I have spent far too many years trying to be mysterious to no avail. Why? Because when you identify as an "open book," you learn through trial and error that people want to hear from people they don't usually hear from. Craving connection, not just nodding and smiling, means wanting people to want to know you. When sharing is regulating, though, you're positioned in an impossible double bind: suppress the urge to talk at the expense of your peace, or embrace your verbosity wi

There is a tremendous amount of stigma around identifying as "gifted" as an adult. If you're thinking, "oh, poor gifted kids, must be so hard to be smart," I get it. It was that attitude, that kept this key piece of my self-understanding at arm's length for over 30 years. The fear of being perceived as conceited or—similar to how I felt in the early days of trying on my ADHD and autism identities—just plain wrong is a common reason adults who are "twice exceptional" don't eve