Courtney Starks is making impactful changes with words! We mean literally. Starks is a millennial motivational speaker who shares his testimony of overcoming and inspires his audience through topics that affect millennials today. He is the real-life Iron Man, rising as a kidney failure survivor and using his own strength to help his community. His power is a cause of celebration from recently giving his 100th lunch during his "Lunch on Me" initiative for Women's History Month to hosting a holiday giveaway for kids in need. Check out our exclusive interview with Starks on his incredible journey in giving back to his community and changing lives through words.

Where are you based?
Brooklyn, NY.

You graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration and currently work as the CEO of The Courtney’s Corner Brand. What does your role entail?
As the CEO of The Courtney’s Corner Brand, we focus on impacting lives and sharing the stories of the voices that are unheard. We take pride in our consistency in giving back to the community through our community service events including our annual holiday toy drive, our “Lunch On Me” lunch giveaway, and spreading awareness about kidney disease (something in which I have personally overcome).

We learned that you struggled with major health issues when you were younger and are a kidney failure survivor. What was the road to recovery like and how did your family cope with this?
The road to recovery was long but necessary. I learned a lot about my strengths. My family was there rooting me on the entire way. They didn’t leave my side. Through this experience, I learned that anything is possible with faith and perseverance.

Due to this, you were labeled as the “sick kid”. Did that heavily impact your mental health, especially when you were suffering from the physical? How did you not let it get to you?
I labeled myself as “the sick kid” because all throughout high school I could count the months and days that I would be sick. It began to be so continuous. It weighed a lot more on me because in my mind, I just wanted to be normal. I wanted to be like the rest of my classmates. To keep my mind off things, I joined all the clubs and groups in school and kept myself extremely busy.

Doctors and health practitioners constantly promote the importance of taking care of your health while you're young and setting the standard to be a healthy adult. However, the younger us can be naive and do not prioritize health. Can health problems reverse from bad habits we developed when we were younger?
Yes, I do believe they can be reversed if caught in enough time. The problem is in our communities we aren’t surrounded by places and people who are instilling those healthy ideologies in us. There’s a corner store on every block, and a fast-food restaurant made available to you without you having to leave your home. Economically, the cost of a fast-food meal is more affordable for a large-sized family, than a healthy sustainable meal.

A lot of high school students these days experience bullying and mental. According to Pew Research Center, 59% of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online and teens mostly think teachers, social media companies, and politicians are failing at addressing this issue. Can you share your thoughts on this and how the community can raise awareness of this?
As a community, we need to continuously do our part to not only raise awareness but to hold those accountable for doing said actions. There also needs to be a deeper conversation as to why kids feel the need to bully one another. These habits are learned behaviors, so it’s time we address the root causes and then we can begin working on solutions.

On top of being a kidney failure survivor, you are also the CEO of Courtney's Corner LLC. Can you tell us more about this company and what are its mission?
Courtney's Corner is a company that seeks to inform, engage, and inspire its audience through a variety of topics affecting millennials today. Founded in 2008 then relaunched in 2018, the brand was created to facilitate necessary conversations centered around issues that don't get enough spotlight in the mainstream media. Over the last three years, we have covered topics including financial literacy, women's empowerment, suicide awareness, and the relationship between the LGBTQ community and the Church, just to name a few. Courtney's Corner has evolved from a passion project into a brand. In 2019 the expansion to an LLC included hosting events and community projects like the “Change Starts With Us” Summit, our food & clothing drive, as well as a toy drive, all aimed at investing in the youth and surrounding communities.

Being a millennial motivational speaker requires a lot of engagement with the audience. Have you experienced any disengaging audience? If so, how do you keep them engaged?
I don’t find disengaged audiences, more so people who are afraid to open up because of past hurts and other extreme circumstances. For me, it’s continuing to do my part to speak on issues no matter how difficult they may seem.

Jejune admires and loves that you are making incredible and positive changes within your community. You most recently celebrated giving the 100th lunch during the "Lunch on Me" initiative for Women's History Month. Can you expand on the “Lunch on Me” initiative and its purpose?
“Lunch On Me” started out as an idea that I had in wanting to remind women of their power and strength as well as to educate them on all of the other great women who came before them. I decided to do it in the form of trivia with a twist. For all those who answered the questions correctly, they received cash prizes to enjoy lunch on us.

How can governments and influencers raise awareness and help out families living in lower-income/impoverished neighborhoods?
They can raise awareness by pouring into those communities. Hosting events, allocating funds aimed directly at the betterment of those living in those neighborhoods. Doing what we must to change the trajectory of the individuals stuck in those circumstances.

You also do a holiday giveaway to kids in need, called the “Wonderland Extravaganza & Toy Drive”. How does it work?
We get the entire community involved in raising money as well as donating toys, books, etc…to give to young children living in low-income/impoverished neighborhoods as well as those sick in hospitals. We invite the families to come out and celebrate the holidays with us to give children a sense of joy.

Can anyone get involved and help out on this? If so, what can they do?
Yes, if anyone is looking to join the Courtney’s Corner Community or donate to any of our causes you can reach us at @Courtneystarksofficial on Instagram or on our website at www.Courtneyscornerllc.com

What are your plans for 2021? Should we be on the lookout for anything new from you?
Currently, I am doing the finishing touches on my book My Kidney Failed Me But God Didn’t which is set to be released September 25th, 2021. We will be doing a book tour as well. I will also continue to host my talk show “One On One With Courtney Starks” where we will continue to interview people who are making a difference within their perspective fields and communities. “One On One With Courtney Starks” is available on Roku TV and Amazon Fire.

How have you been staying positive during the lockdown? As a transplant patient, how did you stay safe from Covid?
I learned that tapping into my most creative self has helped me keep positive while motivating others to do the same. I stayed home during most of Covid and when I had to go out, I became the guy walking around in a bubble so you couldn’t come in contact with me. Lol.

What is your motto in life?
“You don’t get the right to give up.” There are people in the world who need to hear our testimony to get to the next phase in their lives.

To learn more about Courtney Starks, please follow him via the below platforms:
https://courtneyscornerllc.com/
Instagram - @Courtneystarksofficial

Courtney Starks: The Real Life Iron Man