Positive Intelligence Expert: Why Your Mind Keeps Sabotaging You (And How to Rewire It For Peak Performance)

Jan 6, 2026

Shirzad Chamine, New York Times bestselling author and Positive Intelligence founder who teaches mental fitness and mindset mastery. He recounts his journey from hardship to building a global framework. They explore the ten inner saboteurs, why insight alone fails, short daily mental fitness practices, the Sage’s five powers, and simple PQ reps that rewire how you respond under pressure.

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ANECDOTE

Whisper That Shaped A Life

Shirzad Chamine describes growing up terrified of his angry father in poverty in Tehran and being sustained by a persistent inner whisper.
That whisper told him he'd one day change millions of lives and guided his decisions through hardship.

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INSIGHT

Insight Alone Fades Without Practice

Insight alone doesn't create lasting transformation because old mental habits live as neural pathways.
Shirzad argues you must rewire the brain with daily practices to build new mental muscles.

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ADVICE

Commit To Daily Mental Training

Commit to short daily practices to rewire neural pathways rather than relying on workshops or books.
Treat mental fitness like physical training and integrate it into a daily routine.

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Shirzad's Tehran Childhood and Whisper

01:19 • 4min

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Early Struggles and the Limits of Workshops

05:36 • 5min

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Why Daily Practice Rewires the Brain

10:25 • 3min

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Defining Mental Fitness and Resiliency

13:21 • 2min

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Pivotal Humiliation: Being Demoted

15:12 • 4min

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Introducing the Saboteurs Framework

19:23 • 39sec

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Research: Ten Universal Saboteurs

20:02 • 2min

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Saboteurs Arise from Overused Strengths

22:20 • 3min

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Wiring and Cultural Variations

25:37 • 4min

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Assessing Your Top Saboteurs

29:10 • 3min

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The Sage: Five Positive Powers

32:17 • 3min

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Three-Step Process to Counter Saboteurs

35:15 • 3min

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PQ Reps: Short, Actionable Practices

38:11 • 3min

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Active PQ Techniques for Busy Minds

41:38 • 4min

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Visual PQ Reps and Compassion Visualization

45:36 • 5min

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Sage Perspective: Convert Problems into Gifts

50:24 • 2min

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Daoist Stallion Story and Polarities

52:13 • 5min

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Scaling with an App and Six-Week Program

56:51 • 6min

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Closing Reflections and Recommendations

• Mentioned in 11 episodes

Positive intelligence

Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours

Shirzad Chamine

In this book, Shirzad Chamine reveals how to achieve professional success and personal fulfillment by identifying and conquering ten well-disguised mental Saboteurs. Positive Intelligence (PQ) measures the percentage of time the mind serves rather than sabotages. The book provides tools and techniques to increase PQ, which can be improved significantly in as little as 21 days, leading to better performance, happiness, and reduced stress. Chamine shares stories from his coaching experiences with CEOs and executive teams, highlighting applications such as team building, workload management, and improving work-life balance.

Most people believe insight alone creates transformation.

But insight without daily practice fades—and self-sabotage takes over.

In this episode of The Mark Divine Show, Mark sits down with Shirzad Chamine, New York Times bestselling author of Positive Intelligence and one of the world’s leading experts on mental fitness, leadership performance, and mindset mastery.

Shirzad shares his journey from a traumatic childhood marked by generational rage and depression to building a globally recognized framework used by Fortune 100 companies, Stanford faculty, and over two million leaders worldwide.

Together, they unpack:

- Why high performers sabotage themselves under pressure

-The 10 mental “Saboteurs” that destroy wellbeing, performance, and relationships

- Why workshops and motivation don’t create lasting change

- How to rewire the brain through short, daily mental fitness practices

- The difference between insight and transformation

- How to shift from fear-based reactions to calm, focused, purposeful action

This conversation bridges neuroscience, leadership, spirituality, and practical tools you can use in the middle of real life, not just in meditation or reflection.

If you want more clarity, resilience, and control over how you show up under stress—this episode gives you a repeatable system to build it.

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Shirzad Links:

Website: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/

Book: https://a.co/d/evVc59l

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirzad-chamine

X: https://x.com/ShirzadPQ

Inspirational Quote:

“Most feelings of stress, anxiety, frustration, disappointment, regret, and guilt are the direct results of judging yourself, others, situations, or outcomes.” - Shirzad Chamine

Subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@markdivineofficial for more inspiring conversations on elite leadership, mental toughness, and impact.

Rate and review the show to help us reach more listeners.

Share your thoughts and takeaways in the comments!

#MarkDivine #ShirzadChamine #PositiveIntelligence #MentalFitness #SelfSabotage #LeadershipDevelopment #PeakPerformance #MindsetTraining #Neuroplasticity #EmotionalResilience #HighPerformanceLeaders #PersonalGrowth #SageMind

Timestamps:

00:00 Growing Up in Tehran: A Story of Poverty and Fear

00:56 The Unbeatable Leader Challenge: Transform Your Mind

01:22 Welcome to the Mark Divine Show

01:44 Introducing Shazad Shain: A Journey of Positive Intelligence

02:29 Shazad's Early Life: Overcoming Fear and Depression

06:03 The Whisper That Guided Shazad's Life

08:03 The Importance of Daily Practices for Transformation

09:25 The Unbeatable Tribe: Whole Person Integration

13:08 Understanding Mental Fitness and Emotional Resiliency

14:55 Shazad's Pivotal Moment: From Visionary Leader to Humiliation

18:12 Discovering the Saboteurs: Fear-Based Voices

27:16 The Universality of Saboteurs Across Cultures

29:08 Identifying and Managing Your Saboteurs

32:47 Identifying and Understanding Saboteurs

33:14 Introducing the Sage and Its Superpowers

35:15 Three-Step Process to Combat Saboteurs

38:13 The WIRM Process and Rewiring the Brain

41:18 Practical Techniques for Mindfulness and Self-Command

46:20 Visualization Techniques for Compassion and Healing

50:50 Sage Perspective and the Power of Positive Intelligence

56:47 Scaling Positive Intelligence Through Technology

01:02:31 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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