I begin my post “How Economists Can Enhance Their Scientific Creativity, Engagement and Impact”:

I have always thought of my blog’s target audience as economists who are still curious and open to changing their minds. For economists who meet that test, I am offering a six-week program (on Zoom) to enhance your personal scientific creativity, engagement and impact in economics.

That post, “How Economists Can Enhance Their Scientific Creativity, Engagement and Impact,”offers the details.

I am one of the few economists who is certified as a co-active coach. (See “Co-Active Coaching as a Tool for Maximizing Utility—Getting Where You Want in Life.”) Because I love economics and hope to make our discipline better, I am offering the program free to economists and their families. At least every 7 weeks I am starting a new “Positive Intelligence Circle,” or “PQ pod” for short. Typically there are nine participants and two co-leaders each time. Bex Bassin, John Belge and my wife Gail Kimball have been co-leaders of these Positive Intelligence Circles with me.

With John Belge, I have co-led Positive Intelligence Circles for economics graduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder. This is an extension of our department’s official coaching program; John Belge is our department coach.

I say more about the Positive Intelligence approach in my post “On Human Potential.” In brief, as I write in “How Economists Can Enhance Their Scientific Creativity, Engagement and Impact”:

If you want creativity, engagement and impact, getting to an optimal brain state is crucial. Creativity requires holding the intensely critical side of you at least temporarily at bay so that ultimately promising ideas are not prematurely killed. Engagement—having the work you do flow and feel surprisingly low-effort—requires silencing or at least quieting distracting, self-destructive mind-chatter. Impact requires being in touch with what really matters—both what matters to you and what matters for the world.

Below, participants in the program speak for themselves. (Some of them speak of internal “saboteurs” they learned to recognize. The image at the top gives examples.)

I really enjoyed the Positive Intelligence program with Miles, Bex, and my fellow ‘Atlantic Pod’-members. I found it especially helpful to explore the saboteurs. I feel like I’m judging other people and myself way less already. The best part every week was the weekly meeting with the whole Pod; just discussing one’s own progress and listening to other Pod-members talk about their saboteurs and progress on them was really motivating. Our Pod plans to continue these meetings after the program (without Miles and Bex, as they’ll introduce new people into the Positive Intelligence framework)."

—Dominic Kassirra

Ongoing battles I have in my head have consistently marred my quality of life. The Positive Intelligence Program gave me the language to describe the actors in these skirmishes, and the tools I needed to begin taming the fires within. I’m optimistic that the simple practices I have learned will become habitual, and ultimately a part of my daily life. 

—Tushar Kundu

I am generally quite skeptical of self-help programs, which often seem faddish and not founded in sound science, but this program is better. While Shirzad Chamine oversells it somewhat, I found the Positive Intelligence program to have a solid empirical foundation and it had real benefits for me. I found the mutual support of the weekly pod sessions to be especially valuable.

—Patrick Julius

The Positive Intelligence program has been hugely helpful for me. During the six-week practice, I learned techniques that can help me think better in as little as ten seconds. Perhaps more importantly, the program helped me discover the deep sources of my fears and gave me tools to loosen their grip on me. It also provides a rare opportunity to connect with other economists (and their families) through the non-economics part of their lives. One of my big takeaways from the program was that life is difficult, not just for me, but for everyone, even the super successful economists.

—Jiannan Zhou

On a personal level, I have found the PQ program helpful in giving me tools to disrupt negative thought patterns and identify positive ones. This is had a noticeable effect on my mood and time management. I have also enjoyed the camaraderie of the pod.

—Matt Burgess

My life is full of challenges and there is nothing to cherish about it; that was the feeling I had before joining the PQ program. After a six-week intensive training, I learnt to defeat my internal fears and internalize, especially my powerful judge and victim. It helped me learn how I can transform my bad experiences into good, how I can improve collaboration with my colleagues without compromising my self-esteem, and beat my worst enemies seated deep inside with the power of self-control and laser-focused approach. It boosted my confidence and the courage in me which will forever stay with me. It gave me a chance to explore my good-self which I am confident would help me set the direction of my life towards the paths of happiness and success.

—Lubna Naz

I have found that the PQ program offers simple and effective tools to overcome imposter syndrome, a common affliction of academic economists.

—Martin Boileau

The positive intelligence course was a powerful experience for me. I have never been good at meditation before, but have found the short 'PQ rep' to be an effective tool at keeping my mind healthy. Miles and Gail led the pod session each week, and I found this space to be a safe environment to explore who I am and how I can become more who I want to be.

—Edmund Crawley

The positive intelligence course not only set a framework for identifying unhealthy/counterproductive behavior, it also equipped me with tools to change the behavior. The concepts of the judge and other saboteurs felt intuitive. The meditation techniques have also been helpful in resetting my mind during a busy day, and stay focused and more positive during tough conversations. I really enjoyed the six week intensive course, including the daily practices, weekly videos, and the weekly "pod" sessions with other students. It provided a good balance between individual, introspective exercises with social engagement to share ones' experiences.

—Christine Graham

I joined the 6-week Positive Intelligence program with Miles and Gail from Dec 2020-Jan 2021. I learned many new things about the brain, emotions through this program. As many of us might know, meditation has a significant positive impact on our lives, but it is hard to find time and space to do. Through this program, I learned how to meditate in the midst of a busy day without being noticed and without the need for a meditation room.

—Sakshi Bhardwaj

I highly recommend taking the 6-week Positive Intelligence course. The Saboteur-Sage framework was enlightening to me. It's helped me to be happier and more productive in all areas of my life.

—Andrea Atencio

What a gift to learn how to operate from a creative, curious, and empathic stance while letting go of worries and stress! The impact of this learning has been tremendous on both my professional and personal life. Thank you, Miles and Bex, for this opportunity. I am forever grateful.

—Lodovica Guidarelli

This program was a great opportunity to focus on various aspects of life that can easily slip through the cracks with a busy schedule. Even when I was skeptical of the methods we discussed, the opportunity to think about and discuss things like procrastination, self doubt, and work/life balance was a valuable one. It makes for an experience that I would recommend to anyone looking for a new perspective of professional life and interpersonal relationships.

—Vincent Mastantuno

I am extremely grateful that I was able to join the positive intelligence circle hosted by Miles and John. It provided the kickstart I needed to begin reinvesting in myself in a deeper, more meaningful way. In my mind, positive intelligence is about identifying the voices in your life that are constructive and empowering them, while quieting the distractions. By focusing on the positive, we not only feel less anxious and more content, but we can become laser-focused on our conscious objectives. In other words, we spend more productive time doing the things we want to be doing. I think everyone should commit to joining a group like this at least once in their lives, and I cannot imagine a better tandem to work with than Miles and John.

—Jordan Lenger

I used to think that I need to constantly achieve something or I will be useless and my life will be a failure. I somehow knew that that does not give me long-lasting happiness because this attitude and thought have made me frustrated and stressed out whenever I am stuck in challenging situations research-wise or I make mistakes while giving lectures. But I just couldn’t give it away because I did not know how else I could think. The PQ Pod allowed me to label my negative beliefs, and thus helped how I can view the world and myself in a more positive way without compromising needs for achievement. During the six-week practice, I learned very simple but effective techniques and found out that using them right before and after my lectures dramatically affected my confidence and performance in class. I also often went out on a walk and practiced the techniques anytime I felt stuck in something on my research, which turned out to be the fastest way for me to get my fresh mind back on track. I appreciate that I was able to have an opportunity to join the PQ Pod and I will keep practicing to make them my mental routines for coping challenges and stress. 

—Jieun Lee

The approach of the PQ program was surprisingly straightforward - we build self defenses over our lives that end up sabotaging ourselves later on, and through a combination of self-reflection and mindfulness we can learn to disentangle those defenses from what we are really attempting to achieve. The shared experience of carrying out the program as a team also gives the methodology its life. What am I left with at the end? For one, a better understanding of myself and my goals as well as a renewed capacity to listen. More importantly, I was left with a sense of the world not only as a site for personal joy and curiosity, but also as a place for building friendships and mutual support. I walked into the program reluctant, but I am very happy that I joined.

—Payne Hennigan

When Miles first told me about the Positive Intelligence program I was skeptical. I mostly did it because he's on my committee and I didn't want him thinking that I was dismissing one of his passions. But after going through the program I understand why he's such a fan of it.

The most challenging part of graduate school is thinking you're the only person struggling. That you aren't smart enough to get through everything. That you won't have any good ideas or be able to write a research paper. But the truth is everyone that comes into the program can easily get through it. It's really not that difficult. For myself and most people simply getting out of your own way is the most challenging part. Seeing how you self-sabotage and learning how to get yourself back on track is an invaluable skill that is well worth the time to do.

I would recommend that every first and second year who hasn't done the program do it. It can really help get through the grind that is those first two years when a lot of doubt creeps into everyone's mind about what they can do. The most valuable part of the program is learning how to differentiate between the stress and worries and doubts that are coming from a real problem versus those that are coming from yourself for no good reason—the aptly named saboteurs. If that's the only part of the program that you take away after going through it, it's enough to justify the time spent doing it.

But I also think that it's a useful program beyond that. I find myself being more aware of when I'm off track mentally and able to get back to being focused on what I want to accomplish. I'm a lot less frustrated as I see how many of my frustrations come from a place of impatience to do the next thing. The days that I focus on the program are far more productive than the days I don't. It's useful for outside of school as well. My biggest saboteur is restlessness and a big challenge personally is showing people that I'm as interested in them/what they're saying or doing as I am. I've found that really focusing on why I'm always wanting to do something else has helped me to be more present and has helped to make people see clearer how I feel about them and what they have to say. I found the PQ exercises, as silly as they seem, to be tremendously helpful. It was shocking to see what a difference they make.

—Joshua Schabla

For me, this wasn't quite the "be all, end all, changed my life, I'll never be sad again" experience that I think many of us secretly hope for. But taken for what it was, it moved my life forward. I gained some practical insight and experience with routines that keep me more productive throughout the day. It also helped me identify when my "inner voice" is not helping me, and how to practice ignoring it when that happens. Worth the time and effort.

—Scott Stornetta

The Positive Intelligence program with Miles and John helped me develop skills and techniques to quiet the ever-doubting, ever-judging voice in my head and amplify the voice that is empathetic and optimistic. One of my favorite aspects of the program is that the exercises can be done anytime, anywhere, and represent a small but meaningful commitment in the course of your busy day. I highly recommend this program to anyone who wishes to reduce the white noise in their mind and improve their perceptions and reactions to life's challenges.

—Austin Kennedy

The Positive Intelligence training has been a great joy, and a time of learning invaluable skills with ease. Through reading, guided discussions and exercises, I have discovered new perspectives on areas of my mind and personality, and this in the superb company of fellow economists and their loved ones. The programme gives one the tools for understanding various inner forces, overcoming those that hinder, and liberating those that move one forward. The techniques of fostering the positive forces are surprisingly and relievingly handy and effective. This kind of self-knowledge, self-care and self-help is worth suspending judgements, and carving out time for.

– Zsófia Hajnal

The program helped me become very aware of how and why I think, and have thought, through many different situations in my life and how this thinking has been helpful, or not, to achieve goals I set for myself. This is very interesting because the program made me realize that one can be convinced that one is doing everything necessary to achieve a goal and, specifically, thinking in the "right way to do so," but the opposite might actually be true. These opposite situations trace back to, as the program puts it, "saboteurs" taking the lead in how one thinks, which is just counterproductive. Saboteur ways of thinking aren't easily recognizable, since, again, they actually have a really good ability to disguise themselves as productive ways of thinking. I think that the program does a great job in guiding one to figure out when one's saboteurs are taking over and, in that case, understanding how to avoid that. The PQ reps are very helpful, and I also think that participating in a pod really helps everything come together. The guidance of Miles and Bex was really great!

—Emi Epstein

In 2020 someone I follow on Twitter recommended Miles’ Positive Intelligence coaching sessions and applied immediately. I am very glad I did. The seven week course has shifted my perspective in so many profound ways, and I now find myself using the tools we learnt from Shirzad’s book, the daily use of the app, and from the honest, thoughtful reflections of others in the pod every day. (Still a work in progress, though!) I learnt to recognize my key saboteurs and to pre-empt them with simple exercises, to communicate more effectively, to look at challenges as gifts in disguise. Most of all, I learnt to empathize with myself and others, and to be kind. As our coaches, Miles and Bex modelled this kindness and empathy constantly, engaging with and providing advice to our pod and making our weekly meetings something to really look forward to. I couldn’t recommend these sessions more highly to anyone – economist or not! - who is looking to develop a more fulfilling personal and/or professional life.

—Kalyani Raghunathan

The 6-week positive intelligence program in the Lake Tahoe pod was extremely helpful for me in providing a sense community and belonging in a confidential environment. I enjoyed interacting with others who have experienced similar concerns and was able to share more freely without fear of judgment or recrimination. Since then, The PQ reps has become a crucial part of my life and have been effective in calming me down before important meetings or presentation. I am grateful to Miles and Bex for inspiring, caring, listening, and guiding us during the 6 weeks of our course. The pod discussions were fun and helped me discover things about my personality that I didn’t know before. I hope to continue with these useful practices and perspectives in my future as well.

—Priya Ghosh

Miles and Bex are amazing. They bring good people together, and they make all of us around them better. This was a delightful and powerful experience. Highly recommended!

—Willa Friedman

In just six weeks, this program has had a profoundly positive effect on my daily mood and on my ability to enjoy (rather than being thrown by) each day's little distractions and challenges. It also gave me the ability to separate work from the rest of my life and no longer feel constant guilt for not having worked hard enough or long enough. The program helped me understand the sources of my anxiety and gave practical, easily implementable tools. What I liked most is that the program doesn't just throw a 100 ideas at you but instead it evolves slowly, allowing each nugget of advice and its accompanying daily exercise to become a habit. When some of the advice didn't seem applicable or evoked my usual cynicism, the weekly coaching team of Miles, Gail, and Bex showed a way to make the advice relevant and effective for me. While I found a couple of Shirzad Chamine's videos a little cringe (apparently factor analysis is a panacea and the key to enlightenment), that's easy to forgive when each week you learn several tools that are simultaneously simple and life-changing.

—Mike Shor

The Positive Intelligence course is an intuitive and comprehensive way to improve oneself. It has practical applications and daily accountability that helps set it apart. In six short weeks I already feel a heightened peace in my personal relationships. I highly recommend it and look forward to continuing the PQ practice in my daily life.

—Mike Blancke

Miles and Gail did a great job coaching and making it clear how we could get the most out of the program. The positive intelligence training is a great integration of mindfulness and meditation, concepts from cognitive behavioral therapy, and Stoicism. It also adds new tools to help you improve your emotional resilience. Compared to other practices I’ve tried, I like how the program is systematic (daily, quantifiable goals), which helped me stay on track. Even during the first 6 weeks of the program, I’ve noticed a greater sense of calm and happiness - the training was well worth my time.

—Jeffrey Ohl

It's a rewarding experience! I can literally see my change before and after the 6-week training sessions. I am more emotionally stable and respond more positively to challenges in life. Positive intelligence offers a scientific perspective to identify and deal with negative emotions. I really enjoyed sharing and learning with a group of nice and intelligent people and we stay in contact even after the training. Thanks Miles and Gail for leading the way to this.

—Junya Zhou

I greatly enjoyed participating in the Positive Intelligence program with Miles & Gail Kimball. While there is certainly a wealth of resources related to Positive Intelligence spanning the application, modules and reading materials, getting to be part of a discussion group helped me dive deeper into the content and spend more focused time reflecting on my progress through the exercises with peers. Miles and Gail are the consummate guides for this program of self exploration and growth, they lead thoughtful discourse and cultivate a judgement-free environment to unpack and break through the disrupting tendencies of our saboteurs. While the official program has ended, I am continuing to deploy the strategies I learned in the program to strengthen my mental fitness and put my best foot forward personally and professionally.

—Madeline Krebs

The strength of the Positive Intelligence program is providing you with a framework to understand how you might be "getting in your own way". Is it an accurate framework? Maybe, maybe not, but if you haven't much experience with mindfulness and related practices, it is certainly a helpful place to start. I was quite skeptical of some of Shirzad Chamine's claims and the way he framed things was not always to my taste, but the core principles I still found to be useful and the program was a much needed reminder to myself about the importance of going to the "mental gym". To their credit, the organizers stress that you don't have to buy into everything Shirzad says. The group sessions were also helpful in seeing how other people were dealing with and taking on problems of their own, and just getting to know a wider swath of the profession.

—Wei Yang Tham

I loved being able to do a 6-week Positive Intelligence program with Miles and Gail. It helped me be more aware of the negative inner voice that sabotages my ability to get deep work done and also to have strategies to get myself going again when I hear that inner judge. I got more done on some tricky projects during the six weeks of the program than I had in years prior.

—Christopher Palmer

Since I started incorporating PQ reps in my daily routine, my sleep quality has improved significantly; the practice helps to lessen the intensity of anxiety, which is the main driver of insomnia in my case. I like the straightforward approach to mindfulness taught by Shirzad. I was raised in Buddhist culture in Japan. Now having been exposed to Positive Intelligence, it seems that the ways Japanese people learn mindfulness are more complicated by their various sociocultural norms and formalities than what is actually necessary.

—Kenji Yano

As life became more challenging, my motivations no longer helped me to handle my difficulties. It turned out to be that I was sabotaging myself, believing it was the foundation to make my life more satisfactory. Six weeks of training helped me to form a habit of overcoming my biased patterns. It was much easier than I expected, and the pod meeting enabled me to stop procrastinating on the practices. I also learned from my pod about understanding other people's struggles and learning their enlightenments, which helped me to appreciate the people around me as well. I am happy I challenged myself to join the program and moved a tiny step forward in my personal internal growth.

—Hyoyoung Han

The Positive Intelligence program gave me a useful language to describe the frictions limiting my happiness, and helped me develop some functional low-cost practices for dealing with recurrent negative thoughts and emotions. For me, the practices and the opportunity to discuss these struggles with my fellow pod members were the most helpful aspects of the program. Shirzad’s weekly videos sometimes felt a bit long and like Shirzad was overselling, though they also gave me useful reflection points and thought exercises. Overall, I looked forward to the Positive Intelligence circles with Miles, Gail, and the “Mississippi River” pod every week and would recommend it to others interested in exploring techniques to improve their thinking.

—Akhil Rao

This program truly made a huge difference in identifying and overcoming my significant saboteurs. I have learnt to deal with stress and anxiety in a much better way, after the program. There were also a couple of fun activities we did - which gave me new perspectives on my strengths. The apps are a good motivation for me to continue practicing what I have learnt in these 6 weeks. I am grateful to Miles and Gail for their amazing way of conducting the program.

—Anomita Ghosh

The positive intelligence sessions have helped me greatly - far more than I expected. I was initially a bit skeptical but it very naturally extended my routine of mindfulness. I got a lot of insights into my own mind and behavior and I really hope that I continue with a lot of the habits I have built up during the course!

—Hariharan Jayashankar

Spending 6 weeks with Gail and Miles, along with my pod members, has been very impactful. The act of realigning myself throughout the day has allowed me to better manage my actions and emotions. The pod environment sparked active listening, support, and discussion from the group. I am thankful to have been apart of the program and look forward to my continued training.

—Sam Williams

I loved the program. I learned a lot, and I am trying to keep up with it -- this program really is about practice in my experience. Gail and Miles have been amazing. The most inspiring aspect of the whole class is their commitment to helping others grow. They patiently and openly guide you through the program, step by step and week by week, with the only goal of making a positive impact on your life. 

—Florian Trouvain

It‘s been two months already. It was one of the more or even most enlightening self-improvement courses that helped me understand myself and the people around me in a whole different way. I liked the biographic elements of factor analysis. The intra-day habits for remaining focused and balanced. And how the overall framework guides my thinking now. Less judging. More discernment.

And higher empathy. What was puzzling and mysterious in some conflict situations before became more clear. Seeing differences and challenges turned into recognizing opportunities to learn and grow from and appreciate the psychological make-up of others. I feel the program helped me to remain more calm in stressful situations. More open and able in engaging different personality types. And I can see how it enabled me to improve my coaching and conflict navigation skills at work and in my personal life. I constantly see the saboteurs in the world around me and wish more people would enjoy the privilege of taking part in the course. Can strongly recommend. 

—Norman Scherer

The Positive Intelligence program made me see the subtle mechanisms I use to get in my own way and how I rationalize those mechanisms. More importantly, the program equipped me with the tools to sidestep those subtle mechanisms to attain the goals I set for myself. For many people, the Positive Intelligence program has the possibility of being a game changer.

—Marc Bellemare

Miles and Gail are offering a 7-week program designed to help you understand and change your behavior when dealing with new and challenging situations. The program combines cognitive-science insights into behavioral patterns, self-assessment, and what type of "saboteurs" shape your behavior, with breathing and mindfulness exercises that aim to help you fight those saboteurs and shift your perspective and behavior. You can approach the program with the goal to improve your performance, enhance your relationships with loved ones and colleagues, lead a happier and more peaceful life, or else. 

For those who have never considered their mental fitness, the program can be life-changing. As someone who has been to therapy, trained into related techniques, but who is also skeptical of the "quantified self" and "I-found-the-ultimate-method" wellness gurus’ approaches, I found the program to be an opportunity to rebuild and expand my foundations. Although Chamine oversells the program's pathbreaking character, he provides simple and interesting cognitive science-based narratives to reflect on, and a straightforward tool-based approach to meditation that has improved my ability to focus

However, the most significant gift of the program is not the PQ program itself, but rather the weekly 1-hour meeting with a small group of economists and economists' relatives led by Miles and Gail. These meeting provided an opportunity to recognize how common our struggles are with our disciplinary incentives system and how differently we react to it.  By sharing their own journey and helping each participant listen to oneself and to the other pod members, Miles and Gail create a safe and nurturing environment to reflect on our ingrained behaviors, ingrained behaviors, barriers, scripts, and narratives. They helped each of us build a toolbox consistent with our own worldview and understand our colleagues' toolboxes and worldviews better.

—Beatrice Cherrier

I would like to thank Gail and Miles for their inspiration, valuable insights, and guidance during our pod meetings, and in general for their selfless commitment to serving and coaching economists globally.

I have become a big fan of Shirzad Chamine's "Positive Intelligence" coaching concept. In my opinion, Chamine effectively renders many potent traditional techniques for enhancing our consciousness (such as e.g. mindfulness and visualization) more accessible to our rational Western society and compatible with our present lifestyle.

Despite having tried various self-awareness methods in the past, I gained many new insights. It was astonishing to realize that my two primary saboteurs were responsible for most of the stress I experience in my daily life. Even now, this framework provides me with substantial guidance in numerous situations.

I wholeheartedly recommend their program and relished the exchange of ideas in our pod group. It is a unique opportunity to receive coaching from Gail and Miles while also enjoying free access to the app for an entire year.

I sincerely hope they continue their remarkable work!

—Lien Pham Dao

I ended my year 2022 with a resolution to change a few things about my personal and professional life that changed since my starting as a faculty. Since my starting as a faculty coincided with covid and our child's birth, it took me a while to realize that I am performing sub-par even after accounting for all these life changes. That is when I met Anahid Bauer in Paris and came across your wonderful service to academics and economists. I sent you an email right away to get into the waitlist.

Fast forward to April 2023, I feel much lighter and better. I also changed a few other things along with attending our weekly pods (such as attending an academic writing workshop, altering my sleep schedule to get at least 7 hours of sleep, dedicating a 2-3 hour block every day to write "something"). But I think that Positive Intelligence has enhanced the effects of these changes. Our 6 weeks exercise has (I believe) helped improve my family situation. I have learned to label my saboteurs. I also believe "the other person is at least 10% right" is an awesome formula. I am trying to keep up with the PQ reps and master the other techniques, such as “treat everything as a gift”.

—Raveesh Mayya

I had no clue what to expect, I was twenty, experiencing life changing revelations about myself everyday... yet everything was still so confusing. I would get angry when it felt like people were distractions to what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to isolate myself and hide out in my room because it seemed like that was the only place where I could really work hard to accomplish the goals I had set for myself. Only a month before I began the PQ pod, I was bawling to a professor about that .06% increase for that GPA goal.

The PQ pod happened at the beginning of second semester and changed my life completely; I don't know where I would be without having gone through the pod meetings. I can say that now after taking a final and receiving a B+... and frankly I am still in the process of acceptance. Nonetheless, I feel relieved. This is when I remember success is not a destination, it's a journey. The PQ pod provided me clarity in a world with such uncertainty.

—Kelly Wheeler

Gail and Miles have developed a very thoughtful and constructive program that will help you overcome your negative karma with the positive energy inside you. The program encourages active engagement from all participants. You will find this refreshing and energizing.

—Sanjai Bhagat

I've come to understand myself better over the past six weeks. Doing PQ reps as my daily routine would prevent me from being influenced by the Judge and Saboteurs.

—Kyoung-Gon Kim

This program is very engaging and helpful for anyone working in or coming off a high stress environment. You will learn to have a greater command of some of the negative feelings in your life and learn to see past them in ways that were much more difficult before. Miles and Gail have put together a great companion program to Shirzad’s works and the pod meetings are very engaging. Especially for those professionals just entering a very busy world, this training will help you slow down and take stock of everything around you and help you make your best decisions with clarity and focus.

—Alexander Imhof

It is such a great program that focuses on the inner self. I learned to recognize my ‘bad’ self (Judge and Saboteurs), ways to reduce their magnitudes, and to listen instead to my ‘good’ self (Sage). The method is not heavy on strategic insights, but instead focuses on building mental muscles through simple daily practices and weekly sharing sessions. It is hands-on exercise for my mental fitness, and I truly feel the benefit of the program!

—Aditya Rachmanto

Practices and techniques from the PQ program help upgrade my coping strategies in potentially stressful situations during the Ph.D. program.

—Dongkyu Yang

This program has been incredibly useful and has had a significantly positive effect on me. After engaging in the easy and interesting training sessions and practices, I had a profound realization that the saboteurs within me were the main source of my negative emotions. I must admit, initially, I had doubts about whether the training could genuinely help me. However, it has proven to be astonishingly helpful, exceeding my expectations.

I have noticed a considerable reduction in the frequency of self-judgment, judgment of others, and judgment of circumstances. I'm excited about the positive changes it has already brought into my life, and I'm eager to see the progress I will make as I keep working on myself.

—Pan Chen

The basic ideas and approach seem very useful and healthy. I learned a lot and started growing in some good directions hopefully. Miles and Gail are delightful guides.

—Aaron Sojourner

My experience with the Positive Intelligence program has been rather impactful in subtle, yet salient, ways. I’ve begun to notice myself being able to name what saboteurs are attempting to control my emotions, thus helping me alleviate the negative feelings they create. I also have noticed myself being able to understand the behaviors of other people more and being able to provide advice for those close to me.

—Tsering Sherpa

I've been through the 6-week Positive Intelligence program, and I can tell that it gradually transformed my life in a very good way. Now I see things that I used to believe were bad or unfortunate as gifts and opportunities. This new mindset that I'm now equipped with helps me to stick to hard things despite their difficulty and remain productive. Also, PQ reps have been very helpful in correcting my maladaptive thoughts made by my Saboteurs. Overall, I'd love to recommend this program to anyone who wants to improve his/her life but doesn't know how to do it.

—Jaeha Lee

The last six weeks have been a very illuminating experience as part of Miles and Gail's PQ program. I have learned so much about myself and am starting to see everything that happens to me as a gift and opportunity.

I highly recommend the book and program to all my economist friends and family. We waste too much time limiting ourselves. This program helps you do yourself a favor by limiting unproductive and unhappy time. Please reach out (via email, twitter, etc.) if you'd like to talk more.

—Sarah Bana

This program has been a game-changer for me, both personally and professionally. It gave me the confidence to do things I used to be afraid of, like reaching out to people and asking for help. What's cool is that it's not just about learning theories but also getting tools I can actually use in my everyday life. And now, I've got a group of friends from different life stages, and we all help each other out. It's not just learning stuff, it's about making my life better, and I really appreciate that.

—Jieqiong Jin

I participated in the program together with my wife Naewon and it was a game changer for us! It not only helped us with our individual issues but also offered a common platform where we could better communicate about deep, sensitive and extremely personal problems. I would highly recommend this program to anyone, but especially to those considering joining with significant others. It not only enriched my everyday experiences but also deepened my relationship with Naewon. For this I will forever be grateful to Miles and Gail.

—DongIk Kang

It is fascinating how simple mental exercises can affect the brain so deeply that the result is visible even on an MRI. I have learned how to deal with anxious thoughts and how to awaken my positive thinking and creativity whenever I need it. I figured out how to catch situations where my instinctive response is probably suboptimal, pause and think for a few seconds, and come up with a better solution. I learned to see the best in people, including myself. I believe that the Positive Intelligence program makes the world a better place to live, not only for the participants but also for their families, friends, and colleagues. 

—Nikolay Arefyev

Going through the 6-week Positive Intelligence program has been nothing short of revolutionary for my mental health. My productivity has improved, and I feel passion for my research I feared I'd lost. But most importantly, I am a much happier person now than I previously was, and that is truly invaluable.

—David Leather

You do not need to have been born a optimist, you can learn to become one with this training!

—Oscarine Vonk

A typical life advice is to stay positive. I always had a hard time implementing it because there was no process that I could easily follow to get to stay positive. Positive Intelligence program gave me this process. I am taking advantage of it and saving some energy from getting stuck in negative thoughts, and use this energy to pursue my dreams.

—Alina Arefeva

The 6-week program is an incredible transformation for my mindset. The Pod meeting provides community support that helps me grow with my cohorts through in-depth discussions and PQ reqs. This program is the beginning of a better version of myself with boosted positive intelligence.

—Tongyang Yang

I was initially skeptical about the program, but I'm glad I participated. Through the program, I've learned to identify and reframe negative feelings into more positive and constructive thoughts. As a hyper-achiever, I often focus excessively on final outcomes, neglecting to enjoy the process. This mindset has generated significant stress and anxiety, driving me to achieve more but in an unsustainable manner. I've struggled to find ways to motivate myself with more positive feelings. However, the pod meetings provided me with a valuable framework to move in the direction I prefer. They have reduced my stress and helped me perform better in a more enjoyable way.

—XinXin Lyu

This program has helped me be more aware of my emotions in the moment. This allows me to process the situation and transition to a frame of mind which is more in line with the outcomes I want to achieve. Many times, even responses that appear logical can be driven by deeper patterns that act as saboteurs and are unhelpful. Now, I pick up on reactionary thoughts and behaviors more quickly and intentionally activate the type of thinking that supports positive outcomes. This is a great training. Doing it with the support of Miles, Gail, and the members of my pod made all the difference in me sticking through with the practice! I have already recommended the 6-week Positive Intelligence program to friends and colleagues, and I encourage you to sign up!

—Bethel Cole-Smith

Overall, it was a great experience that allowed me to work on my mental fitness and learn some different techniques to deal with life. Too often, I focus on my physical health and neglect the equally important mental fitness. Miles and Gail were excellent discussion leaders who facilitated discussions within our group. Overall, the training and the book provide a framework for improving your mental fitness, and it gave some great tools for dealing with the negative aspects of your mind, which the class/book calls saboteurs. I recommend this 6-week training to anyone. If you are a mindfulness expert or someone who has never done any mental fitness training, you will receive some benefits. At worst, it can be seen as a “commitment device” to meet regularly and do homework regarding mental fitness and mindfulness.

—Enrique Valdes

The Positive Intelligence Program was a great opportunity for me to look back on myself. It allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of who I am and what truly matters to me. I also learned many valuable tools for managing my saboteurs through this program. I highly recommend joining the program and experiencing its life-changing impact for yourself.

—Seungmin Baek

This is a (long-ish) text of gratitude and appreciation to Miles Kimball for the Positive Intelligence (PQ) coaching.

When Miles, one of my all-time favorite economists, first told me about the PQ I thought “hell, yeah!”; I was sure something positive would come out of it; but it turned out to be much better than I imagined, enriching and dare I say “transformative”.

I have been searching spiritually in various places since a long time, in a variety of traditions, from the far east to the middle and near. It has helped me through great distress; without exaggeration, it probably saved me. All while being mindful of the risk of “spiritual materialism”, so aptly labelled by Chögyam Trungpa, a master of one of these traditions (some may know him as Pema Chödrön’s teacher).

All these traditions have a common core, and each has very useful elements to incorporate in one’s life, to have a better life (e.g. meditation, qi gong, yoga, some martial art, etc.). Loads of heterogeneity there, what works for me may not work for you.

Enter PQ and Miles’ 7-week coaching sessions together with another excellent coach, aimed at a small group (“pod”) of economists and family/friends. This has felt fresh, modern, accounting for current neuroscience and psychology research, BUT also somehow anchored and tapping into this ancestral wisdom that is the common core of all spirituality forms that at least I have encountered. There is a set of insights that feels both “true” and familiar, but here’s the thing. The truly novel thing is that insight is easy, exercise/practice is hard.

So then there are these very simple exercises, that once you have the insight you understand the role of, that bring you to the present moment, to your body, to your life in every moment. And the more you do it, the easier it gets – but you need to keep doing it.

It gives you practical tools, teaches you techniques that eventually make it easier to navigate these sometimes turbulent waters (aka "life"). There is a lot of variety: breathing, tactile, seeing, labeling sensations, tensing and releasing your muscles, etc.

The idea is that you find those exercises that work for you, where you get the highest payoff with the lowest cost (could not resist a little econ there). And you use these as weapons to fight back (smartly and compassionately) ... the Saboteurs!

Oh, the Saboteurs ... the internal enemies that you unwittingly fed over decades and prevent you from living a full life, from actually being there in your life.

“Saboteur” (how do you say it in French? Pardon my French … joke). Those of us who teach macro, when we get to labor markets & unions tell students the story of workers throwing “sabots” (wooden shoes) into machines to disrupt production, the (disputed) early 20th-century origin of “sabotage”.

Self-sabotage, raise your hand if you (don’t) do it. But in this context there is an even cooler connection.Do you know “Savate”? It also comes from “sabot” (and all its Romance language cousins zapato, zapata, sabato, sapata, ciabatta, etc.) and it is a … combat sport! Aka French *kick*boxing, Marseille harbor meets Parisian suburbs. There is something quite poetic about finding the Saboteurs who've been literally kicking your butt over a lifetime, and learning the techniques to "kick their butt" back.

That’s what PQ training gives you.

Miles does this for fellow (PhD) economists with incredible generosity, dedication, and skill. Thus making this profession (and hence a little bit the world) a better place.

—Florin Bilbiie

Interested in an enriching small group experience with other economists (+ some partners) learning about tools that help with mental health, mindfulness, communication, and relationships? Definitely sign up with @mileskimball + Bex Bassin who are leading these “pods” for free.

The source material for the pods is Chamine’s book “Positive Intelligence” and an app that facilitates practice with the concepts. Skeptical? I hear you. Chamine excitedly makes overly bold claims and discusses the tools as a part of a system of beliefs that may not fit with your own worldview (though I’d say my own worldview is very similar to his in many ways). In any case, there are tremendously useful skills to be learned from the content even if you don’t buy into Chamine’s worldview. Call them skills, tools, hacks, or whatever. I suspect that many will be useful for many people if they practice using them.

You will probably also benefit tremendously from being in a “pod” with extremely thoughtful people who are similarly interested in improving their lives. And who open up in an amazingly vulnerable and touching way because of the tone set by the awesome coaches.

You start by taking a personality assessment to gain insight into personality traits that may cause problems for you. I think of this as a “mindfulness shortcut” whereby you can use the results as a starting point instead of starting from scratch as you explore your mind.

Then you work on being aware of + taming your judge, which I think about as the lizard part of our brain that focuses on threats (amygdala). It’s waaay overactive (thanks evolution!) and causes lots of problems bc it makes us perceive threats that aren’t really a big deal.

You then work on your “saboteurs,” or other habitual behaviors that are more varied across different people. They include problems associated with being controlling, hyper-vigilant, restless, hyper-rational, and with desires to hyper-achieve, please, avoid, etc.

You then work on your “sages,” or habits that will help you to be compassionate, to see opportunities in difficult times, and to communicate effectively with others.

Throughout the program, you are encouraged to work on being present through “PQ reps” and through other exercises. This is great mindfulness practice. You are also encouraged to be compassionate towards yourself and others. Wonderful practice.

You also learn “tricks” to help you do these things, some of which may or may not work well for you. As a beginner who has been learning about mindfulness, meditation, and other (secular) Buddhist practices over the past year, the variety makes it approachable and engaging.

There are many practices that I will try hard to continue after the program concludes, even as my own worldview differs somewhat from the one described in the program. I have also benefited *tremendously* from getting to know Coach Miles, Coach Bex, and my awesome podmates. 

—Jason Lindo

I am reaching out to express my sincere gratitude for the recently completed 6-week Positive Intelligence course. The experience was truly life-changing, and I wanted to share some of the positive outcomes and key learnings I gained during the program.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the well-organized course content and the engaging activities included. The combination of theoretical understanding and practical application allowed me to delve deeper into the concepts of positive intelligence while experiencing their real-world benefits.

One of the most significant takeaways from the program was learning to recognize and manage my Saboteurs. This understanding has greatly impacted my mental well-being and resilience.

Moreover, the introduction of Sage powers has revolutionized my approach to decision-making and problem-solving. Harnessing my Sage capabilities has made me more resourceful, compassionate, and innovative, leading to heightened productivity and work satisfaction.

A notable aspect of the program was the daily mindfulness exercises. Incorporating these practices into my daily life has allowed me to be more focused and attentive, reducing stress and improving my overall well-being.

Lastly, I would like to express my thankfulness for your guidance and support throughout the course. Your expertise and enthusiasm for positive intelligence were truly motivational, and your skill in fostering a safe and supportive learning environment made the experience even more rewarding.

In summary, the 6-week Positive Intelligence course has left a lasting impact on my life, and I am eager to continue utilizing the strategies and techniques I have acquired.

Thank you once again for offering such a meaningful experience. I will definitely recommend more people to get involved in it.

—Yaxuan Liu

Finally, Matt Burgess, Scott Cunningham and Tyler Ransom offer testimonials on Twitter:

Matt Burgess:

• https://twitter.com/matthewgburgess/status/1331375758548332551

Scott Cunningham:

• https://twitter.com/causalinf/status/1305473302308237312

• https://twitter.com/causalinf/status/1331252065704808449

• https://twitter.com/causalinf/status/1370764438094106635

Tyler Ransom:

• https://twitter.com/tyleransom/status/1514716752273240064

If you are intrigued, check out my post:

• How Economists Can Enhance Their Scientific Creativity, Engagement and Impact

I also have a blog series on related topics. The latest of those posts, which has links to all of the earlier posts in the series is:

• Being Less Controlling by Softening Attachment