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Meet Kate Engard of Engard Athletics in Tempe

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Engard.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Medical School or Bust… I graduated just in time for the recession of 2008 which definitely was a “bust.” Med school wasn’t looking like an option anymore, so I turned to the next best thing I knew and loved – human performance. As a scholarship collegiate athlete, I knew first-hand how influential and life-changing physical activity can be. I came from a low-income family; there was no college fund and my parents weren’t cosigning sh!t. Sport was my way out. It opened the doors to opportunities I might never have had – including my bachelor’s degree. Training my body to compete at the highest level was equally powerful, mentally and physically. I knew that if medical school wasn’t an option anymore, I wanted to empower people to find more opportunity in life through human performance.

In my early career I turned to coaching to help empower athletes to have similar opportunities through sport. From 2009 through 2015 I worked at Scottsdale Community College as the sprint coach and strength and conditioning coach for basketball and soccer. In 2012 I began working exclusively with the football program. 18 months and a lot of hard work later, the 2013 class became the WSFL Champions and won the Valley of the Sun Bowl. 2014 saw a repeat winning season but a tough loss in the conference championship.

I believe my pre-med background combined with my collegiate experience and graduate education in human performance helped me ‘hack’ the system so to speak and identify energy systems and processes that could be leveraged to achieve the desired performance safely and effectively. I’m most proud of having the lowest injury rate during my time as a strength coach in that program. Athlete or client, longevity means increased opportunity – there’s no future for anyone in the short run game (pun intended).

That’s why in 2015, I decided to open my own small facility in South Scottsdale where I could help people of all ages and backgrounds live more fully through performance training. Three years later I’m happy to have the opportunity to expand to a larger location in Tempe!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being an entrepreneur and a parent is tough. It took a ton of sacrifice, living ‘simply’ and 18 hr. days to make this dream a reality.

One quote that particularly speaks to my entrepreneurial journey is the quote by Arthur Ashe, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Before I had a gym, or even a real business I had a patio with some weights, a squat rack and a few miscellaneous items like bands. I was still the strength coach for Football at SCC when one day I got a Facebook message from Stephanie Yancey (unbeknownst to me a Roller Derby Phenom!).

She needed a structured training program to take her on-skates performance to the next level. I was both excited to work with her and a little bummed I didn’t have a much to offer…only the makeshift gym that was on my patio.

But being the down-to-earth go-getter that she is, she only asked one thing, “Can we get it done?”

“Hell yes we can!” I was so thrilled to work with her! So the journey that is Engard Athletics literally began there, on my patio! I had enough to start with and so we did.

Four years and many similar success stories later, we have happily upgraded from the patio gym, but that same driving philosophy behind our minimalist gym remains: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” You’d be surprised to find, what you have IS enough.

Engard Athletics – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Engard Athletics is a performance facility. Whether your goal is to move better and become more fit for daily life, or whether you’re an amateur or recreational athlete, everyone goes through a systematic program to safely achieve the performance objective.

We do this by providing specific programming and nutrition, and by performing routine assessments. I aggregate day-to-day data to inform the decision making for ongoing programming.

I’m most proud of how big we play in our humble facility. Because I’m focused on performance metrics, we have the essentials to perform at the highest level without all the fluff. I think the facility really speaks to our philosophy. I have a periodized training system that has been proven in both the collegiate and private setting. I know what matters in analyzing and achieving performance-driven goals and I don’t waste time or money getting there, which in-turn helps keep costs lower for everyone.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
From a performance perspective, empirical ‘success’ is outcome-based success. Its quantitative improvements in movement, stability and other performance metrics that may be relevant to your goal.

But real success is process-based: It’s showing up every day. It’s doing what you can, with what you have. It’s making the most of your circumstances rather than seeing your circumstance as a limitation. Real success is achieved when your day-to-day processes, habits and lifestyle line up with your long term goal. That’s the secret…everyone wants to look at outcome-oriented achievements. The secret to success is in the process.

Pricing:

  • PROMO: Current ASU Students With ID: $165/mo. for 16 group sessions, Tues – Friday. Email for Times & Details.
  • PROMO: New Members $200/mo. for 16 group sessions, Tues – Friday. Email for Times & Details.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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