James is originally from New York and has lived in Fernandina Beach since December of 2016. After growing his chiropractic practice with his wife, James has partnered with Laura Porter to offer you Personalized Performance, Amelia Island’s premiere personal training experience.
James has been involved in the health and fitness industry for 15 years and has worked with clients from the age of 6 to 94 years of age. He has worked for corporate fitness clubs, including Retro Fitness and Lifetime Fitness, and has 10 years of private personal training experience. He has competed in 15 natural bodybuilding competitions, with 5 of those at the professional level. Aside from bodybuilding, James has also participated in road races, ranging from 5ks to a full marathon and two ultra-relays.
James is a passionate and driven individual who truly loves sharing the gift of movement and fitness with his clients. He offers a uniquely comprehensive approach to individualized wellness due to his broad exposure as an athlete throughout his life. A series of two knee surgeries before reaching college became the catalyst for him to pursue a career helping improve how people move. James adheres to the philosophy that the human body must be able to adapt and overcome the physical, chemical, and emotional stressors that each of us encounter every day. His approach to success includes a holistic view of personal health that weaves chiropractic adjustments and daily mobility exercises, such as stretching and foam rolling (aka “spinal hygiene”), to preserve our physical body, layered with a well-planned strength training routine to improve our resilience to future physical stress. He helps his clients address the chemical stressors by making appropriate nutritional recommendations and addresses the emotional stressors by helping with life coaching strategies discussed during clients’ workouts. This 3-pronged approach is also the way all the trainers at Personalized Performance can help you make the changes in your current state of health to live an optimal life.
Laura Porter grew up in Panama City Beach, FL where she participated in competitive gymnastics, competitive cheerleading, basketball, volleyball, track and field, and swimming. Laura’s athletic background helped her learn body awareness, and instilled a lifelong love of wellness and exercise. Because of this, she has partnered with Dr. Jame Antun to help bring you Amelia Island’s premier fitness studio, Personalized Performance.
Laura earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Florida State University and a master’s degree in English, with a focus on British Restoration literature, at the University of North Florida. She has worked in human resources for five years and as a high school teacher for thirteen years, here, in Nassau County. She founded and continues to coach the Fernandina Beach High School girls competitive weightlifting team, where she coached several athletes to the State Girls Weightlifting Series, several of whom made the podium.
Throughout her life, Laura remained interested in the human body and how to keep it functioning, physically and mentally, in a healthy manner. Her wide range of study and practice allows her to provide an individualized approach to fitness, designing exercise and/or movement programs based on everyone’s needs and goals, from children to seniors. Her goal is to improve the overall health and well-being of her clients so they can continue to, or begin to, live active lives through functional movements to build mobility, strength, power, and speed at any fitness level.
In her spare time, Laura continues her education about the body and its mechanics. You can also find her working out, reading, playing disc golf, participating in outdoor activities, and spending time with her husband and two dogs.
Kim, her husband, and two sons are originally from the Pacific Northwest and moved to Fernandina Beach in 2015. Kim has been an instructor in some fashion since she was sixteen years old; she taught swim lessons, ballroom dance, college math, middle school science, preschool, and now fitness. She has loved everything along the way, but has found her love for all things fitness to be one of the most rewarding and fun. Kim has now been a personal/group trainer and fitness instructor for 10 years. When not training clients or teaching fitness classes, she enjoys family activities, such as watching her sons’ games, traveling, spending time with her zoo of animals, and, of course, working out.
Throughout her training career, Kim has specialized in strength training, weight loss, functional fitness, Boxfit, and HIIT style training. She enjoys working one-on-one, where programs are tailored to the individual, and with small groups, where the group atmosphere helps drive motivation. Kim enjoys working with all ages and fitness levels but especially those new to a fitness/health journey. Watching clients’ progressions as they gain strength, confidence, and happiness is amazing to witness. She looks forward to helping you on your journey!
Marleah Dampier participated in flag football, track, and girl’s weightlifting at Fernandina Beach High School. Her main sport was weightlifting, and she attended state 3 times and placed in the top 4 each time. Focusing on weightlifting allowed her to learn to build strength and find a love of fitness and strength training. Additionally, participating in multiple other sports allowed her a different lens at which to view fitness and to address different types of physical abilities, such as cardio, power, and technical skills.
Marleah injured her knee in 2022. Following that she rehabilitated her knee through physical therapy and with a trainer right here at Personalized Performance. Since the injury, she has gotten back into strength training and exercise as a form of continued recovery. Overcoming this injury has taught her about the importance of listening to your body and gave her perspective about how difficult getting back into athletics can be after an injury. She hopes to help people in all levels of their fitness journeys, whether that means recovering from an injury, training to function better in a sport, or simply gaining strength and power for personal exercise and fitness goals.
She shadowed Laura Porter and Dr. James Antun to learn more about the technical side of personal training and gained a lot of knowledge from watching them practice with clients. She has also become a Certified Functional Strength Training Coach in preparation for working one-on-one with clients and enhancing her knowledge of the human body’s abilities. The heart of her experience lies in her own fitness and recovery journey, but she is looking forward to practicing with clients and gaining practical experience planning exercise regimens. Her focus is on training clients by building individualized workout plans tailored to their fitness goals, whether that is strength, performance, or functional fitness. Marleah hopes to help clients gain confidence in themselves and their bodies as well as grow their potential physically.