Trying to keep glucose levels within a healthy and safe range as a person with type 1 diabetes is not easy. In this solo episode I'm talking through five habits I've adopted over the many years I've lived with type 1 diabetes that have significantly improved my time in range, giving me more steady glucose levels which has consequently improved my quality of life. And I do not say that lightly! The Habits Mentioned: Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Carbohydrate Counting Pre-Bolus Trying not to ov...
Jul 10, 2025•30 min•Season 15Ep. 2
After six months of trying to treat his type 2 diabetes diagnosis at the age of 30, it was tech content creator Justin Eastzer’s TikTok followers that helped him to realise he’d been misdiagnosed. But the very condition that threatened to hold Justin back has since propelled him into a new niche, and today Justin's career is dedicated to speaking to his hundreds of thousands of followers about the latest and greatest in diabetes technology via his Diabetech platforms. In this episode Justin reve...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 15Ep. 1
Back in 2017, I was working at BBC Health News Online when I came across an article about a lady who had launched a clothing range specifically for women with type 1 diabetes, designed to help them manage the condition with strategically placed holes for injecting or reaching devices. Its creator Natalie Balmain had the idea following her own diagnosis at the age of 20. Many years and many further creative ideas later, Natalie joins me as today’s guest. Whether it’s fashion design, hosting Insul...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 14Ep. 10
The second you start speaking to Dr Paida Katsande, it’s near impossible not to feel more calm, more hopeful, and reassured about the good of humanity. Her sunshine energy is unmistakable, but coupled with the realities of life experience and a clear mission to establish equity in public health, dismantle stigma and improve health outcomes? It’s all the more powerful. A former postdoctoral researcher in type 1 diabetes, Dr Paida is committed to her work, but also committed to sharing her researc...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 14Ep. 9
If you’ve ever googled a specific insulin pump or CGM, you may well have come across Nerdabetic’s content online. His insightful but fun YouTube videos break down the latest and greatest in diabetes technology, helping people with diabetes to understand how they could benefit. In this episode I’m chatting to Kamil Armacky - the real Nerdabetic. We discuss his personal journey into technology after he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2012, how he went from his first Facebook post to meeting ...
May 22, 2025•59 min•Season 14Ep. 8
Andrea Limbourg is one of the first people in the type 1 diabetes community I spent time with in real life, although we’ve met only a handful of times. I didn’t really realise until we were recording this episode how much of an impact she’s had on my approach to my type 1 diabetes, and I’m excited that you get to experience her wisdom in today’s episode. Diagnosed in Canada in 1997, Andrea took off to study abroad in Ireland just a few months after her diagnosis. A decision that may be unfathoma...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 14Ep. 7
‘I think I've found postpartum harder to manage in terms of my diabetes than actual pregnancy, but I’m literally living my best life as a mum.’ That sentence is pretty reflective of Emily Vilé’s philosophy on type 1 diabetes - not shying away from the realities of the condition she’s lived with since she was just 14 months old, but soaking up all the moments that feel even sweeter for the juggle. This practical outlook can also be seen in the powerful content Emily posts about motherhood and lif...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 14Ep. 6
What is screeening for type 1 diabetes? Who should be screened? Is it right for my family? In this episode, attorneys turned authors Rhodes and Alana Ritenour discuss the potential benefits of screening and their decision to screen their own children. Rhodes and Alana are no ordinary couple - they’re also the characters of their own book series, The Adventures of Rhodes and Alana. The series is based in part on Rhodes’ experiences of living with type 1 diabetes since he was diagnosed in 1983 at ...
May 01, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 14Ep. 5
At first glance, it may seem that Vanessa Haydock has type 1 diabetes all figured out. The behavioural analyst and health and fitness coach speaks of ‘dominating diabetes’, but it was her struggles to accept her condition and care for herself that have enabled her to help hundreds of others change their health for the better as The Diabetic Health Coach. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a toddler, Lancashire born and bred Vanessa keeps it real - focusing on connection, community and education t...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 14Ep. 4
Learning to accept and live with type 1 diabetes has not been a linear path in my experience. 29 years of life with type 1 diabetes and there are no hard and fast conclusions here, just a juicy subject to chew on for today's solo episode! I reflect back on my own journey to discuss how I’ve come to accept living with type 1 diabetes, what that looks like, the relationship I now have with type 1 diabetes and how that’s changed at different points in my life. I look at the definition of acceptance...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 14Ep. 3
Hannah McCook first hit a golf ball at the age of 6. With the Scottish Highlands as her course, Hannah’s talent for the sport soon became clear. In the confusion and chaos of a type 1 diabetes diagnosis at the age of 8, it was thanks to a single sporting type 1 role model, Sir Steve Redgrave, that she realised she didn’t have to give up her favourite hobby. Fast forward more than 20 years and Hannah is now an inspiration to many as a professional athlete herself, handling her type 1 diabetes alo...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 14Ep. 2
The path to acceptance with type 1 diabetes can be a bumpy one - but what about acceptance for the parents of children with type 1? It's just one of the topics covered in this episode with business owner and mum of three Abby Lyons, who has published a book to help other families trying to come to terms with a child's type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Abby's youngest son Rocco was diagnosed at just 2 years old, in 2020. In this episode we talk about the impact of her son's diagnosis experience on the w...
Apr 03, 2025•57 min•Season 14Ep. 1
As heart-warming ends to a series go, they don’t get much more heart-warming than this episode. Hypo Hounds is a diabetic alert assistance charity, helping children with type 1 diabetes by training assistance dogs to not only detect hypos, fetch testing kits or even bring a bottle of Lucozade, but helping children to live with more independence and freedom, and families to communicate better and feel less burdened by the challenges of type 1 diabetes. The woman behind Hypo Hounds is today’s gues...
Dec 26, 2024•51 min•Season 13Ep. 10
My dear friend and fellow type 1 Ami Bennett returns to the podcast to look back at what 2024 has served us from a diabetes perspective. As always, Ami keeps it very real and regales us with one of her most memorable escapades involving a particularly disastrous urine sample… but to balance it out, she’s elevated her game by entering the world of homemade granola. Meanwhile I talk about being haunted by a rogue Pod, we discuss ill-timed alarms, drinking out of date hypo juice, attempt to establi...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 13Ep. 9
In this special 3-person episode, I’m speaking to Sharon Harrison-Barker and her son Lewis. Lewis’s son Marty was just 10 months old when he was rushed to hospital in DKA in 2017, plunging the whole family into crisis and shifting the dynamic of the family forever. Today Marty is a happy, healthy 8-year-old, but those days in the hospital were the some of the worst of dad Lewis and nan Sharon’s lives, as well as their respective spouses. The weeks and months after his son’s diagnosis remain a bl...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 13Ep. 8
As a young athlete, Mel Stephenson-Gray was forced to travel far and wide to get the information she needed to stand a chance of competing in her sport with type 1 diabetes. Although she was only a teenager, and newly diagnosed herself, Mel wanted share what she’d found to ensure no-one got left behind, and set up her own peer support group with the little spare time she had between school and training. A long-standing member of the advocacy community, Mel’s motivation to help others has never f...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 13Ep. 7
When you meet Abi Woodliffe-Thomas, you meet a thoughtful, articulate, intelligent and confident 25-year-old. But for more than a decade, Abi carried her type 1 diabetes in secret as her ‘biggest insecurity’ - hiding it from everyone in her life. Abi went through a traumatic diagnosis at the age of just 12, and the experience immediately plunged her into intense feelings of shame around the condition. Still in the hospital bed in recovery from DKA, Abi was also told she would have to give up her...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 13Ep. 6
Veerle Huigen is, it’s fair to say, a powerhouse in the corporate world of diabetes. Successful, determined and focused, Veerle achieved career success in the Dutch charity and tech sectors before moving into the world of global pharma, spearheading huge changes in the future of diagnosis in her role as the North Europe Public Affairs Lead for autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes at Sanofi. Veerle’s driving force is, unequivocally, diabetes, but more specifically shaping these influential companies from w...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 13Ep. 5
Today’s guest is Kyle Parsley, marketing manager and one of the DJs behind Type One Community - a collective of radio shows, club nights, events and livestreams that brings people together under the slogan, ‘Where everyone parties to make life with diabetes better’. Type One Community started out as a celebratory space for people who like a party, and who happen to be connected to type 1 diabetes. The celebration remains, but Type One Community has quickly evolved into a movement that goes way b...
Nov 14, 2024•59 min•Season 13Ep. 4
The average age of type 1 diagnosis is increasing, and studies show that more than a third of people are now being diagnosed after 30. Today’s guest is Shonagh Price, who was diagnosed at the age of 50 in the midst of the pandemic. Since that very surreal and isolating experience, she’s had to deal with a huge shift in not only her daily life, but her identity. In this very raw and very poignant episode, Shonagh opens up about losing her freedom, the constant vigilance that comes with the demand...
Nov 07, 2024•55 min•Season 13Ep. 3
Please note we had a few technical difficulties with this episode! Tino had a power cut at the time of recording, so he was using his phone signal to record and as you will hear, it’s a little patchy at points. But do stick with it because this is a really powerful conversation. ‘I want to be the bridge between the knowledge and my community.’ How do you strike a balance between pushing for change and ensuring the healthcare system is equipped to handle the progress? This is the question preoccu...
Oct 31, 2024•58 min•Season 13Ep. 2
Welcome back to a new season of Type 1 on 1! Series 13, come through! I always say the parents of children with type 1 diabetes are the unsung rockstars, and today’s guest is no exception. Angela McMahon is a busy mum living in Northern Ireland with her husband Steven and their four girls. Twins Sienna and Arianna were just 11 months old when their big sister Iszara was diagnosed with type 1 at the age of 5, in January 2015. Big sister Tamzin was 12 at the time, so there wasn’t much room for a d...
Oct 24, 2024•58 min•Season 13Ep. 1
The content in this episode of Type 1 on 1 should not be construed as medical advice, nor is it intended as a replacement for professional guidance. They are a true and authentic reflection of the personal experience of the host. Please speak to a healthcare professional before making any changes to your diabetes management, or if you feel you could benefit from emotional support. This is part two of a two part series looking at hybrid closed loop insulin pumps. The first part is a technical ove...
Oct 03, 2024•57 min•Season 12Ep. 10
The content in this episode of Type 1 on 1 should not be construed as medical advice, nor is it intended as a replacement for professional guidance. They are a true and authentic reflection of the personal experience of the host. Please speak to a healthcare professional before making any changes to your diabetes management. What’s a hybrid closed loop system? How does Automated Insulin Delivery actually work? Why is everyone talking about it? Is it really as good as everyone says for people wit...
Sep 26, 2024•57 min•Season 12Ep. 9
Taylor Efford is a comedian, actor and content creator from Toronto, Canada. She’s also a self-proclaimed ‘rat, on a mission to normalise normal things.’ Since 2020 that has included type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with in the midst of the pandemic at the age of 25. Caught between two identities, Taylor’s humorous and poignant perspective on the many dualities of life is what makes her content so relatable, and has helped her amass over half a million followers across TikTok and Instagr...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 12Ep. 8
Please speak to a healthcare professional if you feel like you would benefit from support with your mental health. ‘Most people just want to feel like they’re being heard.’ Anyone living with type 1 diabetes can tell you that it’s not easy, but how do we transfer that awareness into diabetes care? The research that Maartje De Wit, senior researcher and principal investigator of diabetes and psychology, and her team are doing at the Amsterdam University Medical Center is providing a growing body ...
Sep 12, 2024•57 min•Season 12Ep. 7
Please note this episode of Type 1 on 1 contains honest discussions around addiction, mental health and diabetes complications. ‘I think type 1 diabetes is a selfish disease up until you realise that the resonant effect of diabetes just doesn't finish with you. I always used to say it's about me, it's my disease, but my wife was the driving force for me to realise my potential and it's all to honour what she saw in me when I didn't see it. I wouldn't be here without her.’ Brett Taylor was diagno...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 12Ep. 6
Get ready for a double diabetes delight, as we spend a delightful hour with Beth McDaniel and Ellen Watson, also known as The Diabetic Duo. Type 1 since childhood, Ellen was busy living her best university life alongside bestie Beth, when at the age of 20 Beth also joined the type 1 diabetes club. Not too long after, the girls caught the internet’s attention in 2019 when a TikTok video of them getting ready for a night out wearing their matching sensors went viral, and The Diabetic Duo was born....
Aug 29, 2024•53 min•Season 12Ep. 5
'You have to care. If you don't care, it becomes a really miserable job. But that strength also means you take it home with you, and it opens you up to being spread very thin.' Dr Mike Natter is an artist and physician who, through this episode and through his work, centres the humanness of not only the patients in his care, but the peers and the medical doctors working tirelessly alongside him to ensure the people in his care are equipped to live better lives. Mike is an assistant professor of ...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 4
This week's audio offering is a solo episode from yours truly, in which I reflect on some of the mindset tools I've gathered up and honed on the long road that is living with type 1 diabetes. These skills are things I draw on regularly to help me navigate all the weird and wild situations I find myself in thanks to this tricksy chronic illness, on top of the medicine and devices. I chat about my perspective on and experience with getting uncomfortable, emotional wellbeing, diabetes content and i...
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 3
