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Sonya Looney

 

Member profile details

First name
Sonya
Last name
Looney
MAPP Graduation Year
2024
MAPP Geography
  • Canada
 

Personal information

Bio
Sonya Looney is a World Champion and 4x USA National Champion mountain biker renowned for her mental toughness, positive mindset, and record-breaking achievements across 25+ countries. Her mission is to help people thrive at the intersection of performance and well-being.

Through Grow the Good Institute, she works as a performance coach, keynote speaker, and researcher with individuals and teams in sports and business. She is an NBC-HWC and holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Neuroscience) from CU Boulder and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she serves on the MAPP instructor team.

She is the author of a forthcoming book on mattering and untangling from performance-based worth (Wiley), and host of the Grow the Good podcast. Her insights have been featured in The Washington Post, Outside Magazine, Bicycling, and several books, including a New York Times bestseller.
Photo
 

Professional Information

Logo
Primary Focus
The intersection of performance and well-being.
Primary Focus Details
Perfectionism, mattering, coaching, consulting, speaking, workshops, and writing about the intersection of performance and well-being. With experience at the highest levels of sport paired with education, she has a unique skillset.
Professional Area
  • Business
  • Education
  • Sports / Fitness
Active Professional Interests
  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Family/Parents
  • Humanities
  • Mindfulness
  • Yoga
Professional Skills
  • Coaching
  • Consulting
  • Leadership development
  • Radio host
  • Speaking
  • Teaching resilience
  • Writing
Coach Training
  • 60+ Hours Coach Training
  • Professional Certification
Fluent in Languages
  • English
Certifications
NBC-HWC (National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach)

Plant-Based Nutritional Studies from eCornell

Certified Coach- Vanderbilt University
 

Education

Degrees Before MAPP
Master of Science, Electrical Engineering with a focus on Neuroscience; 2007.
 

Social Media

Twitter
@sonyalooney
Instagram
@sonyalooney
 

Speaking Experience

Interested in Speaking Referrals
Yes
Speaking Topics
Mental Game: Building Resilience and Performance)

Topics under this umbrella I tailor to my audience:
Mattering
Defining Success
Goalsetting strategies
Savoring
Training Optimism and Self-Talk
Performance Psychology skills
Meaning and Purpose
Character Strengths
Mindfulness
Motivation and Passion
Managing Expectations
Understanding self worth and identity
Experience speaking to large audiences
Yes
Recommendations
I have spoken at TEDx, for the military, tech conferences, entrepreneurship and startup conferences, health and wellness conferences, and for lawyers, engineers, and financial planners.
 

Publications

Blog logo
Media: Radio, TV, or podcasts
TEDx: By Bike: Defining Success at 17,769' - https://youtu.be/WYiflJvxTac?si=j2Q1deabz3Hs4nBY

Sonja Looney playlists: https://www.youtube.com/@SonyaLooney1/playlists

Flourish FM: https://www.flourishfmpodcast.com/sonyalooney
Capstone title and abstract
Beyond Perfectionism: The Role of Social Contribution and Purpose in Accomplishment

Abstract:

This capstone is concerned with perfectionists’ evaluation of their accomplishments. It includes a brief introduction to positive psychology and a review of the literature that examines how perfectionism and different types of goals relate to social contribution, purpose in life, mattering, and examines the various emotions associated with accomplishment and social impact. The second half includes a qualitative study with individuals high in self-oriented perfectionism, testing the hypothesis that perfectionists experience a greater sense of accomplishment through contribution goals rather than achievement goals. Six themes emerged from this study that contributed to a theoretical framework. The findings reveal that redefining success to include both personal and socially meaningful goals and incorporating a specific form of savoring can enable perfectionists to experience a heightened sense of accomplishment and purpose. The proposed theoretical model suggests that there are two types of satisfying goals with savoring as a moderator, enhancing the positive effects of goal attainment on well-being. Different mediating factors influence personal or other-focused goals. This research offers practical interventions to help perfectionists shift from self-validation to purpose and meaningful contribution, ultimately enhancing mattering and psychological well-being.
 

Contact data

Province/State
BC
Country
Canada
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