We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Stark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Happiness is found in peace throughout the process. It’s hard to always want to be doing more and not be where you want to be, but when you look back and see constant growth it’s a nice reminder that you’re walking your purpose and working at the exact pace you need to be. There will always be more to achieve, but learning to be at peace with where you are is an amazing accomplishment. Remembering that it’s ok to take a break and do things you love each day, it will actually drive your growth and impact even more long-term.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As a former NCAA Track and Field athlete, going into Sports Performance I wanted to provide athletes the tools I hadn’t been able to find even as a college athlete. I had a lot of unanswered questions about not just sprinting, but also movement in general and the best ways to train to capitalize on your potential.

My first internship was with offseason NFL training in 2014, leading to a job in Sports Performance right out of college. I took that a step further by opening my own business in 2016 while continuing to find high level coaches and mentors I could learn from and train under. My mentor to this day has played a great role in shaping my training style and philosophy. I spent years jumping into his workouts with NFL Combine prep and NFL Offseason training. By training under and coaching alongside him, I realized that the answers to all my questions I had as a college athlete are there but scarcely found. My next goal was to take these tools only seen at the pro level training and bring them to a younger generation of athletes.

In 2020 I founded the Speed Enhancement Mentorship where we specialize in speed development and injury prevention for middle and high school athletes. Built on education, our job is to not simply get our athletes faster while preventing injury, but also give them the tools they need to be able to train on their own with purpose and reason beyond their time with us.

These tools have taken a soccer club from 9 ACL tears the year before us down to zero while training with us. They have helped athletes shave half a second off their 40 yd dash time and they have instilled the confidence to allow athletes to compete to their best ability.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Don’t come visit me unless you want to be on the MOVE! All my visitors know they’re about to get lots of sun and sights. From rooftop pools, to snorkeling in the keys, to jet skiing around Haulover and Downtown Miami, lots of water will be involved. And with tons of amazing food and drinks to chose from, again my favorite will be with a view on the water. Maybe out over the ocean, on another rooftop, or in the intercoastal. Being outside is a MUST for any South Florida visitor (and resident).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Nobody can do it on their own! I have been so fortunate to find an amazing team to meet me where I’m at in the journey!

To Coach Troy, maaaaaan if it wasn’t for you. Shadowing NFL offseason and NFL Combine all those years is LITERALLY what shaped me. I had been so lucky to be around amazing and smart coaches but NO ONE made as massive as an impact as you have. I am truly a product of you, thank you so much for taking the time to instill the knowledge and be proud of what I can do with it.

To my coaches: Joey, Sebastian, Olivia, Mariana, Kimmy, and Jorge. You are SUCH a positive influence and outstanding guide to the athletes we help. Without you, our program would not have the same massive impact. I get compliments on a regular basis from the parent of our athletes about how much you mean to them. And you mean even more to me. Thank you for being the best teammates and friends I could have.

To Tyrone, your guidance on both a business and personal level has absolutely helped push me down the path I need to be going on. In exchange for dropping all my baggage, we’ll be switching yachts in the Amalfi Coast in no time!

To Hannah, without the exact system I needed to get going making an impact I’d probably still be running in circles (literally). Thank you for giving me the tools needed in order to share my talent and make a difference in the athletes we help.

To my friends and family who know my vision doesn’t need to make sense to them. Every “I can’t wait to see it” helps drive me! There is a reason each person in my life is there. You are so important.

Website: http://starkstrongperformance.com

Instagram: @stark.strong.performance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachlaurastark

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