Understanding 2e and gifted brains w/ Jennifer Costigan

In this bonus episode of Innotainment, Aga Gajownik sits down with Jennifer Costigan, founder of The Parent Consultancy, to explore one of the most misunderstood profiles in education, parenting and the workplace: twice exceptionality. Twice exceptional, also known as 2E describes individuals who are gifted and at the same time navigating challenges like ADHD, autism, dyslexia or other learning differences. It's an uneven profile that schooling systems were never designed for, that workplaces rarely recognise, and that the people living it often spend decades trying to explain or hide. Jennifer has spent years working with 2E children and their families, helping them understand complex profiles that show up differently at school, at home and inside the child themselves. Together, she and Aga connect the dots between what this looks like in early life and what it becomes in high-performing adults. They cover masking, burnout, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and the quiet exhaustion of always holding it together just long enough to collapse somewhere private. This conversation goes beyond awareness. It asks what changes when we finally stop trying to fix the person and start designing environments that actually fit the brain. Topics include: What twice exceptionality actually looks like and why it gets missed so often The cost of masking: how high-functioning people gaslight themselves into burnout Why the 2E profile falls through the gap between academic acceleration and learning support Emotional intensity, perfectionism and the social impact of an uneven profile What parents can do and what the system is getting wrong Co-regulation, body scans, repair and the tools that actually work for sensitive, intense brains How the same patterns show up in adults, leaders and high-performing teams Why strength-based approaches work better than pressure for children and organisations alike This episode is especially relevant for: Parents of gifted or neurodivergent children navigating school, behaviour and big emotions Adults who were the "smart one" growing up and are only now connecting the dots Leaders and managers working with high-performing, high-intensity team members Anyone who has ever been told they're so capable and felt completely alone in how hard everything actually was Links mentioned in this episode  - The Parent Consultancy - Jennifer Costigan on LinkedIn and Instagram - Learn more about your brain from an applied neuroscientist W/ Naomi glover  - Aga Gajownik - Certified ADHD Practitioner and founder of Innovation Integration ⁠- Innotainment podcast⁠ - ⁠Q&A / Office Hours Submission Form⁠ : Submit questions for future episodes Follow Innotainment Podcast and Aga Gajownik on Instagram ⁠@innotainment_podcast,⁠  ⁠@myquirkyadhdbrain