How Soccer Freestyler Laura Biondo Trains During Summertime

It’s a lot of people’s dreams to set a Guinness World Record, though they never come close. Laura Biondo, meanwhile, has broken 15.

The soccer freestyler, who was born in Venezuela, started playing soccer at 10 years old. Since then, she’s taken on many impressive challenges, including all of those world records and a stint performing in Cirque du Soleil.

Biondo lives in Miami, which of course is very humid and hot during July. And while many other Miami residents are soaking up the sun and spending their summer Sundays relaxing at the beach, Biondo is actually in the throes of training for upcoming competitions. Her days are marked by at least an hour and a half of freestyle training, plus an hour of strength training – and that’s just the bare minimum.

Related: Visiting the Dominican Republic as an Adult Helped Me Understand My Father’s Sacrifices

“It’s really hard to calm down during summertime, because there are more activities and competitions,” she says. “More like it’s around Christmas, January, and February when it’s slower for me – when I can take more time for myself, sometimes family comes over. But not during summertime.”

In addition to her physical fitness routine, Biondo makes sure to maintain her mental well-being, and that usually includes listening to podcasts and reading books about personal development. She says she’s taken part in Tony Robbins’s seminars, and several books have helped shape her thinking, including “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer and “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. She especially loves Miguel Ruis, who’s famous for, among other titles, “The Four Agreements.”

“I’ve liked his books a lot because they have helped me to understand and grow a lot of awareness about our emotional wounds and how if we don’t heal that, we project it onto others,” she says.

In other words, Biondo’s commitment to her career is clear, whether it’s by prioritizing her physical or mental wellness. But for Biondo, she is driven more by her values than any idea of superficial success.

“I think it comes down first of all to what you want for yourself: what would you like to achieve and why? And how can that also be helpful for others?” she says of carving a path for oneself. “Once you can understand that, that’ll give you a drive and help you find a way to make everything work out, rather than just thinking, ‘I want to make this a career, what do I have to do?'”

Turning sports into a career has been top of mind for many girls and women in recent years, given the surge in interest around women’s sports worldwide. Biondo says that the new attention on women’s sports is a long time coming: “It’s like, finally,” she says.

Related: How TikTok’s “Book Papi” Is Bringing Back the Magic of Summer Reading

“At the end of the day, women, men, we’re all humans, we should all have that same opportunity in terms of being able to do the things we would like to do,” she adds. “I think it’s great that women are starting to get a little bit more of that attention and that support; it shouldn’t be a matter of discussion. It should just be that way.”

For now, in the heat of Miami summer, she’ll continue to lead by example.

Lena Felton is the senior director of features and special content at PS, where she oversees feature stories, special projects, and our identity content. Previously, she was an editor at The Washington Post, where she led a team covering issues of gender and identity.