Meet Felicia Starks of Stark Naked Nutrition

Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia Starks.

Felicia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2004, after looking at pictures from my vacation & graduation the previous year, I realized how much I had really put my health on the back burner while I was in college. I took control of my life, mindset and body by transforming from a size 14-16 to size 4 by simply switching what I eat and moving more. Even after having my son in 2006, I have been able to maintain my weight loss for over 14 years and counting.

After conquering weight loss and having so many people ask me for advice on weight loss, I got certified as a personal fitness trainer and lifestyle weight management specialist in 2012. Although I shared fitness tips on social media, I quickly realized that many of my friends were more focused on the workouts instead of what they were eating those other 20+ hours of the day.

Instead of just repeating the same old boring nutrition facts that we’ve been hearing for years, I got certified as a fitness nutrition specialist & lifestyle coach in 2014. In 2015, after using myself as a “test subject,” I discovered and started educating on the keys to not only losing the fat but how to maintain and keep the excess fat off permanently.

I often share my story to partner with and inspire women to live a fit, healthy lifestyle, have fun and be fabulous & fearless in fitness and their finances. I truly believe there are no limits to what we can accomplish in life; while keeping ourselves as a priority on our own to-do list. My love for fitness increased 10x once I decided to get in the best shape of my life before my 40th birthday in 2014.

In May 2014, I entered my first fitness competition, got the 32nd place out of 35, which was a stinger! I realized that I since fitness is a major part of my life, there was no way, I would rest well until I reached my goal of earning my pro card and I have been competing every year since then.

The preparation for the competition was an absolute game-changer for my body, my mindset and every part of my life and I have not looked back.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Haha, absolutely not! Thankfully, although I work full time in corporate America, I had experience in internet marketing part time, so that was extremely helpful in making sure I was marketing to my ideal clients.

Since my business took off really fast from the referrals, I didn’t properly set up a solid infrastructure at the beginning. When I first started working with clients, everything was through email and text, and I quickly realized that I needed a more organized way to interact with my clients. After getting my infrastructure in place and setting up a private Facebook group, communicating with my clients and checking in on them was so much easier.

The online coaching space is still fairly new so there is a lot of trial and error and the key to maintaining my sanity was not being afraid to try new ideas/things and not being “married” to the idea.

Although I currently work exclusively online with my clients, I have made it a practice, to make sure that I reach out to them in between our check-ins to make sure they are still on track, answer questions and help them work through any obstacles that they may have run into. Their ability to contact me through text, email or our Facebook group, helps build rapport even though we may not have ever met.

Please tell us about Stark Naked Nutrition.
Stark Naked Nutrition, my online nutrition coaching, consulting and meal planning business officially opened in 2016, after getting several requests from friends and family for help with their nutrition. I began helping fitness enthusiast get their nutrition in alignment with their fitness goals and workouts so they could start seeing results from their work in the gym.

I help women (and a couple of men- mostly spouses of clients) who have been struggling with yo-yo dieting, and inconsistent habits get into the best shape of their lives by utilizing nutrition, fitness, and mindset to create a permanent transformation.

I am most proud of working with the clients who have been really struggling with their weight despite going to the gym…. and then seeing their demeanor change when they start seeing the results of the small changes to their nutrition.

Many of the clients that I work with are already active in the gym, so they have tried a lot of the different nutrition approaches and are looking for solutions that last. I’ve sold the fast, “lose 10 lbs in 10 days” solutions that help get rid of excess water quickly but they aren’t sustainable long term, however, the clients that I work with are more interested in making body composition changes, so we focus on fat loss instead of what the scale says.

Although I’m a personal trainer, my passion and what sets me apart from other coaches is that I walk what I talk and my ability to break down the why & how of the nutrition basics so my clients learn how their body responds to different foods and they become THE expert concerning their own nutrition and what works best for them.

I’m a member of C3 Women’s Network within our local community and regularly host nutrition and meal planning workshops in fitness studios, churches or wherever requested. I was honored to serve as a fitness & nutrition panelist at the 2018 iLIVE Women’s Wellness and Lifestyle Expo in Arlington.

Co-Author of “Fat 2 Fit: Transforming from the Inside Out, published in July 2017 with Dr. Kendra Mays, who is also a certified personal trainer also. The insightful book provides a transparent snapshot into managing practices implemented to sustain a fat-2-fit transformation. This book will cover many practical fitness applications that will aid in various aspects of life.

This book will share informative tips regarding diverse topics that generally make people discouraged or stagnated in their journey. As fitness professionals, we’ve observed sustaining a healthy lifestyle change that involves planning, consistency, motivation, and dedication is increasingly difficult for most people.

Our different perspectives, experiences, as well as important topics, aren’t often covered in other fitness guides. So, we decided to change the game! Offering a different approach to transformation, we believe that FAITH AND FITNESS work in concert when launching a new lifestyle change!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have so many people who have played major roles my success and my Trainer & Conditioning, Kelby Johnson, Sr., has helped me tremendously on so many levels in regards to exceeding my fitness and body goals. I had never hired a personal trainer prior to meeting Kelby, so, I didn’t really know what to expect, however after several months of intense workouts & tweaks to my nutrition, this almost 40 year old body was transformed and that’s when my mindset completely shifted. I know it’s important to connect with successful mentors and business coaches who can hold me accountable for my goals as well as inspire, support and encourage me to exceed my previous personal best. Some of my mentors that have been instrumental in my success are, Stephanie Joanne, Sophia Bailey and Justin Brown. My friend Marynthya McElroy of MBodied by Marynthya continues to be a great support as my workout partner in crime and fellow business owner, as well as my favorite ROCKSTAR clients, Monica & Kirk Black, of Team Black Lifestyle, who have been my BIGGEST supporters and sent the most referrals to date!  My son, Preston & my amazing immediate family & social media family are great supporters and help spread the word by sharing my nutrition & fitness posts. I wouldn’t have been as successful without their authentic love and support.

Pricing:

• Fat to Fit: Transforming From the Inside Out $9.99 on Amazon

Contact Info:

• Website: starknakednutrition.com
• Phone: 682-233-3767
• Email: coaching@feliciastarks.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/feliciastarksfitness
• Facebook: facebook.com/feliciastarksfitness
• Twitter: twitter.com/feliciajstarks
• Yelp: https://www.amazon.com/Fat-2-fit-Transforming-Inside-Kendra-Mayes-ebook
• Other: facebook.com/groups/fsfitcrew (Need fatloss and fitness tips that really work? Join my Facebook fitness & nutrition group)

Image Credit:
Bryan Forrester with FitnessModels.com

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