Wonder Woman: Adrianne Ortiz of AMO Health
The Wonder Women is a blog series that spotlight some of the most badass women I know. Women that have the courage and drive to live and work relentlessly within their passion. Each blog is written by a different Wonder Women and will give you an opportunity to be inspired and connect with incredible women who are movin’ and shakin’, helping and healing. Enjoy!
The first Wonder Woman is Adrianne Ortiz of AMO Health. Adrianne and I have been dear friends for over 20 years including college roomates for 4 years. We have helped each other through many ups and down and always have one another's back. She is so near and dear to my heart. She brings authentic energy and heartfelt intensity to everything she does. If you are looking for someone to help you on your health journey, someone that will continually inspire, empower, hold you accountable and support you, Adrianne Ortiz of AMO Health is the Wonder Woman for you!
My story is both similar and wildly unique to my fellow healers in the health world. I was overweight as a child with undiagnosed; ADHD, broadspectrum autism, and an underactive thyroid. I am of mixed races; my dad a Puerto Rican high ranking military officer and my mom german, irish and italian medical record’s keeper.
I struggled a lot with just about everything but movement. I found my first language of communication in movement then art and science. For some reason those 3 things came relatively easy to me. So I played sports and found myself years later playing rugby for one of the best rugby teams in the country.
On the dark side of the rugby glory I was heavily abusing drugs and alcohol. I gained 40lbs in 24 months (still have the stretch marks). I was blacking out, waking up in my own vomit, and heading for either rehab or a death sentence I was struggling with being gay, failing out of school, and hated the way my body looked and felt. One night I woke up in the dorm room showers in agony - covered in vomit, blood and water and had no idea how I got there. I must have smashed my head at some point and realized I was bleeding and through myself in the shower.
That night was the end and beginning of something quite incredible now that I look back on it.
I decided I wanted to get straight A’s and get in the best shape I could to help my team I just had no idea HOW. I never got an A’s on a report card and never had a flat stomach. I decided I was gonna write my own story and I didn’t care who said I was capable or not. I was hell bent on changing. So I got certified as a personal trainer at 20. I lost 40lbs and graduated with a 3.8 in my field of study. I found my true spirit in struggle and wanted to help others do the same.
Fast forward 18 years...
I am 38 now and still serving others in health just in a different medium. During that 18 years I picked up degrees and certifications, opened up multiple business and partnerships, started my own supplement company, wrote books, contributed in research, been on top 10 podcasts, and have been published and created more programs then I can remember.
To be honest there is more but it doesn’t matter. What matters are the lessons I learned and what kept me grounded as a health professional. The biggest lessons I have learned are to prioritize your own growth first and to fill that cup. Do not make decisions based on money.
Create your own ethos and moral code and compass and use it to guide you every interaction and business decision.
What matters to me now as a health professional is how I can best serve humanity. How I can serve the greater good. My clients could care less about my degrees and accomplishments - they care about the outcome and how I can help them achieve that through unwavering support and guidance.
What keeps me inspired today is my mortality. That's the unique difference I offer. I know I have an expiration date here and everyday I am so humbled and gracious the universe gifts me another sunset and sundown to pursue my passion of teaching the principles of health.
That fire I felt at 20 years old is even stronger now because I have allowed the universe to work through me and with me. I am not alone. I am not that scared confused struggling kid, teenager and young adult. However those constant struggles and deficits forced me to build incredible iron strong work habits. The only card I had to play was my discipline and hard work. That card is now the backbone of everything I do. I stay disciplined to teach and share the principles of health to anyone who wants to listen. I stay disciplined to keep the HUMAN in humanity and govern my business with relationships not transactions. Those 18 years of grit have opened my heart and mind and inspired me to keep creating and doing what I love. The medium may change but the passion and purpose remain the same.
I am forever a student and teacher.
Yours in health,
Adrianne Ortiz
AMO Health