Penelope’s father and elder son have Asperger’s, as does her ex-husband. ‘It’s a genetic condition, and people with Asperger’s like being around other people with Asperger’s,’ she explains.
She finds the rest of us ‘overwhelming’ in prolonged doses. ‘I tend to hang around people who talk in a monotone. People who have musical voices and are very animated and bubbly are hard for me.’ Yet she is a successful entrepreneur with a career-networking website and an international audience for her blog. In 2007 she won a six-figure advance for a book on career management.
‘I know that I’m kind of limited because of Asperger’s, but the best thing I can do is be honest. I feel it’s my job to tell everyone what it’s really like to be a high-powered woman,’ she says. ‘So many journalists want to do interviews with me about how to “have it all”, and it’s so insipid. I try to talk about what I give up. It costs me so much effort to look after myself and my kids, more than for most women. I struggle a lot.’ Every day is a battle in communicating. ‘I don’t have an edit button. I blurt out everything on my mind. I can’t learn the cues. I struggle with wishing someone happy birthday. Somebody has to teach me because it all looks crazy to me. If only I could just say something like, “Pleased to meet you.” That’s the level I’m at.’
