Stop Living on Autopilot with Relly Nadler

How can emotional intelligence and better “brain prompts” help leaders move out of autopilot and into clearer, more intentional thinking?

In this episode, Dr. Justin James Kennedy speaks with Relly Nadler about leadership, coaching, emotional intelligence and the neuroscience behind better decision-making.

Relly explains why much of our behaviour runs on autopilot. The brain relies on familiar prompts, rapid responses and established patterns because they are efficient. However, when leaders remain on autopilot, they can become reactive, overwhelmed and more vulnerable to errors.

The conversation explores how better internal prompts can interrupt automatic patterns and create a gap between stimulus and response. This gap provides an opportunity to pause, reflect and choose a more intentional course of action.

Relly also introduces the Emotional Audit, a practical five-question tool that helps leaders examine what they’re thinking and feeling, clarify what they want to accomplish, recognise how they may be getting in their own way and identify what they need to do next.

In this conversation, you’ll discover:

🔹 Why the brain relies on autopilot and how this affects leadership behaviour

🔹 How better prompts can interrupt familiar patterns and reactive responses

🔹 Why slow thinking, emotional intelligence and self-awareness matter

🔹 How coaching can help people strengthen their own thinking

🔹 How to use the five questions in Relly’s Emotional Audit

🔹 Why reflective thinking may become even more important in the age of AI

Discover how learning to “mind the gap” between stimulus and response can support clearer thinking, stronger emotional intelligence and better leadership choices.

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