Shandy Welch joins me again for a deep dive into Positive Intelligence, a framework that helps leaders better understand the internal habits that shape how we show up. If you’ve ever been told you're “too intense,” “too nice,” or “not present enough,” this one’s for you. Shandy walks us through how Positive Intelligence helps uncover the saboteurs (those mental habits that sabotage our impact) and how to shift into our sage powers instead.

We explore how this shows up in healthcare, especially with common patterns like the pleaser, avoider, and hyper-achiever. Shandy shares powerful personal stories, including how she learned the hard way that leading people the way she wanted to be led wasn’t working and what changed when she started asking her team what support looked like for them.

We talk about judgment (of self, others, and circumstances), how our survival brain hijacks our best intentions, and what to do about it. Shandy introduces the concept of “PQ reps”, short, practical exercises to shift from reactivity to intentional action, and how they’ve transformed her own leadership.

We close with the five sage powers: empathize, explore, innovate, navigate, and activate—and how to bring more of those into our day-to-day decisions.

If you're serious about self-awareness, reducing stress, and showing up better for your people, this episode gives you a roadmap. And it starts with one simple question: what’s really driving your reaction?

Get in touch with Shandy here.

Check out more episodes here.

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