Grow the Good

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 advocate, but he also knows it’s not for everyone. Founder of No Meat Athlete, Matt is all about providing the tools for thriving on a plant-based diet and how athletes can be at their very best with this type of nutrition. 

Matt is known for his No Meat Athlete Radio podcast and his books, which have sold over 125,000 copies in five languages. His work has also been featured in books by Rich Roll’s Finding Ultra, Brendan Brazier’s Thrive Foods, and Seth Godin’s What to Do When It’s Your Turn. In addition, Sports Illustrated called The No Meat Athlete Cookbook one of the best Health & Wellness books. 

Now he’s back with a new book The Plant Based Athlete, written in collaboration with Robert Cheeke. This book guides those interested in making the important shift to a plant-based diet in how to do so with the best, most transformative results.

In this week’s episode, I catch up with Matt on the creation of the No Meat Athlete, a deep dive into what you need to know about protein and carbs and how not to worry about what people think.

And check out my conversation about The Plant-Based Athlete with Robert Cheeke. 

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

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 mindfulness training and a career in scientific research. His interest in how the brain works has led him to work with people to make deep, permanent change in their lives. He has developed mindfulness programs for habit change, including in-person and app-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety.

Earlier this year, Dr. Jud released a new book, “Unwinding Anxiety - New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind.” His book is a clinically proven step-by-step plan to break the cycle of worry and fear that drives anxiety and addictive habits. Dr. Jud explains how to uproot anxiety at its source using brain-based techniques.

Check out Sonya’s previous interview with Dr. Jud in early 2020 about how to overcome bad habits and cravings using the power of the mind.

In this episode, Dr. Jud talks about looking at anxiety as a habit and not relying on willpower to change that habit. He also speaks about curiosity and mindfulness. 

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

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 at home.  When you set those goals, how do you go about doing it?

• Specific
• Measurable
• Action-Oriented
• Realistic
• Timebound

Answering the where, when, and how as specific as possible (and making sure the goal is just outside your reach rather than a pipedream) is a great place to start.  Where do you go from there?  Making sure that you have a system for tracking the goal is also of utmost importance. Research shows that it's very difficult to improve in something that you don't measure. But measuring can also get out of hand. More on that later.

• with an app (I like the Strides App- no affiliation- I just like them).
• using a google calendar
• For workouts, use something like Strava or Sufferfest
• use an actual large paper calendar

Another important part of goal setting is setting a behavior-based or process-oriented goal. You can have an idea in mind like “I want to run a 7-minute mile” or “I want to lose 15 pounds.”  However, if that becomes the goal itself, it can be hard to stick to it over the long term.  

Daily actions are the behaviors that define who we are. Instead of “I want to lose 15 pounds,” you could say “I want to avoid processed foods 6 days a week and eat home-cooked meals for dinner 5 nights a week.” The difference is the goal is based on a specific ongoing behavior.  You want to adopt certain eating habits because you want to identify as someone who is healthy- and a healthy person probably eats a certain way most of the time. It's not necessarily about doing something until you reach an outcome, it's about changing your behavior.

As author James Clear says in his bestselling book, Atomic Habits. (Listen to the podcast about it here)

"Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe."

Identity is “I'm someone who generally eats healthily" or “I'm someone who trains 5 days a week.” With that change in identity comes the process-oriented goals and guess what else? Likely the lasting outcome you want.

Tracking our goals and habits is something we are used to doing as athletes. Cyclists with a goal of getting faster look at hours trained and miles ridden as benchmarks or milestones on our way to our bigger goals.  If you're trying to lose weight, you may be tracking calories and the number on the scale.  Maybe you're tracking how much extra money you could make this month as part of your savings plan.

Measuring things are good. They help keep us focused and analyze if we are moving in the right direction.  But

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

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 empowerment coach, breathwork facilitator, and more! He joined me to talk about his Laser Focus Method and ways to best utilize your energy.

Founder of M Powered Men’s Group Training and Mastermind, Charles helps men and women understand and heal aches, pains and injuries in order to experience more joy, love and creativity. He helps people conquer anxiety and subconscious blocks in order to manifest their dream lives.

His desire to do this work started after sustaining a devastating back injury while snowboarding. Instead of the doctor’s recommendation to have spinal surgery, Charles began a self-healing journey. He combined ancient healing practices and eastern philosophy with modern day science and Neurokinetic therapy to allow for optimal healing and wellness.

In this podcast, Charles not only talks about healing, energy, and focus, but also keeping commitments and self-trust.

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

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? Well, the Plant-Based Juniors crew is here to help.

Enter Whitney English and Alex Caspero, Registered Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainers, and Moms who founded Plant-Based Juniors (PBJ). Together, they created a community and incredible resource for families who want to raise their kids with a mostly plant-based diet. Relying on evidence-based nutrition advice, Whitney and Alex empower parents to make the best nutrition decisions for their families. And pssst, not only is safe to feed your children a plant-based diet, but there are many positive short-term and long-term health benefits. Studies show that plant-based children have a much lower risk of obesity, have lower levels of inflammatory signaling molecules, and they learn to love fruits and vegetables from an early age. Plant-based children are also exposed to much fewer environmental toxins typically found in animal tissue. And an unexpected finding? It might even be beneficial for cognitive development.

PBJ is for parents who wish to create any type of dietary environment at home - vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, and more. Focusing on science, PBJ offers recipes, meal planning tips, kitchen hacks, and more. They have so many free resources on their website answering just about any question you can think of. With the understanding that getting kids their nutrition needs takes strategic planning, PBJ offers many free resources and recommendations based on research for parents to successfully implement plant-based nutrition at home.

With a recently released book, The Plant-Based Baby and Toddler, Whitney and Alex join The Sonya Looney Show to discuss plant-based diets for kids, healthy eating, and more.

This podcast isn't just about nutrition and helping your kids (plant-based or not) eat more fruits, veggies, and legumes. It's about how we communicate with our kids about food, treats, body image, labeling food and so much more.

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

You can't control the outcome of the podcast. It's well within my grasp to become the best interviewer I can be, do ample research on my guest and their work, put out high-quality content, and do my best to make sure people know about my podcast. I can't control the popularity of my podcast (I wish I could. I would love to be one of the very well-known podcasters). I also keep in mind that no matter how many downloads I get, it'll never be enough. This show has been ranked in the Top 100 in the Mental Health space and is in the top 5% in the world for widest-reaching. I am proud of that, but I always wish for more, just like anything else. I am a podcaster because I love sharing people's stories, asking them questions to help get interesting information or realizations from them through talking out loud, being able to help other people with this information. Podcasting has also helped me become an expert listener!

My podcast comes out on the same day every week no matter what. I made sure of that when I'm across the world racing in places I can't access wifi. I made sure of that when my son was born. Having commitments to yourself that you regularly meet and are intrinsically motivated built a LOT of self-trust and integrity. When you say you are going to do something, you can trust that you will do it. The same goes for my newsletter. There is no one telling me that I have to do this podcast. There is no one who will reprimand me if I decide to just skip a week and take a break. But I made the commitment to myself and to my listeners. Showing up for yourself is so important to move the needle anywhere in life you want to see results.

I don't know most of my mentors. Of course, I wish I had a dedicated mentor who could help me skip some of the loops and bumps on the non-linear path of success. Podcasting, books, heck- even Youtube, has all the information you need. Some of my biggest mentors are ones I hear and search for on podcasts. Some of my biggest mentors are podcast hosts of other shows I listen to. I love being able to bring an array of topics and guests so that my listeners can find a small, or maybe even a large handful of mentors that can assist them on their journey. Once I find someone I consider a distant mentor, I listen to them on every podcast I can find, read all their books if they have any, and watch them closely. And mentors can change over time!

Yes! You heard that right. While I'd love to have access to any guest, I have had a lot of people tell me no or worse, not respond at all. Rejection is part of the process. The same goes for podcast ads. I only work with podcast sponsors of products I truly believe in, but not all of them want to sponsor my podcast. Getting used to rejection doesn't necessarily soften the blow but it strengthens your resolve. Getting rejected happens to me all the time- with athlete sponsorships, with writing, even with asking for help. If you're not getting rejected regularly with your work, you're probably not pushing the boundaries of your potential enough. Rejection does NOT mean you're not good enough. It just means that person or business isn't the right fit right now. Like in Dumb And Dumber- SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE!

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

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 seen riding a bike? Or in Nepal where it's been forbidden by family (and customary for women to live with their family until they get married)? What if you had to be the first woman in your community to mountain bike like a woman I spoke to in Guatemala? There is a lot we can take for granted in our lives without even realizing the hurdles some women must overcome to even sit on a bike seat and pedal down the road.

This podcast was one I was really excited to record challenging cultural norms and acting as role models for many young women. 

Enter World-Ride. World Ride is a 501(c)3 non profit that works to empower women globally through mountain biking. They have established programs around the world where we work with local women to create bike libraries, assist women with leadership and guide training, and support women with their race goals. They are currently working with women in Guatemala, Nepal, and Iran as well as adding to their mission in many new countries Peru, Botswana, Ghana, and Israel.

This podcast episode was a lot of fun to put together and it is extra special to me. Mountain biking has profoundly changed my life and is something I'm passionate about. But to hear these stories of courage, overcoming cultural paradigms, having to convince their families that this is right, and the freedom and confidence that resulted from it is amazingly touching and inspiring. These women are changing the world and paving the way for others. Please support World-Ride in their efforts to continue building on this global community.

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

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 1995 when he was 120lbs and has built a physique naturally that shows his dedication to health, hard work, and consistency. And those themes not only show up in his athletic life, but in all aspects of his life.

Robert is the author of 4 books, with his most recent book, The Plant-Based Athlete available for pre-sale now! It comes out in June and chronicles exactly how to succeed as a plant-based athlete. It also includes stories of plant-based Olympians, World Champions, and successful athletes. I was deeply honored to be featured in this amazing book and humbled to be on the list with some legends. Make sure you pre-order a copy of the book. It also has more than 60 scrumptious plant-based recipes (and a few of my own!)

"It all comes down to showing up. You gotta be at the starting line in order to achieve those things.  And what it means to even get to the starting line. You have to dig deeper, you have to figure out why you're doing it,  why it matters to you. Why you’re there, what it’s going to mean to you when you do it. What it can mean to you if you don’t, if you don’t even try. Those kinds of things really connected with me and made me want to work harder while I was writing the book"

You'll hear themes of showing up, work ethic, confidence, and not giving up.

• how bodybuilding changed his confidence and identity
• the problem with leading with ego
• Robert's ego checking moment
• tips for building muscle
• co-writing The Plant-Based Athlete with Matt Frazier (NoMeatAthlete)
• confidence and drive to do the unknown
• work ethic

• Get the book: The Plant-Based Athlete
• Check out VeganBodyBuilding.com (and Robert's Interview)
• Follow Robert Cheeke on Instagram
• Get my Plant-Powered Academy Cookbook!
• Join the Plant-Powered Academy on Facebook
• For more about calorie density (and also weight loss), listen to my episode with Chef AJ

For 25% off, get the Inside Tracker Discount code!  The Inside Tracker Discount Code is good for all purchases store-wide.

• They measure over 30 biomarkers like cortisol, hsCRP (inflammation), magnesium, vitamin D, ferrit

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

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. He's been named one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World" by Time Magazine,

He has taken on many unthinkable feats like running 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days finishing with the NYC Marathon where...get this... he ran a sub 3-hour marathon for his 50th marathon in a row. He has run 350 continuous miles, foregoing sleep for three nights. He’s run across the Sahara Desert in 120-degree temperatures, and he’s run a marathon to the South Pole in negative 40 degrees. His long list of competitive achievements include winning the World’s Toughest Footrace, the Badwater Ultramarathon, running 135 miles nonstop across Death Valley during the middle of summer. He has raced and competed on all seven continents of the planet, twice over.

Despite his many accomplishments, awards and distinctions, he remains most proud of his ongoing contributions of time and funding to programs aimed at getting children and youth outdoors and active. He has raised millions of dollars for charity and was awarded the prestigious Community Leadership Award by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports.

Dean is a humble, down-to-earth guy with amazing stories (seriously, listen to him on the many podcasts he has done- you'll hear something different every time like eating with a fork and knife off a plate running down the road, fans pulling up next to him while he was running at 2 AM in the middle of nowhere on a backroad to autograph a book, and so many more).

He is a NYT Bestselling Author and his 5th book, A Runner's High, just hit the stands. I read this book and it's beautifully written, entertaining, and a tale of how to manage expectations, goalsetting as you age (he is 58) and so much more.

"I think because we ultimately prove to ourselves that we are better than we thought we were and we can go farther than we thought we could. I think endurance sports are very quantifiable. You may think it’s impossible to run a marathon. And I tell people that’s why you need to go run a marathon. And when you finish the marathon you prove to yourself that nothing is impossible and that’s the power in what we are doing."

You'll hear themes of discipline, commitment, being present, and vulnerability weaved into the thread of this podcast.

• Dean's writing process
• Putting yourself out there 
• masculinity and vulnerability
• aging and expectations as an athlete
• overthinking in a race vs. being present
• dealing with extremes
• the goal of winning vs. the goal of adventure
• dealing with self-doubt and inadequacy
• talking to kids about eating and exercise
• why endurance sports build our identity
• how not to quit
• his future dreams and goals

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

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 Champion, founder of Live Feisty, and has her PhD in Women's History. Her advocacy for women's sports drove her to create Live Feisty. Live Feisty's mission is to create media, information, and support for female athletes. It's a media company that has a network of podcasts, articles, events, and more to help women move toward their potential.

"The first thing that came to my head was around how we create hero culture, especially here in North America. It’s really good to have heroes to look up to. But I think we sometimes emphasize talent over hard work or people that we see at the Olympic Games or elite athletes as having some kind of special talent that we don’t have. And then we underestimate exactly how much work has gone behind that elite athlete."

We covered a lot of interesting topics in this podcast. Personally, I enjoyed Sara's perspective with her education background, her elite athlete background, and also her background as an entrepreneur. I think you'll enjoy it too!

• pushing past glass ceilings & imposter syndrome
• addressing hero culture
• systemic barriers for women
• creating Live Feisty
• lessons in building community
• menopause and performance as a budding field
• parenting a daughter with inherent biases

• Check out LiveFeisty
• Hit Play Not Pause Menopause Podcast with Selene Yeager
• My episode with Stacy Sims and my article on Stacy Sims
• My episode with Catherine Cram, MS and article on pregnant and post-partum activity

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