Built By People Who Live This.
Headstrong exists because the people building it needed it themselves. Here's why, and what we stand for.
Meet The Founders
Dr Darren Burke
PhD, Sport & Exercise Science
Darren spent two decades in elite sports nutrition research, studying how the brain holds up — or doesn't — under sustained physical and cognitive load, and testing products for the biggest brands in the world. He kept seeing the same gap: everyone was formulating recovery for the body under fatigue and nobody was formulating recovery for the brain under fatigue. He previously founded and scaled a sports nutrition company from zero to category leader.
"Fatigue isn't a mood. It's a resource problem. So we built a resource solution."
Evan Nause
Professional Hockey Player · Co-Founder
Evan did not build Headstrong because it was a good business idea. As an active professional hockey player, he lived the fatigue firsthand — mental exhaustion that didn't clear overnight, focus that wasn't there late in a game, energy that outlasted his legs but not his head. Nothing on the market addressed it, so he built the product himself.
"I knew exactly what I was feeling. So we built the product that didn't exist."
The Headstrong Timeline
January 2025
The problem became personal
Dr Darren Burke started researching nutritional strategies for athletes in contact sport. He met Evan Nause, a pro hockey player in the Florida Panthers Organization, who had battled concussions, brain fog, and mental fatigue. They became fast friends and aligned on a mission to build brain-first sports nutrition products for athletes and other top performers.
August 2025
Headstrong Labs founded
Darren and Evan started to work on their mission and vision for Headstrong. They met with athletes, entrepreneurs, c-suite executives, and busy working parents. Through this process they developed concepts for what would become Headstrong.
March 2026
NSF Certified for Sport
A key part of Headstrong is making products with the highest standards. This included NSF Certified for Sport so that the world's greatest athletes could enjoy Headstrong as well as others interested in cognitive performance optimization.
July 2026
Official launch of Headstrong
This marked the official launch of Headstrong, including the unveiling of our website and the release of our three core products — Headstrong, Encharge, and Sleeptite. Stay tuned for our next milestone.
Our Standards Aren't Optional.
Science-Backed
Every formula is built on clinically studied ingredients at full, disclosed doses, developed by a PhD in Sport & Exercise Science, not trend-chasing marketing claims.
NSF Certified for Sport
Every batch is independently tested against the WADA prohibited substance list, heavy metals, and label accuracy — the standard most competitive athletes actually need.
Athlete-Tested
Used daily by 500+ professional athletes across the NHL, NFL, PWHL, and MLB — not just endorsed by them.
Full Dose Transparency
No proprietary blends, ever. Every ingredient and every dose is listed on the label so you know exactly what you're taking.
Built To A Higher Standard.
Dr-developed. NSF Certified. Trusted by 500+ professional athletes who can't afford to get it wrong.
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