Grow the Good

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

James Clear is an expert in behavior change.  He is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Atomic Habits, it's sold more than 1 million copies!  I first discovered James Clear many years ago when he started publishing articles on his website and sending out a fantastic newsletter that now has over 1 million subscribers.  The way he describes things like goal-setting, how to be productive, and how to make habits that stick is easy to understand and put into action.

Many people attribute failing to break bad habits or failure to stick to new habits to a lack of willpower.  They think the problem is them. But James Clear says, “If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”  We talk about how to create an environment that makes it easy to make habits stick.  We talked about the 2-minute rule (I've talked about this before as well- the importance of just setting the goal to show up).  We also discussed the difference between motion and action (learning about doing something versus actually doing something).

And quite possibly the most powerful idea with habit change is the idea of identity-based habits and how to measure them.  James Clear says, "Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. Your clutter is a lagging measure of your cleaning habits. You get what you repeat."

I'm so thankful for James Clear's work.  I've used his research in my speeches, articles, and books because no one can create clarity as he can.  This episode is a gamechanger, and so is his book, Atomic Habits.

• Four laws of behavior change
• Identity-based habits
• The compound effect of habits
• The 2-minute rule
• Decisive moments
• Don't miss your habit twice
• How to break bad habits
• How to create an environment so you don't need willpower
• Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation
• The difference between motion and action
• Social media practices

• Get James Clear's book : Atomic Habits
• Visit JamesClear.com
• Get 15% off your first Previnex order using code sonya15

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

David Block is the Founder & CEO of Previnex, a nutritional supplement company that is committed to using science, clinically-tested ingredients and going above and beyond the testing and production standards required in the industry.

Previously, David was a hedge fund manager focused on the health and wellness industry. He specialized in nutritional supplements, reading clinical studies, touring manufacturing facilities, meeting with various companies, and immersing himself in the supplement and wellness industry on all levels. This wealth of knowledge drove him to change the industry and start Previnex. 

In this week’s podcast, Sonya spoke with David about his path to the supplement industry, how to select the right supplements and his vision for Previnex.

• Where do you draw your identity from
• Remaining flexible as you carve your path
• What it means to live a value-based life
• How to know a quality supplement
• Do we even need supplements?
• Why do vitamins have high percentages?
• Get Health, Give Health - providing nutrition and hope to children around the world

• Learn more about Previnex
• Get 15% off your first Previnex order using code sonya15
• Sign up for my weekly newsletter! 

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

We met Sun Sachs, a long-time endurance athlete and software developer, CEO and Co-founder of Rewire Fitness, a mental fitness platform for athletes to avoid burnout by providing tools that improve mindset, readiness and resilience, and co-creator of thebeet.com, on a recent podcast about training your brain for performance. He is passionate about animal welfare, the environment and human health. He is a plant-based culinary chef graduate and continues to advise for The Beet.

In this week’s podcast, Sonya talked with Sun about his switch to a plant-based diet, his renewed energy, and commitment to hard work.

Key Takeaways:

• Transitioning to a plant-based diet
• Energy and performance boost with the diet shift
• Setting expectations when returning to endurance sports
• Creating thebeet.com
• Becoming a trained chef
• How plant-based eating provides the needed energy stores
• Waking up refreshed after lifestyle change
• Don't be intimidated by hard work

Links:

• Check out thebeet.com
• Learn more about Rewire Fitness app
• Related Podcast: How to Train your Brain for Performance with Rewire App's Sun Sachs
• Related Podcast: The Science of Plant-Based Nutrition with Dr. Michael Greger
• Related Podcast: How Not to Diet with Dr. Michael Greger

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Meghan J. Ward is an outdoor, travel and adventure writer, and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Meghan has written several books, as well as produced content for films, anthologies, blogs and some of North America’s top outdoor, fitness and adventure publications. As a consultant, she coaches writers and photographers to help bring their projects to life and ensure their work is seen by a wider audience. She lives in Banff, Alberta, with her husband, Paul Zizka, and their two daughters.

In her most recent book, Lights to Guide Me Home, Meghan takes us on a trip around the world while chronicling her transitions through some of life’s major milestones. From Costa Rica to Nepal, Rapa Nui to Malta, Meghan explores what it means to carve out her own identity amidst family expectations, her responsibilities as a parent to young children, and her marriage to an ambitious travel and landscape photographer. Whom will she discover beneath these entanglements?

Key Takeaways:

• The decision to have kids as an adventurer
• How Nepal is life-changing
• Planning time with your partner
• International travel with small children
• Defining courage
• Expectations as boundaries  
• Keeping hope high, expectations low

Links:

1. Learn more about Meghan
2. Check out AG1 using this link
3. Sign up for my weekly newsletter! 

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

This week, Sonya and Hannah sat down to answer your questions.

Sonya Looney is a professional mountain biker, Word Champion, 4x National Champion and has taken on and won the hardest endurance stage races and 100 milers around the world. She has her Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering, has completed pre-med coursework, and is a Certified Health Coach from Vanderbilt University's Department of Integrative Medicine. She also is a mental performance coach.

Hannah Otto, professional mountain biker and gravel racer for co-title sponsors Pivot Cycles and DT Swiss. She has a degree in Athletic Training (healthcare) and Exercise Scientist, is a USA Cycling Coach and a Board Certified Athletic Trainer. Hannah was a 2020 Olympic Long Team Member and the 2022 Leadville Champion, and 4x National Champion.

Key Takeaways:

• Motivating others and yourself
• Using curiosity
• Picking challenges
• What is your why?
• Setting realistic goals
• Training for climbs
• Power is just a metric
• Life lessons from professional mountain biking
• Gaining confidence to ride or run in the backcountry
• How privateering differs from a team

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Taking time to savor broadens how you view yourself and the world. Interestingly enough, savoring can have internal or external circumstances. I'll tell you about different ways you can add savoring into your day that is as simple as a quick shift in your focus.

Key Takeaways:

• 3 ways to savor
• Actionable ways to savor
• Savor discomfort

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Brent Yates, author of The Gravity of Up, is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and speaker. Over 10 years ago, Brent was falling apart. Everything he knew about his life was changing. But a group of people came into his life that changed his trajectory. He worked hard to reject negative mindsets and move towards happiness. 

In this week’s episode, Brent shares his story, from childhood to his later years, and how he went from a bully to humble and kind.

• Everyone has a story
• Untangling a complex past
• Overcoming being a bully
• Pain motivated transformation
• Humble and kind
• How to bring people up around you
• How he views his senior years

Learn more about Brent here.

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

In this week’s podcast, Sonya sits down with the authors of Choose Growth, a workbook designed to guide readers through their commitment to growth and self-actualization. The book was created by psychologist and host of The Psychology Podcast Scott Barry Kaufman and positive medicine physician and researcher Jordyn Feingold. The workbook includes exercises grounded in positive psychology and the core principles of humanistic psychology.

Scott is a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist. He is a professor at Columbia University and the founder and director of the Center for Human Potential. Scott has authored a number of books, including Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization. He received his B.S. in psychology and human computer interaction from Carnegie Mellon, an M. Phil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge, and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University. 

Jordyn is a psychiatry resident at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with her BA and Master of Applied Positive Psychology. She is involved in research, curriculum development and advocacy work around clinician well-being. Her goal is to shift the focus of medicine from treatment to well-being.

In this week’s episode, Sonya sat down with Scott and Jordan to talk about what it means to choose growth, motivations, high quality connections and more.

Key Takeaways:

• What it means to choose growth
• The importance of nurturing ourselves
• The sailboat metaphor
• Defining your own sailboat
• Being open to choosing growth
• What is deficiency motivation?
• High quality connections
• The value of small talk
• Healthy self-esteem
• Finding out your strengths

Get a copy of Choose Growth

Learn more about the sailboat metaphor

Sign up for my weekly newsletter! 

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Bret Biggart is the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Solar LLC and oversees almost 1,000 employees. He is most proud of the culture at Freedom Solar, which has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Austin for two years running.

Bret previously served as Director of Business Development for the Austin-based asset management firm WaterStreet Investment Consultants with a concentration in alternative investments and, prior to that, acted as Vice President of Business Development at Saracen Energy Advisors. Before Saracen, his investment background consisted of over four years with two private equity firms.

Bret received an MBA from the Jones School of Business at Rice University and graduated with a BA from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

In this week’s episode, Sonya and Bret talk about navigating expectations, his journey to sobriety, going after big things and becoming CEO of Freedom Solar.

• Navigating expectations and gratitude
• Moving at the speed of pain
• Bret's journey to sobriety
• Tapping into vulnerability
• Going after big things
• Becoming a CEO in the solar industry
• Focusing on customer service

Learn more about Freedom Solar

Check out AG1 using this link

Sign up for my weekly newsletter! 

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Competition, defining success, and self-esteem are closely linked. At first glance, competition pits us against each other because there can be only one winner, or at work, only one or a few people get a promotion or recognition. Also, the internet exacerbates competition with follower counts, likes, podcast charts, algorithms that celebrate winners. As a professional athlete, I've experienced the elation and celebration of winning a race, and also seen the difference if I finished second or even nowhere near the podium. The problem with linking a "successful" competition solely to the outcome is that it's potentially damaging to connection with others and to one's self-esteem.

So, how do we show up for a competition with awareness, get the best out of ourselves without our self-esteem taking a hit, and build connection instead of division?

- The Problem with Competition

- Competition, Self-Esteem, and Self-Worth

- Competition is about mastery

- A healthy view of competition 

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.