Grow the Good

Sonya Looney
  • 4.8 (377)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

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 packed with tools, stories, and evidence-backed insights to help you create a more authentic and flourishing life.

  1. 1d ago

    Using Self-Talk for Mindset, Perception, and Expectations with Ethan Kross | REPLAY

    This week, I’m bringing back a conversation from the archives with Ethan Kross, one of the world’s leading experts on the conscious mind and the author of Chatter and Shift. I wanted to replay this episode because it connects so strongly with what I’ve been exploring lately on Grow the Good: impatience, rushing, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and the way our inner voice can either help us move through challenges or keep us stuck in loops of overthinking. Ethan’s work looks at the conversations we have with ourselves and how those conversations shape our health, performance, decisions, relationships, and well-being. In this episode, we talk about negative self-talk, chatter, emotion, mindfulness, problem-solving, and why creating psychological distance can help us work with our thoughts more effectively. One of the tools Ethan shares is called distant self-talk: coaching yourself through a challenge the way you would coach a friend, even using your own name or the word “you” to create a little more space. That shift can help us move from being consumed by our thoughts to relating to them with more perspective. This conversation is a great reminder that our thoughts are not always facts, and our inner voice does not have to be in charge. We can learn to work with it, redirect it, and use it as a tool for more clarity, resilience, and self-compassion. KEY TAKEAWAYS: The difference between self-control and willpowerWhat emotions are and how they shape our behaviorProblem-solving versus overthinkingNegative self-talk versus chatterWhen mindfulness helps, and when reframing may be more usefulHow distant self-talk can shift perspectiveWhy sleep and chatter are so closely connectedLINKS: - Original conversation with Ethan Kross - Learn more about Ethan's work - Read Ethan's books "Chatter" and newly released, "Shift" - Listen to Self-Talk for Performance: Mental Skills for Athletes -------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

  2. Aug 6

    Growing Up as Adults with Travis Macy

    What does it actually mean to keep growing as an adult? In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Travis Macy for a conversation that is less of an interview and more of a real, honest exploration of adulthood, grief, parenting, identity, intimacy, and mattering. Travis and I have had many podcast conversations over the years. I’ve been on his podcast, he’s been on mine, and we became good friends through this work. In a lot of ways, we’ve lived these almost parallel lives as professional athletes, parents, podcasters, keynote speakers, authors, and people trying to figure out who we are beyond performance. In this conversation, Travis shares about his father’s eight-year journey with Alzheimer’s and his recent passing, and how that experience became a major developmental milestone in his own life. We talk about grief, appreciation, gratitude, and the strange way hard things can deepen us when we are willing to stay present with them. We also explore adult development: how our beliefs, identities, relationships, and sense of self change over time. We talk about moving from approval-seeking to mattering, from performance-based identity to something more flexible, and from people-pleasing to more honest communication and deeper intimacy. This episode is for anyone navigating transition, grief, parenting, identity shifts, or the question: who am I becoming now? Top 5 Takeaways Adult growth is not just personal development: It changes how we understand ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us.Grief can become a developmental milestone: Travis shares how his father’s Alzheimer’s journey and passing reshaped his sense of adulthood, gratitude, and appreciation.Identity has to become more flexible: Many of us are learning who we are beyond performance, achievement, sponsorships, or old versions of success.Mattering is different from approval: Feeling valued and knowing we add value can move us beyond people-pleasing and the need to prove ourselves.Relationships help us grow: Parenting, partnership, friendship, community, and emotional honesty can all become places where adult development happens.LINKS Learn about Travis’s workFollow Travis on Instagram A Mile at a Time with Endurance Athletes Travis and Mark “Mace” MacyThe Ultra Mindset with Endurance Athlete and Coach Travis MacyPerformance, Imperfect Preparation, and Flexibility with Travis Macy (Live Podcast)-------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

  3. Jul 17

    Mindfulness in Action: Slow Down 2%

    In this Mindfulness in Action episode, we’re practicing patience in real time. If you listened to last week’s solo episode, I talked about impatience, rushing, and how so many of us move through life like our self-worth depends on our productivity. This practice is about noticing that urgency in the body and gently turning the dial down. You don’t have to cancel everything or suddenly become a completely calm person. This is about slowing down just 2%, enough for your nervous system to notice that you are no longer rushing. You are just moving. I guide you through a simple walking meditation to notice your default pace, where urgency shows up in your body, and what changes when you soften, breathe, and move a little more slowly. This is a practice for anyone who feels like they’re living in fast-forward mode and wants to come back to the present moment. -------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

  4. Jul 9

    The Urgency Trap

    In this solo episode, I’m talking about patience, and really, about rushing. Rather than focus on time management conversation, I'm taking a look at what happens in our bodies and nervous systems when we move through life with constant urgency, and how impatience can show us where we feel out of control, overstimulated, or overly attached to productivity. I share what I’ve been noticing in my own life, from parenting and waiting in lines to endurance racing, phones, AI, and the scratchy feeling of wanting things to happen faster than they can. The good news is that patience is trainable. It’s a skill that helps us stay present with discomfort, delay, uncertainty, and the slow parts of growth. Next week, we’ll practice building patience in real time with a Mindfulness in Action episode. -------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

  5. Jul 2

    Hope Is the Strategy: Burnout, Mattering, and Meaningful Work with Jen Fisher

    In this episode, I sit down with workplace well-being expert and author Jen Fisher to talk about her book, Hope Is the Strategy, and why hope matters so much in a world where so many people are burned out, languishing, and struggling to feel like they matter. Jen shares her own story of severe burnout and how achievement-based identity, constant performance pressure, and external definitions of success can slowly disconnect us from our well-being. This conversation felt especially meaningful to me because so many of us, athletes, high achievers, leaders, parents, professionals, know what it feels like to keep pushing, even when something inside us is saying, “This is not sustainable.” We talk about the difference between hope and optimism, and Jen breaks down hope as an evidence-based framework: having a goal, seeing pathways forward, and believing we have agency. We also explore how hope is connected to mattering, why feeling valued is essential for well-being, and what individuals, teams, and organizations can do to create environments where people can actually thrive. We also get into rest, recovery, human connection, and the role of AI in the future of work. If AI is going to change how we work, how can we use it to make work more human instead of less? This conversation is for anyone who has ever tied their worth to achievement, felt stuck in a system that was eroding their well-being, or wondered how to keep moving forward with more hope, courage, and connection. Top 5 Takeaways Hope is active, not passive: Hope includes a clear goal, pathways to move forward, and the agency to take action.Achievement-based identity can fuel burnout: When our worth depends on performance, success can become unsustainable.Languishing gives language to the in-between: You may not be in crisis, but you may not be flourishing either.Mattering and hope are deeply connected: Feeling valued and knowing your contributions matter can help create the conditions for hope.Work needs to become more human, not less: Rest, recovery, connection, and thoughtful AI use all matter in the future of well-being. LINKS Learn more about Jen Fisher Read Jen Fisher’s new book Hope is the Strategy Finding Meaning and Mattering at Work with Andrew Soren Finding Meaningful Work with Wes Adams and Tamara Myles -------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

  6. Jun 18

    Mindfulness in Action: Letting Yourself Feel Valued

    In this Mindfulness in Action episode, I’m exploring what it means to not only add value, but to let ourselves feel valued. So many of us are working hard to matter. We’re trying to contribute, perform, improve, achieve, help, and show up for other people. But even when we are adding value, we may not actually let the feeling of mattering land. We move so quickly that we miss the evidence that we are seen, appreciated, and needed. This episode is deeply personal for me. I share a reflection on the loss of Isaac Prilleltensky, whose work on mattering has profoundly shaped my life, my research, and the book I’m writing. Isaac embodied mattering in the way he made people feel seen and valued, and his encouragement helped me keep going when I needed it most. From there, I guide you through a short mindfulness and reflection practice to help you remember a time when someone made you feel valued. We’ll practice noticing not just the thought of that moment, but how it felt in the body. The warmth, lightness, relief, energy, or connection that can come when we allow ourselves to receive care, recognition, or support. Because mattering is not only about what we give, it's also about what we are willing to receive. Top 5 Takeaways Mattering has two sides: It includes both adding value and feeling valued.Many of us struggle to let feeling valued land: Compliments, help, encouragement, and recognition can be uncomfortable to receive.Feeling valued is embodied: It can show up as warmth, lightness, relief, energy, or a sense of connection.Accepting help allows others to add value too: Receiving is not a burden; it can deepen connection and mattering on both sides.What we focus on, we begin to notice: Practicing awareness of where we feel valued can help us see more evidence of mattering in everyday life.LINKS What It Really Means to Matter How to Build a Life of Contribution with Tom Rath Other Mindfulness in Action episodes -------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

  7. Jun 12

    What It Really Means to Matter

    What does it actually mean to matter? In this solo episode, I’m diving into a topic that has been occupying my mind for years and has become a central part of my research, workshops, and the book I’m writing: mattering. Mattering is more than belonging. It’s more than self-esteem. It’s the lived experience of both adding value and feeling valued — to yourself, in your relationships, at work, and in your broader community. And when one of those pieces is missing, achievement can start to feel hollow. This episode is an invitation to look at your own goals, your own striving, and your own relationships with more curiosity. Where do you genuinely feel like you matter? Where does your mattering feel conditional? And where might you be trying to earn recognition from people or places that may never be able to give it? I’m with you on this journey of personal growth, adventure, and our mission to be better every day. Learn more and follow my work: Substack: sonyalooney.substack.com Newsletter: sonyalooney.com/newsletter -------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

  8. Jun 4

    How to Build a Life of Contribution with Tom Rath

    What if the real value of achievement isn’t what it proves about us, but how it contributes to others? In this episode, I sit down with bestselling author, researcher, and publisher Tom Rath. Tom is known for books like How Full Is Your Bucket?, StrengthsFinder 2.0, Strengths-Based Leadership, and Eat, Move, Sleep. His work has shaped how millions of people think about strengths, well-being, purpose, and the way we spend our days. We talk about the difference between purpose and passion, why strengths only matter when they are used in service of others, how to think about career fit, and why retirement may not be the goal we’ve been taught it is. We also explore the role of AI in the future of work, and how it might free us to spend more time on the creative, relational, and meaningful parts of our lives. This episode is for anyone who wants to keep striving, but in a way that feels more grounded, sustainable, and connected to what really matters. Top 5 Takeaways Achievement feels different when it is connected to contributionPurpose is not the same as passionStrengths need directionWell-being and performance are connectedAI may change how we work, but it can also create opportunityLINKS - Learn more about Tom - Read Tom's new book Life's Great Question: Discover How You Contribute To The World - Finding Meaningful Work with Tamara Myles and Wes Adams - Meaning and Mattering at Work with Andrew Soren -------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
377 Ratings

About

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 packed with tools, stories, and evidence-backed insights to help you create a more authentic and flourishing life.

Information

  • Creator
    Sonya Looney
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    472
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Grow the Good
  • Show Website
    Grow the Good

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