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From Distiller to Regenerative Farmer and Health Coach: Blake Ragghianti’s Graduate Success Story

by: Primal Health Coach Institute
Published: August 6, 2025
Updated: August 6, 2025

I spent the early part of my career in a very different world—craft distilling. I loved the creativity, but the lifestyle was anything but ancestral: long hours, poor sleep, constant stress, and frequent alcohol sampling. My body, mind, and spirit were taking a hit. Like so many people, I thought I was “doing okay” because I exercised occasionally and tried to eat well. But the truth? I had no idea what real health looked like.

Blake Ragghianti launched a regenerative farm rooted in ancestral principles.

Blake Ragghianti launched a regenerative farm rooted in ancestral principles.

Then I became a father—and everything changed.

The birth of our first child forced me to take a hard look at the man I wanted to be. I didn’t want to coast. I wanted to lead. I wanted my kids to grow up strong and vibrant. I wanted to show up fully—for them and for myself. But I needed answers to a question no one had been able to answer clearly: What does true, lasting health really mean—and how do I cultivate it?

That question sent me down the ancestral rabbit hole.

I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Nourishing Traditions, The Vegetarian Myth—everything from the Weston A. Price Foundation. I spent time at Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm. And then I found Mark Sisson and The Primal Blueprint. That’s when it all clicked.

Unlike the fads and conflicting advice I’d seen before, the Primal Blueprint laws laid out a clear, principle-based framework grounded in how humans are designed to live. It wasn’t about restriction or obsession. It was about alignment—with nature, with logic, with biology.

Eat real food. Move often. Sleep deeply. Ditch the artificial. Question everything.

That framework changed everything.

I swapped processed food for pastured meats and seasonal produce. I reclaimed my mornings. I slept better, thought clearer, and felt stronger. The transformation wasn’t just physical—it was mental, emotional, and spiritual. It wasn’t easy, but the changes were so immediate and so powerful, I wanted to keep going. There was a gravity to it—a momentum I couldn’t ignore.

And it didn’t stop with me.

My wife, a professional ballet dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, had spent nearly 15 years immersed in movement—but not wellness. Despite her passion for health, she was overwhelmed by conflicting advice. One week it was low-fat everything. Then sugar-free. Then raw. Then plant-based. Everyone had a program. No one had results.

She came to the Primal Blueprint with skepticism—but also urgency. And what she found was freedom. No more counting, restricting, or obsessing. Just real food, natural movement, restorative rest, and clarity. Her transformation was just as powerful—and more importantly, sustainable.

Together, we took the next step.

Blake Ragghianti found freedom and reclaimed his health when following the Primal Blueprint principles.

Blake Ragghianti found freedom and reclaimed his health when following the Primal Blueprint principles.

We launched a regenerative farm on 100 acres, rooted in ancestral principles and dedicated to raising clean, nutrient-dense, ethically produced food for our family and our community. Our mission is simple: Restore the land. Nourish the body. Reconnect people with the food that sustains them.

At the same time, I became a certified Primal Health Coach—the perfect bridge between my personal transformation and my desire to help others. Coaching allows me to share these tools, walk alongside clients, and witness life-changing results. And because our farm and coaching are intertwined, everything we do is grounded in the same mission: real health, real food, real living.

The truth is this: The Primal Blueprint isn’t a diet. It’s not a trend. It’s not a gimmick. It’s a lifestyle. THE lifestyle for anyone serious about reclaiming their health, their resilience, and their potential.

When you live in alignment with your biology, everything changes—and it lasts. We’ve seen it in ourselves, in our kids, in our clients, and in our community. Even those facing chronic health challenges often see measurable change in just a few weeks.

Mark Sisson’s work didn’t just change how we eat. It changed how we live—and how we think. His message helped us cut through the noise and rediscover what it means to be fully alive.

I’m grateful for this path. For the Primal Health Coach Institute. For the lifestyle that gave us our lives back. And for the opportunity to now help others do the same.

Connect with Blake

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