Join Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka and Dr. Iya Whiteley
Athletes anticipate plays before they unfold.
Pilots sense trouble before instruments register it. Surgeons and artists act with precision that seems instinctive.
How do elite performers know what to do before they can explain it?
This course explores the kind of knowledge that operates beneath conscious thought, and how it can be remembered.
Drawing on Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka’s research on inspiration and creativity among scientists, and Dr. Iya Whiteley’s work with astronauts and pilots in extreme environments, students will study real-world cases of expert intuition and high-level performance. Participants will learn how attention, perception, and embodied knowledge shape decision-making under pressure.
Through case studies and guided exercises, students will be invited to develop practical methods for sharpening their own attention, distinguishing their intuition from impulse, and recognizing reliable inner signals. The course focuses on how to access tacit knowledge, reduce cognitive overload, and sustain excellence without burnout by learning to trust and refine the intelligence that operates before words. Live Zoom sessions every Wednesday, March 18–April 8, from 5–7 PM EST. All sessions will be recorded and available to enrolled students for six months.
Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka
Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her research explores the intersection of religion, technology, and emerging forms of belief. She is the author of several acclaimed books, including American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, and Technology, widely praised for its analysis of how technological cultures generate new mythologies. Dr. Pasulka has appeared on major platforms including The Joe Rogan Experience, Lex Fridman, and The New York Times, served as consulting producer on the Emmy-nominated Amblin/Netflix series Encounters, and consulted on the first film in The Conjuring franchise, with her work also featured in the J.J. Abrams–produced docuseries UFO. In addition to her university teaching, she teaches international courses based on her research, advises media projects, and lectures internationally on religion.
Dr. Iya Whiteley
Dr. Iya Whiteley is a space psychologist and former Director of the Centre for Space Medicine at University College London whose work focuses on human performance, cognition, and resilience in extreme environments. With a PhD in Cognitive Engineering and an MA in Clinical Psychology, she has spent more than 25 years designing training programs and performance-optimization tools for astronauts, pilots, surgeons, and other high-risk professionals, and has led European Space Agency research defining psychological support for missions to the Moon and Mars. She has collaborated with the UK Space Agency, ESA, NASA, and the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, and served as the Space Psychology expert on the BBC series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?, with additional contributions to National Geographic, PBS, and the Royal Institution. Alongside her aerospace research, she trained in Korean medicine and breath-based contemplative practices, integrating scientific and embodied approaches to attention, decision-making, and human potential, and teaches experiential courses that bridge elite performance science and inner development.