Diabetics Doing Cookbooks and Community with Taylor Riggs

[00:00:07] Rob Howe: Welcome to the Diabetics Doing Things podcast. We've been telling the amazing stories of type 1 diabetics all across the world since 2015, and we have over a thousand years of living with T1D on the podcast. The interviews range from incredible feats to everyday victories, and we celebrate them all just the same. Thanks for listening. And if you want to get involved even further, just send me an email at rob at diabeticsdoingthings.com. This podcast is sponsored by Health IQ. And if you don't remember Health IQ from the previous episodes that they've sponsored, Health IQ is an insurance company on a mission to improve the world's health by rewarding runners, cyclists, weightlifters, swimmers, yogis, well-managed diabetics, and other Americans living a healthy lifestyle. They're actually the first insurance company rewarding patients with type 2 diabetes who manage their A1C with a healthy diet and exercise, with large savings on their life insurance. To support the show and get a free quote, go to healthiq.com slash DDT. Hello and welcome back to another episode of Diabetics Doing Things. We're telling the amazing stories of type 1 diabetics from all across the world. My very special guest today, I think some of you will be more familiar with her than some other guests on my show. And that makes me really excited because I think we're going to be able to dig in and learn a lot more about her. Ms. Taylor Riggs. Taylor, welcome to the show.

[00:01:42] Taylor Riggs: Thanks so much for having me. I'm excited.

[00:01:45] Rob Howe: And we're excited to have you. I think a big part of what I like to do on this show is to introduce the sort of type 1 diabetic behind this amazing person that we all see out in the social media world. So I'm really excited to kind of hear both sides of that story today. Because for those of you who may not know, Taylor is a registered dietitian and author and has multiple cookbooks, I believe. And your blog is Simply Taylor. So we're really excited to kind of dig into all things Taylor Riggs today.

[00:02:21] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, only one cookbook. You're making me sound a little bit better than I really am, but I'll go with it.

[00:02:26] Rob Howe: Okay, we'll just speak it into existence, Manifest Destiny. We'll get you to that second one, if that's what you want, before long. I love that.

[00:02:35] Taylor Riggs: Sounds great.

[00:02:36] Rob Howe: So for us, you know, we need to, and I think a great place always to start is diagnosis with, you know, how did you come to be a part of this type 1 diabetes family? And then I think I have some leading questions that will spill us out to close the gap between then and now.

[00:02:56] Taylor Riggs: Yeah. So I was diagnosed when I was 10. So I was in the fifth grade. And I think I have probably a pretty typical diagnosis story. So I got super sick one weekend. It was in the winter. And I can specifically remember that I had a field trip the next day. It was Sunday and I was, yeah, just super sick, flu-like symptoms, vomiting, all of that fun stuff. And I specifically remember asking my mom, so, you know, I'm going to be able to go on that field trip tomorrow, right? definitely had some priorities there as a fifth grader. But she was like, no, definitely not. That's probably not going to happen. So took me to the doctor the next day. And I think originally they actually sent me home with, you know, just some antibiotics or something like that, you know, thinking or some, you know, flu medication, whatever it was, and, you know, didn't necessarily catch that it was type 1 right off the bat. And I think it was just a few hours later, they ended up calling back and calling my parents and saying, hey, actually, I think this could be something else. Let's have you go to Children's Hospital and do some additional tests. So So from there, my dad drove me to Children's. And I remember on the way there, I was just so thirsty that I begged him to stop at McDonald's to get me something to drink. And of course, what I chose was, do you remember like Hi-C Orange?

[00:04:47] Rob Howe: Oh my gosh, yeah. How could I forget?

[00:04:49] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, right. So I got like the biggest size possible of Hi-C Orange, which, you know, looking back, you can laugh on, but it was obviously not the greatest, greatest thing I could have chosen. And just like absolutely devoured that, chugged it on the way to the hospital. And then, of course, got there and did a bunch of different tests. And I think when I think when I was diagnosed, I my blood sugar was over a thousand.

[00:05:18] Rob Howe: Oh, man.

[00:05:18] Taylor Riggs: Yeah. So yeah, so I was very lucky if it had gone any longer. I'm, I could have been in a much different situation. So it was very lucky that we kind of caught it at that point. I'm

[00:05:30] Rob Howe: sure the Hi-C Orange didn't. I was going to say, you never know where you started, but that Hi-C Orange for sure. Exactly. It's funny you mentioned that I had a similar diagnosis morning, because as all medical professionals know, soda, like Dr. Pepper, for example, is a great nausea cure, right? It's science, look it up. But the, so I was nauseous the morning of my diagnosis and vomited was kind of how it all started, the day started. And so at 830 in the morning, what does a 16 year old do, but reach for the medicine cabinet, AKA the fridge for Dr. Pepper. So yeah, I was in the same boat as you just drinking all those calories and carbs right before going to do the, uh, the blood sugar test.

[00:06:23] Taylor Riggs: Right. I was just gonna, just gonna try to amplify it as much as we can. Right.

[00:06:27] Rob Howe: Right. Um, for you guys, you know, going into the hospital, um, you know, getting released with antibiotics and then them calling back and saying, Hey, uh, by the way, we found something. What was, do you remember what you and your parents, you know, obviously you were very young, but, you know, just maybe in the years to come have had conversations about, you know, the feelings around that type of experience?

[00:06:53] Taylor Riggs: Yeah. So, yeah, you're right. I mean, I think just a combination of being younger and not in the most clear mental state. A lot of it's a blur. But I do know I was in the hospital for, I think, five days. And, you know, it's funny having an adult perspective now and talking with my parents about it. It's, you know, you think as the kid that it's bad for you. But, you know, being able to kind of step back and look at it from a parent's perspective now, you know, thinking how stressful it was for them. And we didn't know anyone really who had type 1. And there's nobody in my family who has it and just didn't really know a lot about it. So I remember my mom saying, you know, at the end of those five days, they were like, OK, you can you know, we we've taught you everything. We've done, you know, your carb counting. You can give your injections, all the typical stuff. And, you know, they told us that we could could go home. And I remember my mom saying, we don't we're not ready. You know, like, can we stay a little bit longer? um you know she's like it's sort of like going home with a brand new baby or something so um yeah it's it's interesting to look at from the adult perspective uh you know now as an adult

[00:08:13] Rob Howe: and good for her for actually saying that and saying hey i don't know if we're you know ready to deal with the day-to-day because there is so much management and especially for a younger child um you know being 10 years old you're not exactly self-sufficient so you know there's a lot i think a lot of mental weight that parents go home with, especially early on, especially like you said, if they don't know anything about type 1, which is, you know, most of us before there's a diagnosis of somebody that we know or in our family or ourselves. Right. So it's always an interesting, you know, I'm always fascinated to talk to parents because a lot of them, I think, process it differently. Some of them, you know, aren't don't accept the what the doctors say that there's nothing that could have caused it. And they look for things that they may have done, or some of them blame themselves or whatever that is. And some of them really, you know, take that on themselves and really become that sort of type three diabetic where they're taking care of, you know, as a caregiver and really owning that. And it's just, it's awesome to see, but it's also, you know, they, they deal with that diagnosis as well. And I don't know if they get enough credit sometimes for, you know, all the hardships that they, that they go through.

[00:09:25] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, I would 100% agree with that. All the type 1 parents out there definitely don't get enough credit.

[00:09:33] Rob Howe: So let's talk about this for a second as well, because you're 10 years old, I think is a very, and this is my own theory. So I feel like when you're diagnosed at a very early age, so before you're three, or around even even up to age like six, where you really don't remember much beforehand, if you know, if anything, and so your whole life, you have diabetes, you're sort of used to it. That's, that's your everyday, that's your normal. 10, you're about to go, you know, into those really tough teen years, tough for everyone, especially tough for someone living with a chronic illness. Do you remember, does anything stand out to you from those years of like kind of getting your feet wet the first two, three, four years going into junior high and high school and dealing with those, you know, the pressures of the world as a teenager anyway? How did you manage your type 1 at that time? Do you remember anything that stands out?

[00:10:28] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, so I think you're right. I think it's kind of sometimes tough to dive back into the real world after the whirlwind of the diagnosis and everything. I did have a pretty tough time, you know, kind of getting back into the swing of things just with school. And I always joke and I say, you know, I don't know how they let me graduate the fifth grade because I, you know, I had a pretty tough time kind of going back full days and just getting used to that. I had really a lot of anxiety around it. And, you know, my poor parents, I think they would, you know, have to drag me to school some days and beg me, beg me to go in, you know, because I really had a tough time. I think I just had a lot of anxiety about, you know, about lows or, you know, being low, kind of without them there and just kind of not being super familiar with what all that looked like yet. So it took me a little while. And by the time I, you know, went back to school the next year, I was fine, you know, had the summer and everything and kind of the remainder of that grade year. But it took me a while just with school and even, you know, going to friends' houses and feeling comfortable with that. I remember, you know, seeing my mom and at the time, I think maybe things are a little bit better now. But at the time, you know, my mom tried to kind of seek out somebody for me to see, you know, just in terms of like, you know, going to therapy or, you know, somebody to talk to and kind of work with on that anxiety part, which I don't think is often talked about enough. But, you know, I remember, like we had these little assignments and, and one would be, you know, to like go out on an outing with a friend or go to a friend's house or whatever it might be, which sounds so silly. But, you know, I think, you know, one of, in the coming weeks after I was diagnosed, one of the things was, you know, go out, my mom was going to take me and a really good friend of mine to, to the mall. And so, yeah, that was kind of a big leap. And, and we went to the mall and, And, you know, my mom's all worried about me, like the new type 1. And we're like coming down the escalator at one of the stores. And all of a sudden, my friend, she's like, I don't, you know, I don't feel well and passes out. Oh, no. At the bottom of the escalator. And my mom is like, what the heck? Like, you know, I think she was having low blood sugar. And, you know, my mom's like, I'm not supposed to be worrying about that. You know, I'm not supposed to be worried about what's going to happen to Taylor. And so it's just looking back again, it's one of those kind of funny stories. But, you know, it's just kind of little things like that of like getting me back into the groove of things and, you know, back into sort of real life. But with type 1 and, you know, trying to to live as as normal as possible going forward from that. But I did I did struggle a little bit with that for the first little while.

[00:13:41] Rob Howe: So do you manage your A1C through eating well and exercising regularly? Of course you do. You listen to this podcast. You're on the cutting edge. then you deserve the lower life insurance rates from health IQ the only insurance company that's giving you savings rewarding your healthy lifestyle just go to healthiq.com slash ddt diabetics doing things ddt to get your free quote and support the show first of all thank you for sharing the story about you know the struggles and and the different anxieties and adjustments that you have to make i think for parents of type ones who are listening to this podcast maybe even teens as well, to see someone who, you know, because they can see you today, right? They see, you know, you're an adult, you're, you know, living a successful life, doing what you want to do. And to know that you struggled with your type 1 diabetes at some point, I think gives people some hope to hear those sort of vulnerable, open, like, hey, this is real life with diabetes. And, And, you know, I still made it. I'm still here. I know for me, it helps me to meet people who have had type 1 for like over 40, 50 years because they're doing great. And just seeing that is like, oh, well, if they made it on boiling their own syringes and cow insulin, then I should be that I should be fine. You know, I feel good about my chances, given how much technology and research we have today. So that was me sort of, anyway, roundabout way saying thank you for sharing that very personal story. And you're right. I think mental health is super important and maybe doesn't get talked about enough in the diabetes world. But, you know, there's a research study a few months ago that said that people with type 1 diabetes are three times as likely to suffer from anxiety and depression as someone without type 1. And so it's like looking at the world and how many people suffer from anxiety and depression, it's like, okay, it's an actual very chronic problem. And we're three times as likely to suffer from that. That's something that needs to be addressed probably earlier and more often with people with diabetes. And so I know the psychosocial aspect of it is something that a lot of the big research organizations, JDRF in particular, are starting to focus on because they know in mass we need to help people with type 1 diabetes understand that it's okay to go talk to, you know, about their problems and their anxiety or their diabetes with a therapist because it's a real, real issue. And, you know, along with all the other stresses of everyday life can be pretty overwhelming.

[00:16:23] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, absolutely. I could not agree more. It's good to see that there is starting to be a bigger focus on that. Because like I said, you know, when I, and this was, you know, now it was really tough or, you know, at least where we were, you know, my, my mom, I'm sure searched high and low for, you know, for somebody for us to see. And, you know, it definitely wasn't, it wasn't an easy thing. So, and certainly nobody that we went to was, you know, specialized in diabetes itself. So it's, it's cool to start seeing that as part of the actual care team, you know, on a lot of, you know, on a lot of these endo teams and things like that. So.

[00:17:04] Rob Howe: It is. And, you know, I'm, I'm just glad that, you know, it's, it's so, it's so tough for, for me, sometimes I have to take a step out of the community because I realized that I'm on like the tip of the iceberg of information of what's going on in the world of diabetes and take a step out. And sometimes, you know, we take a lot of things personally. I'm sure you see in the diabetes internet that type 1 diabetes patients, parents, advocates are very passionate for better or worse. And sometimes we don't realize that, yeah, while there are a million and a half of us in the U.S., like that's not that many compared to some of the other focuses of medicine and some of the other diseases. So, you know, I think we take things really personally when people don't know about it. But, you know, we were also in that same boat years ago. And I think now, thinking back to where your mom and dad were, when you were 10 years old, and the lack of resources, you know, the internet, for example, not as easy to navigate, not as much information there on this type of thing. Right. So I at least can get hopeful nowadays that, you know, with a few well-placed Google searches that, you know, parents out there can get to the information that they're looking for and hopefully find somebody that can point them in the right direction. Yes, that's right. All right. So let's fast forward a few years. Questions that I get a lot are around going to college for people with type 1 and specifically around women who are going to college. And I can't always speak to that because I, that wasn't my experience, right? So before we go and dive into your dietitian career, how did you decide that that was what you wanted to do? And what were some of the diabetes-related checklists that you and your parents went through as you were going to college?

[00:19:00] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, so I decided on nutrition because of type 1. I, when I was younger, I did see a dietitian quite a few times at my endo office and just absolutely loved her, thought she was the most amazing person ever, thought, you know, her job would be so much fun. So that's kind of initially, you know, why I got into nutrition. My interest changed a little bit for a little while and I'm kind of back kind of in the into the wellness space and, um, um, did some health coaching for a while and I'm, you know, kind of, uh, have gotten now more recently, you know, kind of back into the, um, the type 1 world, which has been really fun. Um, but yeah, that was kind of my initial, my initial reason for, for choosing dietetics and nutrition. Um, and just in terms of, uh, in terms of going to college or kind of getting ready. You know, I think it presented a, you know, obviously a different challenge. And just, I was on, I was still on injections when I started college. So I think that piece of, you know, I had gotten used to, I went to a pretty, a pretty small, you know, grade school and high school and had my good group of friends. And I I was always really comfortable around them and doing, you know, injections at lunch or, you know, when being out and or testing my blood sugar and things like that. So before pump and before CGM. So I think that was probably the biggest thing is just trying to, you know, introduce it to new people and, you know, get comfortable again with just, you know, doing that kind of stuff when I needed to around people who weren't already familiar with it. And, you know, kind of familiarizing my roommate freshman year with all of that stuff when trying not to freak her out at the same time. You know, I was not really like your typical kind of crazy college student. So I, you know, didn't I thankfully, you know, I don't think I ever really went through a period of like rebellion or or anything like that, which is a typical age for it. Um, so I'm, I'm thankful for that because I know that's not like usually the typical experience. Um, but I think for me that, and then, you know, just kind of, um, you know, during college is when I transitioned and, um, really started being more, uh, I think I had Dexcom at the very end of, um, at the very end of high school. So it was kind of getting used to using that. And then of course, kind of transitioning to a pump during that time and, um, and, you know, kind of just the learning curve with that as well. So I think that was probably the biggest things for me.

[00:21:58] Rob Howe: Yeah, and I'm kind of with you as well. I didn't really have much of a period of rebellion or anything like that, and I'm grateful for it. And I think it's always cool to see the evolution, though, you know, where you start versus where you end. Everybody's so different. So, yeah, thank you for sharing that as well. You mentioned the switch from going injections to CGM. What do you treat with today? What's your diabetes treatment look like?

[00:22:27] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, so today I just got the G6, which is amazing. So I've worn a Dexcom for probably, I think probably about 10 years now, or maybe a little bit less, which has been wonderful. and seeing the evolution of that has been great. And then I wear Omnipod as well. So I started on Omnipod my second year in college and have been on it ever since.

[00:22:56] Rob Howe: Awesome. And I know now that we're in the sort of age of CGM as being more widely accepted, more people are pumping or able to use that data to help with their multiple daily injections. And there's, I just got back from ADA, the ADA conference about a month ago. And just like the amount of hybrid closed loop solutions that are going to be on the market here in the next two or three years is pretty exciting as well. So that's awesome. You are, you are a potter. And I think, I know this is a, this is not your, the purpose of this interview is to not talk about your career, but that's also your, you've now shifted. I think relatively recently at least to a career in diabetes, if I'm not mistaken.

[00:23:47] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, that's right. So about almost a year ago, I actually started working at Insulet or with Omnipod as a clinical specialist. So I do a large part of my job is training patients, getting started on the product and, you know, just supporting physicians' offices and things like that kind of out in the field. So it's been an awesome experience and super fun to be, you know, involved in type 1 for, you know, in the career aspect too. Which, you know, I think sometimes people think, you know, gosh, doesn't that get you burned out with doing that every day and living with it too? but I think, I think it's been great and it's, it's been so much fun. So.

[00:24:42] Rob Howe: Well, and I think you, you mentioned this a little bit earlier when you were going to college, you, um, pursued nutrition because of type 1 to, and so I think it's kind of cool to see it come to fruition, right? Like you're, you're doing what you set out to do. And I think there's just a lot to be said for, you know, the perseverance, persistence, like starting with the goal and now being able to have that impact, you know, to especially to people for me, for me as well, like getting to help people who are like me. People with diabetes are my people. So, you know, any chance I get to add value to their lives is a win for me. So I'm sure you get some of that. And I think that helps alleviate some of the, you know, quote unquote, diabetes burnout, because, you know, it's one thing to just take in a lot of diabetes content all the time. I trust me, I relate on a biblical level with that with that type of burnout. But it's a different type of I think it fills what fills me up is to get to interact and have meaningful conversations with people like you or, you know, answer a question or provide a little bit of, you know, reassurance or help to somebody in the community. Those types of things are the perfect antidote for any kind of burnout. So I imagine it's a little bit similar for you. Yeah.

[00:26:06] Taylor Riggs: Yeah. No, I would agree 100%. I think, yeah, I think sometimes it can, from the outside, it can seem, you know, like a lot of, you know, a lot of diabetes intake or input, you know, in your life. But I think just like what you said, it's, that's the, I think the best part to me is just getting to interact with, you know, other people with type 1 or type 2, whatever it might be, just every day. and being able to, like you said, yeah, answer questions or even, you know, I learn from other people every day too. And, you know, especially working with others, you know, in the field, I learn so much and get to teach too, which is pretty awesome.

[00:26:49] Rob Howe: That is awesome. And, you know, admirable as well. So thank you for doing that. It's, you know, people don't get told thank you enough for what they do in their everyday. So So thank you on behalf of everyone with type 1 diabetes. I appreciate that. So on another note, so stepping away from the career a little bit, let's kind of go and talk a little bit more about Simply Taylor, which I think now is Taylor double underscore Riggs on Instagram at least.

[00:27:20] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, it's just my name.

[00:27:22] Rob Howe: Okay, yeah, just going a little rebrand there. But your cookbook, Let's talk about where that kind of came from, how you, I love your food photography. It's so impressive and great, consistent. And I'm a type of person who looks for those things. So where did that kind of come from? Where and how did you, you know, find the time and prioritize sort of your passion project, side project to make that a reality?

[00:27:53] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, so I started blogging probably, I think it was my second year in college and was just very much getting into the nutrition thing and was on kind of a fitness kick and started, I think it was really around the time when blogging started to become kind of popular and I don't even think Instagram wasn't even really a big thing yet, which seems kind of funny to think about. But so yeah, so I think I just started reading other blogs at that time. And, you know, other kind of fitness, wellness recipe blogs, and was really interested in them. And just thought, you know, hey, this, this might be something that I could do or that I would enjoy. So kind of started there and would just post about like workouts that I did, or, you know, recipes that I made, not even necessarily my own, but if I, you know, had tried someone else's or something like that. And then, you know, the Instagram world, I think when I started, I felt like Instagram was sort of a safe place because not a lot of people were on it. So I was like, okay, I can, you know, I can put some stuff out there and without too many people like seeing it or thinking that it's weird, like I'll just kind of test things out. And then of course, it just kind of, you know, formed into what it is today and, you know, kind of boomed. And, um, but yeah, so I think I I've always been really into, uh, into cooking. My, my family is, is really big on cooking, especially my mom's side. Um, so I just grew up, uh, always in the kitchen, I feel like, and, um, you know, with my grandma, my mom, um, you know, my, my mom's brothers and sisters. And, um, and so I think like a lot of families have a lot of, a lot of our gatherings were, were based around, you know, food and holidays and all of that kind of stuff, of course. So, so yeah, I think I always had just kind of an interest in cooking and, you know, in, at this time kind of took a new interest in, you know, how can I be making healthier recipes and, you know, sort of transforming some favorites into things that had a little bit, you know, healthier ingredients, you know, just kind of, again, getting into that that more into nutrition and wellness and of course, you know, noticed it helping with blood sugar and things like that as well. So yeah, so that's kind of how it all stemmed. And eventually, you know, kind of as I was finishing up my internship for dietetics to, you know, kind of finish out things and become a dietitian, I was approached about creating a cookbook, which I initially thought the email I received from the publishing company was like spam or something. I was like, there's no way this can be true. But kind of got into that as I was finishing out my internship and kind of starting my first full-time job as a dietitian, right out of school. So it was a little bit crazy for a while, but it was an awesome, awesome experience. And, you know, so fun to actually see it come to fruition and be able to hold it in your hands, you know, when it's finished and kind of see people have it now, which is the best feeling. So, yeah.

[00:31:28] Rob Howe: Isn't it cool to like, you know, I imagine like making something, putting that much effort into it and then seeing someone with it or talking about it And I don't know, there's just a lot of gratification coming from like on a maker perspective. Like you made that. That's so cool.

[00:31:43] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, it's like it's cool to see the physical thing and be able to hold it and think like, gosh, I've been, you know, this is I promise I wasn't making this up, everyone. It's a real product.

[00:31:56] Rob Howe: It's not just like a way to get out of hanging out with people or get out of appointments you don't want to go to. Exactly, exactly. Great. Well, so I want to, this is, I don't know, I'm putting you on the spot here, but your, give me your favorite, like maybe it's not in the cookbook even, but what's your favorite recipe for, you know, when you're making something for you, when you're making something for Taylor,

[00:32:22] Taylor Riggs: what's your go-to? Oh gosh. I feel like I have so many, but I think probably one of my favorites from the book or one of my go-tos from the book. That's just super easy. It's not like a full meal or anything, but there's a recipe called just everyday granola in there. So it's really simple to make. It's just a few ingredients and you just throw it in the oven for a little while and then I kind of keep it on hand throughout the week. So I'll put it in yogurt or I'll just kind of grab a handful for a snack. So I think that's probably one of my favorites and also probably one of the favorites that I've seen people make, you know, from the book. So it's

[00:33:12] Rob Howe: just super easy and it's good and can kind of be used in a lot of different ways throughout the week. So that's what I like. There it is. Everyday granola. Love it. That's right. That's right. So for you, let's talk a little bit about, you know, the future of, you know, as you look forward, what kind of, you know, being on the forefront of, you know, social media and, you know, seeing conversations in the type 1 community, working in the type 1 community, you know, your background in nutrition, what kind of gives you hope for the future of life with diabetes?

[00:33:52] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, I think probably, you know, just kind of working in the space now and certainly working with devices and all of that, I think it has made me just even more excited for technology and what's coming in the future. I mean, like you mentioned, there's so many, you know, closed loop systems out there and things that are kind of coming on the horizon. And I think it's just really fun to think about, you know, just thinking back of when I was diagnosed and, you know, my parents were mixing insulins and, you know, NPH and all of these, you know, all of those fun things. And it's just so much fun to see, you know, where we've come now. I was just showing my mom my Dexcom the other day and the G6 and the insertion and everything. And she was like, oh, my gosh, you know, this is amazing. She can remember, obviously, you know, she did my insertions for a long time. And she was, you know, just blown away by it. So I think it's just so cool to see. I think, you know, being in the technology kind of spaces has opened my eyes even more to what's out there and what's coming. You know, and I think I always tell people it's never a good time to get diabetes. But if you're going to have it, now is a pretty great one.

[00:35:17] Rob Howe: So, yeah, I really do believe we're living in the best time for type 1, if there is such a thing. And I think that gives me a lot of hope, right, because that's going to continue to be the case going forward, whether it's technology or research or advocacy or you know people like you and me who are living our lives and with uh you know type 1 diabetes in the in the forefront people are able to find other people maybe that like you said there were there was nobody physically around you when you were diagnosed and that was same for me so now you know somebody who lives in the sticks in alaska could find somebody to connect with about type 1 and you know just be their friend And that to me gives me a lot of hope. I like to call it the T1D Renaissance, trademark pending on that. But I'm just kidding. But yeah, I think it really is like a cool time to be around all other awesome people with Type 1.

[00:36:18] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, yeah. I think overall just with community and technology, I think it's just, it's easier. I mean, I don't think Type 1 is ever easy, But I think, you know, I think all that we have with just social media and again, all the different technology that's out there, you know, it does help those those connections to be, you know, to be better and just to make your your day to day easier with with diabetes in whatever capacity that means for you.

[00:36:48] Rob Howe: Totally agree. And I think I want to I want to stay in that kind of same vein. and I ask this question to all my guests. And so if you listen to the podcast to the end, you have heard it before. Yes. Context is important. So you got to imagine that you're in the airport and they're about to close the door to your gate. And for whatever reason, you can't miss the flight. There's somebody waiting on the other end that you can't miss, but you bump into somebody who has either recently been diagnosed or is struggling with their type 1 diabetes. and what do you say to them in that 30 seconds? What's the one thing you leave them with?

[00:37:30] Taylor Riggs: Yeah, I think I would just say, don't let it stop you from doing anything that you want to do. There's nothing diabetes should prevent you from doing in your life. And then also just find that community, find some connections. I think I didn't become involved in the type 1 community for a long time. And now being involved in it with work and social media, it's just absolutely the best thing being able to talk to and connect to others who go through the same thing. So I think that would be my message.

[00:38:13] Rob Howe: Well, what a message indeed. and then you get whisked off on the jet and you make it to whatever you're going. Taylor, thanks so much for taking the time to come on the podcast and share your story and kind of give us a little bit of insight as to your life with Type 1. And also, thanks for being so flexible. You and I have been really working overtime to try to make this happen over the last few months and I'm really glad that we were able to. yeah thank you thank you so much for having me this was so fun uh any parting thoughts uh anything that uh anything that i missed you uh that you want to cover anything this is now you've got the floor now so this is like your your chance uh what and also we got to plug you uh you're now taylor riggs on instagram um two underscores i believe yeah yeah no i i think uh i think we

[00:39:14] Taylor Riggs: covered it all. But yeah, you know, I love connecting with people on social media and, and being involved in the type 1 community. So yeah, please, let's let's connect.

[00:39:27] Rob Howe: I love it. Well, we'll include all the relevant links in the show notes. And Taylor, for you, thanks again so much for coming on and for all the awesome work you do in the type 1 community, but as well behind the scenes, you know, in your career and with your cookbook, you know you really are an awesome figure in the community and I want to give you a lot of encouragement your way to keep on doing what you do well thank you so much Rob thanks for having me

[00:39:53] Taylor Riggs: and and same to you it's uh I'm I'm glad that we've been we've connected over the past couple

[00:39:59] Rob Howe: years same here and looking forward to uh whatever comes next for us gonna be exciting that's right this podcast is sponsored by health iq and if you don't remember health iq from the previous episodes that they've sponsored, Health IQ is an insurance company on a mission to improve the world's health by rewarding runners, cyclists, weightlifters, swimmers, yogis, well-managed diabetics, and other Americans living a healthy lifestyle. They're actually the first insurance company rewarding patients with type 2 diabetes who manage their A1c with a healthy diet and exercise, with large savings on their life insurance. To support the show and get a free quote, go to healthiq.com slash DDT.