We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Angela Tran and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Angela, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I spent 11+ years of medical training system only to be thrown into a “failed medical system”. I was writing prescription after prescription and merely putting band-aids on patients when I knew they deserved more. I started Med-Fit Medical Weight Loss to redefine health care and to teach my patients how to have the proper nutrition and exercise to get off their medications, and learn the right tools and behaviors to help them prevent disease and live the healthy lifestyle that allows us the opportunity to live life to the fullest. As a medical weight loss doctor, I have the advantage of helping my patients identify the root cause of weight and hormone issues, unlock the medical barriers keeping them from losing weight, and finally help them be done with dieting for good. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I remember clear to the day that I was sitting in the middle of the dreadful I-225 highway headed home at 8 o’clock at night, crying at the wheel. I thought to myself, how did I endure years and years of medical training to come to the moment where I was miserable. I was answering phone calls and emails, seeing patients back to back to back, only to go home, grab something to eat just to survive, only so that I could log in at night to finish charting. My health unfortunately took a dive. Med-Fit was born out of the realization that I needed to make a huge pivot in my life to align with my purpose. My personal happiness and well-being was at stake, and it required leaving a secure corporate job, take the biggest risk of my life, to pursue a dream that I had no clue how to do. I want my patients to know that I fought for myself and now I fight for them. I finally decided that health was my priority and I know there are many others like me who are suffering from the same scenario – driving themselves to the ground to try to do it all, be it all, while making their health take a back seat. Today, Med-Fit helps busy professionals in their 40s and 50s lose weight quickly, safely, and with ease in a medically predictable way. After gaining 40 lbs with the pregnancy of my daughter Haley, suffering an ACL tear a few years later that required 10 months of physical therapy, and now being in my 40s, my body has challenged me in so many ways that I want to share my knowledge with those who have been feeling stuck too. Because I am double Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine, I have uncovered scientifically proven strategies that medically unlock our patients’ metabolisms to the point where diet and exercise creates quick and consistent results. I am proud to say that I have built a team from 2 to now 10 team members on the Med-Fit team, all of which are passionate about others live healthier lives. Hands down, the reason for our success is our team. Through the years, I have found an incredible team of people who share the same values as I do, who wake up and are ready to give it their all to our patients. Now that we have been forced to live in a different world due to the COVID pandemic, I have exactly the right people in place to push to the frontlines because our patients need us now more than ever because health just became one of our top priorities in this country. Was it easy? Not at all. One of the hardest parts about being a business owner is that it required me to make decisions that required faith and conviction without tangible proof. That’s what leadership is all about. There were many times when I had to make decisions that had no predictable outcome other than my full belief in moving towards the direction of where we were growing as a business. Overcoming these challenges that happen over and over again like a broken record require fully believing in myself and my team, and what we are here to accomplish. Some lessons I learned were easy, and some lessons I learned were the hard way. Most importantly, I realized that I had to make decisions based on my values and the values of the company. Through the years, I have had to let go of things that no longer served me for the greater good of the team and company, and I only wish that I came to those decisions quicker; they were just not easy to make. This year, we were all impacted by the pandemic and forced to swiftly make pivots to our business in order to survive. I remember just thinking how can we move forward, how can I protect my team, and what do I need to do to push through. I recall going into the office on Monday March 16, we had a team meeting and took a serious look at what was about to happen without even knowing what was going on. By Wednesday, I had navigated my team to a completely 100% virtual business, and with some determination and decision making that required us to push aside fear, we made our business online, we have now expanded our reach to the entire state of Colorado, helping more people that could not have received our help based on our brick and mortar location. While we are still constantly revising and improving our business model, COVID was the kick in the pants that we needed to yet overcome another challenge and we were able to move forward because we kept our vision alive in spite of the biggest challenge of all. I want the world to know that we at Med-Fit aim to be the industry leader in medical weight loss, providing a revolutionary way of health care by providing our patients the much needed nutrition and exercise education along with medical strategies to prevent disease and finally teach our patients to take control of their health and live a healthy lifestyle. Now that patients recognize that health is more important than ever, we are here to give them the medically personalized plans, accountability. and support, and the well-rounded approach to helping them finally understand their metabolisms and take ownership of their health.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My absolute favorite spot in the city that I would take my best friend to is Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Not only is it a historic outdoor concert venue, it holds true to the website’s slogan as “There’s no better place to see the stars.” It is one of the most iconic places to truly be one with nature and enjoy the outdoors. Next stop is Union Station downtown. It is another historic landmark that was revived several years ago that gives you a pure Denver cultural experience, enjoying some of the best restaurants in town, and experiencing a luxury stay at the Crawford Hotel that takes you back in time mixed with modern elements of Denver today. And finally my favorite place of all is the Stanley Marketplace. It is a community of over 50+ independent small business owners all who believe in doing things differently. It is a gathering place for families who enjoy community, creativity, sustainability, and embodies the true definition of collaboration. It also happens to have my absolute favorite Kickboxing studio, FlyKickBox, where you can catch me participating in their classes weekly.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my Shoutout series to my business coach, Kelly Roach, who has been my coach since 2015. Her business coaching and mentorship is what helped me grow my business to where it is at today, helped me believe that the big impact that I want to make is truly possible, and most importantly, she helped us battle the challenges of COVID and thrive during the hardest period that all small businesses have had to endure. I am forever grateful for her knowledge, encouragement, and her fearless leadership that taught me how to lead my team to fulfill the dreams and mission of Med-Fit of helping thousands of others live a healthy life.

Website: www.denverweightlossclinic.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/denvermedfit
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/drtrangela
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtrangela
Facebook: www.facebook.com/medfitdrtran
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/med-fit-medical-weight-loss-denver-2?osq=med+fit+medical+weight+loss
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MedFitMedicalWeightLossDenver

Image Credits
n/a

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDenver is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.