Embracing Intensity

This week's episode is a fairly quick one as I got inspired for a new project this week and went down a hyper focus rabbit hole for days!  In this episode: Update on my latest project & upcoming course. Do it yourself mentality.  Being a maker, not a marketer. Links: Free Harness Your Power Workbook Adult Learning Assessment Embracing Intensity Community Community Events Calendar

Today’s guest launched into the world of twice-exceptionality because of the unique strengths and challenges that came with parenting her two sons, now teenagers. Her work now meets the needs of kids like her sons, along with helping other parents and educators through her therapy practice, support groups, and parenting programs. Join us to learn more! Debbie Steinberg Kuntz is the founder of the Bright & Quirky Summit, which features fantastic guest speakers and leading experts on “everything twice-exceptional” for parents and educators. Debbie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in twice-exceptional (2E) kids and families.  Her annual Bright & Quirky Child Online Summit attracts over 15,000 people from 95 countries, and the 2021 version is coming up in just a few days. It’s a free resource, and you can sign up now by using the link in our Resources section below. Show Highlights: Why Debbie is intensely passionate about unlocking the world of twice-exceptionality Why Debbie’

I’m excited to share our first guest call for the 2021 season in the Embracing Intensity Community with Brendan Mahan, of ADHD Essentials, on the Wall of Awful! From Brendan’s website: “Everyone fails. Some, like those with executive function challenges, fail more than others. Each failure brings negative emotions – guilt, disappointment. These smaller emotions become stronger feelings of anxiety, shame and even loneliness if one is repeatedly rejected because of their errors. Each time these negative emotions are experienced, another brick is placed into that person’s Wall of Awful. The Wall of Awful is the emotional barrier that prevents us from initiating tasks and taking the risks necessary to make reach our goals. It is the emotional consequence of having ADHD and it must be understood to be overcome. Let me help you climb your Wall of Awful™. Get the free e-book “5 Ways to Overcome The Wall of Awful” here!” In this episode: Who is Brendan? What is the Wall of Awful? How do we get past the Wall of Awfu

I found today’s guest in a most unusual place! It was on TikTok that I first noticed her work with gifted and twice-exceptional people, and I knew I had to get her on the show. Dr. Kimberly Douglass is president and CEO of Remote Learning Solutions. She coaches neurodivergent PhDs/EdDs on the personal, social, and technical aspects of career and entrepreneurship. In addition to moving clients from deficit-based to strengths-based thinking, she helps PhDs/EdDs develop content across a range of subjects. She helps clients deliver content in the form of ebooks, online courses, workbooks, journals, workshops, and more. Dr. Douglass bases her coaching practice on five values: empathy, justice, love, neurodiversity, and purpose. She worked in higher education for over 17 years in various roles and earned a PhD in political science in 2009 and tenured in Information Sciences in 2016 at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Her teaching and scholarship have developed at the intersection of information science and po

I've been hearing a lot more comments lately along the lines of "I relate to your work, but I'm not really gifted." In this episode of Embracing Intensity, I discuss why gifted folks might not recognize their own gifts and some resources to explore if you suspect you might be gifted.  In this episode: 5 Reasons gifted folks might not think they are really gifted. My own experience and why I actually believed it despite underachievement. 3 of my favorite books & resources to explore potential giftedness. Links: Your Rainforest Mind, Paula Prober The Gifted Adult, Mary-Elaine Jacobsen PsyD Searching For Meaning, James Webb Embracing Intensity Community Free Workbook on Harnessing the Power of Your Intensity

I’m excited to share today’s show with you. My guest has an interesting perspective as an obviously gifted person who has dyslexia. Her experience is fascinating, but there is so much more to her story and work. Join us! Brenda Bryan is a kickass inspirational speaker and The Diviner of Human Potential. As a transformational coach and Mastermind facilitator, she supports women to unmask and nurture their genius, empowering them to live in the strength of their passion. Teaching through the Raise Your Voice Speaker’s Club, one-on-one workshops, and stages around the country, Brenda demonstrates authentic, warm-hearted humor with a deep wealth of knowledge of the importance of communication in feminine power. Brenda began working in her passion of building community and supporting women in the early 70s. Graduating with a degree in communications, she became active in the women’s movement. Through her activism, she acquired lasting skills in group processing, facilitation, and leadership. She facilitates ritual

A couple of weeks ago I participated in an event called Camp ADHD, where folks around the world shared talks and discussion on topics related to ADHD. I spoke about twice-exceptionality, specifically as it relates to ADHD, and the topic seemed to resonate with a lot of folks, so I decided ot share it on the podcast as well!  In this episode: Why the topic of twice exceptionality is important to me.  Why it’s important to talk about twice exceptionality. Why it often goes overlooked. How to recognize when you might be both gifted and ADHD. Common themes from assessing 2E ADHD students. Strategies that might help if you fit this profile.  Links: Camp ADHD on YouTube Embracing Intensity Community Free Workbook on Harnessing the Power of Your Intensity

My guest today is twice exceptional and was recently diagnosed with ADHD. She’s super vocal about many things, including social justice, dressing up as Elsa for storytime, and showcasing her great style. Fortunately for me, she lives in my area, so I hope to meet her in person very soon! Dusti Arab is an entrepreneur and writer who leads the reinvention co., a boutique marketing agency specializing in building platforms and courses for mission-driven women. Dusti is currently writing a book, Braver Than Before: A Roadmap for Investigating Big Life Changes. Show Highlights:   How Dusti is intensely passionate about--everything she believes in! She loves to make sure people have access to what they need, including music and art Her personal brand of intensity includes being opinionated, drawing the right people closer, and setting boundaries How Dusti’s late ADHD diagnosis and twice-exceptionality manifested themselves in her drive to be an overachiever Why Dusti’s company is called the reinvention co. How Dus

This week I wanted to take a moment to share about the upcoming plans I have for the year to help gifted, creative and outside the box thinkers connect and realize their potential.  In this episode: Upcoming topics and speakers for the Embracing Intensity Community. Refreshing my website Adult Learning Assessment and Coaching information.  Creating lots of fun and hopefully useful content. Links: My first Comic! Embracing Intensity Community Patreon Free Harnessing the Power of Your Intensity Workbook

Today’s show focuses on highly sensitive people. My guest loves helping HSPs uncover the layers of conditioning put on them by society and bloom in their uniqueness. Join us to learn more. Julia R. Wild is a bestselling author, spiritual teacher, and trauma educator with a Master’s degree in psychology. She’s also a writing, creativity, and life coach. Her first self-help book for sensitives became an Amazon #1 bestseller, and she’s a TEDxMileHigh Blogger. Julia loves helping highly sensitive and empath children and women find their soulful, powerful voice. Part of her work also helps parents of highly sensitive children better relate to their kids. Julia enjoys disrupting conformity and subverting the dominant paradigms so people can express their unique, sovereign creativity and live extraordinary lives. She is a big believer in writing for healing and embracing the shadow as much as the light. She has two projects slated for publication soon, including her Master’s thesis on autism from a spiritual perspec

This is the final rerun episode for December before we launch into a new season of interviews, solo episodes and amazing guest speakers! Love is the very fabric of the universe, and I get so excited when I see someone using their intensity to spread the love around. My guest this week is Alexandra Loves, and I actually approached a year ago to be on the show. I’m so glad we decided to wait until now, because my connection with Alexandra has grown and bloomed during that time, giving us plenty to talk about! Alexandra is a Love Attraction Coach, Intuitive Spiritual Guide, and Entrepreneur. She is on a mission to catalyze creative power, and use her intuitive spirituality to guide her clients into their best existence. In everything she does, Alexandra is all about harnessing the power of that abundant universal fabric from which everything is made, Love. Today, Alexandra and I are talking about how intensity can be a force for good, for love, and for large-scale transformation. Because of her international upb

This December I’m sharing reruns of some of my favorite episodes from 2018. This one is from one of my all time hero’s René Brooks of Black Girl, Lost Keys. She was super amazing when I interviewed her and since then her following has absolutely blown up! I remember being excited for her last Christmas time when she hit 10 K followers on Twitter and now she’s grown exponentially with over 36 K. She’s also lined up a book deal and has a ton of other amazing projects in the works. She’s also created 6 amazing workbooks on topics relevant to folks with ADHD including cleaning, time perception and “Guarding Your Yes,” and added a variety of great products to her store from T-shirts to fidgets and more! She now started gift cards just in time for the holidays. You can find it all on her website at blackgirllostkeys.com What I’m most incredibly grateful to René for is bringing awareness to the topic of Twice Exceptionality. Did you know that you could help somebody by just being honest and transparent about who and

Continuing reruns for some of my favorite episodes from season 2 for this December! This week, I'm sharing my interview with Kate Arms! I met today’s special guest, Kate Arms, at the SENG conference recently and was so inspired by her talk entitled "Thriving with Intensity: Mining The Magic From Your Overexcitabilities” that I knew Kate would be the perfect fit for the podcast. Kate is a classic overthinker, high achiever, and multipotentialite who exudes intensity. She gets bored easily as evidenced by a career that includes being a lawyer, an arts administrator, a coach to parents of gifted and twice-exceptional kids and gifted and twice-exceptional adults, and an Agile Coach in a high tech company. She is an eager student of western secular developments from Buddhist philosophy and practices and the Theory of Positive Disintegration and the author of the Extreme Resilience Workbook, L.I.F.T.: A Coach Approach to Parenting, Unblock: Writing Prompts for Works in Progress, and award winning short stories in t

This December, I'm continuing the tradition of sharing reruns of some of my favorite episodes, this time from Season 2. This episode is with Arianna Bradford. Since I last spoke to her, Arianna has been busy. She has dissolved the NYAM project and now writes and speaks to groups of parents for a living. Her book, Shame on You, Big Truths from a Bad Mom, was independently released July 7, and it’s been widely regarded as a fun, honest book for parents. She’s currently working on her second book, and is in the midst of relocating to Florida. You can find out more about her book, schedule her for events, and more at: theariannabradford.com Is your personality way too big for most people to handle? And do you find yourself sometimes trying to become smaller than you really are? Today we're super excited to have Arianna Bradford join us on the show! Arianna was the founder and lead editor of the Not Your Average Mom (NYAM) Project, which is dedicated to celebrating strong women outside of the role of motherhood. A

In his book How To Be an Adult, David Richo refers to assertiveness as “owning your own power.” This is so important because one of the best things we can do to increase our energy is to increase our sense of power and reduce our feelings of powerlessness. The most crucial way to do this is by getting clear on what we want and asking for it. In this episode: Assertiveness is owning your own power Passivity is giving your power away. Aggressiveness is changing power to control. You can use the four step STAR (Stop, Think, Act, Request) to communicate assertively. Links: Embracing Intensity Store Embracing Intensity Community Free workbook on Harnessing the Power of Your Intensity

Today’s guest made quite an impression on me when I found him on TikTok. His specialty is self-regulation, and he has found inspiring ways to teach his techniques to teachers and parents. Join us to learn more. Chazz Lewis, aka “Mr. Chazz,” is a preschool teacher who currently focuses his talents on teaching teachers to teach. He’s a mentor and motivational speaker who also hosts the podcast, Mr. Chazz’s Leadership, Parenting, and Teaching. Show Highlights: Why Mr. Chazz is intensely passionate about becoming the best version of himself and helping others do the same Why Mr. Chazz teaches self-regulation to parents and teachers Why we need to be careful to not “crush” someone’s superpower How Mr. Chazz’s personal brand of intensity means being in flow with his natural superpowers and giving and receiving energy from others How Mr. Chazz struggled in school, was always trying to catch up, and took ADHD medications that made him feel constricted The interpersonal battle over what people wanted for him vs. what

This week's episode is brief, with a quick update about my quarantine, exposure to Covid and awaiting our test results.  In this episode: Barriers to early identification. Asymptomatic spread. Even when we follow all the rules, we can still get exposed. 

Today’s show brings inspiration and joy from my guest and her story. She’s doing great things in the world of gifted adults, bringing them together by highlighting their unique qualities. Join us to learn more! Nadja Cereghetti is the host of the Unleash Monday podcast for gifted adults. Based in Switzerland, Nadja has a passion for learning new things, talking to people, science, and all things Marie Kondo. I’m thrilled to have discovered her podcast and to introduce her to you today! Show Highlights: Why Nadja is intensely passionate about gifted adults and empowering women How Nadja’s personal brand of intensity always involved her being “too much” and “too loud” How Nadja learned in school and went through times of failure and times of success The cultural factors that affected Nadja growing up in Switzerland in being white and not being limited by gender Why traditional education isn’t necessary in Switzerland to get a good job or make a good living Why Nadja tones herself down by avoiding alcohol, main

I wasn’t sure what to talk about for today’s podcast when I happened upon Paula Prober’s newest blog post, Can Gifted Kids Become Ungifted Adults? Hint: No but, read the full post for her take. This got me thinking how I’ve observed as I’ve followed more neurodiverse folks on social media that people will often refer to their own giftedness in past tense and in quotes like “I was a ‘gifted’ kid,” as if giftedness was not something that still affected them now as an adult. I got to speak with Nadja Cereghetti, host of a new podcast for gifted adults called Unleash Monday, and we talked a lot about how a lot of gifted adults either don’t know they are gifted or no longer think they are. In this episode: We often confuse giftedness with achievement, or executive functioning skills. Highly gifted folks don’t always fit the standard achievement picture because their thinking is outside the typical box. Acknowledging our giftedness allows us to connect with our strengths and values to figure out what achievem

In today’s show, I introduce you to a good friend who has been an anchor for me in creating a community over the last ten years, both in-person and online. Join us! Lana Quackenbush has been part of my Ignite Your Power program for several years, and she frequently joined the monthly Embracing Intensity guest calls last year. I’ve seen from the beginning of our relationship what an amazing person she is and how she’s learning to own the uniqueness of who she is. Lana and I both love helping people find connections in the common experiences of intensity, giftedness, twice-exceptionality, and creativity. Show Highlights: Why Lana identifies as a mixed-race, newlywed, preschool teacher who loves peacemaking and doing the right thing How Lana’s personal brand of intensity revolves around her qualities of being intensely intellectual, perfectionistic, and judgmental Why as a Virgo, Lana has to work on finding balance in many ways Growing up, Lana’s mom told her she was “exhausting,” and she had a hard time sleepi