"I was also aware that I was not really allowed to be so gifted, that I threatened their self concepts. Which is to say that I wasn’t really encouraged or allowed to be my full self, but I was rather being asked to act as a kind of instrument or one dimensional trophy for other people.

"And I found that it’s really hard to live inside such suffocating and dehumanizing expectations.

"But in adulthood, I have come to understand that I don’t actually need to be beholden to such expectations." - Kaitlin Smith

This is a short clip from a longer excerpt from an Embracing Intensity Podcast episode: host Aurora Remember interviews Kaitlin Smith, a scholar, facilitator, and founder of Our Wild Minds.

The longer (17 minute) excerpt is available to subscribers of The Creative Mind Newsletter - learn more on the podcast post https://thecreativemind.substack.com/p/thriving-more-as-gifted-or-bipoc

Topics in the full interview, as listed on the Embracing Intensity page, include

*Kaitlin’s journey as a scholar, facilitator, and founder of Our Wild Minds.

*The intersections between the history of mind sciences and African American studies in Kaitlin’s research.

*The challenges Kaitlin faced growing up in a predominantly white suburb and the conflicting expectations placed upon her as a gifted Black individual.

*The impact of cultural dynamics on expression and the pressure to conform to societal expectations.

Listen to the full podcast episode 266-Navigating Intensity Through a Cultural Lens with Kaitlin Smith, MSW, and learn about the Embracing Intensity Free Resource Library - includes links to blog posts, podcasts, videos, Course Membership, and more. https://thecreativemind.info/EI-free-resources

The photo of Kaitlin Smith and the drawing are from her site https://www.ourwildminds.com

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Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.