Join Our Empowerment Group for 2e Adults!
Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D. and Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC is excited to bring you the NEXT Empowerment Group for 2e Adults! This is not your typical support group.
If you are looking for a DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SELF, a way to make MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS with others, and to learn TOOLS TO EMPOWER YOU, this group is for you!
what you get
Your Empowerment Group for 2e Adults includes:
Hear Your Personal Invitation From Julie...
The Empowerment Group for 2e Adults brings together twice exceptional adults from all over the world for six awesome weeks where we:
- Learn about being 2e
- Connect over personal experiences – the good, the bad, the ugly
- Provide and receive much needed camaraderie and fellowship
- Gain tools to EMPOWER you
Upcoming 6-Week Series
Future Dates: 6 Consecutive Mondays (With a break on July 3rd.)
June 19th - July 31st, 2023 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT
Week 1: What it means to be 2e
Week 2: 2e adult at work and 2e adult at home
Week 3: Understanding Your Rainforest Mind With Guest Expert, Paula Prober
Week 4: Gender and Giftedness With Guest Expert, PJ Sedillo
Week 5: Relationships
Week 6: Advocacy
We are excited to bring new understanding and community to you and to provide strategies you can implement today.
This six-week series is dedicated to helping you gain self-awareness so you can live a more joyful life.
Our expert guests will join us as we navigate what it’s like to be a 2e adult in today’s world.
Paula Prober
Do You Have a Rainforest Mind?
Julie will interview Paula Prober about her metaphor of the rainforest mind. Those individuals with rainforest minds are intellectually advanced, highly creative, quite sensitive, empathetic, and socially conscious. They have many interests and abilities and are often lonely and misunderstood. Paula will talk with Julie about the origins of the metaphor, the benefits and challenges of rainforest-mindedness, strategies for living a fulfilling life, and the resources available for more information.
Paula Prober is a psychotherapist, consultant, blogger, and author in private practice based in Eugene, Oregon, USA. For the past 30+ years her clients have been intellectually and creatively gifted/2e adults and parents of gifted children. Along with counseling in Oregon, she consults internationally with these individuals. Paula has been a teacher of gifted children and presenter at universities, webinars, podcasts, and conferences. She has written articles on giftedness for Psychotherapy Networker, Advanced Development Journal, the Eugene Register-Guard and online for Thrive Global, Rebelle Society, psychotherapy.net, Highly Sensitive Refuge, and Introvert Dear. Her blog/website is rainforestmind.com.
She has written three books: Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-Being of Gifted Adults and Youth is an in-depth look at giftedness through case studies of her counseling clients.
Journey into Your Rainforest Mind: A Field Guide for Gifted Adults and Teens, Book Lovers, Overthinkers, Geeks, Sensitives, Brainiacs, Intuitives, Procrastinators, and Perfectionists is a collection of her most popular blog posts from the first four years of the blog.
Her most recent release, Saving Your Rainforest Mind: A Guided Journal for the Curious, Creative, Smart, & Sensitive, is a journal specifically for gifted adults addressing sensitivity, empathy, loneliness, multipotentiality, anxiety, depression, purpose, and much more.
She blogs at rainforestmind.com, www.rainforestmind.com and is on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/paulaprober/
Amazon links to books:
Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-Being of Gifted Adults and Youth
Journey Into Your Rainforest Mind
Saving Your Rainforest Mind: A Guided Journal for the Curious, Creative, Smart, & Sensitive (link coming soon)
PJ Sedillo
Gender and Giftedness
Researchers note a high crossover between gender fluidity, LGBTQIA+ identification, and giftedness. Guest expert PJ Sedillo will shed light on the coincidence of these exceptionalities and ways to find joy.
Dr. PJ “Paul James” Sedillo an Associate Professor for the Special/Gifted Education Department at New Mexico Highlands University is published in Gifted Child Today, Journal of Education & Social Policy, Prufrock Press, Parents of High Potential, and ABQ Press where his book Solidarity through Pride won best book in Arizona/New Mexico for 2018.
PJ has a new chapter coming out in Prufrock Press titled Identifying and Serving Diverse Gifted Learners: Meeting the Needs of Special Populations in Gifted Education which introduces Stages of Identity for GLBT-Gifted persons.
He served as President for the NM Association for the Gifted, Communication Member & Chair-Elect for the NAGC-GLBTQ Network, NAGC State Affiliate Leadership and Advocacy member, Co-Chair for the 2019 NAGC Conference in Albuquerque, and currently is an At-Large Board Member for NAGC.
Your Empowerment Group meets via a unique Zoom room link. To keep the meetings as personal as possible, space is limited. Sign up today to ensure your spot.
Each session includes a recording for Empowerment Group members so you won’t miss a thing and can re-watch your favorites.
Membership includes exclusive perks
Our past expert guests that joined us as we navigated what it’s like to be a 2e adult in today’s world. Announcing new guests soon.
Matt Zakreski, Psy.D.
Love stinks (or does it?)
Dr. Matt Zakreski brings his high energy and eclectic approach to our group. In his expert session, he will help answer the following questions:
1. Why is it hard for 2e adults to find meaningful connections?
2. Can we reframe loneliness for 2e people? i.e. make the most of being with your own brain
3. What are ways 2e adults can increase their chance of meeting like-minded adults?
Matthew “Dr. Matt” Zakreski, PsyD is a high energy, creative clinical psychologist who utilizes an eclectic approach to meet the specific needs of his neurodiverse clients. He is proud to serve as a consultant to schools, a professor, and a researcher on Giftedness. He has spoken over 200 times all over the world about supporting neurodivergent kids. Dr. Zakreski is a member of Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG), the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC), and Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE). Dr. Zakreski graduated from Widener University’s Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology (IGCP) in 2016. He is the co-founder and lead clinician at The Neurodiversity Collective and his website is www.drmattzakreski.com
Maggie Brown, Ph.D.
Crafting an Exceptional Life that Works
Dr. Maggie Brown brings her empowerment skills all the way from New Zealand to our group! She’ll introduce words and ideas that shift thinking from “problems, obstacles and ME,” to alternatives, considerations and social transformation = WE! There will be plenty of time to reflect and discuss as you learn to develop your own path forward.
Dr. Maggie Brown is an internationally recognized psychotherapist and psychology researcher, working with gifted, multiple-exceptional, creative and ‘otherwise – out- of- the – box” adults, and their allies. With over three decades working with clients from around the globe, Maggie draws from a huge experience-base, offering real-world examples that resonate with audiences. She presents internationally, and is well known for her research and publications. She also identifies as being ‘out – of – the – box’ herself, and (apples not falling far from the tree) has raised a wonderfully unusual son.
Gordon Smith
Improv - leaving you with laughter
Join Gordon Smith from Gifted and Growing, a licensed counselor, coach, and improv guru! Everyone who’s willing will get to play improv games while we all laugh and connect. Interesting observations and a-ha moments may arise! The culture of Improv is build on “Yes, And” and “Got Your Back” – These mean that there are no mistakes – whatever you bring will be received, accepted, and built upon in an atmosphere of mutual support. We will spark your creativity and put a smile on your face whether you’re a volunteer or an observer!
Raised in the suburban wilds of central Florida, my service ethic led me from Warren Wilson College (English major, Appalachian Studies minor) to two years of community reconciliation work in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
From there, I continued a trajectory toward a career in service. In 2001, I graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in Community Counseling, and I’ve been a practicing counselor ever since. Since 2016, my entire practice has been focused exclusively on work with gifted adolescents and adults.
In addition to working with clients, I also served for eight years as an elected official on the City Council of Asheville, North Carolina while also serving on numerous other boards in the community.
When COVID hit, I researched ways to build intimacy online in effective ways and stumbled into improv comedy. Through working with instructors at Second City Comedy and the Improv Therapy Group, I have come to understand the power of it, especially for gifted people. Now, I’m an instructor, player, and Improv Group Advisory Board Member, ‘Yes, and-ing’ my way to greater spontaneity, community, and ease.
I live in the Blue Ridge mountains in Asheville, North Carolina. When I’m not working with clients or planning improv games, I play chess and disc golf. I write poetry and throw parties. I plant gardens and will soon get my welding certificate. Life is a banquet, and I am grateful to have a seat at the table and place in the kitchen.
Your Empowerment Group meets via a unique Zoom room link. To keep the meetings as personal as possible, space is limited. Sign up today to ensure your spot.
Each session includes a recording for Empowerment Group members so you won’t miss a thing and can re-watch your favorites.
Membership includes exclusive perks
“Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning... Anyone can start over and make a new ending.”
Membership Perks included with your Let’s Talk 2e Community:
Replays Available
If you miss a meeting - DON’T WORRY! We’ve got you covered. As a member you’ll receive a recording of each session (but not the break out rooms - what happens in the break out rooms stays in the break out rooms!) AND, this way you get to re-watch awesome content on-demand.
The 2e Adult Toolbox
Inside, you’ll find resources designed to help you: 1. Understand your 2e profile from a strengths-based approach 2. Discover your strengths and passions 3. Navigate friendships, life, and emotions as a 2e adult
Let's Talk 2e — 2e Adults Facebook Group
Meet a wider group of like-minded parents to add another layer of connection and a place to gather information and share successes and struggles. Join this group now.
Expert Resources
Our curated Expert Resources for 2e Adults
Monthly Newsletter
Referred to as “mandatory reading” by professionals and educators for their teams, and anxiously awaited by parents and 2e adults, community members are automatically subscribed to Gifted & Distractible free monthly newsletter including Julie’s monthly blog, articles, events and resources for the 2e community.
$70 off Let's Talk 2e Conferences
Community members receive $70 off any conference in our library during their six-week community membership. Since our conferences are always on-demand, members can use their discount during their membership and watch the conference any time. We like to say, "Watch WHAT you want, WHEN you want."
Registration is Open!
Register for the June 19 – July 31, 2023 Empowerment Group For 2e Adults today!
Registration is Closed
Join the WAITLIST below to get notified when we open registration for the next Empowerment Group for Adults.
