aligned to your internal rhythm.
Your Environment variable shows what conditions regulate you best.
Perhaps you feel most regulated when you’re in the mix and able to interact with others, while your friend, partner, colleague, someone else in your social circle prefers to be at a place where they aren’t “in the mix” and can take in the big picture - observing rather than being “in it.” One not better than the other, just different internal rhythms.
Your Authority tells us how your decisions move from confusion to clarity.
Perhaps you might have a Sacral or Splenic Authority and can make decisions in an instant, but your friend has an Emotional or Lunar Authority and requires time to make decisions.
This is actually a true story for me. I have a Splenic Authority and have always made decisions in the moment, long before I knew what an Authority was or that I have a Splenic Authority. But I have a friend who I perceived as extremely indecisive. I expected her to make decisions instantly like I did and when she couldn’t, it frustrated me to no end.
Turns out, she has an Emotional Authority, which explains everything! Her internal rhythm operates differently than mine does.
But – and this is the kicker – none of this matters if we’re just performing our designs.
You can know all those things, intellectually know all the details of your design, and still override them if you’re trapped in someone else’s rhythm.
Even if that someone else is your past self — the one who learned all this and thought it had to look a certain way.
Let me repeat this because this was a huge noticing for me – You can know everything there is to know about your Human Design, and still override them because you’re trapped in someone else’s rhythm, even if that someone else is your past self.
I’m 50 years old and Human Design and this level of awareness has only been in my life for the past 5 years. That means I have 45 years of things to unlearn. It’s not easy, it doesn’t just happen because now I know what I know. Nor does it happen because the person I follow on Instagram says it does.
And, it doesn’t happen on anyone else’s schedule or timeline but your own.
And this is my takeaway for you today.
This episode isn’t about giving you more to do. It’s inviting you to unhook from – to let go – of what you think you “should” be doing — and start paying attention to what’s already present.
Your rhythm isn’t something you create from scratch. It’s something you remember because it’s already a part of you. It’s who you innately are.
And if you’ve lost touch with it — that’s okay. We all have to some degree or another because — we’ve lived life.
But you’re not behind. Maybe you’re just a little out of sync — and that’s something we can work with.
For me, one of the biggest shifts happened when I stopped trying to force rest. That was a huge realization for me – what exactly IS rest? What does that look like for me? And I had a moment of panic because I realized that I didn’t know how to rest but that’s because I was comparing rest to how other people do it. I had to learn what rest looks like for me and I did that by starting to notice when I actually felt calm. Not when I scheduled calm. But when I felt it.
Or when I let my Outer Vision cognition guide me — not just in visuals, but in how I arranged my day, how I structured my workspace, how I made my meals feel nourishing again.
Small things. Rhythmic things. Mine.
So let this be your reminder:
Your rhythm doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Not even mine. Especially not mine.
Let it be soft. Let it be slow. Or let it be loud and fast-paced.
In other words, let it be yours. And you might still be figuring out what yours looks like. And that’s ok.
If today’s episode felt like a gentle exhale — stay with me. This next chapter of the show is all about helping you reconnect with your rhythm — not just by knowing your chart, but by finally living it.
And if you’re ready to go deeper, I want to invite you into something new:
Remember at the opening of this episode I shared how I finally finished Find Your Flow? It’s my signature program for high-achieving women, like you, who are done with chasing someone else’s idea of wellness.
Inside Find Your Flow, we rebuild your rhythm from the ground up — through Human Design, functional wellness, and the kind of radical self-trust that doesn’t come from pushing harder, but from listening differently.
It’s not a program to cram more info into your brain. It’s a space to finally land in your body — with rhythm, clarity, and trust.
You can get all the details on my website at livefablife.com. And I’d love to have you amongst the first members.
Because your body has never been the problem. The rules were. And with that, I’ll end here. See you next week!
Naomi Nakamura is a Health x Human Design coach who’s creating a healthier society through aligned energy.
She blends a bespoke mix of Functional Nutrition and Human Design to help others shift into alignment to leverage and correctly manage their energy to support their body, mind, and spirit.
She believes that when we embrace our authenticity and lean into our bio-individuality, we naturally live a life of freedom, empowerment, and optimal health.
Naomi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and can often be found exploring the area with her puppy girl, Coco Pop!
Connect with Naomi on: Instagram
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