Key Takeaways

  • Andrew Huberman experimented with silently sending his dog Costello “approval energy” and “disapproval energy,” getting clear responses without uttering a word.
  • Cesar Millan confirms that animals, unlike many humans, primarily respond to energy, body language, and intention, not spoken language.
  • Dogs, highly connected to their instincts, can sense subtle energetic shifts that most humans often overlook, acting as a mirror for our true internal state.
  • Millan stresses that silence, calmness, and confidence form the “first line of communication” and are essential for maintaining control and leadership in any interaction.

The Silent Command: How Energy Trumps Words

Imagine a world where your intentions alone shape behavior, no words required. Andrew Huberman recently experienced this firsthand with his dog, Costello. He recounted a “wild” experiment where he silently communicated with his pet. Without changing his gaze or leash tension, Huberman simply focused on projecting “approval energy” to Costello. The result? Costello immediately looked up at him. Later, he reversed it: when Costello did something undesirable, Huberman sent “disapproval.” Costello stopped.

“I decided to just send him like approval energy. Like I'm just going to think it and then I and then feel it,” Huberman explained. “I'm just going to send him some energy… And he just looks right up at me. And I was like, 'This is incredible.'” He added, “when he was doing something I didn't like, I could send him disapproval. That's right. And he would stop.”

This isn't some fringe idea. Dog trainer Cesar Millan, known worldwide for his ability to connect with canines, affirmed Huberman’s experience. Millan explained that dogs and other animals remain deeply connected to their primal instincts. They constantly sense and react to the subtle energetic shifts that humans, overly reliant on verbal language, often miss. For Millan, verbal commands are secondary; the true message lies in the non-verbal. “Don't talk. Don't talk with words. Talk with energy, body language, and intention,” Millan advised.

Your Aura, Your Influence: Why Founders Should Pay Attention

Founders and leaders operate in high-stakes environments where every interaction counts. While you're not training dogs, you are constantly communicating with your team, investors, and customers. And just like Costello, they're picking up on more than just your words. They're sensing your underlying energy, your true intentions, and your confidence levels. An unstated tension, a flicker of doubt, or an undercurrent of impatience can be felt even when your words are perfectly crafted.

Millan's insight about regaining power is particularly relevant. He stated, “At the moment you think something is dangerous, you you give your power away, right? At the moment you bring silence, calmness, confidence, you regain your power back. And that's the first line of communication before sound.” In a tense negotiation or a difficult team meeting, if you walk in radiating anxiety, your team or counterparty will sense it. If you project calm, confident intention, you establish a different dynamic entirely, often before anyone speaks. Your internal state literally changes the room.

This idea also ties into Millan's "law of maintenance“: “The most difficult law is the law of maintenance, right? Because it's easy to attract, it's easy to create. What's hard is to maintain, right?” Building a startup is about maintenance: maintaining culture, investor trust, and team morale. A founder's consistent, calm, and confident energy is a cornerstone of this long-term maintenance, signaling stability and clear leadership far more effectively than any mission statement.

What to Do With This

Before your next critical conversation – whether it's an investor pitch, a difficult performance review, or an all-hands meeting – pause for 60 seconds. Instead of just rehearsing your script, focus on the energy you intend to project. Do you want to convey calm, decisive confidence, or a focused, problem-solving mindset? Intentionally cultivate that feeling within yourself. Then, observe how your team or audience responds to your presence before you even open your mouth. You might be surprised by how much is communicated silently.