Your Sensitivity Is Your Superpower

Crying after a hard conversation with your boss is not a Flaw, it’s your Magic.

Former HR Director here, let me explain.

Growing up I was told I was ‘too sensitive.’

I used to cry when my parents raised their voice not because I was even in trouble, but because the energy felt sharp.
Small offhand comments by a friend about an outfit triggered big reactions because I felt everything intensely.
I withdrew when I was overwhelmed or overstimulated and made fun of because I didn’t want to ‘hang with the group.’

As an adult, I’ve been told by bosses and colleagues I’m “too emotionally attached,” that I “take things too seriously,” that I “need to let it go,” or that “it’s just business” as if my empathy and sensitivity were flaws, but today I know it’s a superpower.

I know you’ve heard that:
“Big girls/boys don’t cry about that.”
“Stop overreacting.”
“Don’t take it so personally.”
“You’re too much.”

Which makes you feel like there’s something ‘wrong’ with tears or feeling angry, or with emotions like disappointment, grief or overwhelm. - but I’m here to remind you there isn’t.

Your emotions aren’t the problem.
Your sensitivity isn’t the problem.
The problem is that no one ever taught you how to honor them.

We were taught to toughen up,
to silence the tears when our feelings were hurt
to ignore the knot in our stomach when something felt off
to pretend loud or chaotic environments didn’t overwhelm us
to hide how deeply we cared
and to call it “being strong.”

And while the world tried to tell me my sensitivity was a flaw, my journey has taught me something very different.

My sensitivity is the part of me that feels deeply, perceives truths others miss and connects with others beyond the surface, which makes me a great boss, coworker, friend and today makes me a wildly effective Coach. 

My sensitivity meter tells me when something is ‘off’ even if it looks good on paper. Saving time, energy and costly misalignment. 

My ability to ‘feel’ is why I can sense the energy in a room shift before anyone says a word and adjust my delivery, tone or presentation in real time so the message actually lands with the person hearing it.

It’s how I know when a team member is overwhelmed, even behind the “I’m fine,” and I can step in to reprioritize their workload or offer support before burnout hits. 

It’s the reason people feel safe opening up to me and I can build trust quickly especially in high pressure environments.

Thankfully, I now have tools like daily grounding rituals, breathwork and meditation and energy mastery practices that help me prepare, manage and restore my energy.

When you have daily rituals that keep you connected to your emotions instead of bottling them up, you express what you truly feel in the moment, rather than letting it come out sideways six weeks later in an unexpected argument with your mom about the right way to load a dishwasher after Thanksgiving dinner.

Your sensitivity is not something to fix.
It’s something to honor.

Harnessing and expressing it is how you access emotional freedom and when you establish daily practices that support you in feeling your feelings, you give yourself permission to truly be a sensitive person and create space to process, release and express emotions in real time.

That’s when your sensitivity stops being a source of overwhelm and starts being your superpower.