Mindset Mastery for Midlife Athletes with Sonya Looney (Episode 275)

Hit Play Not Pause

Fitness, Health & Fitness, Medicine

4.9 • 769 Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2026

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What happens when a world class athlete and mindset coach meets the menopause transition? We find out this week with champion mountain bike racer and mental performance coach Sonya Looney, who dug deep into her positive psychology toolkit to navigate her compressed midlife journey through pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, miscarriage, perimenopause, and the performance/identity challenges they bring. She shares hormone therapy insights, nutrition shifts, powerlifting gains, training for who you are now, acceptance without resignation, and much more.

Sonya Looney is a World Champion (24-hour racing) mountain biker and 4x National Champion, a positive psychology researcher, and internationally recognized performance expert. She holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she won an award for her research on meaningful accomplishment. Sonya is a sought-after keynote speaker, performance coach, and podcast host, whose work bridges elite sport, science, and human insight. Her ideas have appeared in major media from The Washington Post to Outside Magazine , and she has been featured in a New York Times Best-selling book. Passionate about helping high performers find lasting fulfillment, Sonya integrates evidence-based strategies and personal experience to redefine what it means to truly matter, and she is a forthcoming author on that subject! Learn more about her and her work at sonyalooney.com

Watch on YouTube

Join us at Feisty Fest September 18-20, 2026: https://feisty.co/events/feisty-fest/

Join Feisty at the Grand Traverse in Duluth, MN on October 3rd! Use code FEISTY20 for $20 off when you register at https://feisty.co/events/the-grand-traverse/

Learn More about our 2026 Feisty Events, including Bike Camps and Cycling Trips: https://feisty.co/events/

Feisty Menopause: @feistymenopause

Hit Play Not Pause Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807943973376099

Support our Partners:

Midi Health: You Deserve to Feel Great. Book your virtual visit today at https://www.joinmidi.com/

Previnex: Get 15% off your first order with code HITPLAY at https://www.previnex.com/

Wahoo: Use the code FEISTY2026 to get a free Headwind Smart Fan (value $300) with the purchase of a Wahoo KICKR RUN at https://shorturl.at/WVhdr

Cozy Earth: Use Code HITPLAY at https://cozyearth.com/ for up to 20% off

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Looking for something fun to do this fall? Come join me at the Grand Traverse in Duluth, Minnesota on October 3rd.
0:07.4	As part of Feisty's merger with another mother runner, we are hosting a big fun group trail run and hike.
0:14.0	You get to choose which one you want to do on the trails surrounding Lake Superior in the fall.
0:19.6	It's going to be amazing.
0:21.6	You can choose from distances ranging from 10 to 27 miles.
0:25.3	I signed up for the 27-mileer.
0:27.3	We'll see what a good decision that turns out to be.
0:29.7	But fortunately, we are also offering a Grand Traverse Training Plan, which you get
0:34.9	Training Peaks, Daily Workouts, a nutrition plan, and a supportive community to call
0:40.0	on.
0:40.5	All wrapped up in that.
0:41.9	It's going to be an amazing time.
0:43.6	Click the link in the show notes and let's have an adventure this fall.
0:52.9	You are listening to Hit Play Not Pause, a feisty menopause podcast for active performance-minded women.
0:59.7	I am your host, Celine Yeager.
1:01.8	Each week, I bring you advice from athletes, scientists, researchers, and other experts to help you feel and perform your best no matter what your hormones are doing.
1:10.3	This show is a production of feisty media.
1:14.7	Hello, strong feisty women.
1:16.9	I hope you all are well.
1:19.0	So I have a question for you.
1:22.0	What happens when a world-class athlete and mindset coach meets the menopause transition. Well, you guessed it we find
1:29.5	out this week with a champion mountain bike racer and mental performance coach, who I have known
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 11 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Hit Play Not Pause, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Hit Play Not Pause and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.