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What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

The Power of Choice: How Changing 'Can't' to 'Won't' Can Empower You

The best advice I've ever received actually came from my dad. And it was really annoying when he first gave me that advice. But it was, it's not can't, it's won't. And I used to say that I can't do something. I can't do that math problem. I can't make it up that hill. And he would say, yes, you can. You are choosing not to. I won't do that math problem. I won't make it up that hill. And the importance of that statement is it comes back to your sense of agency. And that is so linked to our intrinsic motivation. So if you believe that with effort and have that growth mindset that you can do something, then it enables room to try. Whereas if you just say that you can't do it and you're choosing not to do it, then that also is empowering to say that I'm making a decision that I'm not going to try to do this too.

It's not can't, it's won't. This advice from my dad was annoying at first but it's really empowering to recognize that you are choosing not to do something rather than simply saying that you can't. This helps to foster a growth mindset and encourages effort as opposed to giving up.

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The best advice I've ever received, which initially annoyed me, came from my dad. He told me, It's not can't, it's won't. I used to say that I can't do something, whether it was a math problem or conquering a hill. He would correct me and say, Yes, you can. You are choosing not to. This advice emphasizes the importance of recognizing our agency and choices. It is closely tied to our intrinsic motivation. Believing that we can achieve something with effort and adopting a growth mindset allows us to be more open to trying. On the other hand, if we simply say that we can't do it and choose not to try, it is empowering in its own way because we are making a conscious decision not to attempt it.

Becoming a Great Leader: The Power of Self-Awareness and Communication

Hi, you become a good leader by first understanding yourself. So there is a lot of different ways that you can go about doing that. But number one, understanding your values and understanding your emotions is a huge part of being a good leader. Second is communication. I just recorded a whole podcast on how to be a better communicator because that's something I've had to learn. But how you communicate to people impacts how they are motivated, how you ask questions impacts how they are motivated, and even how you give compliments will impact their autonomy and how they feel about themselves. So number one, understanding your emotions, understanding yourself, trying to figure out your self-talk, and that all comes from self-awareness. You can do that in a journaling practice or just a noticing practice. And then number two, communication. And there's lots of great information about that. So I hope that that helps and you can focus on those two things moving forward.

Self-awareness and communication are key to becoming a good leader. Focus on understanding yourself and your emotions, as well as improving your communication skills.

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To become a good leader, it is crucial to first understand yourself. This involves gaining awareness of your values and emotions. Communication is another essential aspect of leadership. How you communicate with others impacts their motivation and perception of themselves. Asking questions, giving compliments, and providing autonomy all play a role in effective communication. Developing self-awareness can be achieved through practices like journaling or simply being mindful of your thoughts and emotions. Additionally, there are plenty of resources available on improving communication skills. By focusing on self-understanding and effective communication, you can work towards becoming a good leader.

Who was a mentor of yours who had a significant impact on your life and why?

Cycling Community: My Greatest Mentor on the Path to Success

My biggest mentor was actually not a person, but a community. The cycling community has been the biggest mentor for me because I didn't grow up riding bikes and I'm now a world champion mountain biker and I've raced all around the world. I started cycling and pretty quickly after I moved to Boulder, Colorado because I wanted to be a pro cyclist. So I surrounded myself with people who were going after their dreams, who wanted to be pro athletes and where it was okay to pursue that path. And people that wanted to travel the world and go after big things. And there's people around me that I grew up with that said I can't do that, that that is silly, that I should focus on my engineering degree. So surrounding myself with people who are like-minded, that were doing hard things where I could see myself in what they were doing has had the most significant impact on my life. And by doing those hard things, by actually going after it, becoming a pro mountain biker and all the things I've learned about myself in that process, that drives me forward in all other areas of my life and that further burns in the idea that the people you surround yourself with, the community around you and the things that you see other people doing that inspire you can help bring more out of yourself. So the people I surround myself with is more of a mentor than any individual and that always is evolving and changing.

My biggest mentor is the cycling community that I surrounded myself with in Boulder, Colorado. By surrounding myself with people who were chasing their dreams and making hard things possible, it drove me to reach higher and further than I ever thought I could.

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The cycling community has been my most influential mentor, even though it's not a single person. Despite not growing up as a cyclist, I became a world champion mountain biker and raced around the globe. When I moved to Boulder, Colorado with the aspiration of becoming a pro cyclist, I surrounded myself with individuals who shared similar dreams and ambitions. These were people who were unafraid to pursue their goals and travel the world in search of success. In contrast, some people from my past discouraged me, claiming it was foolish and that I should focus on my engineering degree. Being part of a like-minded community, where I could see myself in their achievements, has profoundly impacted my life. Through pursuing difficult endeavors like becoming a professional mountain biker, I have discovered invaluable lessons about myself. These experiences continue to drive me forward in all aspects of life. It reinforces the importance of surrounding oneself with inspiring people and a supportive community that pushes you to be your best self. My mentorship comes from the evolving and changing group of individuals I choose to surround myself with rather than any single person.

What topics do you have the most unique opinions, methods, or expertise around?

From Mountain Biking to Positive Psychology: A Multifaceted Expert

I have a pretty wide array of expertise with my background as a world champion mountain biker. I have my master's degree in electrical engineering. I'm a national board certified health and wellness coach. I'm doing my master's in applied positive psychology. So lots of different areas. Number one, I would say definitely mountain biking and adventure travel, specifically endurance mountain biking. Number two, well-being. What does it take to be fulfilled and grounded while you strive for more? And what does that look like? Number three, your mindset. What are the mental skills and tools that you need in order to be your best while you're going after big things in your life? Number four, mindfulness and self-awareness. That is a huge part of health and wellness coaching. It's a huge part of being an athlete. And last, positive psychology and well-being. I have spent the last 10 years studying that on my own. That is things like resilience, things like positive emotions. Awe is a positive emotion, relationships and having relationships with achievement, how to reframe things whenever they get really challenging, how to manage anxiety, how to have more flow. So those are a lot of topics. I also can speak a lot about podcasting because I've been doing that for six years as well. So I'm an open book. I'm here for you guys. Just let me know what I can help with.

I have expertise in mountain biking, health and wellness coaching, mindset, mindfulness and self-awareness, positive psychology and well-being, and podcasting.

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With my background as a world champion mountain biker and my expertise in various fields, I have unique opinions, methods, and expertise in several areas. Firstly, I have extensive knowledge in mountain biking and adventure travel, particularly endurance mountain biking. Secondly, I specialize in well-being and understanding what it takes to feel fulfilled and grounded while striving for more. I can provide insights on maintaining a positive mindset and the mental skills necessary to excel while pursuing significant goals. Additionally, mindfulness and self-awareness are topics I am well-versed in, as they are crucial aspects of health and wellness coaching and athletic performance. Furthermore, I have spent the past decade studying positive psychology and well-being independently. This includes areas such as resilience, positive emotions, cultivating relationships with achievement, reframing challenges, managing anxiety, and experiencing flow. Apart from these subjects, I can also discuss podcasting extensively due to my six years of experience in the field. In summary, I possess expertise in a diverse range of topics and I am here to share my knowledge and assist you with any inquiries you may have.

Why do some people say that running is not good for cycling?

Running and Cycling: Surprising Benefits for Athletes

Some people think that running isn't good for cycling because it takes away from specificity. So if you're spending six days a week riding your bike versus three days a week riding your bike, you're probably going to have some added benefit if you're riding your bike more often. But I will say that this year I am running and cycling, so trail running and mountain biking. I'm spending three days a week running and three to four days a week on my bike, which one of those days is a double. And some benefits that I've seen, I've been a mountain biker for 20 years riding my bike six days a week, and benefits that I have seen after adding in trail running is that I have more torque on the uphills on my bike. Whenever I stand up to pedal I feel more powerful, and also for hike-a-bikes I feel more powerful. Another benefit that I've experienced from trail running is that you have to do a lot of these different rehab things that you can kind of get away with skipping and cycling. So overall it's making me a better athlete, and it also helps with your single leg stability. So if you enjoy running and you enjoy cycling you can do both, however it does take away in some ways some of the specificity of cycling. If you have an event coming up maybe tailor off on the running a little bit and focus on the bike, that's what I do. But if you enjoy both, do both because there's a mental freshness that you get whenever you have multiple activities on the go. Hope that helps!

Running and cycling can be done together, but it takes away from the specificity of cycling. Benefits include more torque on uphills and improved single leg stability. It also adds mental freshness to your training.

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Some people believe that running is not beneficial for cycling because it takes away from specificity. Spending more time cycling rather than running can provide added benefits in terms of skill and performance. However, I have personally found benefits from incorporating both running and cycling into my routine. I spend three days a week running and three to four days a week on my bike, with one of those days being a double workout. Adding trail running has improved my torque and power while cycling, particularly on uphill sections and during hike-a-bikes. Additionally, trail running has compelled me to focus on rehab exercises and enhance single leg stability, which are aspects that can be overlooked in cycling alone. Overall, incorporating both activities has made me a better athlete. It's important to note that while you can enjoy both running and cycling together, it may detract from the specificity of your cycling training. If you have an upcoming event or race, it may be beneficial to reduce running and focus more on cycling during that period. Nonetheless, if you derive enjoyment from both activities, it's perfectly fine to pursue them simultaneously as it brings a mental freshness to your training regimen.

What topic in your field that are you most excited about right now?

Unlocking Fulfillment: Applying Positive Psychology to Achievement

The topic that I'm most excited about in my life right now is how to apply positive psychology and well-being to striving, process, and achievement. So a lot of us are always striving for goals, and whenever we get our achievement, it could be an Olympic gold medal, it could be getting into the school that we wanted to get into. We get that thing, and then we don't feel fulfilled, and we wonder why. So I am very passionate about teaching, coaching, speaking, writing on this topic. How do you have a process-oriented mindset while holding outcomes lightly? How do you achieve an outcome and still feel good about your life in the process so that the goalpost doesn't move on you every single time you achieve something?

I'm passionate about teaching, coaching and writing on the topic of how to apply positive psychology and well-being to striving, process and achievement in order to have a process-oriented mindset while holding outcomes lightly and achieving goals without feeling empty after achieving them.

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The topic that excites me the most in my field right now is the application of positive psychology and well-being to the pursuit of goals and achievement. Many of us constantly strive for goals, but when we finally achieve them, we often find ourselves feeling unfulfilled. I am deeply passionate about exploring this concept through teaching, coaching, speaking, and writing. How can we cultivate a mindset focused on the process while holding outcomes lightly? How can we achieve our goals without letting them dictate our overall satisfaction with life? It's about finding a balance where the goalpost doesn't keep shifting every time we accomplish something significant.

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Sonya Looney is a 

-Professional Athlete

-Podcast Host of The Sonya Looney Show

- National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC)

-Mental Performance Coach

- Keynote Speaker

- Plant-Based since 2013

- has a Master’s in Electrical Engineering

- currently pursuing a second Master's Degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania

She has raced her mountain bike in over 25 countries and achieved extraordinary things through hard work, consistency, self-belief, determination, and optimism.  Her motivation stems from curiosity, a love of learning, gratitude, and a strong desire to assist others.

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