00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction00:42 Paula Prober's Journey into Gifted Education02:29 Transition to Therapy and Blogging05:53 Understanding the Rainforest Mind08:19 Challenges and Traits of the Gifted13:03 Self-Acceptance and Overcoming Myths19:30 Therapeutic Approaches and Self-Care26:26 The Role of Physical Activities and Tango33:21 Therapy for the Rainforest Mind36:21 Navigating Loneliness and Relationships43:39 Spirituality and the Rainforest Mind49:45 Career Challenges for Gifted Individuals55:38 Coping with the Current Climate59:58 Finding Your Purpose and Joy01:02:36 Understanding Giftedness01:04:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts   📩 Subscribe to the Gifted & Grown Up newsletter for tools, insights, and support—for gifted adults and the people who love them. 👉 Join the newsletter   📄 In this episode, I talk with Paula Prober, psychotherapist and author of Your Rainforest Mind, one of the first books that helped me truly understand what it means to be a gifted adult. We explore what it means to have a rainforest mind, how giftedness shows up in adulthood, and why so many gifted people feel like they’re too much—or never enough. We talk about relationships, grief, intuition, and the difference between intellectual understanding and emotional validation. This conversation hit me on a deep level. It wasn’t just informative—it was personal.   🔑 What We Talk About: What a “rainforest mind” actually is The emotional needs of gifted adults Grieving the past when you discover you're gifted later in life Giftedness and trauma: where they intersect Navigating relationships when you’re “a lot” Why gifted adults often seek depth, meaning, and solitude How to recognize that you’re not broken—you’re just complex The power of naming your experience   📚 Resources Mentioned: A Short Guide to Love and Relationships When You Are Sensitive And Smart — Part One A Short Guide to Love and Relationships When You Are Sensitive and Smart — Part Two A Short Guide to Love and Relationships When You are Sensitive and Smart — Part Three Your Rainforest Mind by Paula Prober on Amazon Journey Into Your Rainforest Mind - Audiobook Paula’s Blog Find Paula on Instagram Find Paula on Facebook   ✨ Want more? Listen to the companion reflection episode where I unpack my emotional reactions to this conversation—why it moved me, and why I think we need more gifted feelers in the world. 🔗 Reflection Episode – Paula Prober   💬 Submit your questions, comments and reflections to Chad and Paula here.