Disrupting the Industry Leveraging his own journey to health along with his expertise in the insurance space, Baker is on a mission to transform the businesses we serve by building a health plan focused on needing less health care.
Episode #14
“You can do something about your health and you don’t have to accept the status quo. Chronic disease doesn’t go away on its own, but there is hope.”
Baker Freiberg is s a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and an avid Tar Heel fan. After spending a decade in the insurance industry he formerly worked with the dooable health team to focus on long-term cost reduction through chronic disease reversal. He is a positive force working to transform the businesses we serve by building a health plan focused on needing less health care.
Baker was raised to be an active kid growing up, participating in ALL of the sports. His Dad served as a healthy role model as he committed to a consistent morning workout routine. Growing up his idea of health and wellness was built on the notion that as long as he was active, he could eat whatever he wanted. Always believing, “you can outrun a bad diet.” However, that theory caught up with him after his first semester in college when he found himself 40 pounds heavier. Recognizing that nutrition is key for long term health Baker has spent the last 20 years improving his nutritional skills to support his overall health and current ironman training regime.
Baker’s personal passions lie in being a great Dad to his 1 year old son and training for future race events. His professional passion lies in supporting companies and offering health plans to save on health care costs while also improving the overall culture of their organization. For far too long chronic disease and metabolic syndrome have been contributing to a company’s rising costs in health care with no reprieve in sight.
Baker desires to have honest conversations with decision makers to reverse that trend, support employees in taking ownership of their health and reduce claim costs for the company. This approach not only creates a healthy, productive employee but also a healthier climate within that organization.
Baker share’s powerful statistics about us as a culture demonstrating how unhealthy we have become. With 60% or more of the US population is suffering with a chronic illness and 70% or more considered overweight and obese, we aren’t doing anything to reverse this trend. He encourages us that we can do something about our health and not accept the status quo. Baker shares that there is hope for businesses if they are willing to invest in their people and their company.
We dive into how the Journey 2 Health program offers a proactive approach to health focusing on the importance of lifestyle, nutrition, movement, stress management and sleep. Baker shares how the goal of dooable health is to reverse chronic conditions within individuals using our J2H platform and leveraging 1 on 1 coaching relationships that offers true compassion and empathy. Our coaches are trained in behavior change and effective at meeting the individuals where they are, together working towards making significant and lasting changes in their lives. There is a ripple effect that reaches their families and also the businesses they work in.
Baker’s insights for lower health care costs within companies and also improving corporate culture are inspiring. His personal insights for achieving his best health is also energizing. He has improved his sleep through diet, but also with the step of eliminating toxic technology, specifically social media before bed. He’s worked hard to eliminate sugar from his diet and has focused on mobility and stretching as a way to maintain his physical health while also avoiding injury.
He shares some powerful health tips at the end, including a statement that will make you want to take initiative and ownership in your health. “Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger…environment and behaviors shape your outcomes in health.”
