472 | Why the Smartest People are the Worst Learners with Ian Siegel

Today, Eric is joined by Ian Siegel, who has been doing test prep and college consulting for a decade.  In that time, he has delivered some of the highest improvements on SATs and ACTs in the country, and has helped over 90% of the students he worked with get into their top-choice colleges.  Ian is also the author of “School Sucks, Your Child Doesn’t: The Secret to Unlocking Your Child’s Untapped Potential” where he details his philosophy and illustrates the overlooked reality that every leader, thinker, and doer has had an expert tutor or mentor. 

In this episode, you’ll hear Eric and Ian talk about adult learners, why having a high IQ doesn’t necessarily make it easier for someone to learn, emotional intelligence, how stress impedes our learning states, why self-judgment prevents learning and the importance of self-acceptance. 

Learn More about Ian:

• Get in touch at ian-siegel.com https://ian-siegel.com 

• Check out his book: School Sucks, Your Child Doesn’t: The Secret to Unlocking Your Child’s Untapped Potential by Ian Siegel on Goodreads 

• Website: streamlinelearning.com https://streamlinelearning.com 

Other Questions/Topics Answered in this Episode:

• [00:02:07] “Brilliance comes with baggage.”

• [00:04:17] Ian shares his learning journey and an early experience as a new tutor with an ESL student

• [00:13:41] “The people who have the most EQ are the ones who have the best capacity to think from other people’s perspectives.”

• [00:22:20] Giftedness and reverse stigma 

• [00:23:25] How do we help people who have different learning styles actually learn, especially dealing with the years of school trauma? 

• [00:30:09] Two archetypes that come out of ADHD and anxiety 

• [00:31:05] Schismogenesis, how we fail to learn from each other, and lack of self-acceptance

• [00:32:10] What do we do about defensiveness? 

• [00:34:46] “Learning with neurodivergent brains depends on our ability to hold space for uncertainty, ambiguity, and being able to stay curious.” 

• [00:43:34] What is the impact of a stressed brain on learning? 

• [00:46:50] Feelings are not facts, and intuiting vs. projecting 

• [00:48:21] When working with students, how much time does Ian spend working on emotional self regulation? 

• [00:51:50] Closing thoughts & learning more about Ian

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• Book: The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber

• “Learning comes not when you’re stressed or under the gun, but when you unconditionally accept yourself.” - Ian Siegel 

• “Feelings are not facts.” - Eric Tivers

 

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Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network:

• adhdessentials.com with Brendan Mahan

• hackingyouradhd.com with Will Curb

• adhddiversified.ca with MJ Siemens

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