Embracing Intensity

In this powerful episode of Embracing Intensity, I'm joined by the insightful and compassionate Fizzah Zaidi, a psychotherapist who specializes in working with neurodivergent individuals. We explore the complexities of executive functioning, and how understanding our brain's unique operating system can transform how we show up for ourselves and others.

Fizzah brings deep experience from her work with high-achieving neurodivergent clients in the tech, medical, and legal fields. Together, we discuss how neurodivergent brains often struggle not because they're broken, but because they're functioning differently—and those differences can also be sources of strength.

Fizzah Zaidi is a Chicago-based psychotherapist with a passion for working with neurodivergent adults. Her practice supports many twice-exceptional individuals in high-demand professions, and her work includes educating organizations on how to better support neurodiverse teams. Diagnosed with ADHD just before entering graduate school, she dove deep into understanding the brain and executive functioning through continuing education and real-world application.

• Why rest isn't always about being still—and how energizing activities can also be restorative.

• The link between executive dysfunction and rejection sensitivity.

• How big-picture thinkers can better support task initiation and follow-through.

• Understanding the role of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system in executive functioning.

• Why complex tasks might be easier than basic ones for some neurodivergent folks.

• The importance of personalized strategies over one-size-fits-all "fixes."

• Using self-regulation instead of self-control to support executive function.

• Shifting the mindset from "fixing" to understanding your operating system.

In this week's episode, Aurora sits down with Portland-based multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Ilima Considine to explore how neurodivergence, art, music, and personal experience intersect to spark powerful creative expression. Ilima shares her journey through long COVID, chronic illness, and how she channels her intensity into film, empowering others in the process.

As Ilima prepares to premiere her second feature-length film, Drug Holiday, she talks about the themes of trauma, addiction, and radicalization—and how they resonate with creative and neurodivergent communities. This conversation dives deep into how one artist transforms challenges into bold storytelling.

Ilima Considine is best known as the frontwoman for the Sexbots and a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans music, visual art, and now film. After a severe bout of long COVID altered her career trajectory, Ilima dove headfirst into filmmaking, combining sound, visuals, and narrative to explore themes that are often hard to talk about—like grooming, neurodivergence, and societal trauma.

• How chronic illness and neurodivergence have shaped Ilima's creative process

• The story behind Drug Holiday, and how it reflects real-life struggles with trauma and radicalization

• The overlap between neurodivergent traits and the arts—and how Ilima fosters a safe space for collaborators

• Embracing intensity as a strength in both personal and professional life

• Why Portland became a haven for embracing eccentricity and creativity

• The value of harnessing hyperfocus and obsessive attention to detail

• Using film to bring light to dark topics in accessible, artistic ways

• Ilima's philosophy on directing: accommodating individual needs to help artists thrive

• Her own experiences with burnout, energy management, and the use of stimulants during film production

In this deeply insightful guest call, we welcome Kaitlin Smith, a PhD candidate in the history of science at Harvard with a secondary focus in African American Studies. Kaitlin brings a powerful lens to the conversation around giftedness, drawing from her academic research, clinical background, and personal experience as a former support provider for gifted and intense Black adults.

This episode explores the intersections of giftedness, race, history, science, and social narratives—inviting us to reexamine what we consider "normal" and how systemic forces shape our understanding of intelligence and identity.

A Scholarly Look at Diverse Expressions of Giftedness with Kaitlin Smith

Join us for an enlightening session with Kaitlin Smith, MSW -- founder of Our Wild Minds -- in which we will explore diverse lived experiences of giftedness that people have in light of differences in social identity (e.g., race, gender, class, and spirituality). Kaitlin will share insights derived from scholarly research and personal experience, shedding light on how social forces and historical developments influence the recognition and experience of gifted traits. Attendees will engage with ideas that illuminate often-overlooked aspects of your intensities and learn strategies that will help you celebrate your (and others') multitudes.

About Kaitlin:

Kaitlin Smith, MSW is a writer, facilitator, and Ph.D Candidate at Harvard in the Department of History of Science where she is developing a dissertation on the history of the field of Black Psychology. Kaitlin is also the former founder of Our Wild Minds which offers online community and in-person experiences for highly creative, intellectually intense, and/or gifted Black adults from all over the world. Kaitlin's research and work with Our Wild Minds is informed by past training and work as a psychotherapist.

• The history of psychological science and its impact on marginalized identities

• Kaitlin's personal experience with racism and bias in clinical training

• How the field of Black psychology emerged in resistance to biased systems

• Case studies including Oscar Moore and the Larry P v. Riles court case

• How Donna Haraway's concept of situated knowledges can inform gifted advocacy

• The danger of universalizing objectivity in science and education

• Using historical context to reframe personal experiences of giftedness

• Opportunities for collective solidarity and support in gifted communities

• Questions for self-reflection around situated knowledge and identity

Is work-life balance real—or just another unrealistic expectation? In this solo episode of Embracing Intensity, I unpack the myth of work-life balance and share my journey toward something more meaningful: harmony. Drawing from my personal life, this episode dives deep into how neurodivergent people navigate work hours, personal time, and the demands of life in a way that feels aligned, not forced.

After a summer of restoration and reflection, I'm back working full-time in the school system—and instead of chasing "balance," I'm creating sustainable rhythms that honor my energy, creativity, and mental health.

I'm Aurora Remember Holtzman, host of Embracing Intensity and creator of the Embracing Intensity Community. With years of experience working with gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodivergent folks, I help people stop beating themselves up for not meeting arbitrary standards and start living in alignment with their core values. My goal? To help you use your intensity as a tool for transformation—without burning out.

• Why the concept of work-life balance might be doing more harm than good

• Reframing productivity, especially for different people with unique brain wiring

• How long hours and unrealistic expectations lead to burnout

• The power of aligning with your core values instead of external goals

• How "contaminated time" steals joy from our personal lives

• Tools like energy audits to help create real work-life harmony

• Letting go of hustle culture and embracing meaningful work

• Tips for reclaiming quality time and rest—even with full work hours

• Why the opposite of life isn't work—but disconnection

In this powerful episode of Embracing Intensity, we welcome Caroline J. Sumlin—author of We'll All Be Free—for a deep, vulnerable, and inspiring conversation about collective liberation, the impact of white supremacy culture, and how we can begin to reclaim our worth. Caroline shares her perspective as a neurodivergent mother, speaker, and educator, and we explore the intersection of self-worth, systemic oppression, and sustainable social justice work.

Caroline is an author, speaker, and homeschool parent living in the Washington D.C. area. Her work centers on liberation from white supremacy culture, with a focus on how systemic oppression impacts self-worth. Her book, We'll All Be Free, is a guide to deprogramming the internalized messages of white supremacy and reclaiming your true self. Caroline's mission is to help others recognize the worth that oppressive systems have tried to erase.

• The importance of understanding how white supremacy culture harms everyone—not just the most marginalized.

• Why urgency, productivity, and perfectionism are tools of white supremacy—and how to break free.

• Navigating motivation and urgency as a neurodivergent person.

• Creating a life of joy and balance while staying engaged in liberation work.

• The importance of connecting with our shared humanity in social justice conversations.

• Understanding collective harm and our responsibility in collective healing.

• Caroline's perspective on using privilege for good and deconditioning colonial thinking.