Perceptive Leadership: Thriving When You Feel More and Think Differently with Rachel Radway

Have you ever been told you are too sensitive or that you think too much?
What if those same traits were actually signs of your greatest strengths?

In this episode, I sit down with Rachel Radway, executive coach, mentor, speaker, and award-winning author of Perceptive: Insights for Leaders Who Feel More, Process Deeply, and Think Differently.

Rachel’s work shines a light on something many leaders experience but rarely name. The power and challenge of being highly perceptive and neurodivergent in workplaces built for conformity.

What “Neurodivergent” Really Means

We hear the word often, but few of us could define it clearly.
Rachel explains it beautifully. Neurodivergence simply means your brain or nervous system functions differently from what is considered “typical.”

And since no two brains are exactly the same, “typical” is more of a myth than a rule.

This umbrella term includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and even high sensitivity, a trait shared by roughly 30 percent of the population. Neurodivergent does not mean broken. It means different.

And those differences often come with exceptional gifts like pattern recognition, systems thinking, creativity, and empathy.

 The Gift and the Challenge

Rachel and I talked about the double-edged sword of perception.
Many perceptive leaders process information deeply and connect dots quickly. That can make them invaluable problem-solvers but also misunderstood.

They might ask a lot of questions, seek clarity before acting, or move faster or slower than others expect. Without context, they get labeled as “difficult” or “not a team player” when in reality, they are optimizing for the success of the group, not just their own agenda.

One of Rachel’s most powerful insights:

“Highly perceptive leaders tend to optimize for successful group outcomes rather than personal gain.”

That mindset can change everything once we recognize and communicate it.

 When Burnout Hits Differently

In 2014, Rachel hit a wall. She was leading a global team at a Fortune 100 company, working nonstop, masking her sensitivity, and trying to be the kind of leader she thought she should be.

It ended in full burnout, the kind that does not go away after a week off.
What she later discovered was neurodivergent burnout, a deeper, longer, more pervasive kind of exhaustion caused by constant masking and overextending.

“Masking takes energy we don’t even know we’re spending,” Rachel said.

Her story is a reminder that even the most capable, driven people need alignment, rest, and self-acceptance, not more effort.

 Alignment Is the Antidote

When perceptive people do work that aligns with their values, something changes. The same intensity that once led to burnout becomes sustainable passion.

Rachel shared that coaching is the first time she has felt truly at home in her work, deeply aligned, energized, and at ease.

For you, it might be coaching, art, writing, leadership, or something else entirely. The point is not what you do. It is whether it reflects who you are.

 Stimulated, Overstimulated, or Understimulated

Another fascinating part of our conversation was about stimulation.
Some of us thrive on quiet and structure. Others need novelty, learning, and challenge to feel alive.

Knowing what level of stimulation keeps you in flow and what pushes you into overwhelm is essential self-awareness for any perceptive person.

Rachel encourages clients to treat this like a personal science experiment:

• Notice where and when you feel energized.
• Track what drains you.
• Redesign your space, schedule, and communication around that sweet spot.

 Coaching, Awareness, and Permission to Be You

At the heart of our conversation was this truth.
You are not too much. You are just perceptive.

Your job is not to fix that. It is to understand it, honor it, and build a life that supports it.

And yes, working with a coach who “gets it” can help. As Rachel put it, “You do not have to figure it out alone.”

Rachel Radway

Rachel Radway is a certified leadership & executive coach, mentor, speaker, and award-winning author with more than 25 years’ experience in corporate leadership roles at startups, national nonprofits, Fortune 100s and global enterprises. With compassion and a deep understanding of all the disconnects between the corporate world and folks who are wired a little differently, Rachel helps high-achieving, highly perceptive and neurodivergent clients lead with confidence, clarity and authenticity—and without burning out. Her book, Perceptive: Insights for leaders who feel more, process deeply, and think differently, recently won a Nonfiction Book Award Silver and a 2025 NYC Big Book Award.

Web: https://www.rercoaching.com/

Book: Perceptive: Insights for leaders who feel more, process deeply, and think differently

Free chapter: https://www.rercoaching.com/book

Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reradway/