Shows / Grow the Good
Grow the Good
Grow the Good, formerly The Sonya Looney Show, is your guide to continual personal growth, meaningful connections, and positive impact in the world. Challenge the idea that you are broken or need fixing. Instead, discover how to cultivate the good that already exists within you and amplify the strengths and potential you may not yet realize you have. Grounded in the science of positive psychology and guided by the pillars of purpose, vitality, resilience, hope, and connection, each episode is…
Episodes
Grow the Good6 Things I've Learned from 5 Years of Podcasting
Wow, I can't believe I've had the privilege of doing this podcast for 5 years! Today is the 300th episode! Initially, I was going to do a mash-up of my…
Grow the GoodHow to Be Honest with Yourself to Get Unstuck with Britt Frank
Britt Frank - therapist, teacher, speaker, and trauma specialist - focuses her work on helping others who feel stuck. Her life’s work developed out of a…
Grow the GoodWhat to Do if You're Struggling
Sometimes life can feel hard and overwhelming. Big life changes often cause discomfort and stress, but out of it comes growth. Growth is something most of us…
Grow the GoodClosing the Gender Gap in Sports Research with Emily Kraus, MD and Megan Roche, MD
This week’s podcast features a discussion with Stanford Female Athlete Science And Translational Research (FASTR) Program Director Dr. Emily Kraus and Lead…
Grow the GoodThe World's Toughest Running Feats Fueled by Veganism with 4x Guinness Book of World Records Holder Fiona Oakes
Fiona Oakes is an elite marathon runner, who has completed over 100 marathons and finished in the top 20 in two of the world’s Major Marathon series, winning…
Grow the GoodThe Keys to Transformation with Bob Doyle
Bob Doyle is a law of attraction expert and coach. The law of attraction is a belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences…
Grow the GoodA Life-Threatening Fall and the Resilience of Trail Runner Hillary Allen
In 2017, Hillary Allen experienced a life threatening accident that had the potential to completely derail her career as an endurance athlete. She fell 150…
Grow the GoodThe Importance of Small Wins
Small wins are possibly one of the most important aspects of progress, motivation, and confidence in our lives that are overlooked. The reality is that they…
Grow the GoodIron Cowboy James Lawrence: What It Takes to Do 101 Iron-Distance Triathlons in Consecutive Days
James Lawrence, also known as the Iron Cowboy, is a mindset and fitness coach, best known for testing his mental and physical limits. In 2021, James set out to…
Grow the GoodThe Mindfulness of Cycling with Olympian Haley Smith
Cycling has been a lifeline for Haley Smith. Haley, a top professional cyclist, competed in the cross-country event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning the…
Grow the GoodHealthy Striving and Psychological Flexibility with Dr. Diana Hill
Dr. Diana Hill focuses on ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - and specializes in evidence-based and compassion-focused approaches. Diana started as a…
Grow the GoodUnderstanding Impostor Syndrome and How to Deal with It
Impostor Syndrome - you've heard of it. You've probably felt it. It happens when we discount our ability in a certain area or areas, despite obvious evidence…
Grow the GoodThe Four Tendencies with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin has a knack for taking a huge amount of information and making it clear and relatable for the masses. Her focus is happiness and human nature…
Grow the GoodLifestyle Medicine and Cardiovascular Health with Dr. Brian Asbill
Brian Asbill, MD, board certified in Cardiovascular Diseases and Clinical Lipidology, had a career defining moment back in 2013 (he’ll talk about this during…
Grow the GoodThe Role of Anger in Fierce Self-Compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff
Today, you'll learn the difference between fierce self-compassion and tender self-compassion. In 2017, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Kristin Neff…
Grow the GoodHaving Courage, Marital Satisfaction, and Parenting a Toddler with My Husband and I
Our family made a lot of changes in the last year to our lives. We moved to an entirely new town, bought a house, changed our work environment, got pregnant…
Grow the GoodData-Driven Parenting with Emily Oster
Emily Oster tells it like it is. The Professor of Economics at Brown University is known for her books that take a data-driven approach to pregnancy and…
Grow the GoodVegan Health with VeganProtein's Dani and Giacomo
Dani Taylor and Giacomo are vegan bodybuilders. Sounds a little bit like an oxymoron, right? But these two married athletes are amazing examples for how you…
Grow the GoodHow To Create Lasting Change with Behavioral Scientist Katy Milkman
In this week’s podcast, Sonya sat down with Katy Milkman, a professor at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as Penn’s…
Grow the GoodHow to Overcome Excuses and Have More Follow Through
Excuses can show up in several forms, especially when it comes to following through with goals and commitments. The biggest excuse often comes in the form of…
Grow the GoodThe Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting
We all have ideas of what we want our life to look like. It could be something like weight loss, improving speed on the bike or running, or even cooking more…
Grow the GoodThe Tao of Sport with Olympic Gold Medalist Duff Gibson
Imagine rocketing head and face-first down a frozen track around 80 miles per hour with the rapidly moving ground just inches from your face. Well, that sport…
Grow the GoodCass Warbeck: Plant-Based Muay Thai Champion to Medical Student
Muay Thai is a martial art and combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques, and being plant-based has been a gamechanger…
Grow the GoodIt's Never Too Late to Start with 51-Year-Old Ultrarunner Ian Morgan
"It's too late for me. I'm too old to start." Have you ever used these excuses are barriers? Meet Ian Morgan, an ultrarunner who is crushing it in his 50s. And…
Grow the GoodAre You Placing Happiness in the Future and Wishing Time Away?
Have you ever noticed that when you get close to the end of something hard, you wish you were at the finish line? I notice this feeling the most in a mountain…
Grow the GoodAuthenticity and Managing Pressure with Pro Cyclist Sarah Sturm
Sarah Sturm is a cyclist who can't be grouped into a specific category of cycling. Although you might know her bright smile and speedy results from gravel, she…
Grow the GoodHow to Stay Grounded while Striving for More with Brad Stulberg
Most of us try to balance the act of doing and the feeling of being in our lives. We ask ourselves questions like, "How can I work hard and have success…
Grow the GoodHow Getting Plant-Curious Changes Lives with Planted Expo's Stevan Mirkovich
Sonya has been committed to a plant-based diet for almost a decade. Her interest in and passion for the benefits of plant-based eating has led her to connect…
Grow the GoodAll About My Second Pregnancy at 20 Weeks
This week, Sonya gets personal and talks about all the details of her second pregnancy. She shares her experience from the first 20 weeks and some of the…
Grow the GoodMotivation and Inspiration with Runner and Podcast Host Lindsey Hein
After first connecting on Twitter, Sonya was interviewed on Lindsey Hein’s podcast “I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein,” where she talks with motivating and…
Grow the GoodHow to Build Confidence and Self-Belief with Dre Baldwin
Dre Baldwin went from playing NCAA D3 basketball to a nine-year basketball pro. His path to the highest level fo the sport required a level of discipline and…
Grow the GoodRefuting The Motherhood Penalty with &Mother's Molly Dickens
It IS possible to thrive in motherhood and your career! This is the message that Molly Dickens, co-founder of &Mother actively promotes. &Mother’s vision is a…
Grow the GoodThe Key to Peak Performance
I've spent well over a decade focusing on peak performance- both athletically in my quest to become one of the world's best endurance mountain bikers, but also…
Grow the GoodGet Your Sports Nutrition Dialed + Biomarkers with Stevie Lyn Smith, RD
As an endurance athlete, nutrition is a critical piece of success. In this week’s podcast, Sonya sat down with Stevie Lyn Smith, a Registered Dietitian and…
Grow the GoodTackling Enjoyment Over Achievement with Tina Muir
What happens when you start running for fun instead of a finish line? In this week’s podcast, Sonya sat down with Tina Muir, CEO of Running for Real, an…
Grow the GoodGetting Vulnerable with Mindset Coach Polly Bateman
Mindset and performance coach Polly Bateman works with clients to recognize negative patterns in behavior and barriers they reinforce for themselves. By…
Grow the GoodBecoming a New Mom and Mountain Bike Racing with Catharine Pendrel
Catharine Pendrel, a three-time Olympian and 2016 Bronze medalist mountain biker, became a new mom this year. In this episode, Sonya and Catharine discuss…
Grow the GoodUsing Stress as Positive Fuel for Your Mind and Body
How do you feel in your body when you hear the word stress? I'll give you a second to tune in. We spend so much time trying to avoid stress, but what would…
Grow the GoodHow to Stay Safe During Outdoor Adventures with AdventureSmart's Executive Director Sandra Riches
Experiencing the outdoors in Canada is a must. The gorgeous landscape is prime for all kinds of outdoor activities. But the terrain can be tricky, so It’s…
Grow the GoodSubtracting with Professor Leidy Klotz
Leidy Klotz is a professor at the University of Virginia, studying how we transform things from how they are to how we want them to be. He co-founded and…
Grow the GoodLifestyle Medicine with Endurance Athlete and Physician Dr. Melissa Sundermann
Have you heard of Lifestyle Medicine before? Lifestyle Medicine focuses on chronic disease prevention and possibly chronic disease reversal - things like high…
Grow the Good6 Ways to Overcome Negative Thoughts by Identifying the Negativity Bias
Picture this- you just gave a presentation on a topic you're proud of... the hours of preparation and practice that went into creating the presentation, the…
Grow the GoodHow to Up Your Game and Training Plan with Sufferfest Coach Neal Henderson
Neal Henderson doesn’t believe FTP-based workouts are enough to train effectively. So what should you do instead? Coach Neal relies on 4-D Power. Want to learn…
Grow the GoodPlant-Based Nutrition and 8020 Plants with CEO Matt Tullman
We’re big fans of NoMeatAthlete on this show. Sonya recently had the chance to interview No Meat Athlete Founder Matt Frazier (you can listen here) and this…
Grow the GoodMaximizing Opportunity in Any Situation with Olympian and WorldTour Cyclist Leah Kirchmann
How do you prepare for an Olympics thats already been postponed and still surrounded with so much uncertainty? Sonya and Leah tackle that, as well as Leah's…
Grow the GoodThe Importance of Self-Talk with Ethan Kross, PhD
On this episode of the Sonya Looney Show, Ethan Kross, one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind, best-selling author and a…
Grow the GoodThe Power of Picking Yourself
No one picked me to become a professional mountain biker or to start a podcast. No one picked me to become a speaker where I've been on stages for…
Grow the GoodEliot Jackson Talks Cycling Career and the Grow Cycling Foundation
Eliot Jackson is a former Motocross rider and World Cup Downhill bike racer and is now a presenter for Red Bull TV and an entrepreneur. He is a published…
Grow the GoodTalking Plant-Based Diets with Matt Frazier
Can you be plant-based and an elite athlete? Matt Frazier says absolutely yes. Matt, a vegan ultra marathoner, author, and entrepreneur is a plant-based diet…
Grow the GoodWhy You Can't Think Your Way Out of Anxiety with Dr. Jud Brewer
Are you trying to create a good habit or break a bad one? That’s Dr. Jud Brewer’s speciality. Dr. Jud (MD, PhD) has over 20 years of experience with…
Grow the GoodTracking Goals is Important, but Be Careful What You Measure
We all have ideas of what we want our life to look like. It could be something like weight loss, improving speed on the bike or running, or even cooking more…
Grow the GoodGet Laser Focused with Charles Clay
Do you ever feel like you are losing focus and can’t find the energy to do what needs to be done? Charles Clay is a published author, dynamic speaker, men’s…
Grow the GoodPlant-Based Juniors with Alex Caspero and Whitney English
Wondering how to feed your toddler or baby a plant-based diet or if it's even safe? What about how you communicate around the relationship we have with food?…
Grow the GoodWhat I Learned From 4 Years of Podcasting
Podcasting is About Loving the Process You can't control the outcome of the podcast. It's well within my grasp to become the best interviewer I can be, do…
Grow the GoodFemale Mountain Bikers Changing Their Cultural Paradigms with World-Ride
In North America, you probably see female mountain bikers and think nothing of it. But what if you were in Iran where a woman's virtue is at stake if she is…
Grow the GoodThe Plant-Based Athlete with Robert Cheeke
Robert Cheeke is 220 pounds of pure muscle. As a vegan bodybuilder, author of x books, and motivational speaker, he has impacted many lives. He went vegan in…
Grow the GoodDean Karnazes: Discipline, Commitment, and Being Present
Dean Karnazes, aka the UltraMarathonMan, is an extraordinary human. If you have ever followed ultrarunning, no doubt you've heard of some of his adventures…
Grow the GoodEmpowering Female Athletes of All Ages with Sara Gross of Live Feisty
Empowering female athletes and creating media around female heroes is the first step to bringing more women into sport. Sara Gross is a two-time Ironman…
Grow the GoodKyle Warner: How Mountain Biking Changed His Life
Kyle Warner is an incredible mountain biker, down-to-earth, and an amazing mountain bike coach on his YouTube Channel with his girlfriend, April Zastrow. You…
Grow the GoodMindset for Athletes: My Interview on The Consummate Athlete
Mindset for athletes is one of the secret weapons that separate good from great performers. Most people don’t realize that you can actually train your mind…