Grow the Good

This Mindfulness in Action episode is a real-time practice in mental agility: the ability to notice what’s happening in your thoughts, emotions, and body, and make small adjustments that help you stay aligned with what matters. In the previous solo episode, I talked about mental agility from a more practical and educational lens: emotional agility, attentional agility, mindfulness, and the internal and external shifters that help us regulate and adapt. In this episode, we take those ideas out...

What if so much of our suffering comes from trying to become who we think we’re supposed to be? In this episode, I sit down with meditation teachers Jeff Warren and Tasha Schumann for a wide-ranging, deeply practical conversation about mindfulness, creativity, neurodiversity, and how to let go of the societal “shoulds” that keep us disconnected from ourselves. This conversation felt especially personal to me because so much of it mirrors what I’ve been exploring in my own life as an athlete, ...

Ever catch yourself thinking, “I should be better than this. I should be doing more. I should have started earlier” and then spiraling? In this solo episode, I’m diving into the world of "should" and how it quietly drives guilt, shame, and burnout, especially for high performers and ambitious, growth-oriented people. Recently, I injured my rib at my son’s ninja gym birthday party and being forced to pull back on training actually gave me surprising mental relief. So today, I explore why havin...

In this Mindfulness in Action episode, I’m recording on a trail run and thinking out loud about something I’ve been re-examining in my own life: the pressure to constantly optimize and get better. We hear it everywhere: be more productive, improve every day, maximize your time. And while growth and striving for excellence matter, I’ve been noticing how easily that mindset turns into pressure, guilt, and a constant feeling of not doing enough. In this episode, I share how I’ve been unlearning ...

What if the version of “success” you’ve been chasing is actually keeping you stuck in survival mode? In this episode, I sit down with author and coach Jon Rosemberg to talk about what it really means to move from high-functioning survival into genuine thriving. Jon shares his deeply personal story of growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, living in chronic vigilance, and eventually discovering that achievement and productivity were not the same thing as peace, agency, or well-being. This conversat...

The most valuable skill I’ve ever learned isn’t about performance, mindset, or even resilience. It’s communication. In this solo episode, I’m teaching you one of the most powerful tools I use as a coach, mentor, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, keynote speaker, parent, and partner. It comes from motivational interviewing and it’s called OARS: Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, and Summarizing. These skills have completely changed how I show up in conversatio...

In this Mindfulness in Action episode, I’m sharing a spontaneous trail-side reflection on something that’s been very present for me lately: how we manage drive without burning out and how we stay truly connected in a world that keeps telling us to “go bigger.” I talk about rethinking social media impact, why I’m increasingly prioritizing local and real-time connection, and how and asking better questions can completely change the quality of our relationships. I also share some simple practice...

Gratitude is one of the most researched, and misunderstood, topics in psychology. In this episode of Grow the Good, I sit down with Dr. Bob Emmons, one of the world’s leading gratitude researchers, for a candid, nuanced conversation about what gratitude really is, where it comes from, and how it shapes our striving, relationships, and sense of meaning. What makes this conversation especially rich is Bob’s journey. Long before he became known for gratitude research, his work focused on strivin...

What if improving your well-being didn’t require more time, effort, or productivity, but simply a deeper relationship with the world around you? I’m your host Sonya Looney, and in this episode of Grow the Good, I’m joined by nature connectedness researcher Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore and well-being practitioner Molly Peterson for a rich, science-backed, and deeply human conversation about how our relationship with nature shapes our mental health, meaning, and sense of presence. Together, we explo...

What makes relationships truly thrive, not just survive? In this episode of Grow the Good, I sit down with Suzie Pileggi Pawelski, positive psychology expert and co-author of Happy Together: Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love That Lasts, to explore how strengths, gratitude, and intentional effort create lasting connection. Suzie shares her evidence-based framework for building flourishing relationships using character strengths, gratitude, and virtue. We talk about how to ...

Bringing meditation into daily life is a different beast. Today’s moving meditation will be short, simple—and really hard, because we’re taking meditation on the move so you can apply mindfulness to everyday activities like workouts or a quiet hike. In today’s episode, I break down how to shift from an ego-focused to a task-focused mindset during physical activities. I’ll guide you through techniques to anchor your focus, using sounds from your environment or your own breath, to help maintai...

THIS EPISODE IS A GROW THE GOOD REPLAY // 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 share strategies and actionable practices to help you become a b...

Transitions are inevitable. Whether it’s becoming a parent, shifting careers, retiring, or simply navigating unexpected change. But why do transitions feel so unsettling, and how can we meet them with more self-compassion and patience? In this episode of Grow the Good, I sit down with my friend and fellow MAPP grad, Ilene Schaffer, to explore the psychology of transitions. With more than 25 years of experience in counseling psychology, Ilene shares her wisdom on navigating endings, sitting wi...