Reclaim Your Rise: Type 1 Diabetes with Lauren Bongiorno

If you're listening to this right now, there's a good chance you're sitting in a hospital room or just a few days or weeks into your child's Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis. First, we want to say: We see you. This is hard, and you are not alone. In this episode, Abby Cooper, Director of Coaching at Risely, shares the five things she wishes she had been told six years ago when her own son was diagnosed. Whether you are...

For this episode, we’re giving Nicole Trone the spotlight again, to share her incredible journey with Type 1 Diabetes, from her initial diagnosis to a life-changing transformation. Diagnosed with diabetes as an adult, Nicole was left without proper education or guidance, thrust into managing her condition while abroad in Barcelona. She shares how fear, uncertainty, and low blood sugar anxiety ruled her life, especially after a trau...

In this episode of Reclaim Your Rise, Abby is back for a heartfelt conversation with the Smith family. We met Tyler and Callie after their son Wally’s T1D diagnosis at age 4. They came to us feeling lost trying to function as their child’s pancreas and needing more support than they were getting from their doctor. While Callie and Tyler’s experience will especially resonate with other parents, this episode is for everyone who wants...

Today, we’re tackling a highly requested topic: how to avoid low and high blood sugars during exercise. This is something I get asked about a lot—whether through Instagram DMs or coaching applications at Risely. It’s a topic I’ve been wanting to dive into for a while, and last week, I had my first low blood sugar during a workout in a really long time, which was super frustrating. That experience motivated me to finally record this...

Episode Summary: 

The Story Time You’ve All Been Waiting For: 42 hours of labor, 5 days in the NICU, and finally bringing home our healthy baby boy.  It’s taken me some time to sit down and record this one, but after welcoming my son Luka into the world on January 5th, I’m ready to open up about the experience. I spent the last nine months carefully managing my type 1 diabetes, and I had a vision for how labor and delivery would go—...

Our coach manager, Abby, is back to lead an honest conversation with coach Jehan about what it looks like to actually prioritize your own health, wellbeing, and identity as a mom while balancing both diabetes and motherhood. With Abby’s perspective as a mother to a child living with T1D, and Jehan’s perspective as a mom living with T1D herself, they bring so much relatable experience to this topic. Spoiler alert: true self care is ...

GIVEAWAY ALERT: We’re doing everything we can to get this episode out into the world, and we need your help! Share it with your friends for a chance to win a T1D gift bag filled with the Risely team's favorite products.

For this episode, Risely coach and certified diabetes educator, Neil Greathouse (aka @thebetes), is back on the podcast today for another crucial episode. We’re tackling some of the most common (and sometimes fr...

We brought an expert in for this episode, Dr. Katie Lee, dentist and author of Saved by the Mouth, to tell us everything we need to know about the connection between oral health and diabetes. Dr. Lee breaks down how conditions like Type 1 diabetes can lead to issues like gum disease, dry mouth, and slower healing due to a heightened inflammatory response. We also explore how blood sugar fluctuations—both highs and lows—can affect y...

Today we are hearing from Laurie Smith, a 2022 graduate from Risely’s T1D group coaching program. Laurie shares the harrowing details of her experience being hospitalized after brain surgery, from the hospitals' rigid insulin dosing protocols that ignored her personal needs, to her struggle for the proper care and advocacy in a system that wasn’t equipped to understand the nuances of T1D. This conversation highlights the criti...

In this eye-opening episode, we dive into a critical yet often overlooked complication of diabetes: Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis (EDKA). Despite having normal blood sugars, EDKA can still lead to life-threatening ketoacidosis, and it’s rarely discussed in the diabetes community. Join us as Belle Krueger, social media coordinator at Risely and creator of KruegersplusT1D, shares her personal experience with EDKA, the challenges s...

In today’s episode, we’re excited to chat with Kelsey Bascom, a writer, actress, and passionate T1D advocate who spoke at our Rising Above T1D event in New York City last November. Kelsey is the creator and star of Quarter, an independent coming-of-age film about a 25-year-old woman navigating life with diabetes.

Kelsey opens up about her journey, including speaking up about living with diabetes, her diagnosis story, and her transit...

Risely coach and registered dietitian Elisabeth DiDonato is back again to open up a BIG can of worms: metabolic supplements. Should we take them? Do they really help with T1D? What do we look for? In this conversation, we specifically look at the supplements currently on the market for blood sugar control. Elisabeth breaks down the typical ingredients in popular brands, the difference between liquid or capsule form, the truth about...

In today’s episode, I’m joined by DCB graduate Barbara Nichols who was met with a shocking Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis in her retirement years. Barb is candid about her initial resentment towards diabetes education and how she just wanted to be told what to do which led to codependency on medical staff. Barb talks about how Risely filled a major gap for her in building self-reliance, as well as the vital role of having “diabuddies” t...

In today’s episode, I’m sharing my third-trimester update, including how my insulin sensitivity has shifted during this time and the steps I’m taking to prepare for the hospital, labor, and delivery.

I’ve chosen to open up about my birth plan because, whether you share similar preferences or have a completely different approach, advocacy is such an important part of the process. I’ll talk about how I’ve been navigating conversations...

Happy New Year! In this first episode of 2025, Abby and I hope to not just motivate you, but ground you in your goals with strategic systems. New Years can feel very loud with all the talk of resolutions, so we are breaking down a favorite book, Atomic Habits, with practical tips and systems that actually stick. By the end of this episode, you’ll feel excited to approach 2025 with smart, sustainable changes to start implementing ri...

In this final episode of 2024, I’m taking you through my annual reflective journaling process to close out the year and set intentions for 2025. I’ll guide you through five prompts, help you choose a word of the year, and go over three core principles for living with diabetes. We also cover a self-assessment with eight pillars of well-being. By the end of this episode, you’ll feel encouraged to take responsibility for your well-bei...

Sit down with me and the Mallia family as they share their journey with their daughter’s Type 1 diagnosis at the age of four. From navigating diagnosis at such a young age, to creating TK Type1, a foundation supporting families like theirs both financially and educationally, we discuss building confidence in kids with diabetes, fostering open communication with your spouse (even when you don’t always agree), managing dietary choice...

In this episode, Joe Solowiejczyk—diabetes nurse educator, family therapist, and type 1 diabetes advocate for 63 years—shares his transformative experience with the iLet bionic pancreas. Joe opens up about how this groundbreaking technology has given him a glimpse of life without the relentless demands of diabetes management. He describes the mental relief and emotional distance the device provides, explaining how it’s reshaped his...

Join me as I chat with Dr. Laurel Messer, Tandem’s Senior Director of Medical Affairs, who brings 20+ years of experience in diabetes care, education, and research. 75% of clients coming to Risely are already using automated insulin delivery systems, which shows us that technology doesn’t necessarily solve all of our problems living with T1D, right? Today’s conversation with Dr. Messer offers insights on why users love Mobi, h...