A couple of years ago, I went on a second date to a quarry. The water was freezing (11 degrees) and the shortest lap was 350 metres. I thought my wetsuit would protect me, but almost immediately my body went into shock. Hyperventilating and disoriented, I realised I was chasing connection more than listening to myself.

It took months of learning to tune into my interoception to understand how to notice my limits, regulate my own responses, and create safety from within. This is a story about learning to stay present with yourself, even when connection feels urgent.

Spoon Theory, developed by Christine Miserandino, helped explain limited energy in chronic illness and is widely used within neurodivergent communities. But burnout in neurodivergent individuals is often less about productivity and more about cumulative nervous system load. This article explores how functional breathing, interoception training, right-hemisphere processing, and co-regulation can increase biological capacity.

Supporting people at work isn’t about fixing or managing harder, it’s about how we relate. In this article, I share why a coaching approach makes such a difference when working with neurodivergent or sensitive team members, and how it creates clarity, trust, and autonomy for everyone. You’ll find reflections from lived experience and simple, practical coaching questions you can start using straight away.