Reading between the lines with Nicola Knobel
I read my books out loud for you to have access to!
We are starting with Book 1!
Unmasking Leadership is a subscription-based audiobook podcast written and read by Nicola Knobel, exploring neurodivergent leadership, psychological safety, and the systems that shape who gets to lead at work.
Each episode features a full chapter from the book Unmasking Leadership: Neurodivergent Leaders, Psychological Safety, and the Future of Inclusive Workplaces. Chapters are released regularly and presented exactly as written, without summaries or commentary.
This podcast examines why traditional leadership models often fail neurodivergent people, how masking and burnout become occupational health issues, and why psychological safety frequently exists in policy but not in lived experience. It explores leadership through the lens of risk management, workplace safety, and organisational power, connecting inclusion to systems, not slogans.
Designed for leaders, safety and risk professionals, HR practitioners, and neurodivergent workers, Unmasking Leadership goes beyond awareness to examine how work actually operates, who it protects, and who it excludes.
If you are interested in leadership, neurodiversity at work, psychological safety, workplace safety, burnout, masking, psychosocial risk, and inclusive leadership, this podcast offers depth, clarity, and evidence-based insight.
The first two chapters are available free. Additional chapters can be accessed by purchasing the full audiobook series.
Reading between the lines with Nicola Knobel
Chapter 7: The Empathy Myth | Unmasking Leadership
This episode is only available to subscribers.
Unmasking Leadership | Neurodivergent Leadership +
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This episode features Chapter 7, The Empathy Myth, from Unmasking Leadership, read in full as part of this audiobook podcast series.
In this chapter, Nicola Knobel challenges the way empathy has been flattened into a corporate buzzword and repackaged as a leadership performance. Drawing on leadership theory, neurodivergent experience, and organisational design, the chapter argues that empathy, as it is commonly practised at work, often comforts leaders while leaving systems unchanged.
Chapter 7 traces where the modern empathy narrative came from, including emotional intelligence and authentic leadership frameworks, and examines why these models can unintentionally exclude autistic and ADHD leaders. It introduces the double empathy problem, showing how misunderstandings between neurotypical and neurodivergent people are mutual rather than individual failings, and why “reading the room” often means only reading those who communicate similarly.
A central theme of this chapter is the distinction between relational empathy and structural empathy. While relational empathy focuses on understanding feelings, structural empathy focuses on designing environments, processes, and expectations that reduce harm and remove the need for constant self-advocacy. This shift reframes empathy from sentiment into system.
This chapter will resonate with leaders, safety and risk professionals, HR practitioners, and anyone questioning why empathy training has not delivered the inclusion it promised. It shows why empathy without design fails, and why authentic leadership must be measured by what changes, not what is said.
This chapter is presented exactly as written, without commentary or summary. Chapters in this audiobook series are released regularly.
Purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/43cRqV4
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⚠️NOTE:
I’m not a medical professional. This video is based on lived experience, research, and educational insights. Please speak to a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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