I'm taking the month of December off! Stay tuned in the new year for our awesome upcoming monthly group calls! And feel free to binge listen and share past episodes - there are a bunch of good ones to choose from! 

Are you a gifted adult? if so, are you putting your intellectual gifts to good use? Today we're super thrilled to be talking to Alexis P. Morgan. Alexis fills her time and earns her keep as a writer, artist, and troublemaking socialite. She does all of this as the proprietress of her blog, Death, Sex, and Taxes. Alexis is a truly remarkable person who has really shared so much of herself in her work, and in her powerful writing about her navigations as a gifted adult. Listen in today to find out what Alexis has to share about finding balance, as a gifted adult.

Black, leftist, and glorious, twenty-seven-year-old Alexis lives each day in the spirit of her devotion to truth, justice, and liberation. She particularly enjoys taking an ax to capitalism and oppressive fuckshit. She also loves spinning and telling tales about the universe and its many wonders. And oversharing about her own ongoing inner monologues. Listen in to find out what Alexis has to say about dealing with the challenges of having an overactive brain and really intense emotions. 

Show highlights:

• Alex explains how her recent diagnosis of relapsing, remitting multiple sclerosis has affected her.
• Alexis talks about her recent, bold decision to become trained as a professional dominatrix.
• Inspiring social change through her writing.
• Alexis initially started writing as a way of dealing with growing up in a toxic environment.
• Her really difficult time in school.
• How writing helped her to cope with her intensely active mind.
• Being morbidly intense at the age of six.
• Living in a state of hyper-arousal.
• Realizing that there are many different ways to use one's gifts.
• Alexis's interest in power dynamics.
• We live in a culture that's very antagonistic towards neurodiversity.
• Alexis sees herself as a culturally conditioned introvert in some ways.
• Intensity does not imply irrationality.
• Alexis uses her fire as a catalyzing force, rather than a destructive one.
• Alex speaks about her first exposure to the world of kink and sex-positive.
• How Alexis manages to relax.

Your Power Word Challenge for 2019:

Starting this week, we are going to go through a variety of exploration questions to discover the word for you to embody in 2019.

Links and resources:

Alexis's website: Death Sex And Taxes

Alexis on Facebook: Alexis P. Morgan

Book: Your Rainforest Mind by Paula Plover 

Your Rainforest Mind is one of my all-time favorite books for gifted adults, and we had the privilege of having author, Paula Prober, join us for a group call to discuss her book! In this episode, we share highlights from the conversation and inspiration for other rainforest minded people!

We explore questions including:

• What are novel strategies to deal with the "fried circuits" of over-excitability outside of the standard "good self care?"
• How do you approach communicating your excitable nature in groups or conversations where you are afraid you might come off as dominating or "too much."
• How do you self-motivate when you don't have external forces pushing you forward?
• Feeling the suffering of the world and responsibility to fix it.
• How do you deal with the perfectionism that often comes with giftedness?

Links:

Find Your Power Word for 2019

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 is an intensely passionate portrait photographer who specializes in senior portraits and boudoir photography. In addition to this, she's 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. Arianna really loves to talk and to express the ideas that she has going on in her head. She often found herself trying to curb the amount of talking she did when she was in high school, but it seldom worked for longer than ten minutes. Listen in today to find out what Arianna has to share about her passion and her fire.

Arianna was raised in a small town in Florida and spent the first twenty years of her life there. She thought that she would never leave. Due to unexpected circumstances, however, she moved to Texas and stayed there for about six years. During that time, she met her husband and they had two children, Miles and Charlie. Arianna, her husband, and their two young children now live in Happy Valley, Oregon. When she's not busy writing something or photographing people, Arianna enjoys reading, playing video games, or trying to sleep. Listen in today to find out more about Arianna and her brand of intensity.

Show highlights:

• During the time that she was living in Texas, her desire to capture images of her small son rekindled Arianna's interest in photography.
• Arianna loved the creative direction portion of photography when she started taking photos again, towards the end of 2014.
• The hard part of photography for Arianna then was that there was not a lot of money to be made from it in Austen.
• Discovering that she has a passion for working one-on-one with people, as a photographer- especially with women.
• Arianna's main focus is on helping women realize their own individual power and strength.
• What growing up was like for Arianna.
• Arianna was raised to think past what people would tell her.
• Being raised in a household with the attitude that you may as well be straightforward because people are going to judge you anyway.
• It took Arianna a long time to realize that sometimes it wasn't her chasing people away. It was their own prejudices and problems that did that.
• Arianna had to really try to curb her talking at high school, but it seldom worked for longer than ten minutes.
• Wanting to be smaller than she was.
• Most people believe that they need to be liked by as many people as possible.
• An anxious moment that Arianna had back in college when she was struggling socially.
• An incident that caused her anxiety and OCD to get out of control.
• Arianna believes that all emotions, even negative ones, can be channeled into something positive.
• She has made some of her greatest things in times of intense anger or sadness.
• The NYAM project was born of intense anger in Arianna.
• There are people who really identify with Arianna's writing.
• Art has really helped Arianna with harnessing the power of her intensity.
• Working hard on communication and trying to understand where other people are coming from.
• Remember that there's nothing wrong with being firey. People don't have to love you and it's okay for your fire to warm some people more than others.

Books mentioned on the show:

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

Links:

Arianna's photography website: Arianna Bradford Sign up to get their newsletter.

The NYAM Project website: NYAM 

Instagram: The NYAM Project

Aurora will be starting a challenge on her Express Your Power page, to walk you through different self-exploration questions. These can assist you in coming up with your power word, which is the word that you would like to embody in 2019.

Aurora will also share inspirations from other participants and there will be a daily raffle too, where you could win a power word pendant and a custom essential oil blend for the theme of the day. You can find this at Express Your Power page

It's been a while since I've done a solo episode, between my new schedule and our group call speaker recordings. This week, I'd like to share a bit about what we have coming down the pike in the Embracing Intensity Community! 

Highlights:

• Share your questions for Author Paula Prober for next week's group call and book study with the author of Your Rainforest Mind on Sat. 11/10 at 10:00 AM Pacific - and don't forget to get your copy of her book!
• Portland, Oregon Metro area folks, mark your calendar for an amazing in-person event hosted by Rukshana Triem
• Our lineup of amazing talks coming up in our monthly group calls! Calls are always open and recordings will be shared to those on the call and Patrons on Patreon. 
• How can I make my weekly Patreon post more valuable to you?
• Launching of my Xpress Your Power store with 50% off Aromatherapy Necklaces. 
• Lots of great upcoming interviews so keep your eyes and ears out!

Links:

XPress Your Power Store

Patreon Community

Did you know that you could help somebody by just being honest and transparent about who and how you are? It's such a validating experience to know that somebody really gets you. Today's interview is with René Brooks. René's been a typical ADHD personality for as long as she can remember, losing keys, books, homework, and even her glasses sometimes when they were on her face! Although she was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of eleven, she never received any treatment for it until she was twenty-five. So her experience of learning that she had something real and that it could be worked with, started at that point. Listen in to find out what René has to share today, about growing up as a gifted person with ADHD.

René created a blog, Black Girl Lost Keys, with the intention of sharing the experience of receiving a diagnosis of ADHD later in life, while being part of a demographic that is still mostly skeptical about mental illness. ADHD and giftedness are not mutually exclusive, and many people don't realize that, so it was often hard for René to be understood while growing up. Listen in today to hear her talking about the ups and downs of her life growing up with ADHD, and how she channels her intensity, her fire, and her passions.

Show highlights:

• What's lacking in the world of neurodiversity.
• The similar experiences of people with ADHD within René's particular cultural dynamic.
• What René Remembers most vividly about being a gifted child.
• Being understood, and taken in context, has become more important to René than whether she's liked or not by someone.
• René discusses her ethical stance regarding politics, power, and the abuse of power.
• René has had to learn to pull herself back at times, as she can alienate people with her 'correctness'.
• Why René doesn't speak about the experiences of other people.
• What ally-ship in action really ought to look like.
• We tend to make things so much more complicated than we need to.
• René had a difficult time growing up as gifted, with ADHD.
• People often don't understand that giftedness and ADHD are not mutually exclusive.
• We really need to make space in the world for people who don't follow convention.
• The ridicule that can come from not conforming to cultural norms.
• The story of Henrietta Lacks.
• The way that black people have been exploited and made to suffer in the past by the medical community.
• More honesty and transparency in people would ultimately result in less suffering.

Links and Resources:

René on all social media: Black Girl Lost Keys

Black Girl Lost Keys Blog

ADHD Essentials Podcast

Books mentioned:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot.

Far From The Tree, by Andrew Solomon

The book study with author Paula Prober of Your Rainforest Mind is coming up on the second Saturday in November. Get your copy of her book and join us for a great conversation and Q & A session. You can find out more on Patreon.

We live in a time that's being increasingly defined by activism and calls for social change. As gifted people, we're a part of this as well under the umbrella of the neurodiversity movement. In this talk, we'll take a short, powerful journey into the history, cultural systems, and real-life, everyday acts of activism that we call 'being different'. We'll define giftedness inside a new dimension- as an identity and culture, a unique way of sensing and experiencing the world. And you'll explore your own experiences and ideas to define your passion and priorities when it comes to social change for the gifted. You don't have to be an activist, a community organizer, or an influencer to fight for neurodiversity. You really just have to be yourself- authentically, resiliently, and prepared to speak-up for your needs.

Gifted Culture Project is the brainchild of Anamaria B Call. A gifted mom of two (and wife to a gifted engineer-slash-home-repair-hobbyist), she found herself one day faced with the daunting task of explaining to her son that he's gifted. With degrees and a background in linguistics and intercultural communication, she knew that she wanted to give him more than just a standard definition or even a simple story. She wanted him to understand his giftedness as a different way of experiencing the world. She also wanted him to have the social and emotional skills to handle and thrive in situations where being different is hard.

Join us for our October Embracing Intensity Group Call talk with Anamaria Call, and access the full video with discussion in our Patreon Community.

Anamaria has worked in public education and refugee resettlement where she spent more than eight years talking, training, and supporting people of different cultures (and different experiences of the world) to communicate effectively and to better understand each other.

She lives in Vancouver, Washington (in the metro Portland area) and spends her days raising two quirky, wonderful kiddos. She also reads, thinks, and writes A LOT while gently testing the limit on the number of books she's allowed to check-out from her local library.

You do want to do the very best for your children, right? And help them reach their full potential? At times we need some guidance with that, so today we are thrilled to welcome Julie Skolnick, the founder of With Understanding Comes Calm LLC, to the show. With Understanding Comes Calm passionately guides the parents of gifted and distractable children, mentors, 2E adults, advisers, educators, and professionals, on bringing out the best and raising self-esteem in their students and clients. Through raising her three twice-exceptional kids, Julie became intensely passionate about guiding parents and training teachers and clinicians to look at their caseload through a 2E lens. Listen in today to find out how Julie channels her particular brand of intensity.

Julie has a real passion for building self-esteem in 2E individuals. She is secretary to Maryland's Gifted And Talented Advisory Council. She is the Maryland liaison for supporting the emotional needs of the gifted (SENG), she reviews parenting strength conference proposals, and she's a committee member for the National Association For Gifted Children (NAGC). Julie serves as an adviser to  “The G Word” feature documentary, which is currently in production. Through the digital media division of With Understanding Comes Calm, Let's Talk To E, Julie is producing two days of 2E virtual conference. Julie is a frequent speaker and prolific writer. She produces a monthly newsletter called Gifted and Distractable. Join us today to find out what she has to share.

Show highlights:

• Julie explains what she is intensely passionate about.
• Julie explains what her personal brand of intensity is like.
• You shouldn't always have to turn your intensity down.
• Julie explains her intense connectivity.
• What growing up so intensely was like for Julie.
• Finding someone who really understands you.
• Hugs are really necessary.
• Some people suffer from sensory deprivation as a result of technology.
• Stay true to yourself and enjoy your life!
• About Julie's blog called 'Don't just do something, stand there'.
• Every moment can be a learning moment- and a moment for growth.
• Julie's whole life changed- and now she brings what she discovered to the world.
• What helps Julie harness the power of her intensity.
• The importance of positive self-talk.

Links:

Julie's website: With Understanding Comes Calm

You can subscribe to Julie's newsletter at the bottom of any page of her website.

Julie's email: julie@withunderstandingcomescalm.com 

Julie's Two Days of 2E virtual conference is launching on Friday and Saturday, October 26th and 27th. After that, they will be on-demand through to April 2019.

Resources:

Book: 

Ross Green @ livesinthebalance.org

Lost at School

Blessing of a Skinned Knee

A Parents' Guide to Gifted Children

To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled by Sue Baum and Robin Shader

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

This week we celebrate Embracing Intensity's 100th episode! Join Aurora, past guests and audience members as they share, "What does Embracing Intensity mean to me?"

In this episode:

Xpress Your Power Store

Embracing Gifted Facebook Page

Embracing Intensity on Patreon

League of Excitable Women on Facebook

Would you like to make a difference? And help in transforming the world and making it a better place for everyone? Today we are really happy to have Andréa Ranae with us on the show and she's intensely passionate about social justice and liberation. Andrea is a vision led facilitator and coach, who firmly believes that together we rise. She has a program called Coaching As Activism, which she offers to people at a variety of different levels, in order to make it fully accessible to anyone who really needs it. Listen in today to find out what Andrea has to share about emotions, personal growth, and social transformation.

Andréa is deeply devoted to doing whatever she can to cultivate a world that works for everyone! To achieve this, she places her work at the intersections of personal growth, social justice, and conscious business. Andréa supports people through her Coaching As Activism program, and also by doing transformative work with them, to deepen their impact by looking critically at the way that their lives and work are connected to social change. Andrea is the co-founder of Whole Self Liberation and she offers practical tools, resources, and wisdom to people who are really committed to making change happen in their lives and communities. As a coach and consultant, Andréa works with entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations that want to be more inclusive and impactful through their approach to leadership, marketing, and company culture. Listen in today to find out more.

More in this episode:

Andréa explains what she is intensely passionate about and she describes her own, personal brand of intensity.

The effect that Andrea's intensity had on her while growing up.

Andréa learned ways to hold herself back, in order to make other people feel more comfortable with her and not worry about her, when she was growing up.

The cultural factors that affected the way that Andrea could express herself while growing up.

Andréa found it really difficult to deal with her anger.

Andréa felt that she had to tone herself down for most of her teenage years.

A time in college when Andréa's emotional intensity got out of control.

The way that Andréa uses her fire for good.

When the pain of being black in America really sank in for Andrea and caused her to deeply examine grief.

The collective pain that we all share as humans.

The disservice that we pay ourselves by avoiding our feelings.

Why Andréa is so passionate about the work she does.

Overwhelming feelings and powerlessness about what's going on in the world.

Figuring out what you have to contribute.

Harnessing the power of her intensity has allowed Andrea to show up more sustainably.

Being okay with being yourself.

About Andréa's Coaching As Activism program.

Resources:

Books mentioned on the show:

The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho

Links:

Andréa's website: Andrea Ranae

Look out for our 100th episode next week where we will be sharing some recordings from our past guests and audience, answering the question "What does embracing intensity mean to you?". If you'd like to be on the podcast, please send a recording of your response to Aurora before Friday, October 5th. You can email Aurora at aurora@auroraremember.com.

How would you like to see the world becoming a more loving, caring, and sensitive place? Today we are very happy to have  Dr. Dan Peters, a really warm-hearted humanitarian, with us on the show. Dr. Dan has a  rich history of achievements throughout his life and he is driven to help others achieve as much as possible in their lives too! He is a co-founder of Parent Footprints, an online, interactive, parent training community, with their goal to make the world a more loving and compassionate place- one parent and one child at a time. Aurora first met Dr. Dan at a SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) conference a few years ago. She later started following his Summit Center newsletter, and then more recently, his Parent Footprint podcast. Listen in to find out what he has to share on the show today.

Dr. Dan is a licensed psychologist and the co-founder and executive director of The Summit Centre, which specializes in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and families, with a special emphasis on gifted and twice-exceptional individuals. He has authored the Make Your Worrier A Warrior series and has also co-authored Raising Creative Kids. He is a frequent contributor to both the Huffington Post and Psychology Today. Dr. Dan won an award at the SENG conference this past summer. Listen in today, to find out more!

More in this episode:

• Dan explains what he is intensely passionate about.
• What Dr. Dan's own, personal brand of intensity is like, for him.
• How his intensity affected him while growing up.
• Talking with kids about their superpowers.
• Some cultural factors that could have affected his expression.
• The times that Dr.Dan needs to tone himself down or tune himself out.
• A time that Dr. Dan's intense sensitivity felt really out of control.
• The way that he uses his fire for good.
• Always having his goal in mind.
• Dan's strengths and challenges in his executive functioning.
• The best advice that Dr. Dan ever received.
• Some personal habits that help Dr. Dan to use his fire in a positive way.
• The books that have had the most influence on him.
• How Dr. Dan helps others to use their fire.

Resources:

Books mentioned in the show:

Make Your Worrier A Warrior series by Dr. Dan Peters

Raising Creative Kids by Daniel Peters and Susan Daniels

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

The Power of Now by Eckhardt Tolle

I Can See Clearly Now by Wayne Dwyer

Links:

Dr. Dan's website: Dr. Dan Peters

Parent Footprint website: Parent Footprint

Summit Center website: Summit Center

Have you ever heard the term twice-exceptional? In this episode of Embracing Intensity, I share what it means and why it's important. 

Including:

• My own story of twice-exceptionality. 
• Why twice-exceptional people often don't get identified. 
• What happens when some skills are super high and others are "average."
• When difficult things seem easy, yet easy things can be really hard. 

Kimberly Berry is originally from California and is the host of the Being Unnormal Podcast which focuses on mental health, especially children’s mental health. She is also very passionate about child hunger and poverty and Kimberly wants to educate and help people seek the help they need. Kimberly believes that there currently remains such a stigma that it prevents people from seeking help from a professional. Kimberly is responsible for the “Summer Lunch Program,” she founded “Holiday Hope,” and is the director of the “Adolescent Mental Health Summit” which will target parents and educate them on issues that are affecting our youth.

Show Highlights:

• Kimberly shares her personal brand of intensity
• Factors that intensity affected Kimberly while growing up
• How Kimberly tones down or tunes out
• Kimberly describes ways her intensity could feel out of control in the past.
• Kimberly shares a personal story about her daughter’s attempt at suicide and how she dealt with it
• How she uses her fire for good
• What has helped Kimberly harness the power of her intensity
• Kimberly shares her personal habits that really fuel her intensity

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Podcast  on iTunes

@Beingunnormal on Facebook

@Beingunnormal on Instagram

Scream Free Parenting, by Hal Edward Runkel

The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brené Brown

The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

The Tony Robbins Podcast

On this week's episode of Embracing Intensity, I'm sharing my talk from the SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) conference in San Diego on The Embracing Intensity Journey

I share insights gained from interviewing gifted and outside the box thinkers on my Embracing Intensity Podcast including overarching themes and what tools and habits have helped them to use their fire in a positive way. The participants will then have the opportunity to share their practices that have helped embrace their own intensity.

Get access to the full talk with discussion on Patreon!

In this episode:

• Childhood Sensitivity
• Messages of "too much"
• Toning Down & Tuning Out
• Living Within The Lines
• Catalyst
• Using your fire for good!

Links:

Patreon

Talk Slides

Aurora 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 she knew Kate would be the perfect fit for the podcast. Kate’s professional background includes working in a myriad of careers including being a lawyer, administrator, artist, writer, and coach. Kate describes her Signal Fire Coaching Program as a vehicle for her to do her life’s work: helping people thrive as the fullest version of themselves and creating effective systems that support the people working within them.

More in this episode:

• Kate’s shares details about her personal intensity.
• Factors that affected Kate’s intensity while growing up
• Kate describes ways her intensity could feel out of control in the past.
• Channeling ways of questioning others
• Using leadership thinking to question self
• How theater can help intense individuals.
• No one person will have all the answers for you.
• Kate’s personal practices
• The personal passion that fuels Kate's intensity
• The magic question

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

How to donate to help keep the podcast going via Patreon

website: Thrive With Intensity

website: Parents of Twice Exceptional Kids

website: Signal Fire Coaching

Signal Fire Coaching on Facebook

Signal Fire Coaching on Twitter

Undoing Depression, by Richard O’Connor

Making It All Work, David Allen

If you are a multipotentialite, do you prefer to cycle through interests or do a whole bunch of different things at once? In this week's episode of Embracing Intensity, I discuss my own tendencies when it comes to pursuing multiple passions and why I'm moving from a lot of varied activities at once to focusing on just a small few. 

In this episode, I discuss:

• Rainbow people vs. specialists.
• Where I'm a specialist.
• Learning about our learning. 
• How you can join our upcoming group call on the Embracing Intensity Journey!

Related Links:

Find Your Superpower Course

Upcoming Group Call 

Are you struggling with a difficult relationship? Would you like to find out how to use this hardship as a means to transform your life and discover yourself spiritually? Sunny Joy McMillan joins us on the show today and she is a happy divorcee. After a high-conflict marriage, she learned how to have a really awesome post-divorce friendship with her ex-husband, until he passed away in 2018. Sunny is passionate about empowering adults to make soul-based relationship choices and using divorce as a catalyst for personal transformation and spiritual awakening. Listen in today to find out what she has to share about how she guides people towards making their relationship choices based on heart and soul, rather than culture, family, or social concerns.

Sunny describes herself as a recovering attorney and she is also a practicing master life coach, having done her coach-training and certification through Dr. Martha Beck's program. She has recently written a book, called Unhitched, which will be coming out in December. Sunny also hosts a weekly radio show, Sunny In Seattle, where she interviews inspiring guests like Gay Hendricks, Neil Donald Walsch, Mark Nepo, and many others. Listen in today to find out more.

Show highlights:

• Sunny explains what she is intensely passionate about.
• What took Sunny out of the life that she no longer wanted to live.
• How Sunny's former life as an attorney helps her to guide people through her process.
• What Sunny's own brand of intensity looks like.
• The way that Sunny managed to free herself from a life that did not work for her.
• What Sunny's book is all about.
• The way that Sunny's intensity affected her while she was growing up.
• Sunny has had to get used to feeling comfortable in her own skin.
• Cultural factors that affected the way that Sunny used to feel about herself.
• What Sunny has learned about her own self-worth?
• The people that Sunny looks up to.
• The really messy life that Sunny used to live.
• Sunny explains her need to become a whole person.
• The way that Sunny uses her fire for good.
• Sunny's current purpose in her life.
• How having a spiritual awakening has changed Sunny's life.

 Links:

Book mentioned on the show: Steering By Starlight by Martha Beck.

For your free, electronic copy of Sunny's book, go to Unhitched Book     

For my Patreon Pledge Drive go to Patreon to get great bonuses for signing up. This is where you can join us for the group call.

Have you ever felt yourself changing in order to fit in? This week on Embracing Intensity, I talk about experiences of past guests and myself of being social chameleons and examine when it becomes a problem and when it can be a positive thing. 

In this episode:

• I share about my experience at the SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) conference where I spoke last weekend.
• 3 Types of social chameleons I've observed.
• Thoughts on the difference between "fitting in" and "belonging"

Resources:

Find me on Patreon

Find Your Superpower Lesson

Do you suffer from ADHD and feel that it holds you back from reaching your full potential? Today we have Clinton Fetters on the show and he, as a husband and father, really understands how hard it is to feel that everyone else wants you to be linear, in a zig-zag world. Clinton would really love to live in a world where adults with ADHD can come out from the shadows and share their greatness with everyone around them. Listen in today to find out what he has to share.

Clinton works in a lumberyard by day, as a supervisor. He also aims to help adults with ADHD reach their potential through his personal brand, Distractonaut. In his free time, you will find him watching horror movies with his wife, playing board games with his daughter, or over-analyzing something in the corner! Recently, Clinton threw caution to the wind and began challenging himself daily, by creating talking videos on Instagram. Listen in to find out more.

More in this episode:

• Clinton explains what he is intensely passionate about.
• What caused Clinton to look deeper into himself and start Distractonaut.
• Adjusting to, and coping with change when carving a path of your own.
• What Clinton's particular brand of intensity looks like.
• How Clinton's intensity affected him while growing up.
• Why it's difficult sometimes for people with ADHD to be identified as gifted.
• Cultural factors that affected Clinton while growing up.
• Clinton's conscious decision to force his parents to send him to school.
• How Clinton managed to intentionally tone himself down, over the years.
• How much Clinton accidentally lost, from trying to fit into a mold.
• The doubts and fears that Clinton experienced when he was first married.
• Lessons that he learned about open communication in a relationship.
• A lesson that Clinton learned about controlling his impulses.
• How Clinton uses his fire for good.
• How practicing meditation has really worked for Clinton.
• The benefits of keeping a journal.
• A book that Clinton keeps coming back to.
• How Clinton helps other people to use their fire.
• For the worksheet that Clinton has created for people who struggle with taking the next step, go to his website distractonaut.com

Links:

Aurora's website: Embracing Intensity

Clinton's website: www.distractonaut.com

Resources:

Book mentioned on the show: The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan

This week on Embracing Intensity, I head to the SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) conference in San Diego! I also discuss what's coming up in the next couple of months.

In this episode, I share:

• An overview of my upcoming talk, which I will share on a call in August.
• Topics for the next two group calls for Patrons.
• Why next week's interview episode is notable. 

Do you have a message to share with the world? Rukshana was once unable to share her message, but she now not only sharing her message but is paving the way for others to do so, as well. Rukshana shares what it is like to be a former refugee and immigrant from Mozambique. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear Rukshana’s story.

Rukshana is CEO of her women’s coaching business where she is able to help women overcome their rough pasts and create their desired, beautiful lives through nature retreats and various online coaching programs and communities. This week’s Embracing Intensity show is one you will not want to miss! 

More in this episode:

• Learn what Rukshana experienced in a refugee camp.
• Rukshana shares how she turned the negative experiences of abuse in a refugee camp to positivity.
• Rukshana shares what prompted her to speak up for herself.
• Move beyond unresolved issues and love yourself.
• Rukshana tells us how having children made her closely examine her life’s purpose.
• Learn how Rukshana improved her overall health, including getting off prescription medications.
• Rukshana shares how it is ok to be vulnerable.
• Understand your body!
• Meditation can be used as an important tool.
• Learn how personally experiencing nature can change your life.
• Rukshana shares how she helps others find their passion and helps them verbalize it to others.
• Rukshana shares how simplifying your life can benefit you. 

Links:

The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod, was a helpful book for Rukshana.

Rukshana’s Facebook Page

A Women’s Lifestyle Community, Rukshana’s group on Facebook

Rukshana’s Website

Instagram Page

Twitter Page

Do you have so many things you want to do that you don't know how to decide what to focus on? You are definitely not alone! This has been a theme this week for me both in coaching and my League of Excitable Women Facebook Group. This week, I touch on the three main things I consider when I decide what to focus on and share a few resources I've created in the past.

In this episode:

• How do the choices affect your stress and energy?
• How do they align with your purpose and values?
• What has the most impact for the least amount of effort?

Resources:

First solo episode On Paralyzing Abundance

Blog post on Energy Balance

Blog post on Tools for Prioritization

Find Your Superpower Course

Are you reclaiming your life now that your babies have grown into young children? Nisha is doing that, and so she's intensely passionate about finding herself in everything that she does these days!  She's also passionate about her children, her family and their religion and she really like to be sure that whatever that she does feeds her because her youngest child is four now, and so Nisha is re-possessing herself and getting back into being human! Listen in to find out more!

Nisha is a member of the Karuk Tribe, from California. She helps her husband run his tattoo shop, she's busy building a business with her sister and her husband and she takes care of her live-in grandmother too. Additionally, she manages her children, who all model, and she's one of the dance-leaders for their tribal ceremony in northern California. Listen in today to find out what Nisha has to share!

More in this episode:

• Nisha explains what her personal brand of intensity looks like.
• How Nisha's intensity affected her while growing up.
• Growing up with an identical twin sister.
• Some cultural factors that have affected Nisha's intensity.
• Going to College in Oregon was a big culture shock.
• The intensity of growing up on tribal land.
• Giving her children a tribal connection.
• Tuning out and learning to relax and live in the moment.
• What happens when things get too intense.
• Knowing how to give the children the very best opportunities for success.
• Figuring out what it takes to really feel successful.
• Why Nisha started making jewelry again.
• Nisha was also a photographer long ago.
• Getting to know that you can do the hard things!
• Learning a difficult lesson- that if you're not doing what you value, you're valuing the wrong things.
• Some books that have had a big influence on Nisha.
• Being a great role model for your kids.
• Remembering that nobody's life is perfect.
• The importance of educating yourself.

Links:

Nisha's husband's tattoo website: Tattoo 34 P.D.X

Or  find Nisha at BaDundle

Have you ever had to switch gears to keep doing what you love? This week, I share my plans for the next year and moving forward.

In this episode:

• Why we sometimes need to switch gears to keep doing what we love. 
• What I'm focusing on for the next year. 
• How you can help support the sustainability of this podcast

Resources:

Embracing Intensity Store

Do you know kids living on the fringes? Kids living on the fringes are the passion of today’s guest, Heather Boorman. Heather is a writer, public speaker, podcaster and  Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Heather is the founding member and therapist at Boorman Counseling, LLC in Western Wisconsin. Additionally, Heather serves on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Association for the Gifted and Talented. Heather will be speaking with Aurora at the San Diego Emotional Needs of the Gifted  (SENG) Conference in July.

Heather is the co-host of the Fringy Bit Podcast and has a book, The Gifted Needs Workbook, coming out August 1. I hope to have some copies available for pre-release at the SENG Conference. Heather is a homeschool mom to three fringy kids which further fuels her advocacy for kids living on the fringes.

More in this episode: 

• Being real is freeing!

• Chances are that you contributed to the giftedness of your children.

• Claim your own giftedness.

• Until we can model our giftedness, misperceptions by others will continue to exist.

• Confidence comes from really knowing yourself; faults and positive traits.

• Intensity for adults may mean going “full in”. 

• Gifted children may process themselves inwardly.

• Internal intensity may make deep connections with others difficult.

• Children need the security to be/express themselves.

• Culture may inhibit one’s ability to express himself. 

• Mindfulness helps me have peace and calm.

• Introverts need personal time to be able to focus on themselves.

• The Fringy Bit Podcast helps you to you understand your own/ kids’ fire.

• Everyone struggles with doubts and fears.

Resources:

How to donate to help keep the podcast going via Patreon: 

The Fringy Bit Podcast 

The Fringy Bit Episode with Aurora

SENG Conference 

Boorman Counseling 

Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Living With Intensity, by Susan Daniels and Michael M. Piechowski

Self Reg, by Dr. Stuart Shanker

Connect with Heather:

Facebook