What Mastering Diabetes does

Mastering Diabetes is a privately held digital health coaching company founded in 2016 and operated as Reversing Diabetes LLC, headquartered in Santa Monica, California with a distributed team of 11–50 employees. The company targets individuals living with all forms of diabetes — Type 1, Type 1.5 (LADA), Type 2, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes — as well as healthcare providers who refer patients. Its core offering is a 12-week online coaching program built around the proprietary 'Mastering Diabetes Method,' which combines low-fat, plant-based whole-food nutrition, intermittent fasting, and daily exercise to reverse insulin resistance. The method is grounded in a peer-reviewed pilot study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (2019) and is delivered by a team of registered dietitians, certified diabetes care and education specialists (CDCES), and nationally board-certified health coaches, several of whom live with diabetes themselves.

The business operates a multi-product ecosystem: the New York Times bestselling 'Mastering Diabetes' book (Penguin Random House, 2020) serves as a top-of-funnel acquisition asset distributed globally through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Booksamillion; the personalized coaching program is the recurring-revenue core, sold via free discovery calls; an annual online summit and a podcast distributed across seven platforms drive top-of-funnel content marketing; free meal guides and recipe libraries operate as lead magnets; and a 5-day in-person retreat launched for October 2026 in Fort Lauderdale ($4,999–$5,999) introduces a high-ticket experiential offering. The go-to-market motion blends community-led content marketing, sales-led discovery-call conversion, and event-driven retreat sales. The company has enrolled over 10,000 members and reports outcome metrics including an average 2.0% A1c reduction in Type 2 participants, 20-pound average weight loss, and 52% medication reduction. Co-founders Cyrus Khambatta, PhD (Nutritional Biochemistry, UC Berkeley) and Robby Barbaro, MPH (CEO) both live with Type 1 diabetes and have authored the published method; the company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding.

Name

Mastering Diabetes

Legal name

Reversing Diabetes LLC

Website

https://masteringdiabetes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mastering Diabetes is a bootstrapped D2C digital health coaching company that sells a 12-week online program, a bestselling book, and retreats to help individuals with Type 1, Type 2, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes reverse insulin resistance via a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food lifestyle intervention.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diabetes Health Coaching

NAICS

Diet and Weight Reducing Centers (812191), Educational Support Services (61171), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Diabetes & Blood Sugar Nutrition Coaching (HSADAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Diabetes Education & Insulin Management (Home-Based) (HSABACAJ), General Nutrition Coaching (HSADAFAA), Meal Planning & Prep Coaching (Macros, Grocery Guidance) (HSADAFAN), Diabetes (General) (HLAKADAA), Prenatal, Postpartum & Fertility Nutrition (HSADAFAK)

Keywords

• Diabetes coaching
• Insulin resistance reversal
• Plant-based nutrition
• Diabetes education
• Lifestyle medicine

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: New York Times bestselling book 'Mastering Diabetes' sold as a one-time purchase through major book retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Booksamillion, IndieBound). Published by Penguin Random House. The book contains over 800 scientific references and serves as both a standalone product and primary customer acquisition funnel.
2. Personalized Coaching Program: 12-week online coaching program featuring personalized diabetes health coaching, small group sessions, interactive lectures, daily blood glucose analysis, and ongoing support. Customers discover through free guides, book purchases, and media exposure, converting via free discovery calls.
3. In-Person Retreats: 5-day immersive health retreats held at private residences. Includes lodging, all meals, daily lectures, twice-daily fitness sessions, personal blood glucose analysis, and coaching. Priced at $4,999 early bird (regular $5,999) for the 4-night Fort Lauderdale, Florida retreat in October 2026.
4. Free Guide / Lead Magnet: Free meal guide and recipe resources distributed in exchange for email signups. Serves as the primary top-of-funnel customer acquisition mechanism, driving discovery calls and coaching program enrollments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mastering Diabetes provides a 12-week online health coaching program and supporting content ecosystem to help individuals with Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes reverse insulin resistance through a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet combined with intermittent fasting and daily exercise. The company also publishes a New York Times bestselling book and operates in-person immersive retreats.

Product overview

Mastering Diabetes is a health education company offering a comprehensive ecosystem of products centered on reversing insulin resistance through a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food approach. The core offerings include the Mastering Diabetes Book (New York Times bestselling), the Mastering Diabetes Coaching Program (personalized/small-group coaching with guaranteed results), and the Mastering Diabetes Retreat (in-person 5-day immersive experience). Supporting products include the Mastering Diabetes Podcast, a Free Meal Guide, a free Recipes Collection, and the Mastering Diabetes Online Summit. All offerings are unified by the Mastering Diabetes Method combining low-fat plant-based nutrition, intermittent fasting, and daily exercise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mastering Diabetes Book The New York Times bestselling book by Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH detailing a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition approach to reverse insulin resistance permanently across all forms of diabetes. Published by Penguin Random House and distributed globally through major retailers.
• Mastering Diabetes Coaching Program 12-week personalized online diabetes health coaching program featuring small group sessions, individual check-ins, daily blood glucose monitoring, weekly interactive lectures, and an Action-Takers Guarantee that provides continued coaching at no additional cost until participants see measurable improvements in blood glucose, A1c, or insulin sensitivity.
• Mastering Diabetes Retreat 5-day immersive in-person health retreat held at a private residence in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, including 4 nights accommodation, all meals, twice-daily interactive lectures, twice-daily exercise sessions, personal blood glucose analysis, retreat guest kit, and full immersion in the Mastering Diabetes protocol. Early bird pricing at $4,999 (regular $5,999).

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants with type 2 diabetes reduced their HbA1c by an average of 2.0% during their participation in the online coaching program
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Penguin Random HousecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPenguin Random House is the publisher of the New York Times bestselling book 'Mastering Diabetes' by Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro. The book took more than 2 years to write and contains over 800 scientific references. This partnership enables global distribution through major book retailers.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• mySugr: mySugr is a consumer diabetes self-management app with coaching and tracking features, now part of Roche. It serves a similar diabetes population with digital tools but is more tracking-centric and less focused on dietary reversal.
• Noom: Noom is a subscription-based behavior change and weight management app with a coaching layer. It competes with Mastering Diabetes on weight-loss-driven health outcomes and consumer subscription coaching, and increasingly on diabetes and prediabetes programs.
• Virta Health: Virta Health is the most direct competitor in diabetes reversal via lifestyle intervention and remote coaching. Both companies target insulin resistance reversal through nutrition and ongoing coaching for Type 2 and other diabetes patients.
• Omada Health: Omada Health is a digital chronic disease coaching platform with a flagship diabetes prevention and management program sold to employers and payers. It overlaps with Mastering Diabetes on the diabetes coaching and behavior change category, with stronger enterprise distribution.

Emerging players

• Wellos: Wellos (formerly Wello) is a digital coaching platform focused on weight management and chronic disease prevention, with overlap in the lifestyle coaching category serving diabetes and prediabetes populations.
• Levels Health: Levels Health is a consumer CGM platform focused on metabolic health. It does not provide lifestyle coaching directly but is closely tied to the same consumer metabolic health and diabetes reversal narrative.
• Forks Over Knives: Forks Over Knives is a plant-based nutrition media and meal planning brand, and the previous employer of co-founder Robby Barbaro. It shares the same plant-based dietary philosophy and overlaps on content-driven health education for chronic disease.
• NutriSense: NutriSense combines continuous glucose monitor data with nutritionist coaching to help users improve metabolic health. It shares the metabolic health and CGM-adjacent positioning with Mastering Diabetes, with a more data-and-tech orientation.

Broad incumbents

• WW (Weight Watchers): WW is a global subscription weight management program with coaching and community components. It overlaps on weight loss and healthy eating but is not a diabetes-specific clinical coaching program.
• WellDoc (BlueStar): WellDoc's BlueStar is an FDA-cleared digital therapeutic for diabetes management, prescribed by physicians and reimbursed by some payers. It is a broader incumbent in the digital diabetes category with a more clinical and regulated product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/masteringdiabetes
• Facebookfacebook.com/masteringdiabetes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mastering-diabetes
• Xx.com/masteringdib

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mastering Diabetes