Jennifer Stone - Hollywood, Healthcare and navigating change with T1D

[00:00:00] Rob Howe: Okay, let's talk about our partners who help support this podcast. Today, I'm going to talk about Type 0, which is typezerohealth.com. It is a business run and founded by a person with type 1 diabetes, John Jensen, who's been on this podcast a couple of times. I've been using this product since 2018. I started training for a half marathon, which I ran in Dallas in December 2018. I was looking for a workout supplement, a pre-workout that I could trust not to spike my blood sugar. And so that's what I've got here in my hand is the clean pre-workout. I use the stim-free version, which doesn't have caffeine. And I trust it. And I've used it now. So 2018, it'll be almost seven years for me using this pre-workout. It really works for me because I can drink it late in the day. And most of my basketball leagues that I'm playing in now are late at night. So I might have a game from 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m. And I can make sure that I'm able to get up and play and also be able to fall asleep later that night. so I can wake up in the morning, go to work and meet the demands of my life. Type Zero has gone a step further this year in our partnership and they've launched the Rob Howe stack, which also includes a couple of my other favorite products, creatine monohydrate, which I've been taking the past two years. And if you want to look up all of the good reasons you should be taking creatine, many scientists and performance coaches say if they could only take one supplement, creatine monohydrate would be the one that they chose. I agree, not only for the physical benefits, but also the mental focus and clarity. It's good for your brain. Do yourself a favor and add creatine monohydrate to your stack. Something I've also added is this clean hydration and electrolytes pack. I'll show you one of the little sticks. These are a lot smaller than some of the leading competitive brands because they just don't have as much salt in them. And there's no additives either. So you're not looking at any carbohydrates, nothing that you need a bolus for. And hydration is an essential part of anyone who has diabetes should be making sure that they're hydrated. And it's not just about drinking water. You need salt. You need magnesium. You need a little bit of the vitamin C and some vitamin B. There's a ton of zinc, selenium, chromium, all of the good electrolytes in this supplement. You mix the stick pack with, you know, 16 to 20 ounces of water. Helps you get hydrated. I've been doing mine in the beginning of the day to start my day and make sure that I'm hydrated. And it helps with your insulin sensitivity. It helps me have some clarity and make sure that, you know, I'm not a very disciplined hydrator when I'm sitting at my computer all day. 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So please support typezerohealth.com, code ROBHOW, and search the Rob Howe stack to see which supplements I take and get a good deal on those as well. Okay, let's get to the episode. I also want to take this opportunity to promote Diabetes Legends basketball clinics. As you guys know, the last couple of years, we've started to do basketball clinics all throughout the country under our Diabetes Legends Basketball Clinic's name. We've gotten to introduce over 100 campers with type 1 diabetes to diabetes legends like Lauren Cox and Gary Forbes and more. We've got clinics coming up this year, a very special event at Friends for Life Conference on July 11th. And then later in September, we're going to be returning to Denver. If you're looking for more information on the events themselves, you can visit diabeticsdoingthings.com slash events. And if you're interested in learning more about the Diabetes Legends Foundation, which we formed in 2025 to better support our ongoing initiatives and creating opportunities for kids with diabetes to have a great day with diabetes via one of our clinics, please connect with us and fill out a form on our website, diabeticsdoingthings.com. Here's the thing. You know Jennifer Stone. But in this interview, hopefully you get to know her like never before. Fun fact about Jennifer and myself, she and I grew up very close to each other. Different times, obviously, but when you are from the part of Dallas that we are from, I think you just understand a little bit more about each other innately. You know Jennifer because she played Harper on The Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney Channel. She was a child actor and she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 19, shortly after the show ended. We talk a little bit about her life pre-diabetes and life in the spotlight, and then post-diabetes diagnosis and transitioning to a different part of her life, navigating being a nurse during the pandemic and being on the front line, and where she is today and where Jennifer is right now and what's important for her to stick around with. We also hear some of her diabetes ics and what she would tell herself starting over again on day one with type 1 diabetes. She and I met a few times in person, and I'm very excited to publish this interview because even though we've only gotten to hang out a few times, I consider Jennifer one of my great diabetes community friends, and I'm really looking forward to sharing this interview with you. Please enjoy this conversation with the great Jennifer Stone. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Diabetics Doing Things. We're telling the amazing stories of people with diabetes from all over the world. And we have since 2016. I'm excited for this interview because there are a few names. There's a short list of names of people who get brought up when you live with type 1 diabetes. And I would say that Jennifer Stone is definitely one of those names. And so to have you here on the show is just a great honor. And also, I've had the pleasure of meeting you a couple times in person. And we really click like you do with people with diabetes. But it's just really great to have you here. and I'm happy to introduce Jen Stone. Welcome to the show.

[00:05:48] Jennifer Stone: Hey, Rob. I forget that we've only like actually physically been in the same room a couple of times or like a few times because like we have so many shorthand things where it's, you know, broken pancreases, Texas, podcasting, like there's so many like different shorthand elements. So I feel like I know you so much more than I actually do.

[00:06:05] Rob Howe: And like when we talk about Texas too, it's not just like Texas, it's not just Dallas, like a very specific part of Dallas that we are from. Yeah, there's just a shorthand there for sure. I agree. It's very great to have you here. And yeah, it does feel like I've really known you for, you know, or hung out with you more times than we have. I do want to just take a trip down story corner here while we're there. So those of us who've been in the diabetes community for a while, maybe remember the first Myobetic Awards. And I suppose the only really in-person Myobetic Awards, which were in LA in 2019, right? You know, pre-pandemic. And I remember I was in like a small huddle of people because there was somebody who was kind of having an issue that night and you were there and I remember being like hey like what's going on can I help with this problem and you're like hi I'm Jennifer Stone and I was like oh hello nice to nice to meet you I know I know who you are and how cool you were and like you were helping someone else out and just like knowing who you are now and the type of person you are it was very much on display in that moment and getting to spend some cool time with you at like Medtronic Champion events at ADA a couple years ago was also really nice so thanks for making the

[00:07:12] Jennifer Stone: time. No, of course. And it's so funny. Like, it's always weird for me to be honest to like, I don't know that anybody has any sort of like preconceived notion of who I am. My brain just has never wrapped itself around that, which I'm sure is much healthier. I don't think of myself that way. My family doesn't treat me that way. And my friend, my friends don't. It is kind of weird and like out of body for you to be like, Oh, I, you know, I don't know. I've never gotten used to that. And I think that's probably for the best. Well, for sure. And I think that that again,

[00:07:40] Rob Howe: speaks to the type of person you are and like in your family it sounds like that obviously you had a very unique experience growing up and as a young person and like a young person in hollywood and that was my first reaction to meeting it was like oh this is a real person they're super down to earth and yeah i and i like this person there was no like weird sort of pseudo celebrityism or any

[00:07:59] Jennifer Stone: kind of like that which is the worst i hate it whenever people start to throw that around i have and especially after nursing like i have zero patience for that i never really did have patience for it because I'm the only actor in my family. My brother's creative, but in different ways. And my parents are both very analytical. And so like, it just was not put on this pedestal. And then seeing also to like how fragile a lot of actors are, like I just I never saw it as this like heightened thing that gets socialized, you know, with like singers or actors or entrepreneurs. So yeah, especially now with nursing, whenever like there's an attitude or people try to like, act elevated or something, I'm so turned off by it. And it's so just a bunch of

[00:08:38] Rob Howe: BS. It's not, not my thing at all. Well, we're going to talk a lot about your like kind of capacity for change in your life too. And like these different areas, but growing up in Hollywood, you mentioned your parents are analytical that your brother's creative, but he's not in like show business. So growing up and having this sort of pre life with diabetes, without diabetes, right. And then the show ending was a Waverly place ending. And then almost immediately after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, how do those chapters in your life when you reflect on them. What is that? What is that like? And then I want to talk about your T1D story vlog, like, because I found it as I was researching questions for this. And it's amazing. So we got to talk about that cinema, but that amazing piece of cinema on the internet. It's definitely one of

[00:09:18] Jennifer Stone: those things that like, if somebody told me 10, 20 years ago, my life would look like it does today, I'd be like, what are you talking about? So my life has definitely taught me to hold like a five year or 10 year plan very loosely, because it has shifted so many different ways. And I mean, I don't sit still very well, so I guess it works for me. But it definitely has taught me to be prepared for anything because things can change in a moment. Acting back in Texas was just a fun thing that I did. You know, I did theater and then, you know, it was a hobby. My family still jokes that it's a hobby that got like wildly out of control. Never anticipated that I would ever do anything that people were still be talking about 15 years later, you know. And then the diabetes diabetes diagnosis, that was a whole other shift where I finished the show when I was 18. And then in hindsight, I mean, hindsight's 20, 20, right? But like, I took a lot of naps on set, like I was very inflamed, you know, throughout most of Wizards. And so like hindsight, I'm like, oh, yeah, I was sick the whole time. I just didn't know. And then it really kind of hit a hedge where I lost my vision, I gained a bunch of weight, actually. So I was kind of an odd type 1, because I was type 1.5. And my endo was like, you'll be a by now at this point in my life, I'm a full-fledged type 1 because my antibodies have like eaten all of the beta cells and everything. So I'm a full-fledged type 1 at this point, but that's why it took so long to get diagnosed and why, you know, I had little symptoms kind of trickled in and some from type 2 and some from type 1. So it was very confusing to endos when I first got diagnosed.

[00:10:48] Rob Howe: And there was not as much terminology or research or understanding of how that antibodies manifested themselves later in your life. We weren't having conversations like we have now. No. And there's still a lot of misinformation and or stigma around juvenile diabetes, right? And versus type 1 and now LADA and all of the other types.

[00:11:07] Jennifer Stone: It's something that I'm because I'm working on getting my diabetes educator license. And I, I'm amazed I have shadowed some diabetes educators and I've been doing a lot of study in that area. And I'm just amazed and I've consulted with doctors, you know, just working with other educators and shadowing for patient cases. And I'm just so surprised at how little doctors know their area. And that's it. And like, yeah, you're so a little bit of everything, right. But like, when it comes to diabetes, especially and type 1, even more so because it's a smaller percentage is like, they really don't, they don't know. I mean, even like my endocrinologist who I love and he was like amazing. Like, she's like, yeah, there's, it's like the, the brain or like the ocean. Like there's a lot we haven't explored and a lot we don't understand. And even in my lifetime, like my mom had gestational diabetes. They told her that there was no risk, like everything would just go back to normal. No problem. Which now we know is not the case. You know, we know that like you're the mom is, I think it's, I'm not going to get, I'm not going going to say statistics because I'm going to second guess myself and get imposter syndrome. 99% of them are made up on the spot anyway, right? True, right? It's all relative. But yeah, so it's like you have a higher chance of getting type 2 later in life. And then your child has a higher chance of getting type 1. And we totally met that. My mom has type 2, I have type 1. And then the same thing you were talking about with not understanding late onset diabetes, where when I was first diagnosed, I was in and out of hospitals for four years. I mean, they were taking me on medication where I was almost on dialysis because they took me off that medication and then told me I was like lying about snacking, like just crazy stuff. And I think the, they're starting to get better. It's definitely the newer, younger doctors that are more welcoming and not, there are some of the more senior experienced doctors that are also open and interested in the newer education, but some are stuck in their ways. But I think the oldest I've seen as a new onset type 1 was 70. Yeah. And how, you know, far into life, like people are going to make that change at 70. I can't even imagine. I screenshotted it and I have the link.

[00:13:12] Rob Howe: So I'll be able to upload a video with this actual chart in it. But as part of the sort of diabetes advocacy journey, I get to go to industry events sometimes that otherwise I wouldn't be able to. And so I went to ATTD 2024. And there was a chart that someone shared, where they had a distribution of like age, and then likelihood for developing type 1 diabetes. And it was really interesting, like when you're young, you have a higher likelihood, like and then kind of dips down. And then the older you get, it kind of trickles up a little bit. And then after you turn 70, it goes dramatically up to where you're almost the most likely to develop type 1 diabetes after age 70 than you are any other time in your life, which I'd never heard before.

[00:13:57] Jennifer Stone: And it makes sense though. Like if you think of the physiology of the body and I'll try not to do too much of like my health science, like nerd, but, but I mean, everything you start to see in the body, I mean, it, it is a, it's a beautiful thing, but it really is full circle. You really do end where you started. I mean, the amount of times I've changed diapers and old people, like it's probably more than I've changed diapers and babies. But it's yeah, like our bodies really do have this like beautiful pre 60 where we end up where we started, you know. And so that doesn't surprise me in that sense.

[00:14:30] Rob Howe: It's what's also interesting about it is the the later you develop type 1, the less risk you have for diabetes complications. And so which inherently kind of makes sense. But it's weird. It's like, oh, yeah, you would normally prescribe somebody, everybody who was diagnosed young, for the most part, got a long acting insulin and a short acting insulin, you know, past a certain time. Right. But these folks who are older, there's no like there's no risk for them to develop complications because they're so far along in their life. So most of the time they just give them long acting insulin. And so they don't even have to worry about counting carbs or meal boluses. They just, you know, kind of run a little bit higher than normal, but they feel better than they did. And, you know, the rest of their life kind of is what it is. Which I found also interesting.

[00:15:12] Jennifer Stone: Yeah, well, and they're also, because this is an issue that I've had with the diabetes education training, where they're at a higher risk for hypoglycemia. And so that's another reason why doctors can be so hesitant. I mean, it's multifaceted, like everything with diabetes. There's not anything black and white about anything pancreatically related. But I don't even know if pancreatically is a word, but we're going to go with it. We're using it. We're going to use it. I like it. But yeah, so they're a higher risk for hypo and they tend to be more insulin sensitive. So I know a lot of endos and doctors are very hesitant to give them bolus insulin for that reason as well. Because it's a lot more, I mean, hypo is always risky, but even in older populations where, you know, they may not be able to treat it or detect it as quickly, especially when you start adding in comorbidities like dementia, Alzheimer's, you know.

[00:15:59] Rob Howe: Absolutely. Even just mobility issues, like, you know, being dizzy with a hypo and not being able to get around as easily, it could be really dangerous. You said you weren't going to slip into the clinical side, but I do want to bring your YouTube video up again because your type 1 diagnosis story blog, which I'm going to put the image of right here is incredible. It's not just you explaining your story. There's a lot of, and I think they're very popular on YouTube of like diagnosis stories. And that's where we start the podcast. And that's what really helps us all connect to each other as a community. But you also like very clearly were going through nursing school at the time. So you have this, it's very clinical and like also really easy to understand. I was, I'm a huge fan of it. So like.

[00:16:38] Jennifer Stone: I haven't watched it probably since I made it. So I'm sure if I did, I would cringe and be like that. I could have explained that better, but I'm so glad that you, you know, you liked it.

[00:16:46] Rob Howe: Well, I like it. I'm not a scientist. Everybody knows that. I don't even claim to play one on TV. So it's like really nice when I, when I'm able to see content that's easy to consume, but also like really technical in a way that's not intimidating. Yeah, if you guys want, if you're listening and you could use a refresher on some of the anatomy and the physiology of type 1 diabetes, highly recommend the vlog. And we'll link it in the show notes.

[00:17:09] Jennifer Stone: Education, especially around diabetes, is something I'm really passionate about and I really enjoy. I've trained like newer nurses in the ER. And like I said, I try to be somewhat of a diabetic liaison in my department. So it's something that I'm very passionate about. So that means a lot to me that you're like, hey, you did you succeeded at that, at least of explaining it in an easy to digest way.

[00:17:29] Rob Howe: Let's talk a little bit about kind of being a diabetes advocate or ally inside, you know, your professional life. We've heard from some other guests in the past of whether it was going through medical school and being an example to their peers. Or like you said, there's so much I think your metaphor of like the body is like the ocean. And we don't we just don't know that much that's going on in there. having someone who really intimately knows it and can easily explain it is a real advantage. So how do you find like when you're interacting with your peers and coworkers, like being that ally or advocate, any stories like stand out to you?

[00:18:00] Jennifer Stone: Sure. I mean, we, so in the ER, we, we typically get most of the time, like we see higher blood sugars and it's usually like a secondary response, right? Like it might be like a secondary response, like pain to a larger issue, but we will often get a lot of DKA patients. And I love the insulin columnar scale. I'm such a nerd where I just love to like, and now it's automated. So it kind of bumps me out because you don't like it to go down the column anymore. But we've had times where like you because especially to I think the scale goes up to again, my, my brain always is like, oh, you need this number. But I think it's like 500 650, something like that. Because I think our hospital are like the big, huge blood sugar monitors, they only go up that high. So the scale tops off at a certain point. And then you have to go back to the columnar, the automatic thing doesn't compute. So I love with different nurses, whether they're new grads or not, just because in, I mean, it's shocking in nursing school and in medical school where it's like, they don't really teach diabetes, like they teach a very basic overview. And I understand why, because there's so much to learn, but like, they don't really spend a lot of time on it. And I remember like so whenever whether it's dk with the insulin columnar or like my my pharmacology tutor that i like got in a fight with respectfully because she was well because she was saying the med that they took me off of that like screwed with my system because it helps with my insulin sensitivity was metformin and so she was like type ones absolutely cannot be on metformin no like it's bad for the kidneys they cannot and i was like stop teaching that stop stop teaching that to people because i know you'll see nurses that they just don't know better. And so they'll think and it's with the best intentions, they will be taught this thing. And then it trickles down, they teach it to other nurses, you know, and so then you're getting patients that are having to like fight the healthcare providers to be like, No, no, I know my body, I know what I need. And even so with like learning new technologies, and like which CGMs are appropriate for MRIs, and which ones you have to take off, because you and I both know, like, if you take off a CGM before the deadline, like it sucks having to get a replacement and you know and then you're short if you don't so trying to or taking off an insulin pump when a patient's hospitalized and like educating on like no no there's a different order set that we have to use right these are the criteria for that so those are different examples of like how i kind of step in when i can i'm saying like hey like no no don't take that off like i know it's not what you're used to and what you know like the patient is awake alert they can operate their pump they just have to report back to you you have this log that you'll use. So there's a lot of, again, it's all nuance. I was going to say like, because that

[00:20:35] Rob Howe: experience of the person that you're talking about, where her perspective is that a metformin should not be used for type ones, right? Because of the nuance and the differences between like person to person and all of the different inputs for people with diabetes, you know, there's right now the popular discussion is like GLP ones for type 1 diabetics, right? And yeah, and the agonists and like GIP. And so they are not currently FDA approved. There's studies going on right now, right? So it's off label, but for some, someone, it might be really dangerous to do that because their insulin sensitivity is really high or they have a hypo unawareness or something like that. But for another person where they had the same diabetes for the same amount of time, they maybe have like the same age, they have the same, everything else is the same, but their insulin sensitivity is different just because they, their physiology is different. Exactly. A GLP-1 would help them get their insulin to carb ratio much more manageable and keep their blood sugar in range tighter. So because there's so many inputs and because it's so nuanced, like sometimes actually having experience with a patient with type 1 can work against you long term if they're very different.

[00:21:40] Jennifer Stone: Right. Well, and that's, that's, that's my frustration, or one of my biggest pet peeves in healthcare is there's no absolutes. So whenever I and I whenever I hear a healthcare provider being like, no, and never absolutely under no circumstances, I'm like, okay, there are majorities. That's true. There are the majorities this works. And then there are always exceptions. Granted, sometimes there might be more exceptions. And I find with diabetes, there are more exceptions because it's so individualized, right? This may be something like cardiovascular or strokes, or, you know, but yeah, so, but anytime I hear absolutes, my brain kind of like goes off a little bit because in healthcare and with physiology, there just aren't, there aren't absolutes. There are patterns, there are consistencies, but there are no 100% without a doubt absolutes. People just don't work that way.

[00:22:24] Rob Howe: That's something that I think about a lot in the, cause you know, we're both people who are online where we live in 2025, we have phones. So, you know, you'll see, or I'll see a, you know, somebody's making a video and they're oversimplifying or like making something sound like so easy or like whether it's a life hack or whether it's a health biohacking and whatever. I think is also we could go into detail forever about that. But like the idea that it could be so simple that there's this one thing that you're not doing, I think traps people a lot and also like can lead to kind of feeling like you're turned upside down. Like you just like, well, if this is the thing that's supposed to help and I

[00:22:57] Jennifer Stone: can't get it right, like what does that say about me? And I also too, on a diabetes specific point to that is I feel like it leads to a lot of guilt and shame. You know what I mean? Like I know, I know for me, like, especially being like, I didn't, I didn't talk about my diabetes diagnosis until I felt like I had somewhat of a handle on it. Cause those four years were, I mean, they were messy. Like my blood sugars were bad. My A1Cs went bad. My A1C still to this day is not as good as I'd like it to be. And I have in my moments of like weakness, I still am like, I feel this weird, like, I mean, I feel imposter syndrome in a lot of areas of my life, but that's, that's for me to work on but like it's something where sometimes I feel hypocritical of being like who am I to like be a voice and a face for this thing because I'm not the perfect diabetic but then I stop myself in my moments of clarity I'm like but that's exactly why is because diabetes and any chronic illness or condition or challenge or however you want to view it is is a ebb and flow you will have days where you are locked in and you totally have it down and then you'll have where you're like, I'm doing everything. I'm doing all the things that the videos say to do and that everyone says to do, and it's just not working. And it does, I am very hesitant with those kind of very oversimplified things too, because it does, like I said, it leans into shame and like guilt and feeling like there's something wrong with you or like you're not doing enough.

[00:24:16] Rob Howe: I'm really glad to hear you say that too. I want to focus on two things. Like one, the idea that there's, if you're outspoken or you're in the diabetes community and maybe seen in like a leadership position, that there's this idea that you're perfect. And like you wake up every day in range and like you look at a slice of pizza and you're like, no problem. And like the sparkles just come around and the music plays and you're like, yeah, my book. And it's like, hey, look at me. I've got it all figured out. And the fact that you're actually a real person, like dealing with the ins and outs of diabetes, just like the people who are, you know, being, you know, serve the ads or being who are in the community and saying like, oh, there's Jennifer Stone. She's living with type 1 diabetes, just like me. And also the idea that, hey, it's not perfect. You know, for me, like as an athlete, I was really quick to be like, yeah, you can do whatever you want with diabetes. Look at me. I did all this stuff. But I wasn't telling them that like before every game I was trying to hide that I was testing my blood sugar so that the GM of the team wouldn't see it and fire me, you know, like or that I was grabbing snacks wherever I could. And I just had a whole backpack full of snacks just in case I went low somewhere where I didn't have access to a vending machine, you know, so like and the A1C number, I was having difficult conversations with my doctor because I wanted to play sports at a high level and I wasn't able to get the number that he wanted. But what I wanted was different. And I don't regret that, but it's just good to be open about the idea that just because you're on a social media platform or a website or on a panel or speaking somewhere doesn't mean that you're not dealing with all

[00:25:46] Jennifer Stone: the stuff in the background and that it's all perfect. And thank you for sharing all of that because these are the conversations that I find so important. And we were kind of talking a little bit about that before we got started about how it's so much more helpful to just have open and honest conversations about like the good, the bad and the ugly of diabetes, because there is, there is high highs and low lows, no pun intended. But like, it's something where I always say you can do whatever you want with diabetes, but it's going to look different. It's going to look different than how other people would do it, like even travel and stuff like that. Like I'm about to go abroad and I always like to I try chronic over packer I'm trying to like get to last time I went I did it all in a carry-on I'm gonna do it in a carry-on again but like trying to it's it's frustrating and I have moments of like god like those and those are the moments you're like I just wish like I was like everyone else those things that people just don't think about of like okay I have to count out like how many cgms I need I need to count out like okay how much insulin cartridges do I need to take for my pen I have to think about these things and then if I get over there and something malfunctions, I have to carry extra. And you have to think about refrigerating. I mean, I literally, when I was in, I did a month in Ireland and Scotland last year, and I had this, Rob, I had this refrigerator to keep my insulin cold. And I was ready to throw it out the window by the end of it, because it's this big old thing. I always needed to plug it into something. I had this battery pack and it took up, it was so bulky and took up so much space. And I kept knocking, I think I bought like three charging cords because I kept knocking it on and I kept breaking because they were like cheap cords. I was ready to throw it out the window. But those are the moments, those little hidden moments, the getting the snacks, trying to hide it because you don't want to seem like there's something wrong with you. You know, those are the moments that you're like, God, I just wish I was like everybody else. And those are the moments that people don't talk about. And I feel like those are the moments where you feel, I don't want to say weak, but sometimes, sometimes like you feel weak and it's the truth is actually you're stronger than the other people that are doing the thing because you were able to handle this but with this additional

[00:27:44] Rob Howe: challenge i think it's it's a burden and like this is a really great example of the of the refrigerator because it's something that you carry with you like diabetes is something you carry with you all the time i also am a chronic overpacker i think like we all who are who are who love to travel and have diabetes like we've just gotten used to it and tried to figure out all of our different ways like taking sensors out of the packaging to save a little space here and there what is this and i'm like just like i wish i should have kept it in the packaging so i have to explain it you know what i mean but here it is my bag of goodies and for me also like i'm a large person so my clothes and shoes are big so they don't fit in bags so right now i'm living on cloud nine because i found this giant tote bag that's like perfect size for me like i can't always be the bigger person but i can have the biggest bag so i can't really a large personality but in a small form. It's that way though, right? But with your refrigerator, you know, you could see every travel wanderlust person on Instagram who throws their whole life in like a small little backpack and they travel around, but you have this thing, like you can go wherever you want. You can do your thing, but you've got to carry this burden with you. And when you're by yourself or you're tired or you're having a difficult diabetes day, those get heavier and you start to be more aware of them. And I think, I don't know, it's good to have those conversations and be out there with it because you know what you may not have posted on that that month-long trip is a bad day with diabetes or you know the refrigerator saga and we'll post a lot of photos of us you know in a cool place having a great time because that's what social media tells us is right to post but it can take real strength and vulnerability to share a story about a

[00:29:21] Jennifer Stone: refrigerator and it's sometimes it's also too it's sometimes i don't post things like that because it feels like a, sometimes it feels exhausting to explain. Yeah. To be honest, you know what I mean? Like, I know that when I, when I go out, like in a bathing suit, for example, I've just gotten used to having a high-waisted things because I get tired. I get tired of explaining it. I get tired of like going through like what it is. Like, like if I'm at work, that's one thing. Cause I'm in kind of an educational mode, but in my day-to-day where it's a day off, like sometimes I'm just like, I don't want to have to like go, okay, well this and this and this and this and that, and like just explaining my day-to-day. And so there is sometimes where it's like, you know, now you make me feel guilty. I should have posted something about that. Oh, no, I don't want that. But like, it's, um, but yeah, like it is, I feel like in those moments, I feel like that's where like, you can still feel very alone as a diabetic. Um, and, and also too, in those moments where like, you're in a group of friends and nobody else has diabetes and you're like the only one that's like, okay, well, this is this. And you know, I feel like I need to have like a sheet of like frequently asked questions printed out that I just can like pass out but yeah so it's like those are those are quiet moments that i feel like not a lot of people talk about and why like community as a diabetic is so important because yeah it is that shorthand i mean lack of explanation yeah i mean when we went to ada and everybody just got it you know and it was so nice and like when you say you have a low or like you run out of it you know or your like your sensor goes out too soon or whatever like everybody gets it everybody understands like there's not this there's not the shame or this guilt of being like i've got a little blood sugar I have to go deal with this thing.

[00:30:51] Rob Howe: You saying that reminds me of that day. So like, it's summer 2023. There's probably 20 of us there in San Diego. Beautiful day. And like, we went and we had so much stuff to do that day. And they took us to, I don't, did you go with us to Sur La Table?

[00:31:08] Jennifer Stone: No, I didn't. I was taking it in a different direction.

[00:31:10] Rob Howe: Like a presentation to do or something like that. So like, we all went and we made pizza because we were, you know.

[00:31:17] Jennifer Stone: Oh, that's not all I remember this.

[00:31:18] Rob Howe: We were putting the pumps to the test basically. And, and I remember after like everybody dosed and like we had, we had a really good time. And then we had some time that we were kind of sitting around before the next shoot we were doing. And everybody was like, what do you guys think about taking a walk? Like, I want to make sure that like my, my sugars stay in range and nobody like every single one of us got up and like, we just walked around for like, you know, the next 20 minutes. And it was just a really refreshing experience to me of like, yeah, it was a simple thing. It was a walk, but nobody had to say why we did it. We all knew why. We all felt better afterwards. And it was just a kind of that group community environment that we were all different. We all had different pizzas. We all had different levels of it. We all had different carb ratios, but we all wanted to do something together that, you know, in a different environment, we may not have felt comfortable asking.

[00:32:06] Jennifer Stone: That's the thing too, is like, it's so important to find environments and community that you don't have to explain your existence. Even like my best friends that have known me for decades, Like there, I had a friend that like, she got a little frustrated with me because I couldn't make it to this thing that I was going to go to. I plans, excuse me, to go to this with her. But I just had a garbage blood sugar day. And I didn't know why. I think like part of it was like, I was PMSing. And so like those hormones and which that's a whole other freaking thing.

[00:32:34] Rob Howe: I'm so glad like learning and talking to women with diabetes. Like, I don't like have any challenges. This is like so difficult.

[00:32:41] Jennifer Stone: I'll be so glad because it's such a pain in the butt. I literally every other month because it alternates ovaries where you, again, I won't get too technical, but like it alternates ovaries and I can tell which one it is because of how my diabetes is responding. And it's just insane. Like it's so frustrating, but like it's, so I just had a garbage blood sugar day. It reminded me of like when I was first diagnosed, I couldn't get it down no matter what. It was just, you know, telling me hello, you know, basically the whole time. And like, I just, I couldn't stay awake. I was really tired. And so I told her, I was like, look, I'm worried that I'm gonna fall asleep at your thing. I'm worried I'm gonna fall asleep at the wheel, like driving to you. And she like, still was frustrated. And I was like, dude, that's like, I can't, I need you to understand that. And she did, like, we talked about it. And then we like worked through it. But it was something that like, I had to sit her down and be like, look, this is not an excuse. This is not me bailing. This is like, something I can't control. And like, if I could have been there, I would have been but you know, I would have been curled up in the corner asleep. Like, you know, and so like, it's just not having to explain just existence and the good and the bad days is such, you know, it just takes that refrigerator weight

[00:33:44] Rob Howe: off your back, if you will. It does. And I think too, it just speaks to what we all go through from like the burnout mental health perspective of, you know, I think the example or the metaphor of it's like having a full-time job with no benefits and no days off and no pay. And no, and also like, you don't have, you shouldn't have to justify a decision you make. And I also think in those moments where your blood sugar is out of range, like you're emotionally, you're out of range, too. You are frustrated or you feel like there's part of the side effects of hypoglycemia are like terrible thoughts. So I was like, oh, well, once I once I learned that it's like this isn't like I'm not just having the worst afternoon of my life. I'm just having a really bad, severe low blood sugar. And part of that means I'm going to be kind of spiraling from a mental perspective.

[00:34:27] Jennifer Stone: And hypo or hyper, like you have to remember, it helps me to know, OK, glucose is the food for the brain. Right. You have too much or you have too little. Of course, your brain's not going to work. And it's not just functionality. It's thoughts. It's all, you know, so it's like, so I'm glad that like you were aware of that because you do feel crazy. You do feel like what's going on with me.

[00:34:46] Rob Howe: And so I want to talk a little bit about that or shift this into the next part of the conversation because I heard you on a podcast and you were very eloquently talking about getting what you need versus what you want and that you kind of at some point had an idea of what your life was going to be like. And now looking back on that, like to your capacity for change and evolution. And like, I haven't, I'm not friends with you in the way that like, we've spent a lot of time together and like gotten to be around each other a lot. But like seeing you from afar, like on social media, like I do see and notice the last couple of years, like a difference in how you're showing up for yourself. And I guess like compared to when I first met you, you know, pre pandemic. And obviously like, we've been a long way since then. So like, how do you think about that? Like you today, like Jennifer Stone today and showing up for yourself and like what you need for getting what you need versus what you want. How does that land for you?

[00:35:39] Jennifer Stone: That's a great question. I, the last five years, which granted, I mean, for all of us, but the last five years have fundamentally changed me as a person. And it's been incredibly difficult. Like, I'm not going to lie and be like, it's been a growing journey the whole time. It's just been up, up, up the whole time. I mean, that's BS. It has not been at all. But I was a chronic people pleaser. I did everything I was supposed to. I tried, like, I was a perfectionist, like, all of those things. And so a lot of my existence was for other people or what I thought that they wanted from me. And especially being a child actor, too, you know, I just wanted to please people. So my entire life kind of operated from that place. And, you know, I mean, nursing changes you, especially going into it the way that I did during the pandemic. like that fundamentally changed me as a person. Like maybe this is intense, but like it did kill a part of me. And it fundamentally changed the way that I view the world and people. And I think some for the better, some not so much. Like some I wish I could go back to the ignorance's bliss, but it's seen behind the curtain at Oz. You can't unsee it, you know? But yeah, so it fundamentally changed me as a person. And I've been, you know, I had the shell shock of the pandemic. I had about a year where I was in fight or flight. Like I literally just was on like functional freeze mode for a year after that, where I went to work, came home, sat on the couch, did nothing and then went back to work. Like I literally like I like a year of my life is just gone because like I was in functional freeze.

[00:37:04] Rob Howe: Trauma response.

[00:37:05] Jennifer Stone: Basically, yeah. And I realized like and this is such a screwed up thing about I mean, there are so many screwed up things about the pandemic, but especially with health care workers, we just never stop. We never stopped and nobody ever talked about it. It just kind of went away. I mean, I talked about that sometimes in passing because we don't have time to really sit down and dive into it with some of my coworkers. And it's strange. It's so strange to have something so intense that you just never process. And so I've been in therapy and processing that. And I got to a place when I turned 30 that I just, because I started nursing when I was 27, which still blows my mind. But when I got to 30, I was like, okay, we need to figure out who you are. outside of anybody else, outside of any requirement, outside of what you should be, quote unquote, whatever, because what does that even mean? And so I just started operating from a place of what do I want? Let's get reconnect to like in this person that I am now, I'm not who I was before this. I'm fundamentally changed. So who am I now? And what do I want now? Stopped kind of asking for permission or worrying about how other people felt about it, because the people that are for me are going to be in support of what I'm doing that's positive for me. And, you know, in a growth mindset, if you will. And then the people that aren't, they're not for me anymore. And that's okay. And so I've been on that journey the past like five, five years since we first met

[00:38:24] Rob Howe: and had no idea. Well, I want to, I want to say like that journey is challenging. And I think as somebody who also realized like that, you know, so much of my identity was wrapped up in my ability to be a people pleaser. And I even like, when I first started therapy, I even told my therapist, I was like, yeah, like part of part of my goal, anytime I'm interacting with someone is to be the best interaction that they've had that day. Yeah. And like that, that's just exhausting. Yeah, exactly. And it's just a an unrealistic expectation for for what a person what a person is capable of, frankly.

[00:39:00] Jennifer Stone: And so it becomes performative at a certain point, for sure.

[00:39:04] Rob Howe: And so, you know, for you, like learning and having the courage to ask yourself, like, is this what I really want? And then having to reconcile with like, wait a minute, have I ever actually truly committed to doing what I want? Because like, that would mean that I would have to tell other people no. And that's this is like me, like sharing what goes on in my mind. And yeah, it's just like, because of this, I have to tell someone that I like and I care about and I actually do want to do this thing with them. But I got to tell them no, because I'm choosing this other path. And like how that kind of conflict is with that people pleaser inside is like, oh, this is a totally new path that maybe I'm not ready for. What do I do now that I'm accountable to myself for making this change? So that's that's a we can talk about that for the rest of the pod. But I feel that and I see that. And I don't know, sometimes like turning 30 is that's just part of it. but yeah I understand what you're going through but it means and thank you for for sharing that

[00:39:58] Jennifer Stone: it means a lot to me too because I think sometimes it's easier to see changes when you're not around somebody all the time because I know for me sometimes like I don't I feel like I'm working so hard to grow into the person I'm supposed to be and and sometimes I don't see the difference so it means a lot to me that like you were seeing those changes that means a lot to me because I have been working really hard on it but to bring it back to diabetes too is I feel like god for people pleasers and for the should people like the reformed versions that we are are i'm gonna put that out there um it's terrible because you think of like what should i be doing what is the perfect diabetic and all that kind of stuff and it just doesn't exist and it is something that is so nuanced that you kind of do have to define it for yourself and find what works for you within the parameters of you know your doctor's recommendations and the plan that you guys build

[00:40:43] Rob Howe: together. And it's such a, it's such a cluster. And like, you know, I'll just say it's a mind fuck because like, yeah, in the moment it is really important. Like you're having a low blood sugar, you're having a hypo, you're having a hyper, what have you, like you want to treat it. You want to get back in range. Yeah. The way you do that is through like candy or a tiny little bit of fluid. So it's like, okay, well, or taking a walk or like doing squats on the plane or something, you know, something just absurd. And then it's also a long-term thing. Like, yeah, I'm trying to, you know, I've got to live with this chronic illness for the rest of my life. I want to set myself up for, for success, but also like, I'm going to die at some point, like you said earlier, like we're going to return to that, like infantile state at some point where, you know, we're not able to walk around and someone has to change our diapers. You know what I mean? So we're all going there. We don't want to, we don't really talk about it very often, but you know, diabetes is going to be there with us when that happens. So, okay. I do want to shift because like always with people that I'm, that I really like, and I can, and I have a lot of things in common with my viewpoints with we could just talk all day about this and never cover some of these fun questions so okay let's go through a couple quick ones do you have any diabetes ics like things that you hear or even things that you deal with with diabetes issues like my least

[00:41:50] Jennifer Stone: favorite it's i really don't like it when they're like oh diabetics can never do this one that i one that i does make me kind of crazy and i keep it in mind like like i said with this goal that i have to be a diabetes educator um i that i'm working on um is when you have someone who isn't diabetic, which I understand, like most diabetes educators are not. There's too few of us to,

[00:42:12] Rob Howe: you know what I mean? Like, yeah, we'll take everybody we can get. Yeah, I don't expect that.

[00:42:16] Jennifer Stone: Like, that's not a prerequisite, right? I'm excited that you're passionate and you want to work with people, whatever. But when I've had diabetes educators in the past that they'll be like, oh, I wore a CGM for two weeks. It was so fun. And I'm just like, I'm like, yeah, it's fun because you don't have to wear it. And it's like a novel thing. And I'm like, it's not fun when you knock it on something and it comes out or it's not fun when it won't stop beeping or like malfunctioning or like you need to replace or like you need to pack it for a long trip like it's not fun you know and so sometimes when people just and it's human nature i have my blind spots too but whenever i have like an educator or somebody be like oh yeah i tried that that was so fun and it's just like okay let's have a little bit of like awareness i try to hold it in both hands

[00:42:57] Rob Howe: because like i've definitely changed my perspective on this because when there were the first like cgm companies and like metabolic health companies that were slapping cgms on regular people i was like this could be good more people could know what this is like maybe this will help make cgms cheaper or whatever the narratives typically are right and i kind of like flipped my script on it because like you could just google what happens like you could literally in one internet search like see what happens when you eat cereal or when you eat different kinds of foods and like the coolest thing and i commented on a post recently because they were talking about the post was talking about how cringe it is when people who don't have diabetes talk about their cgm it's like yeah it's cool right it comes right back down doesn't it like it's just like isn't that

[00:43:38] Jennifer Stone: wild how it just comes back down like i would love that that's the part where it's just and again i don't hold it against them because like i said i have my blind spots when it's not i didn't know anything about diabetes before i was diagnosed with it it truly is something that like when you live day to day you understand it differently and so it's like when you don't like it's that lack of awareness is inevitable like it's something that's like no matter how hard you try and I wouldn't wish it upon anybody, but it's like, no matter how hard you try, you won't truly understand. So just give me that disclaimer. That's all I need. That's all I need before you start talking about how good time it is.

[00:44:11] Rob Howe: Right. And you know, I like new stuff. I like tech. Like I like buying stuff. So, you know, I like the promise of a healthier life. And it was interesting to kind of change my perspective on it over the years. I do want to touch on like, first of all, you've said it twice, like you're going to be a great diabetes educator. Thank you. When it happens, I can't wait for, you know, somebody to come into your office and experience like diabetes through your lens, you're going to change people's lives. So I'm so psyched for that journey for you.

[00:44:38] Jennifer Stone: I am too. I just wish there weren't so many hours that I have to get before I get the test.

[00:44:42] Rob Howe: Believe me, I have looked into, I was like, could I become a CDE? Yes. And I looked at it. I was

[00:44:48] Jennifer Stone: like, no, I could not. So you basically have to have like a full-time job as a, as a CDE with them on the contingency that you pass that test. So like trying to do full-time in the ER and like, Like I'm figuring it out. But yeah, the hours are, man, it's basically like being back in nursing school.

[00:45:03] Rob Howe: Yeah, it is not a quick thing that you just add. So shout out to everybody who does it because like you said, there aren't enough. And endocrinologists even, there's only 8,000 in the US. Like we need more of them. So if you're making that journey, like keep going. We're cheering for you. What do you think, like thinking back to 19-year-old Jen getting diagnosed with type 1, is there any advice that you maybe wish you had in the beginning?

[00:45:25] Jennifer Stone: I wish people were just more clear. When I was diagnosed, it was a lot of absolutes. It was a lot of absolutes. It was a lot of, you can't do this, you can't do this. It was very black and white. And that's probably part of why, I mean, it's definitely why I'm so big on nuance and individuality. Because I felt like a lot of the offices that I went to, I went to everybody. I think I went to every endocrinologist office in California until I landed on my endo, who I still love and is like a game changer. But yeah, it was a lot of absolutes. It was a lot of black and white thinking. And that would be the biggest thing. And I know I've said it before, but I just think it's so important of like, look, every diabetic is different. And from day to day, there will be nuances that shift and change. There will be commonalities, there will be parallels, there will be patterns, but like there is no absolute. And I also just wish that I had more of a community. I mean, I didn't really, I was kind of, I felt very isolated those first few years until I found like beyond type 1 or Medtronic and found those communities because I didn't know anybody. Literally, my mom's friend from college, Sydney, was the only person that I knew that had type 1. And she was a lifesaver because she helped my mom through a lot of because it is it is a familial disease or it can be in the sense that especially, you know, when you're younger, because it affects everybody. So I know my mom was having a hard time with certain things and she helped her kind of understand a little bit more. And so, yeah, the understanding that it's highly individualized nuance and then also community. Those are three things that I wish someone would say like, hey, go find your people, go find other type ones to talk to because they will help you mentally through a lot of this stuff. And then knowing that you do really have to advocate for yourself because it isn't a black

[00:47:03] Rob Howe: and white kind of thing. Let's talk, man, I'm so glad you brought up that advocacy piece. I talked till I'm blue in the face about making friends with diabetes. It's like the most

[00:47:10] Jennifer Stone: thing you can do. We go through grief, basically. Yeah.

[00:47:13] Rob Howe: You know, of course, like, you know, denial and resistance, like those are, you know, And I have my little soundbite of like you're diagnosed twice, like once when the doctor tells you and then once when you accept it as part of your life. And I think that allows you, gives yourself permission to connect with somebody else on a deeper level than just, you know, friendship. And you're like, oh, I can learn about this. And that leads me into my point about advocacy. Advocacy isn't always like I love the political advocacy and like writing your congressman and like talking about big issues like insulin access and the cost of diabetes and health care access. And like, those are like healthcare access starts with access to information, like health equity starts to access to access with information. We talked about this at dinner when we were at ADA that year, but there's so much advocacy that happens like one-on-one with your doctor. Like, you know, you talked about it a little earlier, like that doesn't work for me or Hey, I, I need this. Or when you go to the emergency room for a broken arm and you have to tell it, tell the doctor that you don't need to come off your insulin pump because you, this is, you're not getting treated for diabetes. And well, I'll just give you my glucose. We're okay. hey, we're under control. Or with a TSA agent, when you have your refrigerator going through customs, like those are times where you're going to have to advocate for yourself and you might be tired and you might be burned out and you might have had a bad day otherwise. And, you know, I remember I said the meanest thing to one of the nicest guys I've ever known. Just because he asked a question about my little diabetes kit when I was a year and a half in. Especially then,

[00:48:36] Jennifer Stone: you don't want to talk about it. You're hyper self-aware of it. Like, yeah, you're going to snap at people. And it is totally a defensive thing because you feel, especially a year and to happen, you feel like you're on the attack all the time. You feel like you're being attacked all the time. You have to be on the defense. So one little thing, I get it, you know?

[00:48:50] Rob Howe: And so I think that was really like meeting people. And like the first, if you, you know, slice my life with diabetes in half, like the second half has been much more rich and because of the people. And I could text at any time some, if I really needed to talk about diabetes with somebody who understand, I know people to do that now. And before I didn't have that. And that made a huge, a huge difference for me. Okay. Speaking of differences around people with diabetes, What's your favorite, like your go-to hypo snack? What do you grab in when your blood sugar's low?

[00:49:17] Jennifer Stone: It used to be Skittles until I realized the red was causing me cancer. So it's not Skittles anymore. I do love, I wasn't ever a sour or spicy person, but that's changed as I've started thinking about what I like as an adult. And so a sour gummy-

[00:49:31] Rob Howe: Those are radical changes. I like this.

[00:49:32] Jennifer Stone: No, no, I know, right? Like, and also terrible text them that I wasn't a spicy food person. But yeah, so I love a sour gummy, like a sour patch kit I love. My biggest go-to probably is apple juice. it's something when I'm traveling I can't really have access to but at the hospital there's always apple juice that's super easy to get it's also doesn't spike my blood sugar because I hate chasing the dragon I so tough it's the worst I've had I've had shifts at the hospital where like just on bad days sometimes you don't get a lunch and so and you know how eating consistently is so important so if I didn't get to eat breakfast and then I don't get a lunch I'm literally doing this all day I'm chasing lows I'm chasing high it's a bad busy day whatever so I hate chasing the dragon i try to avoid it if i can but apple juice is my favorite and then probably like sour patch

[00:50:13] Rob Howe: kids i love it yeah i uh you mentioned like the red red 40 or the red dye and like the things like i recently have gotten because i also don't like i'm very guilty of over treating a low like

[00:50:24] Jennifer Stone: we've all been there it happens like i'm excuse i can have cake now and it's like maybe not the

[00:50:28] Rob Howe: best for you your medicinal gummy bears like i don't even treat them like i don't even enjoy like how good they are because i'm just trying to get my blood sugar back up and i was like oh no i ate five too many now my blood sugar is going double arrows up but also too i don't know if

[00:50:39] Jennifer Stone: you've had this and sorry i know it's no too bad habit but in my family if you don't like jump in

[00:50:43] Rob Howe: and talk like that you don't talk at all yeah i was gonna say this this might be a texas thing

[00:50:47] Jennifer Stone: because i'm very very there's a texas thing um because i've had people in la be like let me finish talking i'm like i'm sorry i just i'm excited about the conversation excuse me um but also too like there's times where like when i'm low you're not thinking clearly so i'm not thinking like literally and you feel so shitty that you're like i just want this feeling to go away so sometimes you just like pack it in because you're just like i just want oh and that dopamine that

[00:51:08] Rob Howe: your brain's like, yes, we need glucose. Like feed me more of that. It's like, oh yeah. And

[00:51:12] Jennifer Stone: we're having gummy bears. Let's go. Totally. So it's hard. It's a hard balance, but sorry. Go

[00:51:16] Rob Howe: ahead. Yeah. So I recently had switched to glucose tab. So Neil, the beaties inspired me to, he was talking about how, you know, glucose tabs kind of suck. They don't taste good, but they can help you make sure you don't over-treat your lows and because they're easy to count and all that stuff. So I was like, you know what? I'm taking control of this. I'm buying in. And then I learned the other day like what's the last ingredient on there is red 40 just locked locked into this thing that's supposed to be good for me has has this in it so white though why is there what i mean they're barely like a little bit pink like how do i how did this happen so gotta figure out gotta figure out my way around that together tough okay wrapping up here when you think of where you are today we talked about your career we talked about your the last five years we talked about your you know if we had like three phases of the conversation like when you're you know on tv like very much in the the public eye going in and shifting into a life with diabetes and a life with healthcare in the er during the pandemic now in your 30s looking back like where are we today like you're you know i i again i i'm feeling this sense of like real radical growth for you and like what how does

[00:52:23] Jennifer Stone: that sit with you where we are today it sits with me in the sense that i i really i truly am going what life do you want to live? And what is it? What steps does it take to make that happen? Whether it's hobbies, whether it's work, whether it's friends, relationships, all of those things, I kind of have this, this thing where I am asking myself, okay, when I entertain something new, I'm like, does that lend itself to the life I want to leave or not? And if it doesn't, then I've got to be kind of harsh about being like, all right, then it's got to go. You know what I mean? Like it is something, and this is going to sound very like LA, whatever. I'm here for it. Yeah. Okay. A woo-woo safe zone. Perfect. I love a woo-woo safe zone. And sometimes I can be a little skeptical about a lot of that stuff too, but I've been doing a lot of like research on like energetic theory, which I don't think that's the technical name for it, but basically like the energy you put in is what you get out and what you're around is, is, you know, what you become. And so I'm trying to be, and this is a relatively newer thing for me. I've always been aware of it, but I haven't practiced it quite as swiftly or strongly. I feel like I can't say swift without Taylor switch now but um but yes but it's something that I'm hyper aware of being like okay especially working in the ER it's such a negative environment because it's everybody's worst day people are stressed like people don't feel well so it's it's I'm very people literally die all the time literally dying and it's something like it's what makes me a good actor is I'm very hypersensitive to that kind of thing and I'm very empathetic and I take on a lot of things so I've had to like set boundaries in the ER especially of like not taking that on which is very goes against who I am naturally. But in my life outside of work and in work too, is I'm hyper vigilant now, or at least trying to be of being aware of the energy I surround myself with. And if that lends itself to the life I want to lead. And so that and it's also to like realizing that, but honestly, Rob, like in 100 years, no one will know who we are. Like everybody, 10 years, it's such but it's such it's such a morbid thought that I find such comfort in it. Like I love this is gonna make me sound like such a goth like blasting the cure in my big headphones but like I love graveyards and I love when I travel especially to Europe like going to graveyards and seeing the old like tombstones and like seeing the ones that like have been so weathered they've been there for so long that it's like nobody remembers who that person is anymore and I find such solace in there because I think like I used to be so precious about the choices that I made and I used to be so worried and I still find myself fighting against that of being so worried about making a misstep or choosing the wrong thing. And I've realized now I'm like, you know, people again, people pleaser. I'm so, and it's paralyzing where sometimes I'd be so worried about not misstepping that I wouldn't step at all. And then I'm reading my journal here. Okay, perfect. See, we need to talk more than just seeing each other every now and then. We're in a half a country away. I, yeah, like it's, it's just learning that like, just leap, just jump, just do the thing because it's really not that serious. As long as you're not hurting anybody, do it. Like, it's not that serious. Like it's a hundred years. You'll be the little

[00:55:26] Rob Howe: breakstone. It's all weathered down. I'm glad we're having this conversation. This is a manifestation like safe zone. So like, I think right now, maybe, maybe we like, maybe this is the perfect time for this interview. And I think like there's a couple of things going on for me and I'll share with, with everybody and with you. Something I'm very conscious of right now is that your brain doesn't know the difference when you're joking and when you're not. So the way that I've I challenge the way that I talk to myself and the things that I say out loud, because if my brain believes it and I'm saying it, like sometimes that could lead me somewhere. I don't want to be something I've been really tangible with for me regarding the hundred years piece is this, the emperor's son tears down the palace. And so it's like, even if you're the emperor, yeah, your kid is going to like break down all your stuff and like change everything that you did. Like you, you know, the CEO of a company, the next CEO is going to chop up all your stuff and throw it out the door. You know, like we are not as important as we think. And at the same time, like wouldn't that make every moment much more enjoyable and much more important because we're not promised another one. You know, you mentioned Beyond Type 1. My dear friend, Tom Sheard passed away and we had like a meeting on the books the week he passed away. Yeah. And at that time I was reading this book called 4,000 Weeks, which is called, the subhead is Time Management for Mortals. And it changed my life. And at the time, like I was going through and grieving his loss in a way that like really hurt. And I never really lost a friend my age who we had so much in common with like that quickly. Yeah, it's different. And then it made me like years later now, I think back so fondly about the little time that we did have because those moments are to me like, yeah, like we're not, they're so rare now. And I, you know, I lost my dad a few years before that. So like before I turned 30, so I like really had this, it's a gift for me now. It was a hard thing. I wouldn't want anyone to go through it. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Like without, you know, I could just be, I could have just been some Ivy league finance, bro, that didn't give a shit about anybody, you know, like that's be so awful, you know, like, and it's not that diabetes gave me all that, but like all the little things like, you know, parents and values and then diabetes and then all this other stuff. It's like, you know, there's a world where none of those things bring you on the path that you're on and you can still make the most of it so anyway we're way way off topic and way rambling but like the words that you say to yourself have power and the you know the energy that you surround yourself with the people you surround yourself with you are a by product of and don't fool yourself into believing that you're not and the last thing that i'll say is the only thing i've been really sitting with myself lately is oh not the only thing but the the thing I've been really challenging myself on is my only crime is not believing that I could do it bigger and, and like putting a limitation on my own work and my own self and my own belief. And so that's challenged me to ask you to be on the podcast, to ask other people who I've wanted to have on the podcast for years, but I never just asked.

[00:58:24] Jennifer Stone: No. Cause I honestly, like when I saw you two years ago at ADA, you were telling me about it and I was like, and I've seen stuff over the years. Cause again, you see socials and stuff like that, but I'd wanted to do it then. So there was a part of me that I was like, why isn't he asking me to do it?

[00:58:37] Rob Howe: But so I have to, I have to like, I give Gary Hall Jr. You know, 10 time Olympic medalist. He was at the end of our recording. He was like, Rob, like, why didn't you ask me to do this sooner? And I was like, honestly, I was in my head about it. And he goes, well, get out. Like just, I would have done it. I wanted to do it.

[00:58:51] Jennifer Stone: I literally was, I get this weird, especially post pandemic. I get this weird, like group anxiety. Like in large social situations. I'm much better one-on-one. And like, I just kind of like get very internal because I am an ambivert, like truly, but I get very internal when I'm in big groups. And so I was at this like group thing the other day and speaking to, you know, how words are powerful. I said something about the fact that I was like, oh, well, I'm so awkward in groups. And like, I'm so weird. I'm like, I don't know what to do. And they're like, what are you talking about? You always seem so chill. And I was like, oh, I'm like, why am I, why am I projecting this fear or this insecurity or whatever? And maybe changing other people's minds of how I operate when it's like, you don't know how they see you. At this point, I'm all about positive delusion, right? Like, just think of yourself at the highest level. And if that's because I feel like I've gone through my life lessening myself because I'm so worried about like not being humble or I'm so worried about, you know, people thinking I'm delusional. At this point, I'm like, screw it. You know what I mean? Be healthfully and positively delusional helps you get to where you are and to understand, you know, your power and your presence. and because I think the truth is with people like you and I and again if I'm projecting let me know but with people like you and I I think that delusion is the same as like when we're like oh I'm feeling like I'm being an asshole and it's like actually no that's just you setting a boundary and that delusion that delusion is actually just you kind of believing in your capabilities that you've been downplaying for so long it just feels uncomfortable because it's new what lands for me

[01:00:17] Rob Howe: is like I'm a big tall guy you've you've met me my whole life I've tried to minimize how big I am And my coaches in basketball would be like, Rob, play big, be big, take up space.

[01:00:27] Jennifer Stone: Like, ah, dude, take up space.

[01:00:29] Rob Howe: And it's very important for women. I think like, you know, there's, there's some, you know, dudes out there, we could probably take up less space, but like we be your full self. Like, cause otherwise what, you know, you're not you. So I think like, there's so many people out there, like challenging fear. There's a million things to be afraid of. Are they real? Is a great question to ask. Like, should you be afraid of this? Like a snake is on the path while you're on a hike. Be afraid of that. Like, you know, like maybe don't grab it or maybe do. I don't know. But the like an email coming in at a weird hour or someone, you know, who texts you K and you read into the K and it's like they probably were just busy. Like it's not going to be the end of the world.

[01:01:07] Jennifer Stone: Like nine times out of 10, it's not personal. And also to like it's just shoot. I forgot what I was going to say. It's fine. But basically, it's just it's taking up space. It's also just knowing that like moving through fear. I think a lot of times people think that like that person doesn't experience fear. Hell yeah, they do. I have fear all the time. And it's about what you do when you have it. Do you walk away or do you move through it? And I think moving through fear and taking up space are two really big things that can help get past that wall to get everything that you want in life.

[01:01:39] Rob Howe: And fear and stress are real things. Like just, they're just physiology. It's your relationship to them that allows you to move through it. And I can do my podcast host thing and tie it back to diabetes. Like diabetes is going to be there. Your relationship to it and how you respond to it is what's going to help you live your life with more balance. Love yourself a little bit more. Yeah. And you know, if you have a high blood sugar because you ate some pizza, yeah, everybody would. Even the non-diabetics with the CGM know that that's possible.

[01:02:05] Jennifer Stone: Yeah. But it's also too, it's like, you know, you have the pizza, you enjoy it and then you adjust. It's about how much power you get the thing. You know what I mean? It's like you have diabetes. Okay. And I think we all were guilty of this when it first happened. you give it all the power and it's in complete control. And then you start to get that autonomy and you start to get that, not hopefully some control, but like, again, every day is a little different, but it's like, you start to decide and you have to get to that place. You're like, okay, I'm going to drive the ship here. I'm not going to let this, this thing have all the power. I'm going to take the power back a little bit, you know, as much as you can. Cause there is a lot of it that's out of your control, but there is so much that is, and the perspective and the mindset that goes with it is paramount.

[01:02:45] Rob Howe: Really well said, really well said. If you made it to this part of the podcast, you are super powerful. I'm telling you, you got way more power than you realize.

[01:02:52] Jennifer Stone: Because Rob and I can talk forever.

[01:02:54] Rob Howe: We can. Jen, thank you so much for this afternoon. Like this was so nice. And I apologize for not doing this sooner. But I do think we did it at the right time. We got to cover.

[01:03:03] Jennifer Stone: Everything happens exactly when it's supposed to.

[01:03:06] Rob Howe: I agree. So thank you so much. And yeah, we'll tag all your socials if they're not following you. But you are an easy person to find online. That is for sure. Thanks, Jen.

[01:03:15] Jennifer Stone: Thanks, Rob. This was awesome.