YOUR EDGE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING…

I created The Arete Path—as a place for leaders, warriors, and everyday people to forge excellence in mind, body, and spirit. I draw on decades of elite military experience, leadership in business, and real-world coaching to guide people through transformational work that’s both ancient and urgently needed today.

Over the course of 25 years, I served as a Navy SEAL, coached leaders at every level, and trained thousands of students in one of the most demanding environments on Earth. From multiple deployments, to running SEAL training, and guiding top candidates through Hell Week, I learned one thing over and over again: performance is meaningless without character.

That realization became my compass. As my leadership responsibilities grew, I became obsessed with understanding what truly makes a great warrior, a great teammate, a great human being. It wasn’t the tactics or the accolades—it was virtue. The quiet strength of someone who chooses to live by an Ethos.

Through a mentor, I discovered Arete, the ancient Greek ideal of excellence—not just in skill, but in soul. It gave me language for what I had always believed: that free will, when aligned to purpose and embodied with virtue, is the foundation of excellence.

In a world obsessed with appearances, possessions, and shortcuts, I’ve made it my mission to help people reconnect with who they are and who they’re meant to become. Not through gimmicks or hacks, but through challenge, self-discovery, and service.

This is more than coaching. It’s a modern rite of passage.

My mission is simple: to inspire and empower others to walk their own Arete Path.

If that speaks to you, I’d be honored to walk the path with you.

— Kevin Stark
Founder, The Arete Path
Navy SEAL (Ret.), MBA, MS