Mensa Foundation

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗠𝘂𝗰𝗵 | Mensa Foundation Insights

Have you ever been told you're "too much"?

Too curious. Too intense. Too sensitive. Too many questions.

For many gifted people, those words are familiar.

Giftedness isn't just about thinking differently. It's often about experiencing the world differently, too. That intensity can be a strength, but without understanding or support, it can also feel isolating.

That's why we're working to broaden the conversation around intelligence. Not just how people think, but how they experience life.

📖 Our contributor Monisha Mittal writes from her lived experience as a recovering overachiever. She works with over-doers, emerging adults, and heart-warriors who are seeking more clarity, vitality, and ease.

mensafoundation.org/when-giftedness-feels-too-much/

What's something you've been told was "too much" that you now recognize as part of who you are?

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What if we measure brain health the way we measure physical health?

The Center for BrainHealth's new BrainHealth Index makes the case that brain health is more than memory or the absence of disease. It includes how we think, connect with others, manage challenges, and continue growing throughout life.

That idea feels familiar.

At the Mensa Foundation, we've been asking a similar question: What does it really mean to thrive as an intelligent person?

Our research has shown that highly intelligent individuals often need more than intellectual challenge. They also need purpose, belonging, mentors, and support that grows with them across every stage of life.

The more we learn, the clearer it becomes: intelligence isn't just something you measure.

It's something you nurture.

What do you think contributes most to lifelong brain health?

https://ow.ly/Y4z350ZyiQi

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Find out why some gifted adults cycle through unemployment or underemployment, and how to translate high capability into clear positioning, interviews, and better-fit roles.

Register: mensafoundation.ticketspice.com/2026-mensa-foundation-speaker-series

Join us for Part 2: Achieving and Maintaining Optimal Brain Health — Saturday, July 18.

The closing webinar turns toward what supports a healthy brain over time. Dr. Lee will begin by drawing on ideas shared at the Mensa Foundation Colloquium, so those who could not attend in person can still come away with a sense of what was discussed. He will then explore the gut-brain axis and the role of the microbiome, along with emerging and investigational approaches including peptides, nootropics, cellular medicine, and light-based therapies. Several of these are areas of ongoing research and are not established standards of care; Dr. Lee will present them as emerging ideas worth understanding, not as medical advice.

Register: https://ow.ly/ACZ250ZoBsH

The costumes. The talent. The laughter. The generosity.

Misster Mensa once again reminded us that one of the Annual Gathering's favorite traditions is also one of its most meaningful, raising support for the Mensa Foundation while giving us an unforgettable evening together. Members raised $18,000.

Our 2026 winner, Erica Schmelzer of Broward County Mensa, dazzled us by playing just four chords for a total of 24 pop songs in 3 minutes, ending in a singalong. She also read the iconic America Ferrera speech from "The Barbie Movie" as her monologue.

If you were there, tell us your favorite moment below. 💙



Also pictured: Contestants Atlantis Grey and Casey Brandenburg; Presenters Tommy Ryan and Jen Guy.

What an incredible day.

Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday for the 2026 Mensa Foundation Colloquium, "Brain Health Across the Lifespan."

Our deepest gratitude goes to each presenter who generously shared their knowledge and experience, and to every attendee whose curiosity, questions, and conversations made the day so meaningful.

The Colloquium reminds us that some of the world's biggest breakthroughs begin with people who are willing to ask better questions — and to listen with open minds.

Those conversations don't end when the event is over.

They continue through research.

When you support the Mensa Foundation, you help fund studies that deepen our understanding of giftedness, neurodiversity, learning, well-being, and human potential. Your generosity helps ensure that the ideas shared yesterday continue to inspire discoveries that benefit people for years to come.

If you left the Colloquium feeling inspired, we'd love to invite you to help write the next chapter.

Make a gift today and help turn curiosity into research for lasting impact:
mensafoundation.org/give/

Thank you for being part of this remarkable community.

𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢 𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗘 - Film Review

Part film review, part reflection, this piece explores 𝗚𝗼 𝗢𝗻, filmmaker Landon Ashworth’s deeply personal story inspired by the loss of his cousin. Blending humor with heartbreak, the film explores loneliness and the universal desire to matter — reminding us that even the people who help everyone else sometimes need help too.

"I have heard versions of that loneliness from gifted adults more times than I can count. From parents of twice-exceptional children doing the work of three specialists because no single specialist seems to exist. From people who have spent years searching for a therapist who can keep up with them.

There is a line in the film that has stayed with me more than any other. Jim, speaking about a cousin he lost, says the cousin told him, 'I just want to matter.'" John Thompson, MSEd, CFRE, is Director of Development and Impact at the Mensa Foundation,

READ MORE https://ow.ly/wAx450Z8ghB

What happens when one's greatest strengths begins to change?

In a new essay for the Mensa Foundation, a daughter reflects on helping her father navigate an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Her story explores a question many families face: Is it better to know, or not know?

The experience ultimately reinforced something at the heart of the Foundation's mission. Understanding creates options. Research creates possibility. Conversations create connection.

As the Mensa Foundation works to broaden our understanding of intelligence and support individuals across all ages and stages of life, brain health remains an essential part of that conversation.

Read the story:
https://www.mensafoundation.org/when-knowing-becomes-better-than-not/

Then join us for the 2026 Mensa Foundation Colloquium, Brain Health Across the Lifespan, where leading experts will explore what current science can teach us about maintaining cognitive vitality and navigating change.

Register today:
https://www.mensafoundation.org/events/colloquium/

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗛 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧: Join award-winning neurologists for a fun, innovative podcast series featuring practical conversations on memory, cognition, sleep, nutrition, and aging. (Podcast) https://ow.ly/YWsK50Z8fLj ®