Episode 063 - Diabetics Doing Advocacy with Christine Fallabel

Christine Fallabel (@cfallabel on Instagram) joins the podcast from Denver Colorado to talk about her diagnosis in the year 2000 on a family vacation and how a passion for the Type-1 Diabetes community spurred her towards a career in Diabetes advocacy. 

Christine is currently the Director of State Government Affairs and Advocacy at the American Diabetes Association, so she spends a lot of her time working with the individual issues of T1Ds across the United States and has a lot of great perspective on the work the ADA and others are doing for T1Ds.

Christine and I talk about the mental wear and tear of a life with Diabetes, even if you don't necessarily "struggle" with it.  She is a staunch supporter of Diabetes camps, and she and I joke about how there should be a Diabetes camp for adults. 

Christine is an awesome resource and has personally helped me out with a few introductions and I'm super grateful we have such a great advocate in our T1D family.

Episode 062 - Craig Kasper Takeover! Interview with Rob Howe

I'm super excited to introduce part 2 of the Bravest Life x Diabetics Doing Things collab with my friend Craig Kasper (@CraigKasper on Instagram). Craig takes over the podcast to interview me, Rob Howe, about my diagnosis with T1D, my travels around the world chasing my dream of playing basketball and the origin story of DDT. 

Craig does a fantastic job of owning the Diabetics Doing Things podcast format, and really making it his own. From starting at diagnosis to finishing the episode with the one question every guest has to answer, Craig and I cover a range of topics INCLUDING what I would consider my favorite interview to date. 

Give it a listen, and be sure to tell Craig what an awesome job he did. 

Episode 061 - Diabetics Doing Mastering Diabetes Through Insulin Absorption with Robby Barbaro

Robby (@mindfuldiabeticrobby on Instagram) Barbaro joins the podcast to share his lifestyle and his journey as a T1D. 

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is in no way an endorsement of the interviewee, it is intended to create awareness of the different lifestyles T1Ds have available to them and give the leaders of those lifestyles a platform for open dialogue. 

Robby is the youngest of three brothers, two of which have Type-1 Diabetes. Robby’s family was in the process of relocating to Florida when Robby’s symptoms of T1D began to surface. Because his brother already had T1D, his mother told him via phone to test his blood sugar on his brother’s meter where he discovered his blood glucose was over 400. 

Since then, Robby was a successful competitive tennis player, was very active and disciplined in his approach to perfecting his craft which translated into what he now does with his coaching program Mastering Diabetes. 

Robby is committed to healing Type-1 Diabetes, and uses the example of Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile after so many people said it was impossible, and then after he broke it, people starting breaking the four minute mile every day. 

Robby’s journey into the raw food world began with Gabriel Cousins which led him to meet Dr. Cyrus who became his partner in Mastering Diabetes. After nearly 10 years of mastering his diet and filtering out all the things that would be considered detrimental, and he now believes that the cure for T1D is not limited to just diet, but would require some other form of healing or stimulus. 

Robby’s program is very interesting, and I appreciate his willingness to leave no stone unturned until he finds a solution for T1D. I also believe there are many false stories out there about “healing” T1D, but when you really talk to the people who are doing the hard work and research around insulin absorption and natural healing methods, they are not convinced there is a “cure” formula, but they are committed to continuing to test until they find it. 

Robby says it best, “I’m just just trying to live healthfully, and obviously manage Type 1 Diabetes. I do it every single day, I do it quite well, and I’m trying to heal in a healthy way.” 

I’d encourage you to listen to his perspective and then go do some research yourself on some of the amazing discoveries some of the so-called “health extremists” (which is a label I hate) are doing for the T1D community. I hope they have a breakthrough and we’ll celebrate it all together. 

Episode 060 - Diabetics Doing Worldwide Adventures & Commitment with Oren Liebermann

Oren Liebermann (@orenliebermannnews on Instagram) joins the podcast from Jerusalem to talk about his incredible diagnosis story and the events that immediately followed, and shaped his outlook on T1D and the mindset he committed to in order to truly live beyond. 

You’d never know it from talking with him, because he’s so down to earth, but Oren is an Emmy award winning journalist, author of a fantastic Diabetic book titled “The Insulin Express” and a CNN correspondent in Israel. 

Oren’s story is particularly profound. He and his wife were traveling on a worldwide adventure across the world, and while they were in Nepal and doing a lot of hiking, Oren started to experience some of the classic symptoms (dry mouth, extreme thirst, weight loss, fatigue) but chalked it up to a lot of hiking, travel and dry climate. But what transpired was a very dramatic story of going from doctor to doctor, in different cities across Nepal and ultimately Oren getting diagnosed with T1D at the age of 31 and having to go back to the US. 

While he was back home, he and his wife had a choice to make. They could either cancel the rest of their journey, or choose that Diabetes was not going to define what they did and continue on the journey. Which is exactly what they did. 

Their journey wasn’t without hurdles, but Oren and his wife managed to finish their trip and learn a little more about themselves in the process. 

Oren is a fantastic interview, and his story is so great and we’re lucky to have someone like him as a recent addition to our T1D family. 

Episode 059 - Diabetics Doing Raising a T1D with Kristina and Greg Dooley featuring Isa

This is first episode of its kind. Not only am I interviewing two parents of a Type 1, in Kristina and Greg Dooley, but I also get to interview Isa herself, the girl behind the @inspiredbyisabella account on Instagram. 

Isa and I talk about what she likes about Instagram (Sid Sharma, Mary Lucas & Libby Russell, just to name a few) but also some things that people have said about her pump and even though she got a little shy I think it gave a really poignant look at what it’s like to be a kid living your life with Diabetes (hint: it’s not always easy). 

Isa asked me if I had a name for my pump, and I didn’t have one, but I told her I’d come up with one. So my pump’s name is (drumroll please) Wilford (for Wilford Brimley tha gawd). 

Once Isa runs off to play, Kristina and Greg take me through Isa’s diagnosis story, why raising triplets is hard enough, but it can get especially challenging when one has T1D and challenges new parents of T1D children have to deal with on a daily basis and why they’re the true heroes. 

Kristina and Greg are a real inspiration not only for T1D parents, but also for T1Ds. I found our conversation to be particularly enlightening, and if we all looked at the world with the empathy and perspective they do, I think we’ll all be in a better place. 

Episode 058 - Diabetics Doing Fashion, Dance and Entrepreneurship with Kyrra Richards of Myabetic

Kyrra (@kyrrarichards on Instagram) Richards, founder of @Myabetic joins the podcast to talk about her journey as a Diabetic Fashionista, her background as a professional dancer and how she has pushed forward as an entrepreneur and #GirlBoss as the leader of Myabetic. 

Kyrra’s diagnosis at age 24 was a bit unique compared to many, because she was traveling on a military tour in Afghanistan as a dancer. During her trip, traveling back and forth from base to base, Kyrra experienced the typical symptoms many T1Ds go through but because of the grueling dance schedule and hot, dry climate she didn’t think there was too much to worry about. After her return from Afghanistan, Kyrra thought she had injured her bladder from resisting going to the restroom, so she went to her family physician who told her she didn’t have a bladder problem, she just had Type-1 Diabetes. 

Kyrra and I have a great conversation about the various tours we’ve been on as athletes, and then she gives us a unique behind the scenes look at the early days of Myabetic, where the inspiration came from and how they’ve grown since. 

It’s so interesting to me that the idea of Myabetic stemmed from wanting to feel good about your Diabetes, because it aligns with what I truly believe about living in a T1D renaissance, and I think Kyrra and Myabetic are a big part of why it’s now cool to be a T1D. 

Episode 057 - Diabetics Doing The Diabulimia Hotline with Erin Akers

Erin (@thediabeticdragon on Instagram) Akers joins the podcast from Seattle Washington, at the recommendation of Rebecca Ryan (Episode

Erin was one of the rare stories where she was diagnosed two weeks after her brothers diagnosis with Type-1. As such, her symptoms were caught very early, and her blood sugar was around 250. 

Erin’s Diabetes advocacy began around her relationship with food, and spurred her to start the Diabulimia Helpline. 

Erin talks about the advantages of growing up with someone else with T1D alongside you and how important it is to have peer support in your T1D journey. We also dig deep into some of the amazing stories behind the Diabulimia Helpline and how it has grown into an incredible resource for T1Ds and their relationship with food, insulin and T1D in general. 

Episode 056 - Diabetics Doing Diabetes Education with Melissa Gaynor

Have you ever wanted to talk to a Diabetes Educator (CDE) who was also a T1D? Well Melissa Gaynor (@mybroknpancreas on Instagram) was that person for me. Besides being a super dope person, Melissa is an incredible person because she went BACK to college to get a second bachelors degree to become a CDE. 

We talk about how to distill junk science, what she learns from her patients and what they're dealing with, the confusion of nutrition labels in health and diet. She also talks about the difference between a Nutritionist, and a Certified Diabetes Educator with an emphasis on nutrition because of the science base (you can also go through your insurance for a CDE, which is a pretty nice benefit). 

Melissa and I also talk about the importance of being proud of who you are with your T1D and the emergence of the "Diabetes is cool" movement, which I attribute to BeyondType1. We also talk about Libby Russell, who just happens to be one of Melissa and I's favorite people. 

We also talk about how important it is for T1Ds to see other people doing amazing things, like being NFL quarterbacks, pageant queens, pop stars, etc. which of course made me so proud to be able to tell the stories of all the amazing Diabetics Doing Things. Melissa is so great and our conversation has been one of my favorites. Shout out NYC for some of the best T1Ds out there.

This post was written in support of Beyond Type 1’s Power Up Campaign that’s engaging a global T1D community to help educate, advocate and cure Type 1 diabetes. 

Episode 055 - Diabetics Doing Acting and Advocacy with Anita Nicole Brown

Anita Nicole Brown (@anita_nicole_brown on Instagram) joins the podcast to share her incredible story of a life with T1D. Diagnosed during her annual physical before her senior year of High School, Anita had been concerned with consistent weight loss despite a very strong appetite from her background in athletics and sports. She learned that there were "two kinds of Diabetes" as she was diagnosed, and was forced to face the realization that many T1Ds face that they now have a disease they've never heard anything about. 

Anita's glucose levels were over 1,000 mcg/dl and suffered from diabetic nerve damage as a result, and lost the ability to walk for 1 year. However, Anita was able to recover and walk again, and she takes us through her mindset during this especially difficult time. 

Anita lives in Chicago and works as an actress, if you follow her on Instagram you can keep up with her career as she currently is preparing for multiple roles in both stage and screen performances. 

This post was written in support of Beyond Type 1’s Power Up Campaign that’s engaging a global T1D community to help educate, advocate and cure Type 1 diabetes.

Episode 054 - Diabetics Doing Athletics and Sport with Dan Allison

Dan Allison (@the_athletic_diabetic on Instagram) joins the podcast from Beverly, England to talk about his Diagnosis at age 10 and how athletics and sport have played such an instrumental part for him in living a successful life with Diabetes. 

Besides having so much in common from an athletics perspective, Dan and I both attribute much of our success with Type 1 to our Mothers. Dan's mom is a nurse, my mom taught nutrition and fitness for over a decade, and both of them were instrumental into forming our lives with T1D. 

We also talk about how important it is to be open about your T1D, especially in athletics, because it gives you a sense of belonging to have other people who know what you're going through. So get involved! Reach out and comment, message, email! It'll be worth it. 

This post was written in support of Beyond Type 1’s Power Up Campaign that’s engaging a global T1D community to help educate, advocate and cure Type 1 diabetes.

Episode 053 - Diabetics Doing Strange Diagnosis Stories with Kayla Chorley

Kayla Chorley (@instakay.14 on Instagram) joins the Podcast from Canada to talk about her journey with T1D. Diagnosed when she was 12, she shares her particularly funny, and very unique diagnosis story before diving deep into how she's overcome her diagnosis to live a full life with T1D. 

Despite her rocky diagnosis, Kayla's prognosis has always been positive. She and I take a deep dive into the importance of the rhetoric of doctors, nurses and Diabetes educators at diagnosis and (without any direct research) the effect it has on the success of the patient living with Type-1 Diabetes. 

Kayla and I are very like minded, and she and I talk at length about taking T1D one day at a time and to not expect perfection. We even talk about T1International, and all the great work Elizabeth and her team are doing globally for Insulin reform #insulin4all. 

This post was written in support of Beyond Type 1’s Power Up Campaign that’s engaging a global T1D community to help educate, advocate and cure Type 1 diabetes.

Episode 052 - Diabetics Doing an Active Life with Rowena Gander

Rowena Gander (@type1active on Instagram) joins the podcast from the UK to talk about living an active life with T1D and some of her stories, tips and tactics she uses with her clients. 

Diagnosed with T1D while at university three years ago, Rowena started an Instagram to chronicle her T1D Journey. In that time she's found the amazing Diabetes Online Community to be incredibly supportive, and when people began to message her about training, nutrition and fitness, she started her online Diabetes coaching business. 

We speak at length about fitness and the online community and I'd encourage you to reach out to Rowena whether you're in the UK, US or anywhere else in the world. She's a great resource and I'm grateful she came on the podcast. 

This post was written in support of Beyond Type 1’s Power Up Campaign that’s engaging a global T1D community to help educate, advocate and cure Type 1 diabetes.

Episode 051 - Diabetics Doing Life in a New Light with Erika Cavallo

Episode 051 features Erika Cavallo (@erikacavalloo on Instagram) a former Division 1 Lacrosse player at Towson University. Erika had been feeling under the weather towards the end of her Freshman season, and was diagnosed with T1D prior to one of her team's games. 

Erika takes us through her diagnosis that derailed a promising season, adjusting to life with T1D as a student after her diagnosis, facing the reality that while her life had changed, her outlook and work ethic didn't have to, and how she has found a new passion fighting for T1D advocacy following her diagnosis. 

Erika also gives us a firsthand account of what many T1Ds go through, in that many of their peers and social circles change after they are diagnosed and they begin to feel alienated or alone because of their disease. Erika's attitude and determination are truly inspiring, and I hope you all enjoy a very candid look at life with Type 1. 

Episode 50 - Diabetics Doing Call to Congress with Basma Adams

Hard to believe we've reached 50 episodes! I'm super grateful to each and every listener, guest and supporter over the last 18 months. We couldn't do it without you. 

My 50th guest is Basma Adams (@bastheboss on Instagram). Don't let her age fool you, Basma is leading the charge for T1D advocacy on multiple fronts, including the steps of Capitol Hill. Basma represented T1Ds in 2017 during the ADA's "Call to Congress" in Washington, where she spent her time meeting face to face with representatives from across the country, in a day where she was focused on "making diabetes a priority." 

Basma and I talk about her diagnosis, experience during her 10+ years of advocacy work and the launch of her new blog. It's a great conversation, and we look forward to seeing what's next for the 2014 ADA National Youth Advocate. 

Episode 049 - Diabetics Doing Everyday Victories and Celebrating Them with Nicole Colson

I knew from the first email I received from Nicole Colson (@type1nicole on Instagram) that we were going to get along. "I desire to be that voice of normal in the T1D community." she told me. She had a point, and one that Diabetics Doing Things was founded on, that the everyday victories of T1D largely go uncelebrated, and that's a problem. To quote Nicole, "There are so many T1Ds that are rockstars...and that's great, but there are tons more of us winning everyday battles while facing the same highs and lows as the athletic T1D champs and celebrities." 

Nicole and I also talk about her looking forward to hosting the #BikeBeyond crew and Sid Sharma in Louisville on their way across America. It's a must listen and I hope you enjoy celebrating the everyday victories with us! 

Episode 048 - Diabetics Doing International Friendships with Noemie Bvn

Noemie (@noemiie.t1d on Instagram) joins the podcast from the French Alps to talk about her life in France with T1D. 

Noemie has been T1D for 21 years, after she was diagnosed at the age of 5, and while she doesn't remember the exact circumstances around her diagnosis she does have a vivid memory of growing up with Type-1. From her mom visiting her at school to test her blood sugar, or struggling with being normal while also maintaining control of her diabetes. 

Noemie is good friends with Sid Sharma, who we interviewed on Episode 20, who she met through Instagram. Noemie also recently got to meet him in person for the first time while Sid was riding across the USA with #BikeBeyond. Noemie has been a huge supporter of the podcast for a long time, so be sure to give her a shout out after you listen to her episode. 

Episode 047 - Diabetics Doing Worldwide Adventures with Anna Pintsuk

Anna Pintsuk (@onnepe on Instagram) joins the podcast from Vienna, Austria to talk about her life with T1D abroad. I love doing interviews with international guests because we get to see how similar we all are despite language barriers, measuring mmol/L or mg/dL or how our insurance works. 

Anna was diagnosed with a blood sugar reading of over 1300, and noticed it because her eyesight had deteriorated! 

Anna takes us through basic T1D education  in Austria, the T1D community in Austria, misconceptions about being vegan and how grateful she is for the technology we have access to in 2017 to treat our T1D. She even gives us a behind the scenes look at Austrian culture, which was super fun to learn about. 

Anna is such an inspiring person and I'd encourage all of you to reach out to her via social media and give her a follow because her content is awesome and check out her blog at www.onne-pe.com. 

Episode 046 - Diabetics Doing Lifelong Journeys with Jen Stilson

Jen Silson (@stilsonator on Instagram) joins the podcast to talk about her amazing journey with Type-1 Diabetes all over the country. She's worked with just a few household names in her awesome career, David Letterman and Jon Stewart just to name a few. Jen was diagnosed at age 16 in her home city of Spokane Washington, before attending school at the University of Washington. 

Jen tells us what it was like working in the 24/7 newsroom environment with Jon Stewart and David Letterman, especially since Letterman is a lover of Hershey's chocolate bars! Jen and I have an amazing conversation about how technology over the years has made it easier to be open with T1D, but how important early experiences with how you view your T1D can influence your relationship with the disease throughout your life. 

We also talk about how BeyondType1 is changing the voice of the T1D community, humanizing the disease and growing awareness for T1Ds worldwide.  Jen also tells a very cool story on BeyondType1 co-founder Nick Jonas, which you can here at about 27 minutes into the episode.

Jen serves on the Leadership Council of BeyondType1 and lives in New Jersey with her husband Greg and her two fur children Gerard and Pepita Consuela. 

Episode 045 - Diabetics Doing Happy Cooking with Chef Robert Lewis

Chef Robert Lewis (@happydiabetic on Instagram) joins the podcast to talk about his journey with Type 2 diabetes, healthy cooking and how Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetics can benefit from understanding more about what they're eating and how they prepare it. 

Chef Lewis and I discuss his journey in becoming a chef, how helping people and following his passions opened him up to the amazing world of the Happy Diabetic, and dive into his ideologies and tactics of how to live and thrive as a Type 2 and Type 1 Diabetic. 

Check out Chef Robert Lewis online at happydiabetic.com  and be sure to check out Chef Lewis' cookbooks as well. He also has a podcast, which you can find on Itunes here

Episode 044 - Diabetics Doing Bikini Competitions 2 with Courtney Lillich

Courtney Lillich (@cornut34 on Instagram) joins the podcast from California to talk about her 31 year journey with T1D. Courtney is a physical therapist and bodybuilder, participating in the bikini division on a regular basis. During our conversation, she was preparing for a competition which she recently completed. 

Courtney gives awesome insight of what it’s like to be diagnosed with T1D at an early age, and all the hurdles her parents had to go through, from chasing her around with needles to having to explain to Courtney why she had to test her blood sugar, while her twin sister didn’t. 

We talk preparing for competition, overcoming lows at the gym and even mention our good friend Phil Graham! Give it a listen, and if you missed part 1 of Diabetics Doing Bikini Competitions with Devean D’Silva, check it out!