Client: Sanne Meysen,
Program: Positive Intelligence (PQ)®
The Challenge: Knowing something was holding her back
When Sanne first came to the Positive Intelligence (PQ)® Program, she couldn't quite put a name to what was getting in her way. But she knew something was.
Sanne had been made redundant a year earlier and had spent months applying for new roles. Alongside her job search, she had started to focus on her professional development, and she began to suspect that some of the same patterns affecting her job applications were also showing up in how she related to people more generally.
She wanted to understand:
How those patterns had held her back in the past
How she wanted to show up in future, in her professional relationships and at home
How to stop waking at 3 o'clock in the morning, going over everything she could have done better
"I knew there were things that were stopping me from being the best version of myself."
The Approach: Building mental fitness alongside a brand‑new role
Then, just as the program was about to begin, Sanne was offered a new job. Suddenly the plentiful time she'd expected to have was gone, and she wondered whether she'd have the mental capacity to take on the course while being bombarded with everything that comes with being a new starter.
She decided to go ahead, and to treat it as a real‑world test: lots of new relationships, lots to learn, and the perfect setting to put a growth mindset into practice.
Key elements that made the difference:
Understanding her saboteurs
Like every participant, Sanne began with the Saboteur Assessment. It made her far more mindful of the inner voices telling her she wasn't good enough or wasn't learning fast enough, and of just how much havoc they were playing in her life.Small daily practices that quickly became habit
Sanne booked everything into her diary, completing each week's module early on a Friday morning before work and fitting the short daily sessions into spare moments. Within about two weeks, she stopped noticing she was making time for it at all.
"I would be doing my PQ reps almost without thinking about doing them... It wasn't at all interfering with the actual day job."
Going deeper than imposter syndrome
Sanne expected the program to tackle her imposter syndrome. What surprised her was how it broke that down into its different parts, so she could address what was really sitting underneath it.
"It feels much more like I'm banishing it rather than putting a sticky plaster on it."
Support from a group of very different people
Through the weekly Monday check‑ins and the group's WhatsApp chat, Sanne and her fellow participants shared what they were struggling with and what they were celebrating. The fact that everyone was so different turned out to be one of the program's biggest strengths.
"Even if I tried, I probably couldn't have found three other people who were more fundamentally different from myself, and that added so much dimension to our sessions. Everybody was going through the same, but still experiencing it very differently, and we all had different takeaways."
A calmer response to other people
Sanne now recognises in others the behaviour patterns she used to show herself, and finds it much easier to let go of the things she can't control.
"You can't change external things. So I move on."
The Results: A more relaxed, more confident Sanne
Sanne came away from the Positive Intelligence (PQ)® Program:
More relaxed and confident in how she shows up at work
Better able to trust herself and park the self‑doubt that affects new starters and seasoned professionals alike
Reflecting on the good she does each day, rather than dwelling on the "28 mistakes" she might have made
Equipped with a lasting toolkit she can return to whenever she's pushed out of her comfort zone
"I've been more relaxed about how I show up, but I have then subsequently also shown up in a much more powerful way. So a more relaxed, a more confident Sanne really, that's been the output."
The formal program may have ended, but Sanne still makes time for her PQ reps and regularly revisits the modules. When she recently faced a big face‑to‑face assessment, going back over what she'd learned was part of her preparation.
"I feel it's leaving me with a framework, a really well‑stocked kit bag that I can tap into when life gets a little bit difficult, or if I'm facing things that massively push me out of my comfort zone."
Her advice to anyone considering the program is simple:
"Absolutely, do it. It's just been such a gift. I knew I had very well‑developed imposter syndrome, but there was so much underneath that I didn't know about. This digs so much deeper and so much wider... It brought much more than I dared hope for."
"I think anyone would get a lot out of doing this course. It brings so much self‑development and so much goodness."
Want to strengthen your own mental fitness?
How would it feel to quieten your inner critic, trust yourself more and meet challenges with calm clarity rather than 3am worry? That's what the Positive Intelligence (PQ)® Program is built for. Through short daily practices, weekly modules and the support of a small group, you'll build habits that last well beyond the seven weeks. Click to find out more, or take the free Saboteur Assessment to see which saboteurs are holding you back.