Ever wondered what a Primal Health Coach’s day looks like? Where they work? Who they work with? What they do in their spare time?
In our new series, A Day in the Life, we’re taking you behind the scenes to show you what it’s really like for our Primal Health Coach Institute grads. Some of them have built successful businesses from the ground up. Others have scored jobs with multi-million dollar companies in the health and wellness space. With so many different ways to use your certification, I’m always inspired by the lives graduates are creating for themselves. I’m pretty sure you will be too.
In today’s post, we’re introducing you to Primal Health Coach Adan Rios, who lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
5:50am: Adan’s alarm goes off early, well before the sun rises. He heads to the kitchen to make his protein-packed breakfast salad, loaded with mixed greens, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, avocado, cheese. and turkey. Then, it’s time for work.
7:00am: Adan works for Virta Health, a start-up based in San Francisco with a regional office in Denver. If you haven’t heard of Virta, the company uses their online platform and decades of medical experience to help people with diabetes lose weight and get off their insulin medication. They’re taking the health world by storm with their mission to reverse type 2 diabetes in 100 million people by 2025.
With 103 diabetic patients currently under his care, Adan’s job is to guide them through adjustments in their diet (Virta promotes a ketogenic way of eating to lower blood sugar), troubleshooting symptoms, and working with mindset issues if his patients are struggling.
7:10am: Adan logs into the Virta Health software and gets a list of prioritized alerts from his patients, ranging from mild headaches to low glucose readings. He responds to each one via text message and occasionally requests a phone call if they need extra support. If you’re wondering if he communicates with each of his 100+ patients every day, the answer is no. The earlier a patient is in the process, the more questions they have. But once they’re on the right track, they typically need less guidance.
10am: Immediate alerts are out of the way and Adan checks in with some of his other patients, following up on their progress, celebrating their wins, and helping them overcome any challenges. Sometimes it’s as simple as praising what they’re doing right or recommending that they drink more water to alleviate symptoms, other times its diving into the specific details of their meals, helping his patients track carbs, protein, and fat intake.
12:30pm: Adan can work remotely, and does occasionally, but likes going into the office to be with his Denver-based team and also to take advantage of the free espresso, Lunch and Learns, and time with other coaches. The company is dog-friendly too, so when Adan is in the office, he takes a break by playing with co-workers’ dogs or walking his supervisor’s pup, Scooter, around the neighborhood.
1:45pm: Every patient has a Virta provider assigned to them. Adan works closely with these doctors—especially when adjusting diabetes medications like insulin—using the Virta software to communicate back and forth about medication changes.
4:30pm: Adan’s 8-hour day ends by mid-afternoon, but he continues to check-in with patients throughout the evening. After work, he heads home to cook an early dinner like grass-fed ribeye with salad mix, broccoli, and shishito peppers, then it’s off to the gym.
9:00pm: With an alarm that’s set to go off before 6am, Adan makes going to bed early a priority. After working out, he checks in with a few more patients, then winds down by watching a couple of short TV shows with his wife, or reading one of the relationship books or detective novels on his coffee table.
How did Adan get the job?
Before moving to Denver, Adan worked as a nutrition educator and health coach in Los Angeles. During one of his long commutes into the city, he heard a podcast interview with one of the Virta founders, Dr. Volek, and knew right away that he wanted to work there. Even though they weren’t hiring, Adan sent his resume over and made a case for why his Primal Health Coach training would be invaluable to the company. Several interviews later, Adan got the job and moved from LA to Denver without hesitation.
In addition to being certified as a Primal Health Coach, Adan holds a master’s in public health and a master’s in Latin American Studies.
