Grow the Good

I'll let you in on a secret: communication is not just about talking and using words. It's about listening. Yes, the foundation of communication is being a good listener. As a health and wellness coach, I've received formal training in communication, plus recording over 350 hours of podcasts has been a master class in listening and communication. In today’s solo deep dive, I will sh...

When we think about health, we don't always think about brain health. We don't always fully understand how what we're doing is affecting it. It's sort of out of sight, out of mind... But in this week's podcast, hosted by Travis Macy, we talked to Dr. Edward Park, founder of NeuroReserve about the things we can do proactively to improve brain health and potentially delay co...

How do your expectations affect your mind and body? In this week’s podcast, Sonya speaks with award-winning science writer David Robson about the expectation effect and how your expectations change how you physically and mentally react to various situations. David is the author of two books, the most recent, the main subject of this podcast - The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform...

Have you thought about what your life could be like if you felt grateful every time you stepped outside? Ryan Van Duzer, a bike adventurer from Colorado, finds himself more grateful every adventure he takes. In this episode, Sonya and Ryan talk about gratitude, stepping outside your comfort zone, the bike community, inspiring others, positivity and more. Ryan grew up in Colorado. He started as a r...

Travis Macy is a 2x author, world-class endurance champion across many disciplines including Adventure Racing, 100-mile trail running races like Leadville and Leadman, Snowshoe champion, ski mountaineering, and even Burro racing. He is the host of The Travis Macy Show Podcast and a sought-after speaker including being a TEDx speaker. Travis is also an endurance sports coach and a dad to 2 children...

What does it mean to be happy? How do you define happiness? What is the difference between awe and gratitude? How do you stay a New York Knicks fans when they’ve given you decades of disappointment?  Sonya sat down with clinical psychologist, author and keynote speaker Jonah Paquette to get answers to all of these questions. Jonah specializes in the science of well-being and emotional fitness. He...

Dr. Zurita Ona (Dr. Z) is a licensed clinical psychologist who founded the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center where she runs an outpatient program integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP). She is experienced in working with children, adolescents and adults with OCD, trauma, anxiety and emotional regulation problems. Her work is dedicated to helping c...

Dr. Matt Smith, DC, CES, is a sports chiropractor, strength coach, and founder of EverAthlete - an online training, recovery, and injury rehabilitation platform for adventure athletes. Matt grew up in San Jose, California and received his doctorate at Palmer West Chiropractic College, graduating valedictorian of his class. He has spent the past 15 years in the fitness and injury rehabilitation fie...

Diana Hill, PhD is a clinical psychologist, international trainer and sought-out speaker on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion. I spoke with Diana just over a year ago on my podcast about  healthy striving and psychological  flexibility. Diana is the host of the podcast Your Life in Process and co- author of ACT Daily Journal and works with organizations and individuals to deve...

Jerry Kopack started his career in the corporate world. But at the age of 31, he completely shifted his career and opened a hospice in Colorado with his mom. The perspective-changing experience led him to begin traveling the world and open himself up to new opportunities.  His biking adventures began in Africa and continued on to India, Nepal, Israel and more. He learned about the beauty of the wo...

Here is an excerpt from the audiobook, A Mile At a Time with Travis and Mark Macy. Below is the synopsis from Penguin Random House: In October 2018, Mark “Mace” Macy, sixty-four years old, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Mace had spent thirty years competing in Colorado and around the world in ultra-endurance competitions and is one of the few people who have finished all eight...

Travis Macy is an ultra endurance athlete and coach. He’s the author of The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion’s 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life. I spoke with Travis on my podcast in January about his racing escapades, embracing training, redefining expectations throughout his career and his experience with his dad’s Alzheimers. This week, we brought him back with his...

The word mastery is thrown around as a part of the vernacular, but have you ever paused to consider the true meaning of the word? What is mastery and what does it mean to pursue mastery? We often hear stories of people who are on the path to mastery. But, what does being on the path to mastery actually mean? Is it something you can attain? Why should you pursue mastery? Key Takeaways: What Is the...

Have you ever focused on training your breath? No, I don’t mean cardio, I mean literally how you breathe.  This week, I sat down with Luke Way, CEO of The Breathe Way Isocapnic Respiratory Training System, and Dr. Andrew Sellars, Chief Science Officer and an anesthesiologist, to talk about the respiratory system and its importance for sport.  Luke is an endurance coach, specializing in elite level...

A week's worth of healthy and delicious plant-based food for less than $30 - that's Toni Okamoto's super power. As the founder of Plant-Based on a Budget, Toni has done the research and perfected the ways to make your budget line up with healthy eating habits. Plant-Based on a Budget is a popular website and meal plan that provides the information you need to save money by eating ve...

How many of you have had to give up on your plastic water bottle because it was impossible to clean? Probably all of us. Carina Hamel, former nordic skier, saw this problem and used her product development expertise to design the first stainless steel bottle with a flow rate fit for cyclists, co-founding the company Bivo.  Carina moved to Norway at age 16 to attend a ski academy, where she learned...

Concussions can happen in sport, but how do you know if you have one and what happens when you do? This week, Sonya sat down with Adam Luu, an orthopedic, concussion and vestibular physiotherapist to talk about what you need to know about concussions. Adam has a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy from McMaster University, followed by a fellowship with the Canadian Academy of Manipulativ...

Many people use reasons like, "I'm too old to start" or "I won't be able to learn it" or "I'm too old, I’ll get hurt" to avoid trying something new. But Steven Kotler says it's especially important to continue using mental and physical abilities as we age. Many people think aging is a long, slow rot, but research shows that our physical and mental...

Have you ever achieved a goal and felt empty? Therein lies the paradox. We need to have expectations, but how do you set realistic and appropriate expectations that provide enough stimulus for motivation and performance, but also enough space for happiness and life satisfaction? In this week's podcast, Sonya deep dives into: The trajectory of expectations Expectations of ourselves Expectation...

Travis Macy is a professional endurance athlete, having finished over 130 ultra endurance events in 17 countries. He’s an author, coach and speaker. He is the author of The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion’s 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life, and has a new book coming out in March called A Mile at a Time. Travis’s racing resume includes mountain bike races, road runs,...

Yael Schonbrun is an assistant professor at Brown University, a clinical psychologist and an author about parenting, work and relationships. She draws on scientific research, clinical experience and real life experiences with her three kids. Her new book, Work, Parent, Thrive, shares practical strategies from clinical psychology and social science to better manage the conflict and enhance enrichme...

What is positive psychology and more importantly, how can it be applied to work and life? In this week's episode, Sonya sat down with Jordyn Feingold, an MD, Master's in Applied Positive Psychology, and psychiatry resident at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. They talked about positive psychology and how she's applying it to medicine, her REVAMP framework...

“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...

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, tour...

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....