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| Laura Berens Now: What Happened to The New Stanford Prison Experiment’s Head Guard? |
Laura Berens has moved into a new chapter of her professional life since appearing on Netflix’s The New Stanford Prison Experiment, leaving behind her decade-long journey as an entrepreneur and taking on a new role in the fashion industry. Known for her position as a guard who eventually became head guard during the social experiment, Laura has a career that stretches well beyond reality television. From music and fitness to business development and motherhood, her journey has involved several career changes, a business sale and plenty of family adventures.
The Netflix reality series brings together 30 volunteers inside a real prison in Georgia, dividing them into guards and inmates to examine how people behave when authority and strict rules enter the picture. With eight guards responsible for maintaining order, tensions naturally develop between the two groups.
Laura's appointment as head guard during the later stages of the experiment placed her in a particularly interesting position, as she had to navigate responsibility, group dynamics and the challenges of keeping people in line. Running a business is one thing, but managing a group of volunteers in a prison-style environment is certainly a different kind of workplace challenge.
Born and raised in Milbank, South Dakota, Laura grew up in a family environment that appeared supportive and developed a strong interest in athletics and fitness from an early age. However, her ambitions took an unexpected turn during high school when music and dancing caught her attention. Rather than sticking to one career plan, she decided to pursue her artistic interests and reportedly moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2003 to attend music school. She spent more than eight years exploring the music industry before deciding it was not the right long-term path for her. Sometimes, finding your calling means spending years discovering what it definitely is not.
Laura eventually returned her attention to fitness, participating in several NPC bodybuilding competitions and turning her personal interests into professional qualifications. She became a certified personal trainer in 2011 before earning a Corporate Wellness Coach Certification from Spencer’s Business Institute in 2014. Her experience in fitness would later become particularly relevant when she launched her own business, although getting there required considerably more than a good workout routine and a motivational playlist.
Alongside her fitness background, Laura built an impressive professional résumé across entertainment, sales and business development. A graduate of Santa Monica College and the University of Minnesota, she held several positions at companies including The King Klong Music Group, where she served as Vice President of Operations, Aureus Entertainment, where she worked as General Manager, and Music Sales Group, where she became Sales Director. These roles gave her experience across different areas of business, from managing operations to developing commercial relationships.
Between August 2011 and May 2015, Laura worked at Getty Images, initially joining as Business Development Sales Manager before advancing to Senior Manager of New Business Acquisition and Strategic Partnerships. She subsequently spent around two years working as a Senior Business Development Manager at Jawbone. By this point, her career had moved a long way from her original ambitions in music, demonstrating that professional reinvention can sometimes be more valuable than sticking rigidly to the first plan you make.
In September 2016, Laura took another major step by founding Love & Fit, beginning a decade-long entrepreneurial journey built around her business interests and experience in fitness. Establishing a company is challenging enough, but growing one from the ground up requires patience, adaptability and the ability to manage plenty of unexpected problems. Her experience across sales, marketing and business development gave her a foundation for building the brand, while her background in fitness helped shape its identity.
Laura eventually decided it was time to hand the business over to new owners. Announcing the sale on social media, she expressed gratitude to the customers and supporters who had helped Love & Fit grow throughout its journey. She also reflected on the achievement, writing, “I’m incredibly proud of what I built, grateful for every person who was part of it, and excited to see what comes next — both for Love & Fit and for me.”
The decision marked the end of an important professional chapter rather than a retreat from business altogether. In the same month, Laura moved to ALVANON, where she took on the position of Regional Director. The transition gave her an opportunity to apply her experience in a different industry after years of developing her own company. Selling a business she had built over a decade was undoubtedly a significant milestone, but her next move suggests she was ready for another challenge rather than simply putting her feet up.
Laura has also worked as a Business and Product Development Coach, helping other women entrepreneurs develop their strategies, strengthen their businesses and explore potential sales opportunities through social media and online platforms. Her experience as a founder gives her practical insight into the difficulties of running a company, particularly when it comes to deciding when to grow, change direction or pass the business on. She has also hosted a podcast called Time To Be You, adding another creative project to an already varied professional life. Apparently, one career path was never going to be enough.
Away from work, Laura's life revolves around her family. She lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Chris Ewing, her daughters, Amara and Kya, and their dog, Kota. She is the daughter of Linda and Tom Berens and regularly shares glimpses of family celebrations, holidays and everyday moments. Although her professional life has involved several major changes, motherhood remains an important part of her identity.
Laura and Chris welcomed 2026 with a trip to Portugal, accompanied by one of Laura's sisters. The holiday offered a chance to spend time together away from their usual routine, with travel providing a welcome change of scenery. In early March, the family celebrated Kya's 10th birthday, a milestone Laura marked with a heartfelt message about watching her daughter grow into her own person. She described the experience as one of her greatest joys, offering a glimpse into the personal side of someone viewers may recognise primarily from her role on Netflix.
March was also a difficult month for Laura, as she lost both of her grandparents within two weeks. The losses came during a period otherwise filled with family milestones and everyday responsibilities, highlighting how quickly life can shift between celebration and sadness. She continued to make memories with her family in the months that followed, balancing the demands of work and parenting with time spent exploring new places.
In early April 2026, Laura and her family travelled to Oatman, Arizona, before visiting Bearizona Wildlife Park. They also spent a couple of days at the Grand Canyon, taking in one of the United States' best-known natural landmarks. On their journey home, they stopped at a deer farm, where Amara and Kya enjoyed the experience. It sounds like the kind of family trip that produces plenty of photographs, a few unexpected detours and children who suddenly have very strong opinions about which animal was the best.
Later that month, Laura attended the Stagecoach Festival with friends, enjoying a break from her usual work and family commitments. The country music event offered an opportunity to relax and create more memories outside her professional responsibilities. Given her earlier connection to the music industry, the festival also brought her back into a world she had once considered pursuing as a full-time career. Life has a funny way of bringing old interests back around, even when you have already decided to take a different road.
Mother's Day in May 2026 prompted Laura to reflect on the realities of raising her daughters. She described motherhood as “the most beautiful, exhausting, emotional, and rewarding part of my life all at once.” She also expressed gratitude to her daughters for making her a mother and to her own mum for providing love and support throughout different stages of her life. The message acknowledged the complicated balance of parenting, where the most rewarding moments can arrive alongside sleepless nights, endless responsibilities and the occasional mystery about where all the time has gone.
By August 2026, another milestone had arrived for the family. Kya officially began fifth grade, while Amara started kindergarten. The transition marked a new school year for both girls, bringing fresh routines and experiences as they continued to grow. For Laura, these moments are reminders that family life keeps moving regardless of professional changes, new responsibilities or whatever happens next in her career.
In my opinion, Laura Berens is an interesting example of how a reality television appearance can become just one small part of a much bigger personal story. It would be easy to focus entirely on her role as a guard in The New Stanford Prison Experiment, particularly because the series places participants in an unusual environment where leadership and group behaviour become central to the experience. However, her career history offers a more revealing picture of someone who has repeatedly been willing to change direction.
Moving from music to fitness, corporate business roles and entrepreneurship shows a willingness to experiment with different opportunities rather than remain stuck in one professional identity. Selling Love & Fit after a decade also suggests an understanding that building a business and knowing when to move on are two different skills. Her family life adds another dimension, making her story relatable beyond the Netflix audience. Ultimately, Laura's next chapter may prove more interesting than her television appearance alone.
So, where is Laura Berens now? As of 2026, she is based in Los Angeles, where she is balancing her role as Regional Director at ALVANON with family life, business expertise and her podcast, Time To Be You. Having sold Love & Fit, she appears to be embracing a fresh professional chapter while continuing to make time for her daughters and loved ones.
Her journey shows that life after reality television does not necessarily mean chasing another on-screen opportunity; sometimes, it means getting back to work and building something different. What did you think of Laura's role in The New Stanford Prison Experiment, and would you like to see her return to reality television? Share your thoughts and let us know which participant you would like to catch up with next.