PQ Mental Fitness

PQ is a neuroscience-based program that trains people to recognize self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors and shift to a more empowered mindset which positively impacts their productivity, their inner well-being, and their interpersonal work relationships. It is a brilliantly designed 7-week mental fitness program that is easily incorporated into even the busiest professional’s day to day. I can’t say enough about this program – even for myself, it has been a game-changer.

Mental Fitness is the X-Factor

If you’re not physically fit, you’d feel physical stress as you climb a steep hill. If you’re not mentally fit, you’d feel mental stress, such as anxiety, frustration, or unhappiness, as you handle work and relationship challenges. 80% of people score below the minimum level of mental fitness required for peak performance and happiness. The great news? With recent breakthroughs in neuroscience and technology, you can now improve your mental fitness significantly within 6-8 weeks of practice. The results? Dramatically improved performance and productivity and a calm, clear and happier mind.  

Measuring Mental Fitness (PQ)

• Mental fitness is a measure of the strength of your positive mental muscles (Sage) versus the negative (Saboteur). Saboteurs react to challenges in ways that generate negative emotions such as stress, disappointment, self-doubt, regret, anger, shame, guilt, or worry.

• Your Sage handles challenges through positive emotions like empathy, gratitude, curiosity, creativity, self-confidence, and calm, clear-headed, laser-focused action. 

• The relative strength of your positive Sage versus negative Saboteurs is called PQ (Positive Intelligence Quotient).  

• PQ is the measure of your Mental Fitness. It’s the best predictor of how happy you are and how well you perform relative to your potential. 

Breakthrough Research  

PQ is a synthesis of recent breakthroughs in neuroscience, cognitive behavioral and positive psychology, and performance science.

You can find out your PQ score here.

Introducing the PQ Program facilitated by Dani Rukin, Executive and Leadership Coach and Facilitator

In addition to being a long-time, seasoned professional certified Co-Active (CPCC) and credentialed (PCC) leadership coach I am also a Certified Positive Intelligence™ Mental Fitness Coach (CPQC) and have permission from Shirzad Chamine and Positive Intelligence, Inc. to provide and facilitate the flagship Positive Intelligence program as part of my coaching practice.

Designed like a mental fitness bootcamp, the PQ Program gives you the insights, motivation, and structure to practice 15 minutes per day for 7 weeks. The program combines weekly video sessions with daily app-guided practices to boost your 3 core mental fitness muscles. 

What PQ grads are saying!

“I’ve practiced many self-help modalities and am an avid yoga practitioner and meditate regularly, but the PQ Methods get in between all the gaps that still caused me chronic challenges. My main saboteurs are the Controller and Hyper Achiever. I’ve been able to identify my weaknesses and I’ve learned to incorporate PQ reps throughout my day. Once I know something works, I never stop doing it. The POD experience brought our group closer together and I feel an intimate connection with them all. My daily life is much more relaxed, calm and efficient. I pause more before reacting and I’m much more empathetic to others because of the exercises we learned. I also recover quicker when I’m triggered and able to bounce back without regrets. I highly recommend the Positive Intelligence course for anyone wanting to live their best life in relationships, work, etc. It is a program of repetitive actions that makes your mental muscles stronger everyday. And Dani Rukin made it fun and very engaging!”

Renee King-Sonnen, Founder and Executive Director of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary and the subject of the 2023 documentary “Rowdy Girl”, executive produced by Moby

“As someone who has done therapy, recovery, and all manner of self-help programs, I find the PQ program to be one of the most effective because it’s a daily practice that can easily be incorporated into a packed schedule. For me, Hyper-Vigilance was problem #1 and the PQ program has given me concrete methods to deal with it when it crops up! Problem #2 is Avoidance. Again, PQ has helped me manage this. While not cured, I can recognize it when it’s happening, do a 5 minute rep and get going. The list goes on but, suffice it to say, I plan to make the reps a daily thing. It works if I work it! Thanks to Dani Rukin for her wisdom and guidance! Dani made the POD meetings fun!”

Jane Velez-Mitchell, founder and CEO of UnchainedTV streaming network, NY Times bestselling author, former longtime CNN journalist and host of her own long-running show on HLN

“Negative emotions like worry have often sidelined me. I struggle to stay in the present moment. Our PQ Pod became a safe space for me. I loved feeling supported by our group while I worked on overcoming judgement of myself and others — so I may live my best life. As a result, my relationships are more balanced and I am feeling more empowered than ever! Anyone can benefit from this smart, yet simple practice. Dani is an inspirational teacher and with next-level mastery of this program. I recommend Positive Intelligence for anybody that wants to achieve their external goals and dreams while simultaneously caring for their own hearts and minds.”

Erica Nielson, former long-time head of Business Development for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)

Program schedule summary

You’ll move through the program with a pod of approximately 5-10 participants. Your pod will agree on a time to meet for 30-60 minutes (depending on size of group) to support one another with your PQ practice.

In addition to the weekly pod calls, you will receive support from Dani throughout the program. All of my guidance is designed to support you and answer your questions, so you can evolve your practice and strengthen your mental fitness in support of your goals.

Each week you access a one-hour video lesson from Shirzad Chamine, creator of the Positive Intelligence program, in the PQ app. And each weekday you will access the PQ app for 15 minutes to get you out of theory and build your PQ mental muscles through exercises and practice. Optionally, you can add live private coaching sessions with Dani, your PQ Coach, during the program to lock-in the learning, go much deeper than you can go in pod discussions, and receive much more customized support throughout the program.

In the PQ app, you will also have access to the broader PQ community channel for the program, where, if you wish, you can share your progress, insights, and a-ha moments with others going through the program at the same time and support each other’s growth and learning. At the end of the program, participants will receive three additional free months of “Grow” and, thereafter, have the option to enroll for those who want to continue growing their mental fitness.

Pods form every eight weeks or sooner when a group of at least 5 people with common interests (or an intact work team, or within the same organization) is ready to go.

Take the first step and complete the free 5 minute Saboteur assessment. Once you have the results, schedule a call with Dani to assess your saboteurs and discuss which format of the PQ Mental Fitness program will best support your goals.

For organizations who wish to offer this training to individual employees, teams, or departments, email me at danirukin@gmail.com to discuss customized formats and pricing.

Your Online Pod Community Support with Dani 

Dani remains an active member of your pod, answering your questions or providing online coaching. Participants report the online cohort community to be key to sustaining their enthusiasm for daily practice.

PQ Program vs. Traditional Training

Traditional training and development tends to have short-lived impact for 3 reasons:  

• Focus on insight rather than muscle. For example,the insight that being frustrated isn’t helpful doesn’t automatically lead to you not feeling frustrated. That would require mental muscles to shift brain activation. 
• Treating symptoms rather than cause. For example, teaching you techniques of active listening to improve empathy will have temporary impact if your deeply-seated Judge Saboteur is not exposed and intercepted. 
• No common operating system. Since each training you attend uses a different framework—the 7 steps of managing conflict, the 5 secrets of managing time, etc.—the frameworks compete for mind share and all fade away. 

Through extensive factor analysis research, PQ has identified the 10 root-level negative factors (Saboteurs) and the 5 primary powers (Sage). This enables a common operating system.  

All personal and professional development become applications of the PQ operating system. Whether learning to manage conflicts, manage time, or perform better under pressure, you’d apply the same exact operating system: 

• Intercept Saboteurs
• Self-Command (through 10-second PQ Reps)
• Mobilize Sage (Empathize, Explore, Innovate, Navigate, Activate)  

You’d be using one simple framework for a variety of applications, boosting root-level mental fitness.

This dramatically simplifies personal and professional development. 

Impact on Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Due to the power of factor analysis, the PQ Program boosts the root-level building blocks that automatically boost 17 of the 18 Emotional Intelligence competencies.

PQ (Positive Intelligence) is the only mental fitness operating system you will ever need to install in yourself. It is the foundation for your success AND happiness. Have you been successful but neither fully happy or satisfied with your accomplishments? Have you been happy but not as successful as you wish? No need to keep pushing the boulder up the hill and invest the time now to forever change your life in the areas of work performance, quality relationships, and personal wellness.

I now include PQ as a foundational component for all coaching engagements: that is how impactful it is for those who commit to the intensive 7-week program.

Email me at danirukin@gmail.com to schedule a call to talk further about registering for the PQ coaching program.