As two quirky, strong-minded women who have built our careers on the edges of consciousness, Jessie and I compare notes on our personal and professional experiences with giftedness and sensitivity. What are the unique challenges neurodivergent youth must overcome? How do “abstract-intense” people learn to own our eccentricities while building on our strengths? And how can an over-excitable nervous system lend itself toward a healthy passion for protecting one’s principles?

Jessie Mannisto is the founder and editor in chief of Third Factor, a magazine and community for creative, free-thinking individuals trying to chart their unique paths through life. It's grounded in Kazimierz Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration, which emphasizes the process of sorting out one's authentic values and living with increasing integrity. Formerly a leadership analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and Google Policy Fellow, Jessie chose to pursue self-employment as an editor and analyst to allow her maximum flexibility for her entrepreneurial and creative work. www.thirdfactor.org

Twitter: @ThirdFactorMag and @jlmannisto

In this interview I mentioned three books: A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the Twenty-First Century by Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein; The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt; and Hold On To Your Kids by Gabor Maté and Gordon Neufeld. All of these, as well as many other excellent books, are now available on my website at sometherapist.com/bookshop.

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

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