The Sonya Looney Show

Joanna Zeiger has accomplished a lot so far in her life.  She's an Olympian, World Champion Triathlete in the 70.3 discipline, has her Phd, and is the author of the book The Champion Mindset: An Athletes Guide to Mental Toughness.  Her athletic career alone is pretty impressive - she raced as a professional triathlete from 1998-2010. She placed 4th in the triathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Through her company, Race Ready Coaching, Joanna trains endurance athletes to reach their personal best and instills in them the importance of having fun even when they are training hard. She also offers mental skills training individually and through her Champion Mindset course on trainingpeaks.com linked in the shownotes. Topics Discussed in the Podcast  defining mental toughness components of mental toughness and the Sisu Quiz how to improve your self-esteem the right way to approach goal-setting using both positive and negative visualization how to get more c

Katie Arnold has taken "a million steps on a crooked path" to get her to here.  She is the 2018 Leadville 100 Trail Running Champion at 46 years old and is the author of the incredible book and memoir, Running Home.  She is also a contributing editor and former managing editor at Outside Magazine. She is the creator of a monthly column for Outside called “Raising Rippers” and it's all about raising adventurous kids.  Katie's foray into ultra-running didn't happen until her 40s.  In fact, her first marathon was "by accident" while interviewing Dean Karnazes for an Outside Magazine article. She ran next to him with her audio recorder as she interviewed him.  Not only is Katie now an elite ultra-runner, but she has many accolades including Leadville 100, 2018 Jemez Mountains 50 Mile, 2014 TransRockies 3-Day Trail Run, Jemez Mountains 50K, the Mount Taylor 50K. She has also won the Angel Fire 100k twice and set the course record. Her writing extends past her book and Outside Mag

I'm really excited about today's guest, David Roche. I feel like he is a kindred spirit, especially after reading his awesome book, the Happy Runner that he co-authored with his wife (who is also an incredible human), Megan Roche.  Author is just one of the hats that David wears.  He started his own coaching company in 2013 called SWAP - Some Work, All Play where he and Megan coach some of the top trail runners and obstacle course athletes in the world.  Their coaching speaks for itself with over 17 US National Championships won, athlete appearances on Team USA 14 Times, Spartan World Champions, and more.   David is also well accomplished as a runner as a two-time national champion, a three-time member of Team USA, and was Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year in 2014.  He also is a writer for Trail Runner Magazine.  If that's not enough, he is also a former lawyer.  David and Megan's book really resonated with me because it's about being a happy athlete. We talked about important topic

Since 1992, Joline Godfrey has been a pioneer in the movement to increase financial intelligence among young people. Developer of a unique developmental approach to financial education, Godfrey's introduction of the financial apprenticeship stage of life has given parents and community leaders revolutionary tools for becoming better money mentors for kids. My husband, Matt is the CEO of Latitude Financial and is ranked in the top 1% in the world of financial planners so I wanted to include him!  Sign up for my newsletter for notifications of new episodes!  Topics Discussed in the Podcast  Background as clinic social worker and how she got into the financial industry Her work with female entrepreneurs and talking about money with girls How female entrepreneurship evolved Raising Financially Fit Kids Books Defining Human Capital Currency of self-worth and success isn't just a dollar value What age to start talking to kids about money When to start revealing your assets/salary to your kids Different

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about an interesting story and experience I had. Check out the previous episode about The Four Agreements. https://www.sonyalooney.com/the-four-agreements/ Give Back to the Show   Listen Now \    --------------The Sonya Looney Show is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

You guys wrote to us with questions and we answered!  In fact, we had so many requests we recorded a 2-part series of your Plant-Based FAQs.  Excited to share with you and please reach out if you have any questions!  Topics Discussed in the Podcast  How often you should be eating Where to find recipes and meal planning Caloric Intake for Athletes How to stay motivated Change overnight or change gradually? How to make cooking easier Is Beyond Meat healthy? Difference between vegan and plant-based Can you get all essential amino acids plant-based? What about complete proteins? How to get enough protein without eating soy, gluten, or beans? What are phytates and are they bad? Vegan pregnancy Vegan preganancy notes: 1.8x more iron than non-vegetarians. <45 mg and vegans get the same or higher than vegetarians. 25g more roughly per person protein 50% more iron (32mg ). You absorb iron better, especially during pregnancy DHA from micro algae Iodine Vit B12 Vit D Folic acid- in prenatal but also in most food

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about imposter syndrome. I'm sure most of you have heard this term before, but let's define it.  It's characterized by internally refusing to believe you are as good, accomplished, competent, or capable as others perceive you to be.  Basically, you feel like you're a fraud or that you just got lucky to get to be where you're at.  You won by accident or you were promoted by luck.  People with imposter syndrome tend to overwork themselves to ensure they are keeping up and have feelings of inferiority, even when others consider them experts.  What is dangerous about this way of thinking is that you are afraid to step off the hectic treadmill of hard work because you're afraid everything will fall apart.  People with imposter syndrome have a difficult time celebrating their success or acce

You guys wrote us with questions and we answered!  In fact, we had so many requests we recorded a 2-part series of your Plant-Based FAQs.  Excited to share with you and please reach out if you have any questions!  Topics Discussed in the Podcast  Quick stories of how we changed our diets How to lose weight How much protein do you need Sources of protein Is soy bad for you? What to eat on a bike ride How can it help autoimmune disorders Iron sources and how much iron you need how to absorb more iron overcoming social pressures of eating plant-based how eating plant-based helps your performance as an athlete List of some of the foods we mentioned: Protein Sources: -nuts & nut butters -blend soft or silken tofu into your smoothie hummus use soymilk instead of other milks All have 15g  of protein: w/iron, zinc, and folate 1 cup black beans, chickpeas, edamame, 3/4c lentils, ½c peanuts, 1/4c peanut butter, 1/2c tempeh, 1/3c tofu, 1/2c almonds, 6T pumpkin seeds (also high in leucine), 1/2c sunflower seeds,

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about will power. What is willpower?  It's another word for self-control.  How many times have you blamed lack of willpower for failing to change a habit?  Don't worry, it's natural and all of us do it.  There's a reason why x% of New Year's Resolutions fail and why it's so hard to make habits stick.  We say "I won't do this thing anymore" or "I will do this other thing every day." We stick to it for a while, and then the wheels fall off.  It's not that our intention isn't there- we truly want to do those things.  So why can't we stick to it? It turns out relying on willpower alone does not work.  The topic of willpower has been a focus of numerous scientific studies over the last several years.  Are there areas of the brain responsible for willp

Alison Tetrick is a force to be reckoned with.  A cowgirl at heart (literally, she grew up riding horses on a cattle ranch), Alison's attitude, work ethic in all areas of her life, and commitment to excellence makes her stand out.  She has a very impressive list of accolades in cycling including a Bronze Medal at Road TTT World Champs, multiple Sea Otter wins, has raced the Giro de Rosa and more recently, has made a name for herself in the gravel world with 1 win and 2 podium finishes at Dirty Kanza.  Alison loves to ride her bike and it shows with the ultra-endurance gravel events!  Not only is Alison an incredible athlete (and need I mention she played NCAA tennis and won the first half ironman she entered), but she has quite the academic resume.   She has a BS in Biochemistry, a nutrition degree, and an MS in Clinical Psychology. But things haven't always been easy for Alison. In 2010, she suffered a traumatic crash in a road race, shattering her pelvis and incurring a severe Traumatic Brain Inju

Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a mental success coach and cutting-edge leadership consultant, author, trainer, and researcher. He helps improve organizations, leaders, teams, and employees by improving their mindsets and mindfulness. Ryan holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University and is a leadership and management professor at the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton (CSUF). Dr. Gottfredson commonly asks, "what is the mindset that is important for success?"  Many people answer, "a positive mindset."  While a positive mindset is correct, it leaves little descriptive information or ways to improve.  He has identified 4 key elements of what creates a success mindset to help you as an individual and help how you and others work in a team or even in relationships.  We'll get into growth vs. fixed, open vs. closed, prevention vs promotion mindset, and outward vs inward mindset.  If you're curious where

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about confidence and how it relates to self-acceptance. Be honest, how often do you beat yourself up?  Are you hard on yourself and critical?  While self-criticism can be productive (similar to receiving constructive criticism from someone), most of us overdo it and it becomes detrimental.  We reject ourselves. Psychology research says that one reason some individuals are more self-critical than others is due to how criticized they were by their parents. We actually have no self-regard before the age of 8, and if we were criticized a lot growing up then we tend to be more critical of ourselves as adults. While understanding your past and tendencies is important, I don't believe in blaming the past or blaming our parents because as adults, we are able to take responsibility for ourselves and have the power to w

Cyclists aren't the only riders out there!  In fact, I was excited to receive an email from one of our fellow podcast listeners and it wasn't what I was expecting!  The email was from Professional Equestrian, Emily Hamel.  She sent me a photo of her wearing of the Moxy & Grit jerseys on her horse!  If you're not familiar with Moxy & Grit, it's my apparel brand and we still have jerseys and socks at moxyandgrit.com  I also learned she was a fellow vegan, that she loved sports psychology and mindset which was what brought her to listen to the show in the first place, and she is a badass!  She is a professional rider in 3 Day Eventing (basically a horse triathlon) and currently is the head rider for Phillip Dutton who has won 2 Olympic team golds and an individual bronze.  She goes over huge jumps with her horse and trains them herself. She also has her own podcast called The Whole Equestrian that is a wellness podcast for equestrians covering topics like mindset, fitness, nutrition,

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about a book I love by Don Miguel Ruiz called The Four Agreements.  First off, I want to thank our podcast sponsor, Osea Malibu. Don Miguel tells us about ancient Toltec wisdom. 1. Be Impeccable with Your Word Do the things you say you are going to do and be thoughtful about how talk to and about people.  Your word and your integrity are the most valuable thing you have to offer.  This agreement also includes avoiding gossiping, lying, and making false promises.  Our words are incredibly powerful- not only the words we say to others, but the words we say to ourselves.  Saying bad things about people actually reflects poorly on you.  Your judgment of others is really a mirror of your own self-criticism. It feels gross to lie, gossip, or say negative things.  Negativity also spreads like wildfire, so how you talk ca

Elizabeth Benton is the author of her book, Chasing Cupcakes and coach for her company Primal Potential.  Her story is inspiring- she was depressed, deeply in debt, and obese. She would binge on junk food every time she put gas in her car, but was working as a nutrition expert.  She felt like a fraud and a failure. Desperate to start truly living her life, she decided to believe in her potential rather than her past. She lost 150 pounds and paid off $130,000. Today, Elizabeth is the owner of Primal Potential. Through her platform of podcasts, coaching, and live events, she has fueled her deepest struggles into a burning passion to help people create transformations and live more fulfilled lives. She believes that transformation is possible, and her actions show it!  This show is a lot about changing the way we talk to ourselves.  We talked about how she got out of her rut and pointed herself in a sustainable direction to achieve her goals.  There's a lot of inspiring messages in this podcast and I think

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about food guilt. When I started organizing my thoughts for this podcast, I thought it would be quick and easy.  Boy was I wrong!  I have my own thoughts on food guilt, but I like to do research and there are tons of articles out there on this subject.  The question I could not find the answer to is where food guilt comes from? How many of you have eaten something and felt guilty about it?  I thought that everyone has food guilt, but I realized that some people actually do not feel guilty about eating.  One of my biggest guilt triggers is around alcohol. I noticed that if I cut way back on drinking, then I don't feel guilty in the morning about it.  But if I'm drinking several times a week, my first thought in the morning is self-flagellation around drinking.  Another guilt-trigger for me is around eating

If you aren't familiar with the triathlon world, I'm excited to introduce you to our podcast guest, Mirinda "Rinny" Carfrae.  Rinny is pretty amazing. For starters, she is 3x Ironman World Champion and has been on the podium at 6/7 Ironman Worlds she has done!  She has also been World Champion at the half-ironman.  distance.  The Australian currently lives in Boulder, CO.  Standing at 5'3" tall, her first love in sports was actually basketball and she played for 11 years starting at the age of 7.  She was introduced to triathlon in college with running as her primary strength.  I think Rinny is inspiring for a number of reasons.  She is someone who thrives under pressure.  She has an incredible work ethic.  On top of her busy career, she took a short period of time off to have a baby and continued her career after her baby was born.  She said her short sabbatical was something she was ready for and the break from racing was a nice change of pace.  If you follow her on social medi

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about the meaning of competition. It's normal to be intimidated by competition or your competitors.   Competition is a measuring stick for comparison on a given day.  Competition has many contexts; athletic, business, contests to inspire action, and even simply just competition for attention.  Competition and comparison can be positive, but it can also be a slippery slope because while it can have positive benefits, it can also harm your confidence and cause anxiety without the right outlook.  I'll use athletic competition as an example in this podcast because it's what we are most familiar with. All of us who have ever worn a timing chip, a number plate, or had our name on a team roster have felt the exhilaration, nerves, excitement, and even anxiety about our performance.  We look at start lists to

This is an interesting story of how a young girl was frustrated by a tumultuous relationship with her mother and learned about self-awareness and personal development through her father's advice.  The inputs we have while we are young always have an impression on our adult lives.  The young girl's father was her mentor, telling her that she will never change her mother, but she could change her own perspective.  He told his 14 year-old daughter,  "Whenever you feel upset and frustrated, remember that the only thing you can control is what you focus on and what you think about. See this as a opportunity to train and strengthen your mind."  The young girl's name is Mo Seetubim, and out of her frustrations, she learned how to be happier.  Initially, she was a blogger, writing about different emotional difficulties that come up in life and how to cope with them.  Blogging lead her down the entrepreneurial path where she started the journal - The Happiness Planner.  The Happiness Planner h

This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about the currency you use to define your life. I think the majority of our listeners are pretty in-tune to what makes them happy, but a lot of people outside our bubble put their stock, self-worth, or value in how much money they make or the outward appearance of their lives via fancy cars, houses, watches, etc. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with having nice things or making a healthy income, but when you tie your self-worth to external things, it's not good in terms of long term happiness.  The currency/metric that I think we should be looking to enhance in our lives is not money, it's not achievements, it's not things, it's not race results... it's happiness.  Happiness and a sense of flourishing are what gives our lives value and meaning.  While that might sound obvious, i