Healthcare Speakers

Sonya Jones was a top contestant on NBC’s Reality TV Show The Biggest Loser, and is the author of the best-selling book, 44 Lessons From a Loser: Navigating Life Through Laughter, Prayer, and the Occasional Throat Punch. With a winning mix of hilarity and inspiration, Jones will challenge you to be the BEST possible version of yourself!
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A physical education teacher who should have been modeling health and fitness, Sonya Jones felt like a hypocrite as she neared 300 pounds in 2014. Six months later, she stepped onto the scales (and into the hearts of millions of Americans) to drop a whopping 144 pounds (50.88% of her total body weight) on national television as the only female finalist on Season 16 of NBC’s reality TV show, The Biggest Loser. Coming within a fraction of a pound (.01% of her body weight) of winning the entire competition and taking home the $250,000 prize, hers was the closest margin of loss in Biggest Loser history.

Prior to her Biggest Loser journey, Jones was a former semi-professional athlete (two-time Collegiate All-American in fastpitch softball) who earned a degree in Physical Education from Greenville University (in Greenville, Illinois-where she was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018). After earning graduate degrees in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield, she spent nearly two decades in education before taking her current position as an Outreach Representative for HSHS Medical Group in central Illinois.

Sonya’s journey on The Biggest Loser sparked in her a desire to “pay it forward” – which now has her inspiring thousands of people all over the country through her master storytelling, sense of humor, and ability to connect with any audience. A certified (and widely-sought) speaker with the John Maxwell Team, she will show you how you can find worth in your life and joy in your journey.

Her unique communication style will have you crying tears of laughter and joy while tugging at your heartstrings as she empowers you to fall in love with your life and yourself. This former coach is now fully dedicated to helping you achieve more than you ever thought possible as she equips you for success in becoming the best possible version of yourself!

Having appeared in TV Guide and been featured on the cover of US Weekly, Jones recently authored a best-selling book. 44 Lessons from a Loser: Navigating Life with Laughter, Prayer, and the Occasional Throat Punch will teach you some of the “life lessons” she learned both on and off her time on TV-and is guaranteed to elicit laughter, tears, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude that her hysterical misadventures didn’t happen to you!