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I recently sat down with the High Agency podcast to talk about something that has been central to my journey as an entrepreneur and agency leader: neurodivergence.
Over more than a decade running Forge & Smith and building hundreds of websites, I reached a point where burnout, broken processes, and chaos were no longer tolerable. What changed everything was understanding why those patterns kept repeating. I was operating through the lens of ADHD and autism.
That realization felt like unlocking hidden parts of my brain and explained so much: the hypersensitivity to sound or touch, the difficulty naming emotions in the moment, the exhausting effort of high masking, where I would create personas just to survive. These experiences shaped how I worked, how I led, and how I connected with others.
Turning Vulnerability Into Strength
Admitting who I am, neurodivergently speaking, was never about making excuses, it is about turning what felt like a deficit into a superpower. The traits I once saw as liabilities (the intense focus, the pattern recognition, the unconventional thinking), are the very traits that allow me to build systems, scale thoughtfully, and lead from a place of deep care.
Psychological safety is the foundation of great teams. Creating space for people to be fully human, to make mistakes, to feel, and to grow unlocks collaboration and trust. Radical transparency became our guiding principle and led me to share openly with others how I operate, acknowledge where I struggle, and explain what helps me show up better for them. When I confronted that reality, I was able to strip the business back and reimagine how we could all work together. We rebuilt workflows, clarified values, and committed fully to trust, truth, transparency, and helpfulness.
Systems That Serve, Not Suffocate
Over time, I leaned into what I call “pattern recognition” as a muscle. I stopped pretending every website we built was completely unique and focused on the repeating structures that truly mattered. That insight became the foundation of Refoundry, a systems-first site builder that helps agencies deliver faster while maintaining quality.
I have always been drawn to automation and processes. Early in my agency days, I used macOS Automator to shrink an hour-long upload process into five minutes. That obsession scaled into something bigger: how do we document, automate, and standardize in a way that frees people rather than boxes them in?
One structural change I insist on is clear ownership and documentation. Teams need to know where things live, how things flow, and why decisions are made. That clarity ensures nothing falls apart if someone steps away and allows work to move forward seamlessly.
Embracing Emotional Intelligence
Leadership is not just about strategy or systems; it is about emotional intelligence. I learned that if you want to lead creative, ambitious, and messy human beings, you need to invest in your own emotional growth.
Acknowledging my own dysregulation became part of this journey. When things go wrong, logic alone is not enough, and I have learned to create space for emotional processing. People at every level want to be seen and heard. That is the root of connection, trust, and loyalty. Leading with humility, apologizing when necessary, acknowledging mistakes, and inviting others into the conversation builds something real and lasting.
Why This Conversation Matters
This conversation is especially relevant for founders and agency leaders who care about growth that lasts. You might recognize the feeling of trying to fit into systems that were never built for the way your brain works. You might see the value in creating processes that allow teams to thrive without burning out. You might feel understood if you have spent years adapting, compensating, and pushing through just to keep things moving.
Sharing this story is about more than awareness, it’s about embracing neurodivergent leadership as a source of strength and possibility. Honest conversations about how we work, how we build, and how we lead create the foundation for teams that thrive. Our strengths are real, our challenges are valid, and leaning into both allows us to create organizations that last, inspire, and transform the way we approach work and leadership.
If this resonates, I encourage you to take a step toward building teams and systems that truly work. Whether you are curious about Refoundry, want to explore how to create psychologically safe environments, or are ready to have an honest conversation about neurodivergent leadership, reach out.
Let’s connect, share ideas, and explore ways to lead with clarity, trust, and impact.
