Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine
San Francisco–based mental fitness training company founded in 2008 by Shirzad Chamine. Teaches coaches and individuals to quiet inner Saboteurs and activate Sage powers through a structured app-based program.
- Type
- Coach Training Organization
- Founded
- 2008
- Headquarters
- United States
About
Positive Intelligence was founded in 2008 by Shirzad Chamine in San Francisco, California. Chamine, a New York Times bestselling author, Stanford lecturer, and former CEO, developed the Positive Intelligence (PQ) framework on the basis of factor-analysis research that the company states involved more than 500,000 participants. Positive Intelligence separately states that its program is based on research with more than 1 million participants from 50 countries. The company's flagship output is the book Positive Intelligence (2012) and a structured mental fitness program that coaches use both for their own development and as a tool to deliver to clients.
Positive Intelligence operates at the intersection of positive psychology, neuroscience, and performance coaching. Its core claim is that most coaching and self-improvement efforts address symptoms rather than root causes, and that a single underlying shift, from Saboteur-dominated thinking to Sage-powered thinking, is the lever that produces durable change across every domain: leadership, relationships, health, and peak performance. The company trains coaches through a membership-based program and certifies those who complete the full curriculum and guide clients through the PQ program.
The PQ Framework
The framework rests on three building blocks: Self-Command, Saboteur Interception, and Sage Powers.
Saboteurs
Positive Intelligence identifies ten Saboteurs: internalized mental patterns that generate negative emotion and reactive behavior in response to challenge. The Judge is the master Saboteur, applying harsh criticism to self, others, and circumstances. The nine accomplice Saboteurs each reflect a distinct survival strategy:
Hyper-Achiever — ties self-worth to constant accomplishment
Hyper-Vigilant — maintains chronic low-grade anxiety about potential threats
Hyper-Rational — prioritizes logic to the point of emotional disconnection
Controller — uses anxiety-driven control to manage uncertainty
Avoider — focuses on the pleasant to sidestep difficult conversations and tasks
Pleaser — earns approval by helping, flattering, or deferring at personal cost
Restless — seeks constant stimulation; discomfort with stillness
Stickler — pursues perfection and order beyond what the situation requires
Victim — uses suffering and sensitivity to gain attention and empathy
Participants identify their top Saboteurs via the free Saboteur Assessment, a five-minute self-report instrument on the Positive Intelligence website. A separate PQ Score Assessment measures the Sage-to-Saboteur ratio. Positive Intelligence publishes white papers describing the research foundation for both. Neither has been independently validated as a psychometric instrument.
Sage Powers
The Sage is the counterpart to the Saboteur mind. PQ defines five Sage Powers (Empathize, Explore, Innovate, Navigate, and Activate), each addressing a different dimension of calm, clear response to challenge. Sage-mode thinking is associated with positive emotions; Saboteur-mode thinking with negative ones. The goal of the PQ program is to increase the ratio of time spent in Sage mode, measured as the participant's "PQ Score."
The PQ Program
The flagship program runs over six to seven weeks. Participants spend approximately 15 minutes per day on PQ Reps, short app-guided sensory-focus exercises designed to build the Self-Command neural pathway, alongside weekly video lessons. Small accountability pods provide peer support and reinforce habit formation. The PQ app is available on iOS, Android, and desktop.
The curriculum progresses in three phases: building Self-Command through daily PQ Reps (Weeks 1–2), intercepting Saboteurs and shifting perspective (Weeks 2–4), and applying the five Sage Powers to real challenges (Weeks 4–7). Corporate implementations and NHS-affiliated programs have adapted the format to eight weeks with follow-on monthly pod sessions.
The PQ Coach Certification Program
Positive Intelligence offers coaches two membership tiers. PQ Coach Essentials, at US$1,200 a year, is a self-paced video membership covering the PQ coaching and business development curriculum. Positive Intelligence states it does not include live lessons or Q&A and does not provide access to the company's coaching technology platform. The full PQ Coach membership, at US$1,500 a year, adds live sessions and PQ Program client access, and enrolls in cohorts. Coaches on the full PQ Coach membership, which includes PQ Program client access, become eligible for listing in the PQ Coach Marketplace as Qualified PQ Coaches once they have guided ten or more clients through the PQ Program; optional formal certification is available to those who complete additional requirements.
The PQ Coach training is approved by the ICF for up to 80 Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units and by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) for up to 24 continuing education units. Positive Intelligence states units are earned by completing qualified course hours. This means practicing coaches holding an ICF credential (ACC, PCC, or MCC) can use PQ Coach Essentials toward their renewal requirements. PQ Coach Essentials is not an ICF-accredited initial coach training program (it is not listed as an Accredited Coach Training Program or ACSTH provider); it does not fulfill the coach-specific training hours required to apply for an ICF credential from scratch. Coaches seeking initial ICF credentialing should pair PQ training with an ICF-accredited program from a body such as those listed in the ICF's program directory.
No ICF credential is required to enroll in PQ Coach Essentials. The program is designed for coaches already working with paying clients who want a structured, science-grounded tool to integrate into their existing practice.
Where It Sits in the Coaching Field
Positive Intelligence occupies a distinct position among coach training organizations. Unlike general coach training providers such as CTI, iPEC, or programs accredited by the ICF or EMCC, PQ does not teach broad coaching methodology. It teaches a single proprietary framework that coaches layer onto whatever coaching approach they already practice.
This makes PQ more comparable to specialized modality providers than to full-curriculum coach training schools. It is not a standalone path to becoming a coach. Its strength is in giving credentialed coaches a repeatable, measurable client-facing product: the PQ program, which clients purchase and complete with coach support. The combination of the Saboteur Assessment, the PQ Score Assessment, the app, and pod accountability creates a structured engagement model that differs from conventional one-to-one coaching contracts.
Positive Intelligence's participant figures are company-reported. They appear in peer-reviewed literature only as background citation of the company's own claims. The one published study of the PQ program, in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in 2024, had a final sample of 64 students. The framework draws on established positive psychology and neuroscience, but its scale claims have not been independently audited. The company's association with Stanford (Positive Intelligence states Chamine has lectured on Positive Intelligence at Stanford University and trained faculty at the Stanford and Yale business schools) and the publication of Positive Intelligence as a mainstream business book have given the framework significant name recognition among both coaches and prospective clients.
What This Means for You
If you are a coaching client considering working with a Certified PQ Coach, the credential signals that your coach has completed Positive Intelligence's training curriculum and has practical experience guiding clients through the PQ program specifically. It does not carry the same independent third-party verification as an ICF ACC, PCC, or MCC credential. PQ certification is granted by Positive Intelligence itself, not by an external accrediting body. It also tells you relatively little about your coach's broader coaching skills; many PQ coaches hold ICF or EMCC credentials separately, which you can verify on their profile.
Where PQ coaching is particularly well suited is when you have a concrete performance or mindset challenge and want a structured, daily-practice format with measurable progress (your PQ Score). Ask a prospective PQ coach whether they hold any independent coaching credentials, how long they have been using the PQ framework with clients, and what outcomes their past clients have reported. The PQ Coach Marketplace on positiveintelligence.com includes coach ratings and recommendation scores that can help you evaluate individual practitioners.
Every person has both a Saboteur mind and a Sage mind. The Saboteurs generate every negative emotion we experience. The Sage generates every positive emotion. Mental fitness is the ability to intercept the one and activate the other, consistently, under pressure, in real time.
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Questions about Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine
Q.01What is Positive Intelligence (PQ)?
What is Positive Intelligence (PQ)?
Positive Intelligence is a mental fitness framework developed by Shirzad Chamine that teaches people to identify and quiet their inner Saboteurs, the habitual mental patterns that generate negative emotion, and to activate five Sage Powers that enable a calm, effective response to challenge. The framework is delivered through a structured app-based program and a coach certification track.
Q.02Who is Shirzad Chamine?
Who is Shirzad Chamine?
Shirzad Chamine is the founder and CEO of Positive Intelligence, Inc. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book Positive Intelligence (2012), a Stanford lecturer, and a coach to hundreds of CEOs. The company states he developed the PQ framework from factor-analysis research involving more than 500,000 participants, and that the program itself is based on research with more than 1 million participants from 50 countries. Both figures are company-reported.
Q.03When and where was Positive Intelligence founded?
When and where was Positive Intelligence founded?
Positive Intelligence was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Q.04What is a Saboteur in the PQ framework?
What is a Saboteur in the PQ framework?
Saboteurs are the ten mental patterns that PQ identifies as the root source of negative emotion and underperformance. The Judge is the master Saboteur; the nine accomplice Saboteurs (Hyper-Achiever, Controller, Avoider, Pleaser, Restless, Stickler, Victim, Hyper-Rational, and Hyper-Vigilant) each reflect a distinct survival strategy. Participants identify their top Saboteurs via the free Saboteur Assessment at positiveintelligence.com.
Q.05What are Sage Powers?
What are Sage Powers?
PQ defines five Sage Powers (Empathize, Explore, Innovate, Navigate, and Activate) that represent the calm, clear capacities of the Sage mind. Each power addresses a different dimension of responding to challenge without reactive negative emotion. PQ program participants practice activating these powers through daily app-guided exercises.
Q.06How does the PQ Program work?
How does the PQ Program work?
The flagship program runs six to seven weeks. Participants complete approximately 15 minutes of daily PQ Reps (sensory-focus exercises on the PQ app) and watch weekly video lessons. Small accountability pods provide peer support. The program progresses from building Self-Command, to intercepting Saboteurs, to applying Sage Powers to real challenges.
Q.07Is the PQ Coach certification ICF-accredited?
Is the PQ Coach certification ICF-accredited?
Not in the sense of initial credentialing. The PQ Coach training is approved by the ICF for up to 80 Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units, which count toward renewal of existing ICF credentials (ACC, PCC, MCC). However, PQ Coach Essentials is not an ICF-accredited initial coach training program (ACTP or ACSTH provider), so it does not fulfill the training hours required to apply for an ICF credential from scratch. Coaches who want initial ICF credentialing need to complete a separately accredited program.
Q.08Do I need an ICF credential to become a PQ Coach?
Do I need an ICF credential to become a PQ Coach?
No. Positive Intelligence does not require any external coaching certification to enroll in the PQ Coach Essentials program. Eligibility requires that you are actively receiving compensation for coaching services. Many PQ coaches do hold ICF, EMCC, or other independent credentials, but this is separate from the PQ certification itself.
Q.09What does working with a Certified PQ Coach involve?
What does working with a Certified PQ Coach involve?
A Certified PQ Coach has completed Positive Intelligence's training curriculum and guided at least ten clients through the PQ program. In practice, coaching engagements often follow a structured format: the client runs the 6–7 week PQ program (with daily app practice and pod accountability) while meeting with the coach for additional support, reflection, and application to their specific challenges.
Q.10How does PQ coaching differ from general coaching?
How does PQ coaching differ from general coaching?
General coaching draws on broad methodologies (ICF competencies, ontological coaching, co-active approaches) and is tailored to whatever the client brings. PQ coaching uses a single proprietary framework and delivers a defined product (the PQ program) as the engagement structure. PQ is best thought of as a methodology a coach adds to their existing practice rather than a complete coaching approach in itself.
Q.11Is there independent research supporting the PQ framework?
Is there independent research supporting the PQ framework?
Very little, so far. The often-quoted figures, more than 500,000 participants in the underlying factor-analysis research and more than 1 million program participants from 50 countries, are company-reported. Where they appear in peer-reviewed literature, they're repeated as background citation of Positive Intelligence's own claims rather than independently verified. The one published study of the PQ program itself, in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in 2024, had a final sample of 64 students. The framework draws on established neuroscience and positive psychology research, but the PQ model is proprietary and has not been independently validated as a distinct psychological instrument.
Q.12What should I ask a Certified PQ Coach before hiring them?
What should I ask a Certified PQ Coach before hiring them?
PQ coaching is forward-focused: it works with mental habits, thinking patterns, and performance mindset, and is not a substitute for clinical care. The PQ program is designed for functioning, motivated clients; it is not designed for acute mental health conditions, trauma processing, or clinical depression. Before hiring a PQ coach, ask: Do you hold any independent coaching credentials beyond PQ certification, for example an ICF or EMCC credential? How long have you been using the PQ framework with clients, and what outcomes do your clients typically see? How do you adapt your approach when a client's challenges are more complex than a standard performance block? And if a client's needs turn out to exceed what the PQ program can address, how do you handle that? Checking the coach's ratings on the PQ Coach Marketplace at positiveintelligence.com alongside a direct conversation gives you the most complete picture.