Gifted Unleashed

In this episode, Nadja sits down with Emmaly Perks, founder of Beyond Gifted Services, for a conversation about what it actually takes to design a meaningful career as a gifted or twice-exceptional adult. Emmaly shares how she moved through gifted programming without ever being formally tested, how a psychology degree followed by a master's in gifted education finally gave her language for a lifetime of feeling "not the rule follower," and how a childhood spent choosing Gloria Steinem over Ge...

Felicia M. L. Davis and Nancy Wainscott join Nadja to talk about their book Autism, Not Attitude and why so many women get misdiagnosed before finally landing on autism and/or ADHD. Felicia, an autistic ADHD female leader with over fifteen years of leadership experience, was diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and a high IQ in her late twenties, after years of assuming she just thought differently than everyone else. Nancy is a licensed professional counselor who grew up with an undiagnosed autistic...

Feeling “too much” for friendship is a quiet ache many gifted and twice-exceptional adults carry. We unpack why connection can feel risky, how masking erodes trust, and what it takes to find people who welcome your full volume: curiosity, intensity, joy and all. With Dr. Erin Krellwitz back on the mic, we share honest stories of belonging at SENG and BloomCon, the relief of being mirrored, and the nervous-system signals that tell you a room is safe: deeper breaths, easier laughter, and energy...

Gifted adults often carry a quiet ache: the sense of being “too much” for most rooms and somehow not enough for the ones that matter. In our conversation with neurodivergent coach Erin Krellwitz, we unpack what it means to be gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) beyond grades and test scores. Giftedness shows up as intensity, sensitivity, divergent curiosity, and deep moral drive, not just perfect homework. Erin’s path—PhD in molecular systematics, science education, research labs, then a delibe...

What if the essence of giftedness extends far beyond a number on an IQ test? Join us on "Gifted Unleashed" as I chat with Gloria Jensen, an inspiring coach and energy healer with a mission to uplift highly sensitive and gifted adults. Gloria opens up about discovering her giftedness as an adult with a cultural background where such conversations were virtually non-existent. Her candid reflections on societal stereotypes and the emotional hurdles of embracing her unique traits offer a fresh pe...

Unlock the secrets to understanding and supporting gifted and twice exceptional individuals in our latest episode with Gail Post, a clinical psychologist with over 35 years of experience. Gail's expertise in intellectual and musical giftedness, coupled with her personal journey as a parent of two gifted children, brings invaluable insights to our discussion. We promise you'll gain a deeper understanding of the emotional and practical challenges faced by gifted individuals and their families, ...

What if the traditional education system isn't just failing students with ADHD, but also those who are gifted? This week on Gifted Unleashed, we welcome Alícia Couto from Brazil, a twice-exceptional adult who navigates the complex world of ADHD and giftedness. Alícia opens up about her transformative journey, from her sister's initial research into ADHD to her own discovery and acceptance of her neurodivergence. She shares her struggles in college, often misattributed to personal failings, an...

Unlock the secrets to navigating the maze of giftedness with our guest, Matthew Zakreski, affectionately known as Dr. Matt. As a clinical psychologist and professional speaker, Dr. Matt sheds light on his personal journey from being identified as gifted in second grade to becoming an advocate for neurodivergent individuals. Together, we explore the trials and triumphs of gifted education, the concept of the performance cliff, and the challenges of imposter syndrome. Dr. Matt’s unique insights...

Ever felt like your mind runs on a different operating system than everyone else's? Discover the powerful connection between neurodiversity and their specific coaching needs with my guests, Kate Arms and Tracy Winter, the dynamic duo behind the Neurodiversity Coaching Academy. As we unpack their personal narratives, we illuminate the emotional rollercoaster of living at the intersection of intense intellect and divergent thinking. Kate and Tracy’s candid sharing reveals the often-overlooked p...

When Kaitlin Smith and I sat down to unravel the complex world of giftedness and twice-exceptionality (2e), our conversation ventured deep into the heart of what it means to be labeled 'gifted,' particularly for those navigating the dual challenges of exceptional intellect and being part of a minority. Kaitlin shares her battle against the stereotypes that sought to undermine her journey during her studies in psychotherapy. This episode promises to be a beacon for anyone who's felt too intens...

Feeling misunderstood or out of place can be a common experience for twice-exceptional (2e) individuals. This episode of Gifted Unleashed welcomes Julie Skolnick, author of "Gifted and Distractible," to shed light on the unique challenges faced by this remarkable group. Driven by self-love and understanding, Julie navigates us through the wide spectrum of conditions under the 2e umbrella and the importance of focusing on the strengths of these individuals. Through an enriching conversation, ...

Ever felt like a square peg in a round hole? Maybe it's not you, maybe it's your giftedness. I, Nadja, once wrestled with this notion, but through my journey of self-discovery, I've come to embrace my giftedness and ADHD, viewing them as unique strengths rather than limitations. Join me on this exciting journey of Gifted Unleashed, where we talk about personal experiences of how we navigate the world as gifted and 2e individuals. The Gifted Unleashed podcast is not just about me and my guest...

Eshwari is a young woman who grew up in India, feeling out of place and intense. She learned about giftedness and Overexcitabilities through the Unleash Monday podcast and got inspired to learn more about the topic and is on her journey of finding her way in the space and field of neurodiversity. TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: Your job title doesn't define youCurrently there is no gifted psychologist in India (yet!)(Existential) Depression is not just in your head! And you need support from lik...

Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP uses her extensive experience with global, cultural, demographic, and ability diversity to help create inclusive and equitable workplaces. She is a Professor of Psychology and the founding Director of Graduate Programs in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California. Prior to her academic career, she built and led successful intercultural relations programs in global organizations. Her current consulting is focused on ...

Dr. Sarabeth Berk is the leading expert on hybrid professional identity, and a hybrid professional herself. She was featured in Forbes, and is a TEDx speaker, author of More Than My Title, and recipient of a Colorado Inno on Fire award for her innovative work. Her hybrid title is Creative Disruptor because she works at the intersection of being an artist, researcher, educator, and designer. Through groundbreaking research, Sarabeth developed a one-of-a-kind approach that takes personal brandi...

Colin Seale was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where struggles in his upbringing gave birth to his passion for educational equity. Tracked early into gifted and talented programs, Colin was afforded opportunities his neighborhood peers were not. Using lessons from his experience as a math teacher, later as an attorney, and now as a keynote speaker, contributor to Forbes and author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students and Tangible Equity: A Gu...

Alice Bauer was born under the zodiac sign of Virgo and she is an orderly and organized type of person by nature. She is curious, inquisitive and likes to develop herself in all areas of life. Her interests are wide-ranging, including yoga, travel, art and music, but she is particularly fond of interior design. Already in her childhood she was constantly browsing through her mother's home magazines only to rearrange and reorganize her room afterwards. In 2007 she graduated university as an in...

Ilana Grostern is a Montreal-based Self-Attunement and Somatic Coach. Her early career took her from graphic design to the launch of a sustainable business venture – a cloth diaper company that she ran for fifteen years. Her sensorial over-excitability attuned her to the needs of the body, leading her to pursue a certification as Canada’s first Whole30 coach. TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: People who don’t know about their own giftedness lack information about themselves.Lack of self-unde...

Bayo Moses has 8+ years as a Book Coach and Developmental Editor. When he's not looking into manuscripts, you can find him on Google Meet catching fun as a personal development coach. He shares his story growing up neurodivergent in rural Northern Nigeria and how he learned about autism in adulthood. TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: Bayo could not connect with his peers in school but was able to connect with older people.Realising there is nothing wrong with yourself but with your audience....

John Syc’s background includes his own 2eAm (twice-exceptional autism male) discovery leading to his own call to action for integration and a life commitment to the path of higher levels of consciousness in tandem with psychological wholeness. His lifelong personal journey, a psychological and social work advanced educational background, and over ten years of being a psychotherapist provide insight that he shares with his clients on their journey. Presently, John offers 60-minute or 90-minute...

As a psychologist, trainer, assessor, writer and advocate, Jennifer Harvey Sallin is dedicated to raising awareness about adult giftedness and twice-/multi-exceptionality (2e/me) and meaningfully supporting gifted/2e/me people in their personal and social development. She has specialized in supporting gifted adults for the last decade, and in 2015, she created InterGifted to allow gifted people to socially engage in meaningful ways and to personally develop in community. Learn more about why ...

Lucy Knight always knew she was different and was finally diagnosed autistic at 31. A lot in her life has changed for the better since she got diagnosed and now she advocates for myself and other autistic people. She has a blog called Autisms Alright where she shares her own story and important resources on the topic of autism. TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: Without a diagnosis you might choose a career path not really suited for your needs.Misophonia is a condition in which individuals experie...

Christiane Wells, PhD, LSW, is the Director of Qualitative Research at the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development. She studies the lived experience of giftedness and emotional development through the lens of Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration and critical psychology. She has investigated the history of Dąbrowski’s constructs and their evolution and also studies Polish in order to read his original works. Her background in qualitative methods includes using text and content...

Julie Skolnick is the Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC, through which she passionately guides parents of gifted and distractible children, mentors 2e adults, trains teachers on how to understand and address 2e strengths and struggles. Julie serves as Secretary to the Maryland Superintendent’s Gifted and Talented Advisory Council and is an advisor for “The G Word” film. Julie is the SENG Maryland liaison, a SENG Model Parent Group trained facilitator and on the Simultaneous Suppor...

Lotte van Lith is a lecturer, instructor and senior trainer on the psychology, practice and art of personal and creative development (amongst others at the School of Thinking at Free University of Brussels and the Buckminster College). In her own company, A Lot of Complexity, she guides intense and driven adolescents and adults in their personal and creative development and regularly organizes vivid seminars and courses on topics ranging from sense making and creative giftedness to emotional ...

Aileen Kelleher is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist in Chicago. She specializes in working with gifted and twice exceptional children, adults and families. TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: Being able to have some distance from your thoughts, being able to not over identify yourself, your sense of self with the thoughts that come into your head and knowing not everything you're thinking is a fact or the truth. Mindfulness practice can help you to start to observe your thoughts ...

Happy Birthday Unleash Monday! Exactly a year ago I launched this podcast on the topic of gifted adults. In this episode I am sharing on how it all started, what I experienced in my own personal gifted journey over the last year and where Unleash Monday is going in year two! I would like to use this opportunity of this episode to say thank you to all my past guests who have helped form this show and made it into this incredible resource which it is today. I would also like to thank all ...

Natasa Heydra loves working within different areas of art, culture and design. She is a textile artist, teaches Visual Arts at the Kulturskolen in Viborg & curates and organises exhibitions, publications and art-projects. She has always been fascinated by cultural expressions of identity, like fashion, language, behaviour, music and art. The signs, the codes to help you uncover the multiplicity of identities in our society. Where does one end and starts another? The periphery is whe...

Carrie Pokrefke is an Audit Manager for BECU, the nation’s largest Community Credit Union, based in Seattle, Washington. She is an accomplished and experienced leader with over 20 years of experience in financial services as both an internal auditor and as a state and federal regulator. She enjoys building inclusive, high-performing teams through developing and mentoring employees, building relationships, and connecting people. Carrie serves on the SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gift...

Liz studied communication design with a sub-specialization in interactivity and multimedia where she focused on web design. She has been working in the corporate world for 4 years throughout that time she always had people who wanted her help in creating logos so in 2019 she created the brand Mytrudesign to provide brand design services to independent entrepreneurs. Creating designs from thoughts and ideas of her clients is what brings Liz passion, especially listening to ideas that are intan...

Tracy has been an executive and leadership coach for over ten years. She helps neurodivergent leaders become superstar leaders through nerd coach, her coaching practice. Tracy has coached up and down the career ladder, from job seekers to vice-presidents, and has worked in different industries, including technology, government, academia, and health care. Tracy helps her clients, individuals or teams, develop new perspectives that lead to new behaviors, behaviors more likely to get the results...

Cliff Wigtil has been in giftedness circles for over twenty years, and has been formally studying giftedness for well over a decade. He provides coaching services and welcome clients from a diversity of backgrounds. TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: If you have such a profound perspective, you also need to have some kind of perspective on limitationsHighly gifted people do sometimes become eminent but it may also come at high costs. It requires great sacrifice and help, as well as being a...

Gabriela Alvares is a student majoring in Communications Media studies and minoring in Public Relations at Quinnipiac University, in Connecticut. She was born in South Africa to parents from Portugal where she calls home. She grew up as a third culture kid and has lived this global and inspirational experience which brought her to her purpose in life. At a young age she was diagnosed with dyslexia and here starts her journey.... Unfortunately, at the time living in Tanzania, a country which h...

Isabelle Mosca, curator/creator for Life on the Bright Side and founder of the nonprofit FACES 4 Autism. She shines a light on families facing neurodiversity across the lifespan, encourages and uplifts caregivers to live their best lives with programs, events and workshops. Her programs are donation-based and open to all. Isabelle and her husband just celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. Her motivation to begin the journey culminated from the autism diagnosis of her son in 2001. He and ...

Kanan Tekchandani is a Relationship Whisperer and an actually autistic specialist coach for exceptional individuals, their partners and families. After years of working with highly intelligent exceptionally wonderful individuals to declutter their homes, Kanan realised her true purpose lay in helping them to clear the misunderstandings that were cluttering their ability to experience connection, peace and happiness in their most important relationships Kanan’s ability to translate different p...

Lucinda Leo is a hypnotherapist and coach based in Brighton, England. Although she always knew she was bright, Lucinda grew up believing that her intensity and quirks were totally separate and detracted from her intelligence. She became so good at camouflaging her ‘weirdness’ that she ended up in a job that leached her soul and surrounded by people who didn’t get her. It wasn’t until Lucinda went looking for ways to support her intense and sensitive children that she discovered her giftedness...

Ben Koch am an entrepreneur, educator, coach, healer, and mindfulness expert with 20 years of meditation experience. As co-founder and CEO of an education company based in Dallas, he has sought for ways to merge his role in the educational revolution with his passion for self-development, healing modalities, and practices that help one find and align with their deeper life purpose (IKIGAI). TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: Gifted adults usually have gifted kidsThe label “gifted” doesn’t matter as...

Erin Keeley has an inspiring life story of tenacity that began with studying climate change in Antarctica for her Master’s in Engineering and then took a sudden turn when her brother, also an engineer, took his own life in 2002. Instead of going on to complete her PhD, she decided to dedicate her life to understanding how our culture contributes to individual pain and suffering. She has since dedicated her life to human services that make cultural differences and create more life satisfaction...

Nadya Abo-Shaeer was identified as a gifted child but choose not to embrace nor identify with this label. As a gifted teenager and collage student she immersed herself into studying as much and diverse as she possibly could. She is leading a typical life of a multipotential gifted neurodiverse person but only realised that so much of who she is and her own story is tied to this identity. Now she is starting to embrace her intensity and her bubbly personality and living her life to her full po...

Femke Hovinga knows which challenges hyper giftedness can entail. Despite a hefty portion of potential, she underperformed for years and developed fear of failure. Femke obtained her diploma by hanging and strangling, after which she followed courses in journalism and business administration. Challenges became opportunities. She trained as a talent coach and from there she specialised in 145+ IQ. At Talentissimo she guides children, parents and schools. She also gives lectures. In addition, F...

Sophia Elliott is the founder and podcast host of Our Gifted Kids. She has had a career full of turns and new learnings but found her passion and calling advocation for gifted children and their education. She is a supporter and curator of information for parents of gifted children. She is the mother of three gifted kids and shares her journey and lets other parents of gifted children know that they are not alone. Her podcast and community is just getting started! TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EP...

Julie Skolnick is the Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC, through which she guides parents of gifted and distractible children, mentors 2e adults, trains teachers on how to understand and address 2e strengths and struggles. Julie serves as Secretary to the Maryland Superintendent’s Gifted and Talented Advisory Council, is an advisor for “The G Word” film. She is the SENG Maryland liaison, a SENG Model Parent Group (SMPG) trained facilitator and on the Simultaneous Supports committe...

Pascal Mäser is an Associate Professor at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and the University of Basel. In addition of being a brilliant scientist and a great guitar player, he is also a very good chess player! With the recent success of the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit”, chess sales have skyrocketed in the last few weeks. I used this opportunity to invite Pascal onto the show and ask him all my burning questions I had about chess! TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: To...

Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films wearing many hats across the film and entertainment business In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco based film company that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers....

Born in France, Pascale moved to Norway about 25 years ago. After working a long time as a teacher, she decided that she needed a career change. She became a gestalt therapist and established her therapy practice in Arendal, the little town in Southern Norway: Arendal Psykoterapi og Utvikling (which translates as Arendal Psychotherapy and Development). Gestalt therapy is an approach which brings the whole of our being into focus. Her focus as a therapist turned gradually toward giftedness as ...

Two weeks ago Laurence learned about the English term “giftedness” by listening to this podcast. After hearing a few of the guests describe their experiences she stared doing her own google research about this topic. She could relate to the stories and the checklists. A week ago she reached out to a gifted specialist in Munich for her own evaluation. Four days ago she had her appointment and the confirmation that she is indeed an intellectually gifted adult. She is currently processing this i...

After years of feeling “too much,” Aurora Remember Holtzmann finally realised that intensity, is the source of her greatest power. Now instead of beating herself up about not measuring up to her own self-imposed standards, she is on a mission to help gifted and outside-the-box thinkers befriend their brains and use their fire without getting burned through her Embracing Intensity Podcast and community, coaching, and strengths-based educational assessment. TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: ...

Daniel Bruce Levin tested in the genius level in first grade which makes him an intellectually gifted adult. His biography reads like he lived five lives instead of only one. Here is a short bio of what he did so far: He walked away from an opportunity to run a billion dollar business, to hitchhike around the world to find happiness and inner peace. He studied in a seminary five years and left one day before becoming a Rabbi and he has lived as a Monk in a monastery for 10 years. As Director ...

Saskia De Feijter is a conscious knitter, entrepreneur, podcaster and mom of two. Yes, she is definitely a multipotentialite and maybe also a gifted adult? She is currently on her journey of discovering giftedness as a topic and as an explanation for herself. I invited her onto this show to share with us her story and her struggles to accept the fact that she might be indeed an unidentified adult. She shares her story of how she grew up not fitting in but always knowing exactly who she was an...

Paula Prober is a psychotherapist, consultant, blogger, and author in private practice in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Over the 35+ years she has worked with the gifted, Paula has been a teacher and presenter at universities, webinars, and conferences. She consults internationally with gifted adults and parents of gifted children. Her first book, Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-Being of Gifted Adults and Youth, is an in-depth look at giftedness including case studies, strategies for greater...