[00:07:12] I haven’t really gone out into the world yet and gotten all the feedback, but it has been a shift like this reflection and really understanding who I am and where I want to go in life. It’s little things that. You know, being called from an early age, this too much, you know, I was always talking too much.

[00:07:36] I was too loud. I was too bossy and constantly,  I was told to take myself back, make my self smaller, more quiet, be more this girly  girl. And. I knew it wasn’t  me and I always tried to be, and I kind of, I wasn’t envious, but I always thought, why is it so easy for other kids? Or why can I not be, you know, this cute little girl and.

[00:08:10] So looking back, I’m glad I was very self-confident and I did have support in my family surrounding it was more the teachers that were constantly telling me to be quiet. But luckily in my family, it wasn’t such an issue. I grew up an only child. I do have a baby half sister, I would say she’s 13 years younger than me, but we didn’t grew up in the same household.

[00:08:37] So I consider myself growing up as an only child and gender was never an issue. For example, like I was always allowed to do whatever I wanted to do. The gender luckily was never an issue, but yeah, I think looking back now, it just. Gives me permission or just knowing I wasn’t wrong that much. I remember, incidents where I had let’s say not conversation, more arguing with teachers.

[00:09:10] And at the time you  make … , How do you say this in proper  English. They made me feel like I’m wrong because I’m a child. I don’t know better. You will understand once you grow up, but growing up, being an adult, looking back on the situation, I still feel the same. And so, yeah, it just, it validated my life, my decisions.

[00:09:38] And when people have these. Well, meaning tips or, you know, telling me why do you do another project? Like don’t you have already on your plate? Why do you do a podcast? Like, why don’t you just sit on the couch and watch some more Netflix? Why do you do this to yourself? And it just validates me because this is who I am.

[00:10:03] Sophia Elliott: I can certainly resonate with that one. Why? Yeah. Why is it so much why this one doing that and yeah, I think it’s just needed, isn’t it? Yeah. I love on your website. You talk about multipotentialities so let’s share everyone with everyone, what that means.

[00:10:27]Nadja Cereghetti: Yeah. So basically I studied biology. I’m an infection, biologists and epidemiologist by training.

[00:10:35] So that’s an interesting field to be in at this point in time. However, so I did a master’s degree and then I didn’t pursue a PhD, but in this field, if you don’t pursue a PhD, there’s no career path for you. After my master teases, I was like, okay. So why? Like I always ask myself why and where do I want to go?

[00:10:59] So I need to have a clear goal in order to be motivated to do something. So a lot of my peers, they just went on and said, Oh, I’m just going to do a PhD. And then I’ll figure out my career path afterwards. So then to do a PhD then to do a postdoc and. Then they’re overqualified for what they want to do.

[00:11:16] And I realized I didn’t want to become a professor. And so I was like, so what now? And then I had all these other interests. So I also worked at the bank in pension for a year. As we already talked before we have so many similarities. I also was looking into sustainability and I always had this urge of being an entrepreneur.

[00:11:43] So there were all these different things. And I was like, why can’t I not just focus on one thing and go for it and want to become a CEO of like, you know, this huge corporate company. And the more I learned about this giftedness, there are some people that really find their  one calling and they’re really like into it and they go all for this.

[00:12:07] But apparently there’s a few people that just have vast interest in so many different fields and you don’t need to become a specialist in one field. And I also, in the past, I felt a little bit. Maybe ashamed or guilty that I didn’t focus on one thing and had to like justify or it was weird to talk about my, my CV. It was all over the place. And now I’m like, what? Well, I just embrace it and say, well, I’m a generalist. I call myself this multipotentialite there’s also famous. Great Ted talk around this topic of this lady who says, well, Yeah, I cannot just stick with one thing. And so I was like, well, I guess there’s also lots of other people like that.

[00:12:54] Just embracing it. And yeah, we in our society, I think. We look up to the people that are highly specialized, but people that are really a generalist can bring also together and bridge different subjects. And so that’s where I see my strengths. I speak many different languages, but not in terms of language, but in terms of like technical language .

[00:13:20]Sophia Elliott:  It’s so funny that you say that in that particular way, because that’s exactly how I how  think of my career. And then that’s exactly what I understand it to be. You can work in one industry and then move to another industry, and it’s just about learning the new language and then new content, isn’t it like, it’s so funny that you use those words because that’s exactly how I think about it.

[00:13:46] It’s just like each one has its own language and you’ve just got to learn that. And that’s just content. And then you’re on the go. And I think this is really important because we talk about giftedness and it’s a big word, and it means so many different things and you don’t. There aren’t a lot of conversations out there about being a generalist or a multipotentialite and I a hundred percent resonate with what you’re saying.

[00:14:14] And I remember in the early years of researching my children’s giftedness, I particularly remember one day where I was sick. I must have been pretty sick. Cause I remember I’m like laying on the couch and I was actually like just sick on the couch and. Normally I have to be pretty sick by the time I get afforded that conduit or I forward myself that luxury of just sitting on the couch and I was feeling a bit miserable and had my phone.

[00:14:45] I was just going through Ted talks and I got onto this multipotentialite thing. And I listened to all of these Ted talks. I’m like, Oh my goodness. And I had always, like you said, just now that kind of shame about not just doing one thing and I’d always wished I could just be an accountant or just go be a teacher and do that one thing, or just go do a thing, pick a career profession, do the thing, except I just there’s like too much choice.

[00:15:18] I couldn’t. And. And it, but it makes looking for jobs quite tricky because I would read the job description. I’m like, yeah, I can do all of those things, but I’m not that, you know, I don’t necessarily have ticked those boxes. You’re wanting people to tick in terms of qualified qualifications, but I can do all those things.

[00:15:39] So I wouldn’t go for a job because. I’m not that title. And I haven’t necessarily got that qualification, but I can do all that stuff. And it was really, it’s always been really challenging for me to find that direction. And so I’ve always just. I guess had quite, intuitive career and taken leaps and when I went overseas and stuff like that Oh, it’s just resonates so much what you’re saying about that.

[00:16:08] Nadja Cereghetti: It’s yeah, so I, I said I’m a biologist by training, but I also did some account when you said accounting. And then in 2018, I found Marie Kondo, the tidy guru, and I went to her seminar. So I’m also a certified Marie Kondo consultant on the side. And so that was, but I really think that it really helped me clear, you know, clear your space, clears your mind.

[00:16:38] And I think. So now I want to also bring that into the gifted sphere, like the whole kind of brain health and brain spa kind of thing. But yeah, I want to do all the things. There’s too much interesting stuff. I don’t, I cannot just focus on one thing and knowing about this, it really gives me. Personally permission to just do and not having to justify to anybody else.

[00:17:05] Like, yeah. So what, so what my CV is all over the place.

[00:17:10] Sophia Elliott: Yeah, absolutely. And I think, like you say, there are many benefits to having a generalist within the team and it’s that ability to look at things from different perspectives and gather people and just that different approach as well. And just. I just love that because like you, I have a fine arts  degree, I have an MBA, I’ve worked in politics. I’ve worked for the festival of chamber music  and actually, yeah, one rollway, which really brought these things together. I was working as a program manager for an arts charity that worked with vulnerable young people, and we would use the arts. To build up self-esteem and resilience for vulnerable teenagers in some of the most deprived areas of Scotland.

[00:17:56] And it was the most wonderful, rewarding, awesome job and company. And so I was that bridge between the artists, and getting a program together. So I really understood the artists because I am, but I really have that kind of organizational business kind of mind as well and was able to be that bridge.

[00:18:19] And so I think like you, it’s given me permission to appreciate myself and not feel like I’m actually just broken because I don’t fit into a box of being  a thing. And I think that’s a real message for me. Like what I hope our listeners are appreciating and hearing is that we’ve all got those different strengths and giftedness looks  so different in everyone you express it  all differently. And it’s like, if you’ve seen one gifted person, well, you’ve seen one gifted person, in, in as much as our journeys quiet parallel they’re in completely different areas. So we express that very differently.

[00:19:00] Nadja Cereghetti: Yeah. And I would just want to add, like, it’s not just, as you said, like where you can, you actually found one job that brought all of that together.

[00:19:10] And that’s why currently my role in my day job is also kind of a bridge between the scientists and the administrative part. So I’m also bridging the vocabulary, the vocabulary between the administration. Of like scientific academic research setting, but, and the scientist itself. And yeah, one, one example is for example, if a mathematician talks about uncertainty, He ,has a totally different meaning to an accountant  or somebody from communications than it does to the, to the mathematician.

[00:19:48] And sometimes I feel like they talk to each other in the same language, but they’re not speaking the same language.

[00:19:55] Sophia Elliott: Yes, a hundred percent. That’s so true. And I think that has a lot to do with misunderstandings. Doesn’t it? It just, just that acknowledgement or understanding that we need to define our terminology and really have a sense of what we’re actually talking about and finding that common language with each other.

[00:20:15]Yeah, absolutely. I’m just thinking of. An example with my husband actually like many couples, we were in this situation where we kept having the same argument over and over again. Right. We’ve all done it. Like it was different things, but it was basically the same pattern. And I kind of got to the point.

[00:20:35] I was like well, we’re  not able to figure this out ourselves. Let’s go talk to someone, help us figure this out. And so we went to a marriage counselor and she sort of sitting there going, why are you here? You seem really happy. And I’m like, Oh, well this is thing. And she’s like, wow, you should see some of the couples that.

[00:20:56] I sit with like, okay, right. What, what, what can I help you with today? But we, what we learned from that experience was we now go not every year, but. I don’t know every couple of years or so back to her. Right. And she just kind of thinks they’re a bit odd. It’s like maintenance, there’s always one or two things and we can chat about it, but it’s an opportunity for a third person to help you find that common language.

[00:21:26] And then we’ve come up with a few nifty tricks. And one of the things that we still use regularly is what we called our percentage care factor. And so the percentage care factor is identifying how much each party cares about particular issue. So come up and I would seek to find out what my husband thought about.

[00:21:52] That felt about that. Cause I’m a collaborator. I want your input. I want to know what you think about it. I want the data, you know, and, but he would be like, Why are you talking to me about this? Uh, just, you know, and so there’s this clash and when then we figured out, he could say, look, I have zero care factor about this issue.

[00:22:12] Like, you can just do whatever you want. Right. And, and that just opened up the world immediately. We had the same language about topics. And now when we talk about things, I’ll be like, nah, my care factor is  like. Minus 10, do what ever you want , or we’d be like, like now I’m a hundred here and he’ll be like, yeah, I’m a hundred.

[00:22:34] And so that’s a sign that we both need to work it out together. And I think that’s one of those examples of just giving a common language it really helps the communication. And so, yeah.

[00:22:47] Nadja Cereghetti: Oh, I will definitely use this care factor in my relationships.

[00:22:51] Sophia Elliott: It’s an absolute winner, absolute winner.

[00:22:55] So the podcast has been very exciting. I’ve listened to a number of episodes that you’ve done so far. Like Bravo pulling all this together from your bedroom in lockdown. It’s quite the achievement. So what has been the most, I don’t know, exciting or interesting or revealing part of. Talking to different people about giftedness and different topics.

[00:23:19] Nadja Cereghetti: So the first thought that comes to mind is this generosity and a sense of community. Like I’ve been embraced from day one from the gifted  world. And first when I started doing this, I thought. Nobody else is doing this I’m alone. I’m just going to put it out there. But then one-on-one like people with big names and in this field started reaching out to me and wanted to come on my show.

[00:23:52] And they were like saying stuff like, Oh, I heard about your podcast. Have you come across my work? And I was like, yes, but I have like three episodes up. So I wasn’t going to go reach out to you just yet, but sure. You can come on my podcast. So that was really a very interesting experience. And also I think validated the need for more.

[00:24:20]Podcasts on giftedness that really people want to come on the show and share. And yeah, the, the stories are similar, but also very unique, but I think we all have a common goal and yeah, I’m just so overwhelmed by the love that I receive. And I think the most. Aha moment I had, when I talked to Marc Smolowitz who’s doing the documentary The G Word.

[00:24:55] And when he brought in the how do you say he brought in the angle of diversity inclusion and equity, and this is where. I had this aha moment, because this is such an important topic to me as well. And I thought, Oh yes, like who gets to be gifted and why? And so I think that that’s really now why I’m also so passionate about this topic is to advocate for people.

[00:25:29] But first, I don’t know, but also for people that might not have the resources.

[00:25:36] Sophia Elliott: Yeah, absolutely. I totally get that. It’s  certainly something that I’m very conscious of and the, all the research shows that we’re  not identifying children, let alone adults from different cultures, different low socioeconomic backgrounds different race.

[00:26:02] We need to do so much better. We really do. It’s yeah, it’s just  it’s not . Okay. And it’s something I’m very passionate about as well and very conscious of trying to have that conversation as well. Here in Australia. We, we don’t do a very good job of recognizing the strengths of, and the, and just how much our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures have to offer us.

[00:26:34] And. And there are gifted kids there too. They, and of course they going to express that giftedness differently. And we need to understand that and make sure that we’re meeting those needs as much as we’re meaning educational needs across the board and from low socioeconomic backgrounds. And, Australia is a very multicultural country.

[00:26:59]Yeah. It’s just, it’s not okay that people are missing out because they don’t fit this whitewashed image of what giftedness is. So yeah, I think the important, the work that Marc is doing with The G, Word Film is really important and certainly looking forward for them to see that coming out in the next year or so.

[00:27:19]So with Unleash Monday podcast, what’s what’s your kind of goal or your big aim. You’re going to continue doing some podcasts for us all to listen to.

[00:27:31] Nadja Cereghetti: Yes. So I started in August. I have a bye. Weekly show because as I said, I’m still working almost full time. And so it takes a lot of time.

[00:27:46] Really. We want to do this as a high quality production. So it takes me quite some time to do an episode. But I’d rather do it. Continuously and just didn’t put myself too much under pressure for a weekly shows or at the moment it’s a biweekly show, hopefully in the future, I can make it a weekly show.

[00:28:05]But yeah, I really want to keep going and. Advocating fighting the stereotypes, just educating people what is giftedness and just showing the range, the whole rainbow of, and also talking about twice exceptionalities, just. The neuro diversity. There’s so many terms and vocabulary that comes up. I didn’t even know where it was going to go in August.

[00:28:36] And so it’s just, it’s just this journey and this evolution. So I’m just going with the flow currently and see where it leads me. But Definitely want to continue doing this. And as you do, I love creating community and hopefully that’s something I can offer at some point to the gifted adults who sense of community or as a space for community.

[00:29:00] But. I want to do this, right. So I’m taking my time, a little bit of figuring this out, but yeah, I really want to keep going and learning and diving into this and just, yeah. Advocating for giftedness and just creating awareness because I think it’s not, obviously there’s stereotypes and prejudice, but I think it’s also just a lack of awareness.

[00:29:27] Sophia Elliott: Absolutely. We definitely need to raise the awareness and thank you. Thank you for, for being there for gifted adults. And I really want to encourage parents, anyone listening to tune in to Unleash Monday. Okay. Because I think a huge journey for parents of gifted kids is those little aha moments. And when the penny drops and suddenly you realize this thing with your kid, actually I do that too, or actually my life now makes sense because, and you referred to this earlier statistically, and I did read this somewhere and I’ll probably get the numbers a little bit wrong, but.

[00:30:09]You know, a child’s IQ siblings are likely to be, I think within five or 10 points, parents, I think were a little bit out, kind of 10 to 20 and grandparents between sort of 20 – 30. And now don’t quote me on that. I think it’s. Maybe a bit, a bit wooly , but that kind of thing is sort of steps out like that.

[00:30:28] So there’s a reasonable, or, statistically reasonable perhaps chance that if your child is gifted, you two, are gifted and you’re expressing your giftedness in the way that you express it. And it’s worth digging into because if you know yourself better, your children. You can help your children know themselves better because they are just a mirror to us.

[00:30:51] really. I was only  thinking about something the other day and my eldest has  got this little OCD thing that he’s starting to do with his fingers. And, as a concerned parent, of course, I was like we should talk to his psychologist about that because I’m keen to understand that.

[00:31:11] And I would hate for OCD to be a thing you later in life that is, um, debilitating in any way for him. And then I was actually doing a podcast only last  week. And I’m sitting there unconsciously doing the same thing that my son does. And I realized in that moment, I’m like, Oh wow, that’s interesting.

[00:31:33] Okay. We both going to go see the psych and talk about that. And  because they are mirrors of us if we’re, if we can see that sometimes. And I know for me much like yourself, this is about knowing ourselves better and through knowing ourselves better. Being open to seeing that in others as well, and having this place to belong in a community and understanding, because I think there’s nothing more powerful than just being seen for who we are.

[00:32:03] It’s a really moving, I think, experience. And to have that from people in your life.

[00:32:11] Nadja Cereghetti: Yeah. And I do hear from gifted adults that find out about their giftedness. It’s mostly through their children, but yeah, they’re also, obviously, if you don’t have children, then you might never find out. So that’s also why my podcast is there.

[00:32:26] But if you have children then definitely come and listen.

[00:32:30] Sophia Elliott: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So where can people find you?

[00:32:36] Nadja Cereghetti: So you can find me on Unleash Monday.com. That’s my website. And from there, they’re all the links to the podcast providers. So I’m on Apple podcasts and wherever people can find me. I’m also on Instagram at Unleash dot Monday.

[00:32:57] And yeah, so also starting on LinkedIn and Twitter and everywhere, but I think going to the website is the best chance. There’s all the links to all the things I’m doing.

[00:33:07] Sophia Elliott: Excellent. Thank you so much. And as we finish, is there any final words that you’d like to share with us?

[00:33:17] Nadja Cereghetti: I would encourage adults, gifted adults to embrace it. I think it’s so much easier to recognize giftedness in  other people in your children, in your friends. And you can clearly see the sign, but when it comes to us, I see that with my friends as well. I have some friends that I. They’re clearly gifted and they read the checklist and tick  all the boxes, but they struggle to say, yes, I am part of this gifted community.

[00:33:50] They still are waiting for some sort of external evaluation. But I think nobody’s going to ask you for a certificate for having a conversation or to evaluate or take this. As your truth, because it will help you. It will really give you a sense of empowerment, but if you do need this external evaluation, there are places that you can reach out to and you don’t need to do an IQ test.

[00:34:23] There’s no testing involved. Like you can have a conversation with a specialist. So I really urge people to find out because. If you’re in the state of you think you are, but you’re not really owning it yet. It might not be as powerful. I think I really urge people to take it and just us. as their  truth.

[00:34:51] I think that’s what you say, right? I think just, just owning it. And I was, I was talking to a friend of mine and she was saying she felt. Insecure as an artist because she didn’t finish art school. And then we were saying like, yeah, but we don’t think Beyonce , went to singing school, she just did it, right..

[00:35:14] Right. Nobody wants to see Beyonce’s diploma. Like she’s amazing as a singer. So nobody cares. And I think the same goes for a lot of things. We. We recognize greatness in other people, whatever they do. But for ourselves, we always feel like we need a certificate. We need a diploma, we need some sort of proof, but you don’t.

[00:35:39] Sophia Elliott: Yeah. Wise words. I shall listen to them as well wise words,  thank you so much for joining us today. I really enjoyed our chats and I have a feeling we’re going to be catching up in the future and chatting some more. It’s been delightful to talk to you and absolutely parents out there. Grownups out there.

[00:36:02] Please check it out, belong, know yourself. Do it, so thanks. Nadja.

[00:36:10] Nadja Cereghetti: Thank you, Sophia. Thank you for having me. I love this conversation.

[00:36:14] Sophia Elliott: No, it’s been wonderful. Thank you so much. See you soon.