The Sonya Looney Show

Being brave is not about the absence of fear, it's about having the courage to be vulnerable - to press on in spite of fear. The first memories I have of someone using the word brave is when I was a little kid.  For most, it usually has something to do with having to get a shot at the doctor or getting an injury of some kind and then an adult telling us to be brave.  In cartoons, the hero or heroine is often characterized as someone who is brave- someone who will go into battle knowing that the consequences could be dire.  But I've seen portraits of bravery show up as someone who appears stoic and doesn't show vulnerability or cry.  This is where I think the definition of bravery starts to diverge from what it actually means. One of my favorite taglines I made up for my own life is "Be Brave. Do Epic Shit."  I have put a lot of thought into what it means to me to be brave.  To be honest, trying to avoid feeling and showing difficult emotions has been one of the harder parts of braver

If you love gravity and extreme mountain biking, you’ve probably heard of the Frenchman, Remy Metailler.  He has been a top rider at Red Bull Rampage for many years, has solid performances at urban downhill racing around the world, and he’s the incredible mountain biker you imagine as a Whistler Bike Park legend. He is also passionate about teaching others about anything related to mountain biking through his YouTube Channel. He talks about all the nuances of bike, tire, and suspension set-up so you’re dialed for your ride, trail previews of popular trails, especially the lines you’d never consider riding, and more pro tips.  Plus, he can pretty much ride the impossible. Remy also loves the business of being a pro mountain biker and has built his career with his own team of partners, is a well-known product tester for many brands he works with (and he does push his bike to the limit with the type of riding he does).  He also loves trail riding.  I loved talking to Remy because he reminds us how important it i

"There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results." - Ken Blanchard We all have the greatest of intentions when we make plans, but then something happens.  Our problem isn't motivation, our problem is following through on our motivation.  It could be as small as saying "Today I'm going to break down those boxes for the recycling" to as complex as a large goal you set for yourself. For some, the act of getting started is the hardest part.  This problem is a relatively simple one to fix.  Break it down into a task so small that it's really easy to get started.  I've talked about this before, but if you can't seem to get on your bike, commit to riding for 5 minutes and if you don't want to anymore, you can stop.  For cleaning, put 2 dishes in the sink, take one thing and put it back in place.

James Wilks is a combatives instructor for the US Military, retired MMA Fighter,  2009 UFC champion, and main star in Gamechangers Documentary which you can now watch on Netflix.  Gamechangers was executively produced by Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, also known for directing Terminator and Titanic to name a couple of other films!  Gamechangers explores whether a plant-based diet is an optimal diet for athletes across all disciplines including strength, endurance sports, team sports, and more.  There are some big name athletes appearing in the film such as World Record Holding Strongman Patrik Baboumian well-known ultrarunner Scott Jurek, Olympian cyclist Dotsie Bausch, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Derrick Morgan of the NFL' Titans, and so many more.  The movie is about James Wilks quest to search for the optimal diet to help him recover from a terrible injury.  His research set him on a trajectory to learn more about plant-based nutrition, ultimately discovering that many athletes are competin

  Habit change is hard, and it's really hard if you tend to think about your habit change as an all-or-none thing or if you get decision fatigue from too many options.  Have you heard the quote "don't let perfection be the enemy of good?" Sometimes the idea of not being able to do something perfectly or the idea of having to be perfect at it every day will stop us from even trying.   I came across some discussions in my community lately where one person criticized another because they didn't change or move the needle enough - this was in regards to diet. Doing the best you can is a good place to start, but I like to ask "is it better than" when comparing two options.  Asking "is it better than" can also give you a different point of view if you find you are critical of a decision another person is making about their changes.  We can't be in control of everything all the time and learning to set ourselves up to make the best decision possible for a given situa

Rob Lea is an animal. In a 6 month period, he summitted Mt. Everest, swam the English Channel, got married, and rode his bike across America, all while raising awareness for gender equality in the mountains and in the boardroom based on the HeforShe Initiative by the United Nations.  Rob’s mountaineering career includes climbs of mountains around the world including Aconcagua, Denali, and most recently, Cho Oyo.  Not only is he an endurance machine, but he is a realtor in Park City, UT.  His love for triathlon, inspiration from his wife and Professional Athlete Caroline Gleich, and even the medal hanging in his closet as Age Group 30-34 Half Ironman World Champ prove that Rob is no stranger to pushing his limits.  Topics Discussed in the Podcast  how did he come up with the Ultimate World Triathlon how to get out of your own way and dream big men supporting gender equality and #climbforequality prepping for Everest Risk Mitigation: personal safety vs pushing limits on Everest Swimming the English Channel: j

  We are a few days into January. When we make a declaration of a new lifestyle, goal, or habit, it can be hard to stick to it. According to research by the University of Scranton, 92% of people don’t achieve their New Year’s Resolution goals. We want to create habits to be happier and healthier, but change is not always easy. If we genuinely want to discover the best version of ourselves, why do we give up on some of our goals? There are multiple reasons we don’t achieve our goals. We get stuck in all-or-none thinking. Sometimes we don’t even start working towards a goal or habit because it seems too unattainable. When we make a mistake or a slip-up, we give up and revert back to our old habits because sticking to the new one seems too hard. We don’t create a support network and an environment for change Our goals are not specific or measurable. We are worried about changing our identity or how other people perceive us Another common thing we do is focus on setting goals based on an outcome we desire.  So

This is a republish of the Singletracks Podcast with Jeff Barber where he had me on the show as a guest.  I thought it'd be a great podcast to start off 2020!    Topics Discussed in the Podcast  how to view and appreciate strong competition and pressure finding the optimal amount of training for you why I love failure and find my greatest motivation from it the importance of work ethic my transition to a plant-based diet my book projects   Listen Now       Resources Subscribe to the Singletracks Podcast!  Singletrack Podcast Show Notes for this episode ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Ways to Give Back to the Show             ________________________________________________ Yay!  Our Podcast Sponsor- Sufferfest Beer In 2012, Founder and CEO Caitlin Landesberg started her search for the perfect beer to cheers with friends after long trail runs in and around San Francisco… but didn’t find a beer that fit

Kait Boyle is an inspiring human.  These days, you might know her for her impressive accolades including 24-Hour World Champion in 2018, AZT300 record holder, winner and second in the men, and 2x winner SOLO 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo.  She didn't always ride a bike or have a love for bikepacking or ultra-endurance events.  She grew up riding horses and later found climbing and skiing.  As a NOLS instructor and with her Masters in Environmental Education, she constantly is in teaching and leadership roles.  If you follow Kait on instagram, you might have noticed that the last 12 months have been trying for her.  Almost exactly one year ago to the day, she got in a severe car accident.  Her truck was t-boned on an icy road leaving her with a quadruple fractured pelvis, broken sacrum, broken fibula, and a ruptured bladder.  Between 10 days in the hospital, 5 weeks in wheelchair, and 4 weeks on crutches, she had a long way to go to move forward.  She was able to ride the roller coaster of devastation and gr

There are several things you can do to enjoy your holidays even more, and having mindful holidays is actually easy to do! Some people really love the holidays - the hustle and bustle, the travel, seeing people you maybe only see once a year, or simply just having the time off work.  For some it can make you feel full and festive, but it can feel fake and empty for others - maybe you get stressed out with all the energy you need to give towards family, gifts, travel, and all the things you are "supposed" to be doing.  Maybe the pressure of being happy is too high. Any health or mindful focused website will tell you to just count your blessings and to breathe.  While this is true, it's not enough and it's not specific enough.  Of course we know we should count our blessings and breathe.  But what else can we do? I want to address a few topics. "I don't really like my relatives, but have to spend time with them anyway." Yes!  We might be forced to see those few family members

T. Colin Campbell, PhD has been dedicated to the science of human health for more than 60 years. Dr. Campbell grew up on a dairy farm and was the first in his family to go to college. He has his PhD and is MIT and Cornell trained and educated in nutrition, biochemistry and toxicology. His primary focus is on the association between diet and disease, particularly cancer. Although largely known for the China Study--one of the most comprehensive studies of health and nutrition ever conducted, and recognized by The New York Times as the “Grand Prix of epidemiology."  It has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.  Their studies have shown that animal protein has a very strong effect on the growth of cancer. Milk protein in their experiments turns on cancer 100% of the time. If they took it away, they could reduce it down to zero. Dr. Campbell’s profound impact also includes extensive involvement in education, public policy, and laboratory research.   He is also the author of the The New York Times bestseller W

  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 perfectionism.  The short answer is there is no quick fix, but there are patterns we can identify and thought processes we can practice. If you've been listening to me for awhile or you've read some of my articles, you may have heard me say that I'm a recovering perfectionist.  Yes, I used to be angry that my A- wasn't good enough.  I still occasionally struggle with the appearance of a result not being "good enough" like being ashamed of a race result, even though that was my best for that day and not making excuses.  There is a big challenge in asking "but what IS good enough?"  We all know what perfectionism is, but where it comes from may vary from individual to individual.  For me, it stemmed from wanting to meet the expectations of my parents, coaches, and peer

Sasha Gollish is well-known as a decorated Canadian Competitive Runner, has her PhD in Civil Engineering, and is passionate about girls in sports.  She was a bronze medalist in the 1500 m at the 2015 Pan American Games despite her shoe falling off, has won a variety of short and longer distance races and raced on the Canadian National Team for the IAFF World Marathon Champs.  I love Sasha's four tenets of living and training.  They are: always play, make choices not sacrifices, work hard, and eat real food- feed the machine. Topics Discussed in the Podcast  from alpine ski racer to marathon running her drive for achievement in all areas of her life, including getting her PhD starting her running career at age 30 Sasha's tenets of training and personal values how to look at food in a healthy way learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions how she dealt with her recent marathon that didn't go her way  her career as a runner and some fun stories Making the best of Doha World Championships Empowe

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 excuses. Excuses can show up in several forms.  Procrastination is one of the main ways excuses show up.  We give a reason as to why we can do that thing later.  And for some things, procrastination is just a hop, skip, and a jump to never getting that thing done.  Other forms of excuses show up as a reason to let yourself off the hook.  The challenge is figuring out when you actually SHOULD listen to your excuse because your body is telling you something, and when your excuses are a form of procrastination, laziness, or even fear of failure, losing time, or not knowing how to get started. First, let's talk about big picture excuses- excuses that we make to avoid bigger life changes. Figure Out What's Really Holding You Back Here are some common excuses I hear or that I've caught myself saying

Julia Murray is an Olympian Skier in ski cross, a silver medalist at World Championships, a registered Holistic Nutritionist, a Roubxe certified plant-based chef, a Main Street Vegan Educator, Owner of HOoked on Plants, Cofounder of 80/20 plants and an all-around awesome human.  Julia has spent 4 years going all-in on the vegan and plant-based lifestyle. If you're plant-curious and wondering about making small or big changes in your diet, definitely sign up for her program on 8020plants.com where you'll get one on one coaching, videos, and recipes on how to make a slow transition, and even room for indulgent foods. Julia is an inspiring and awesome person AND check out Whistler VegFest next year! Check out 80/20 Plants and use code "Sonya20" Topics Discussed in the Podcast  her rise to the Olympic dream making transitions in your life supplements Julia likes how to switch to a whole-foods plant-based diet tips for starting new businesses creating recipes and becoming a chef how to deal w

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 how not to choke.  My research was primarily around different sports, but these tips can be applied to say, a meeting you're preparing for, test-taking, or any situation that challenges you. Self-talk, the awareness around our perceptions, and mindfulness are woven into the main narrative of this podcast. The stories we tell ourselves and the words that we use affect our perception. Self-talk is an internal stimulus and drives our confidence in everything that we do. It especially effects the outcome of how we perform and even how much fun we have in challenging situations or conditions where we need to optimally perform.  Our inner experience effects the quality of our outer experience. What to do: Here are some techniques I like to keep your eye on crushing it instead of letting that constricted, nervo

Competition can be a driving force behind everything we do.  But what if the competition was with yourself and even with your bad habits? Jake Thompson, founder of the company Compete Every Day is on a mission to work with organizations and individuals to teach how they can develop accountability, mental resilience, and leadership skills in order to make bigger impacts in their careers and in their life.  It’s through his experience and research that he’s discovered how people who harness a competitive mindset against themselves can reach their goals, commit to action over motivation, and step into the leader they were created to be.  I loved having Jake on the show because we are both so passionate about how mindset molds resilience, mental toughness, happiness, and drive. I really enjoyed talking with Jake because he is incredibly inspiring, humble, and passionate. I think you'll enjoy him too! Jake is a busy and multi-faceted guy.  He is a speaker, podcast host of his show, Cultivate a Winning Mindse

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. I was having dinner with a friend the other night and we got to talking about finding your purpose or finding your passion.  There's a lot of talk and maybe even pressure about "finding your purpose..." like if you don't find it, then you'll never be "fulfilled."  I've talked about the happiness horizon (you know, when you say I'll be happy when...) in another Crush It Mondays that I've linked in the show notes.   First, putting off contentment or feeling fulfilled when you find your purpose is not a good way to go and frankly, it's a myth.  I'm incredibly fortunate to have worked my way into a career that allows me to do things I'm passionate about. I would say I have found my purpose and work toward

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