RENATA HAMSIKOVA
FOR AN UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL IN THE INCLUSIVE WORLD
Welcome to the website of IEKU Advice! I am Renata Hamsikova, a specialist in high and exceptional giftedness (IQ 145+). I’m so glad you found my website because I’m here for you! Whether you’re the parent of an exceptionally gifted child (even if you can’t be certain because tests rarely show real giftedness) or a teenager or an adult or a professional who wants to help their clients or students and is in need of a sparring partner. Whatever the reason, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me and let me help.
My professional life is dedicated to helping exceptionally gifted children and adults to be and stay themselves. There’s still far too little of the right attention being paid to the diversity among highly gifted children. Parents and teachers often don’t know how to approach the situation. The result is that many highly gifted children are wrongly assessed and end up in the wrong place. I have evolved from being a specialist in exceptional giftedness into also being a human rights activist:-). The fact is that exceptionally gifted children are still being discriminated against, excluded from appropriate counselling and forced to adapt to the average.
The IEKU Advice logo is based on the story of Stephanie Tolan, and American author of children’s books. Read the story here. Why do I have a connection with exceptionally gifted children? Because I’m a cheetah too. I’m a cheetah in my business: alert, fast, focused on the goal – the well-being of the children, progressive, unique, unconventional, relevant. And all this is expressed in both my approach and my advice.
Creating an awareness of the fact that every child has the right to be who they are, an individual who can deal with the inclusive world, resilient and self-managing; that’s my main mission.
My aim is to support the exceptionally gifted child (and their parents) in the search for themselves, finding the ability to be a gifted rebel, an intense, authentic, autonomous and free person.
People-oriented approach, from the heart
I have completed such studies as ECHA Specialist in Gifted Education at Radboud University in Nijmegen. My motivation is children’s well-being (and that of their parents). I always work in a people-centred way. I don’t allow myself to be distracted by any hidden agendas at administrations, collaborative partnerships or so-called budget deficits. I look at the child’s needs; they are always my starting and ending point. National and international legislation and treaties support this approach. Important points for me when coaching exceptionally gifted children include offering development-oriented advice and mirroring in humanity. My motto is:
THERE IS NO BOX.
I am registered with the SKJ (Dutch Youth Quality Register) and the Quality Register Giftedness and I am a member of the European Council for High Ability, the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children and Mensa Worldwide.
My specialism:
- Exceptional giftedness (145+)
- Coaching parents of exceptionally gifted children
- Didactic study and advice on modified education
- Training sessions and events for and about highly gifted rebels
- Speaking at congresses.
Email me if you have any questions about high giftedness.
Highly gifted rebel
I live according to my authenticity. That wasn’t always the case. It was a process of trial and error. Being myself, then not being myself, depending on the surroundings and the people around me. The person I am now is who I’ve always been, but I used to hide that. Even now, I don’t always reveal myself completely. Why not? Because most people are unable to understand the intensity and profundity. That’s not so strange; each of us needs like-minded people and that includes exceptionally gifted people. I know how high my IQ is but I don’t talk about it. It isn’t relevant for other people. It was only relevant for me, so that I could have learned to understand myself and look for people who are a match with me. The search for people is intuitive. I don’t actually look for them, I bump into them. I then immediately feel whether there’s a connection or not and whether I’m dealing with a kindred spirit. Although I’d rather read a book on my own or walk through nature, I’m sociable and engaged in my rebellion. I firmly believe that precisely that exchange with others and giving back to society is important. For me, freedom is linked to a great responsibility. I want to deploy and use my competences to help others – because I can.
Roots of authenticity
I got into trouble as a child because I was too energetic, too loud, too talkative, too inquisitive, too sensitive, too uninhibited and too overwhelming. I lacked the knowledge to realise that I was being and doing exactly what an exceptionally gifted, authentic child does naturally: going my own way and completely ignoring other people’s opinions. The attitude of my parents, who were anything but conformist, only reinforced this and all this took place in the communist system in the Czechoslovakia of the 1970s. My mother refused to join the Communist Party, as her mother had before her. My grandmother was a professor at the University of Prague and my mother was a manager. My father had founded an international motorbike club which drew dozens of Western bikers every year and where the working language was English. He spent many an hour at the police station being interrogated. At home, everything was discussed openly and we children knew not to talk about any of it outside the house. That’s how I soon learned to go my own way and above all, to think for myself.
It was never the intention that I should change the world all on my own. It’s my intention to help the world change by helping exceptionally gifted people like me to be themselves. That way, we can have an impact on the whole together and make our planet a better place for everyone.
When I look back on how my life has gone up till now, being able to be my authentic self seems to be a common thread. It’s expressed in my work, in which I always try to be progressive and innovative and it’s expressed in my private life. I want to inspire people to dare to be themselves, to rediscover their inner child and to live according to their authenticity.
Disappearing into the crowd is not an option. It will be the death of your spirit. Mental freedom and daring to be who you are is paramount for intelligent people.
My vision is to help exceptionally intelligent people to break out of the generations of conditioning and accumulated traumas and become resilient and independent. No longer allowing themselves to be pigeon-holed. To help them live in true mental freedom. Only then will they be able to contribute meaningfully to our planet and to humanity.
BE BRAVE, BE FEARLESS, BE FREE!
See you soon, Renata Hamsikova
