John Thompson is Director of Development and Impact at the Mensa Foundation, where he leads development and educational efforts to expand society’s understanding of intelligence and support the lived experience of gifted and neurodivergent individuals.
A Connection That Stayed With Me
Some connections stay with you.
I first met Jessie Mannisto at a Supporting Emotional Needs for the Gifted (SENG) conference in Houston,TX before the pandemic, which now feels like a lifetime ago. We connected quickly over a shared interest in Kazimierz Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration, and I was immediately drawn to the depth of her thinking and the clarity of her purpose. Her work, originally developed through Third Factorand now carried forward on Substack, continues to explore the inner lives of gifted and intense adults with a rare blend of intellect, emotional insight, and humanity.
We stayed in touch over the years, and I’m genuinely excited to share that Jessie is now joining forces with the Mensa Foundation as a volunteer collaborator.
Supporting the Mensa Foundation’s Work
Jessie has generously stepped forward to help lead the Mensa Founation Speaker Series and support the development of new online programming as we continue working to unleash intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
She brings something special to this work: a deep respect for the complexity of gifted adults, a gift for meaningful dialogue, and a belief that psychologically rich, intellectually honest conversation can be transformative. In many ways, her background and instincts align naturally with what the Mensa Foundation is trying to build: spaces where people can think deeply, connect authentically, and grow into fuller expressions of who they are.
In Her Own Words
If you ask Jessie Mannisto what she does, she will usually laugh before answering. Not because she does not know, but because the honest answer is something like, “I help intense people talk about the things they care about without imploding.”
Jessie has spent much of her life seeking balance between head and heart, between big ideas and powerful emotions. She wants, above all, to understand why people are the way they are and, from there, how that understanding can help bridge divides between us and meet our shared needs for connection and belonging. As a young adult, she discovered the work of psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski, whose concept of the third factor of development—the inner drive to grow through reflection and choice—became a guiding force in her life.
Building Spaces for Intense and Gifted Adults
In 2018, she founded Third Factor, an online publication for gifted and intense adults searching for meaning, community, and a place where their minds could exhale. The magazine blended psychology, philosophy, and memoir to offer people who had long felt like “too much” a place where they could more fully unfold into themselves.
In 2023, Jessie brought that same sensibility into the civic arena when she became Director of Debates for Braver Angels. There, she trained and led a national team of debate chairs, helping volunteers create spaces where people with radically different views could speak candidly and still leave as neighbors.
Many of the people drawn to those debates were, in some sense, Mensa-adjacent: bright, passionate, sometimes intense, and deeply relieved to be in spaces where rigorous thinking was not only welcomed but encouraged. Jessie became known for bringing both structure and warmth, helping rooms full of excitable thinkers stay grounded, brave, and engaged.
Why Jessie Is a Strong Fit
That combination is part of what makes her such a strong fit for the Mensa Foundation.
The Foundation’s Unmet Needs Study made clear that many gifted adults are looking for exactly the kinds of experiences Jessie has been helping create for years: deep conversation, psychological insight, intellectual challenge, and authentic belonging. As a volunteer helping shape the Speaker Series and new online programming, Jessie will support the Foundation in creating spaces that do more than present information. She will help foster conversations that invite reflection, connection, and real engagement with ideas that matter.
A Broader Throughline
For Jessie, this work is part of a larger throughline. In 2025, she began a deeper exploration of artificial intelligence and its potential role as a companion for gifted adults. With the relaunch of Third Factor on Substack, she has been writing about how a thoughtfully attuned chatbot might help meet the needs of people who are intellectually, imaginationally, and emotionally intense.
It is another expression of the same enduring questions that have guided her all along: how minds develop, how people make meaning, and how relationships shape who we become.
Experience, Insight, and Generosity
Earlier in her career, Jessie earned a Master of Science in Information from the University of Michigan, taught in Japan through the JET Program, and worked as a leadership analyst at the CIA. Across these very different contexts, one belief has remained consistent: good conversation can be a catalyst for development, and gifted adults deserve spaces where their intensity is treated not as a liability but as a strength.
We are grateful that Jessie has chosen to give her time and talents to the Mensa Foundation. Her voice, experience, and generosity will help strengthen the Speaker Series and support the growth of thoughtful online programming for the Mensa Foundation community.
Jessie brings a rare combination of intellectual range, emotional depth, and independent thinking to her work. With a background that spans analysis, policy, diplomacy, and writing, she has consistently gravitated toward complexity, nuance, and meaningful dialogue. Today, as an independent writer, editor, and research analyst, she continues to explore the inner lives of gifted and intense adults while helping others make sense of ideas and experiences that do not fit neatly into conventional boxes.
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