Spiritual Intelligence for the Non-Spiritual

Clients often tell me they’re intrigued by spiritual intelligence, but still hesitant. They worry that because they don’t consider themselves spiritual, SI might not “work” for them. They ask: can being spiritual and practical truly go hand-in-hand?

I’m always delighted to share that some of the leaders I’ve coached—CEOs running billion-dollar companies—don’t identify as spiritual or religious at all. Yet, every single day, they’re using spiritual intelligence to summon clarity, courage, and purpose.

Spiritual Intelligence (SI) is the ability to apply and embody spiritual qualities and resources to enhance our daily lives and well-being. SI is different than IQ and EQ, though it is no less accessible for non-believers.

If you’re someone who’s skeptical, this post is for you. You don’t need a belief system to benefit from SI. You just need a desire to live your life with deeper meaning, greater authenticity, and stronger alignment with the truth.

From Skepticism to Self-Discovery

I once had a client we’ll call Kevin. Kevin was an engineer and an atheist through and through—extremely skeptical of anything spiritual. When we began our work together, he had just lost his wife and was struggling to take care of their two teenage children. Every morning he would fight to get himself out of bed and to stop hitting the “snooze” button.

Though hesitant at first, Kevin agreed to try an exercise where we compared how his body responded to two simple phrases describing his morning experience: “I want to sleep in” and “I want comfort.” Immediately after expressing his need for comfort, he began to tear up. We explored further, conducting an exercise where he extended compassion to his teenage self—embracing a younger self (who felt just as alone while his mom was battling cancer). After our session, Kevin said he felt the “flow of love” between him and his younger self, almost like a “warm glow” was permeating his chest, a connection that extended to myself as well.

If you’re a skeptic like Kevin, you might chalk those sensations up to brain chemistry or declare this all the placebo effect. But, whether the connections were spiritual, psychological, or purely neurological, their impact was real.

Of course, Kevin still identifies as an atheist. It isn’t as if he walked out of these sessions a sudden believer in a higher power, nor should he have to. Wherever they came from, the connections he experienced when connecting to his heart’s longing didn’t need to be divine to be meaningful. They could exist simply between him and me, or even within his own body. This act of vulnerable self-care, reflecting the SI qualities openness and compassion, resourced Kevin throughout our session and beyond, helping him recover his motivation.

What the Research Says

I’m not the first to study spiritual intelligence—pioneers like Danah Zohar began laying the groundwork back in the 1990s.[i] Further follow-on studies by researchers from all over the world[ii],[iii] have continued to confirm SI's contribution in many domains, including job and work satisfaction,[iv],[v], quality of life,[vi] resilience,[vii] mental health,[viii] and individual[ix] and organizational[x],[xi] productivity, to name a few.

As part of my Ph.D. research, I interviewed over 70 spiritual leaders from across the world’s spiritual and wisdom traditions. Distilling these conversations, I identified twenty-two qualities grouped into five domains: the foundation of my spiritual intelligence framework.

1. Meaning: This domain is about purpose and service—how we derive significance from our daily activities and interactions.
2. Grace: Grace is about infusing our days with beauty, joy, and gratitude, and living on a foundation of trust, even amidst life’s irritations, difficulties or even tragedies.
3. Truth: Truth is our commitment to seeking and understanding what is real and meaningful, prioritizing what is right over the need to prove ourselves right.
4. Consciousness and Wisdom: This domain focuses on self-knowledge cultivated through intuition, dreams, and inquiry.
5. Transcendence: Transcendence is about recognizing our interconnectedness—understanding that each of us is a unique cell within a larger organism, a distinct identity but not independent of the totality.

This might sound somewhat familiar for anyone who’s come across positive psychology’s “values in action inventory” (I’ll add, over half of the 22 capacities overlap with the 24 “values in action character strengths inventory”).[xii] But, on a broader scale, a throughline of these SI qualities is a deep connection to our essence—a.k.a. our spirit, or simply the energy of life. The word “spirit” comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning the “animating breath” or “life force.” This highlights how these qualities naturally emerge when we are rooted in the essence of who we are.

The Next Frontier

Spiritual intelligence is quietly surfacing[xiii] as the next frontier in the conversation around human intelligence—not as a trend, but as a scientifically validated, practical tool for deeper fulfillment and personal growth. And getting started is easy! Simply set your intention, select a capacity, and develop it for a month. That could mean adopting an “attitude of gratitude” or doing the work to find your purpose.

Spirituality Essential Reads

The Benefits of Religiously Integrated Psychotherapy

Does Your Life Align With Your Values?

SI supports us in living with depth and authenticity. No gurus, no dogmas, no initiation rites. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to tune in—not just to the person you’ll become, but to the inner treasures you’ll discover on your journey along the way.