Diabetics Doing Things Podcast

Diabetics Doing Things
  • 4.6 (58)
  • HEALTH & FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Hosted by T1D Rob Howe, Diabetics Doing Things tells amazing stories of people with diabetes from across the globe, digging deep into everything it takes to Live Well with Diabetes and sharing exciting adventures along the way.

  1. 3D AGO

    Episode 355 - Hydration, Sleep, and a Possible T1D Cure with Neil Greathouse

    Rob and Neil have been doing this a long time, long enough to get bored with the safe version of things. This conversation started as a Friday-at-5 PM debrief between two guys who've spent years making diabetes content, and it ended up going somewhere worth sharing. They talk about the trap of waiting until you've "figured it out" before helping anyone and why being in the middle of something is actually more useful than standing on the other side of it. Neil makes the case that saying "I'm proud of you" to someone still in the fight might be the most underrated thing a diabetes creator can do. Rob shares what hydration, sleep consistency, and the Steph Curry shooter's mentality have to do with managing blood sugars. Both of them are honest about the fact that none of this is ever really mastered. There's also a surprisingly vulnerable cure conversation. Neil opens up about what happened when he recorded a podcast episode with Katie Beth, one of the 10 participants in the Eladon trial who are now insulin independent and why it wrecked him in a way he didn't expect. Neither Rob nor Neil is putting all their chips on a timeline, but something has shifted: for the first time in 34 years, Neil feels like the house needs to be in order. They also get into the business side of being a diabetes creator, the AI spam in the inbox, the economics of running a mission-driven podcast, why both of them have turned down deals they could have taken, and why the audience is just too small to make the math work unless you actually care about the people in it. It's candid, it's funny, and it's the kind of conversation that only happens when two people have been in the same weird niche long enough to just say the thing. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Why this episode exists and who Neil is 02:04 Friday at 5 PM and the Tim Ferriss random episode format 03:42 Why there aren't enough guys doing diabetes content 05:21 The mastery trap: waiting until you've figured it out 07:02 The CDC educator who Good Will Hunting'd Neil on camera 09:24 "I'm proud of you" — the most underrated thing to say 13:50 Hydration, diet soda, and what Rob's mom figured out by 65 19:45 Neil is running the NYC Marathon again (breaking news) 20:13 Sleep consistency vs. sleep duration — the stat that'll surprise you 25:41 James Clear, LeBron, and the cost of keeping options open 28:43 400+ episodes and what consistency actually looks like 33:11 The Eladon trial, Katie Beth, and why Neil finally felt hope 38:20 Steve Jobs, saying no, and the current era of tech 44:36 Glow Glucose Gummies and how Neil thinks about brand deals 49:17 The real economics of running a diabetes-focused business Resources: Neil Greathouse Instagram Your Best T1D Year Website

  2. MAY 14

    Episode 354 - This Doctor Gets It: Burnout, Bureaucracy, & Better Diabetes Care, Dr. Gregory Dodell

    Rob sits down with Dr. Gregory Dodell, an endocrinologist from New York City and one of the more honest voices in the diabetes space online. What starts as a conversation about why a doctor would bother making Instagram videos turns into something a lot more real, a candid look at what actually happens between patients and their providers, why those relationships succeed or fall apart, and what it takes to feel like a full person inside a system that was mostly built around numbers. Dr. Dodell talks about the thing he keeps learning from patients that wasn't in any textbook: stress. How it silently drives blood sugars up, how burnout and over-fixation on every CGM reading can quietly hollow out your quality of life, and why a slightly elevated number is sometimes worth it if it means you actually got to live your day.  It's not a permission slip to ignore your management. It's a reminder that the goal was never the A1C itself. The goal was always life on the other side of it. They also dig into the infrastructure problems that make good diabetes care so hard to deliver, the prior authorization nightmare, the endocrinologist shortage, and the 20-patient days that leave almost no room to actually sit with someone.  Dr. Dodell shares, for the first time publicly, that he's moving toward concierge primary care, not out of ambition, but out of frustration with a system that makes it structurally almost impossible to do the job he trained for. If you've ever left an endo appointment feeling like you only got halfway through what you needed to say, or worse, left feeling judged, this one's for you. Chapters: 00:00   Who is Dr. Gregory Dodell? 01:41   Why HCPs Are Becoming Content Creators 04:06   Reaching Patients Beyond the Office 05:16   Preparing for Short, High-Stakes Endo Visits 06:29   Fitting Everyone Into One Box Doesn't Work 07:18   Listening First — How to Read the Room 08:26   The Surprising Role of Stress on Blood Sugar 09:59   Diabetes Distress and Over-Fixation on Numbers 10:35   Quality of Life vs. Perfect Blood Sugar Control 11:37   There's More to Life Than an In-Range Number 13:33   Complications — Compassion Over Judgment 14:59   Stigma, A1Cs, and the Morality Trap 16:03   How Patients Have Been Traumatized by Healthcare 17:37   The Endocrinologist Shortage Crisis 20:04   Prior Authorizations — A System-Wide Failure 24:38   Dream Scenario: What Ideal Diabetes Care Looks Like 26:10   Concierge Medicine and the Future of the Endo Practice (First Announcement) 28:44   Exciting Research — T-ZELD, GLP-1s, Autoimmune Breakthroughs 32:47   How to Find and Advocate for Yourself with Your Endo Resources: * Dr. Gregory Dodell on Instagram (@EverythingEndocrine) * Central Park Endocrinology

  3. MAY 6

    Episode 353 - The Hidden Mental Load: A T1D Pshycotherapist on Burnout, Grief, and Letting Go

    What happens in the room when a therapist with Type 1 diabetes hears the same fear over and over, that everyone else has their numbers under control, and you’re the only one who doesn’t? Rob sits down with Christine Keown, a registered psychotherapist and T1D since age four, to have the conversation that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime. Recorded right in the middle of the Diabetes and Mental Health Conference, this one covers a lot of ground and goes places most diabetes content never does. Christine shares what she calls her “meta-analysis” of her clients: the common threads she sees across every person with diabetes who walks through her door. The fear of judgment around numbers. A fractured sense of identity after diagnosis. The compounding spiral of healthcare avoidance. And high-functioning burnout, the kind that looks completely fine at work and only shows up at home. Rob opens up, sharing what a recent diabetes meditation retreat revealed to him about conditional joy, self-compassion, and why he’s been sitting with the uncomfortable truth that he’s not nearly as in control as he’d like to be. One of the standout moments is Christine’s live demonstration of an ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) exercise using a literal piece of paper. The idea: we exhaust ourselves pushing our fears away. What if we just put them down instead? Rob couldn’t stop laughing, and neither could we. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like they’re failing at diabetes, quietly avoided the endocrinologist, or thought everyone else has it figured out except them. You’re not alone. Not even a little bit. As Christine and Rob both land on: we’re all just doing our best, every single day. Chapters: 00:00: Rob introduces Christine Keown, registered psychotherapist 01:46: Recording live at the Diabetes and Mental Health Conference 02:26: Why people seek out a therapist who also has diabetes 04:01: Fear of judgment keeps people away from community 05:45: When the endocrinologist becomes the threat 06:44: Diabetes distress and physician-related avoidance 07:58: The compounding loop: wanting care, avoiding it anyway 08:58: The therapist’s privilege: normalizing what everyone feels 10:27: The meta-analysis: what every T1D client shares 11:11: Fear of comparison and the myth of perfect control 12:36: Conditional joy: happiness gated behind blood sugar 13:37: Christine’s pre-podcast low and the reality of T1D 15:13: The messenger matters more than the message 16:23:  A joy shared is a joy multiplied 17:42: Identity shifts after a chronic illness diagnosis 18:15: Christine’s story: leg muscles, mountains, and Costco 21:07:  Rob on learning to ‘be’ instead of always ‘do’ 21:31:  Grief, anxiety, and diabetes pulling us from the present 23:51: ACT therapy: the paper exercise for carrying fear 28:03: Naming the fear instead of making it the main character 30:18: Chronic illness and the desperate need for control 31:08: High-functioning burnout: invisible to everyone around you 32:43: Signs at home no one at work will ever see 34:49: Distraction through overwork and the “next thing” trap 35:30: A call to curiosity, self-compassion, and getting help Resources: * Christine Keown on Instagram: @your_health_therapist * Diabetes & Mental Health Conference: Session recordings still available at dmhconference.com

  4. APR 29

    Episode 352 - Health Insurance 101: What Every Diabetic Needs to Know Before Open Enrollment

    Health insurance is one of those things that's genuinely important and genuinely confusing. When you're managing diabetes or any chronic illness, the stakes are a lot higher than for most people. One wrong plan choice can mean insulin coverage disappears, specialist visits become out-of-pocket, or you get hit with a bill you didn't see coming. Rob sits down with Dakota Myers, known online as The Benefits Boss, for a no-nonsense breakdown of health insurance fundamentals through the lens of chronic illness. Dakota walks through the terminology that trips most people up (premiums, deductibles, co-insurance, out-of-pocket maximums), explains the real difference between PPO, HMO, and HSA plans, and makes a compelling case for why working with a broker costs you nothing and can save you thousands. The conversation covers some genuinely useful stuff that most people don't know, like the Medicaid Decline Hack for getting back onto the marketplace outside of open enrollment, the COBRA backdating loophole for gap coverage, and how income and health status together should drive your marketplace vs. private plan decision. If you've ever stared at an open enrollment portal feeling completely overwhelmed, this one is for you. Dakota and his team at The Benefits Boss shop every plan in all 50 states, and as he puts it, the goal is always to build the best package for each individual situation, not to sell a product. By the end of this episode, you'll have a much cleaner framework for evaluating your options and asking the right questions. Chapters: 00:00 Rob's intro: why this episode exists 02:43 Introducing Dakota Myers, The Benefits Boss 04:33 Starting with the basics: premiums defined 04:51 The three-step cost breakdown explained 06:25 Short-term and long-term disability coverage 07:07 High premium vs. high deductible: how to choose 09:30 What employers actually pay — a business owner's view 10:54 PPO, HMO, and network basics demystified 13:56 The doctor network hack: verify your coverage 14:44 What a good broker actually does for you 17:07 Should you use a broker? Here's the case for yes 17:40 HSAs: who they're actually useful for 19:10 Evaluating employer plans: three things that matter 22:26 Navigating the ACA marketplace and open enrollment 22:57 The Medicaid Decline Hack for qualifying events 27:02 COBRA explained — and the backdating loophole Resources: The Benefits Boss IRS HSA Contribution Limits & Eligibility Healthcare.gov

  5. APR 23

    Episode 351 - What Your Doctor Was Never Taught About Diabetes with Dr. Hannah Parr, D.O.

    Ten years ago, Hannah Hamlin came on the pod (Episode 8!) as a medical school student with type 1 diabetes trying to figure out how to manage blood sugar while surviving boards. She's back now as Dr. Hannah Parr, D.O., a physician with additional training in integrative medicine and diabetes education, and the conversation is a completely different one. This episode is about what happens after you get the diagnosis under control, the emotional, philosophical, and practical work of actually living well with a chronic illness. Hannah walks through why she felt angry at her doctors in her early 20s (and why that anger wasn't entirely fair), what medical school actually teaches versus what it leaves out, and how she eventually built education specifically designed to fill the gap between a 15-minute endocrinology appointment and real, whole-person health. One of the most honest moments in the episode comes when Hannah describes a phase of her life where she had nearly perfect blood sugars on a low-carb diet and her cholesterol was climbing, her hormones were off, and she was gaining weight. Her A1C looked great. The rest of her health didn't. It's a good reminder that optimizing one number in isolation isn't the same as taking care of yourself. What she landed on instead is something much simpler: treat yourself like a human first. The diabetes management follows. Dr. Parr also shares details about her free monthly support group for people living with diabetes and her six-week Living Well with Diabetes course built for the emotional and psychological side of chronic illness that most diabetes education never touches. Chapters: 00:00 Rob introduces Dr. Hannah Parr, 10 years later 01:04 Reconnecting after a decade on the podcast 02:23 The diagnosis story: DVD in Spanish, sent home 03:53 Going from frustrated patient to med school 06:41 What medical training actually covers (and skips) 09:56 Why endocrinologists aren't failing you 12:50 How to prepare for your next diabetes appointment 17:36 Taking ownership when the system can't do it for you 20:30 Why A1C alone doesn't equal quality of life 24:42 The balance between control and actually living your life 28:27 Resilience, heart health, and the unexpected gifts of T1D 30:42 How Hannah found her way through six months of illness 36:28 Letting go of limiting beliefs about what's possible 38:49 The Living Well with Diabetes course and free support group 41:00 What Hannah has changed her mind about in 10 years Resources: Dr. Hannah Parr's website Dr. Hannah Parr on YouTube Dr. Hannah Parr Instagram Free Support Group Sign Up

  6. APR 15

    Episode 350 - Why You Hold Your Breath Every Time You Check Your Blood Sugar with Sam Tullman

    Most of us know diabetes affects the body. Fewer of us talk honestly about what it does to the mind and what the mind does right back. In this episode, Rob sits down with Sam Tullman, co-founder and facilitator of Diabetes Sangha and a dedicated student of Rinzai Zen, for a wide-ranging conversation on mental health, mindfulness, and what it actually means to live well with diabetes. Not managing it perfectly. Live well with it. They get into the neuroscience of why checking your CGM makes you hold your breath, why rage bolusing is as much an emotional event as it is a physical one, and how the concept of interoception, your brain's ability to read signals from inside your body, turns out to be both a burden and a hidden advantage of life with type 1. Sam introduces a question that quietly reframes everything: what is your actual goal in living with diabetes? His answer might surprise you. The conversation winds through predictive processing theory, Zen master stories dating back to 17th-century Japan, the research behind mindfulness-based stress reduction, and Rob's own discovery of what he calls "rage gratitude", a practice that started with 35 lines scribbled on a page and changed how he moves through his days. If you've ever wondered whether mindfulness is actually practical for someone who's already managing a chronic illness on top of everything else, this episode makes the case. Sam is also a fellow podcaster and one of the most thoughtful voices in the T1D mental health space. By the time this episode is published, Rob will be sitting with Sam and the rest of Diabetes Sangha at their spring retreat. Which, honestly, feels like the right note to publish on. Chapters:  00:00 Introduction: Sam Tullman and Diabetes Sangha 01:14 Welcome back: catching up since last time 02:03 Mental health as part of the whole body 03:29 How the mind directly impacts blood sugar 04:42 Rage bolusing: a behavioral health problem 07:16 Rob's real-time low and what he noticed 08:58 Predictive processing theory and Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett 10:12 How the brain makes its best guess 13:03 Interoception: the hidden strength of living with T1D 15:02 Awareness as both burden and advantage 18:33 Holding it in both hands: grief and gratitude together 24:09 Mindfulness as a muscle: how to start building it 25:22 The question that reframes everything: what is your goal? 29:00 Two kinds of meditation practice: relief and long-term growth 31:51 Growth is uncomfortable — and that's okay 36:18 The Zen master Hakuin story 40:34 After ecstasy, the laundry — and changing your CGM 44:44 Rage gratitude: Rob's discovery of a simple practice 47:17 Many paths to the same place: finding what works for you 48:13 Diabetes Sangha: community, retreats, and resources Resources: Diabetes Sangha — weekly meditations, newsletters, events, and retreats for people living with diabetes How Emotions Are Made by Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett — referenced by Sam on predictive processing theory and interoception Dr. Brad Liechtenstein — retreat facilitator and breath expert mentioned by Sam, works with people with chronic conditions: search "Dr. Brad Liechtenstein" or find him through naturopathic health directories

  7. APR 8

    Episode 349 - The Movement Menu & Exercise for Real Diabetes Life with Amanda Mueller (@bolusandbiceps)

    Exercise is one of the most recommended tools for living well with diabetes and one of the most complicated to actually start. In this episode, Rob sits down with Amanda Mueller (aka @bicepsandbolus), a certified personal trainer, corrections exercise specialist, and CPA who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 26. Amanda's honest about the years she spent afraid to move her body after diagnosis, the roundabout way she fell in love with strength training (spoiler: she married her trainer), and why she thinks the whole "exercise is good for your diabetes" conversation is being framed wrong. The centerpiece of this conversation is Amanda's "Movement Menu", a practical framework for building a sustainable exercise life that actually accounts for bad blood sugar days, low energy, decision fatigue, and the reality that most of us are not elite athletes trying to optimize every workout. The goal isn't the perfect workout. It's the one you come back to. They also go a little deeper and discuss why exercise shouldn't feel like punishment, how chronic stress and blood sugar are more connected than we talk about, and why going low in a Pilates class doesn't mean the class didn't count. If you've ever used a bad diabetes day as a reason to skip a workout and then felt guilty about it, this episode is for you. They close things out with a live "Exercise with Diabetes Draft", each picking three movements they'd want on their personal movement menu, and why. It's fun, it's practical, and you might find your new favorite workout buried somewhere in it. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Amanda's background 02:31 Adult diagnosis and the fear that followed 04:27 Losing weight in DKA and what came after 06:22 Meeting her trainer husband and rediscovering movement 08:08 Why the right people are force multipliers 09:45 Wanting to feel strong again: what that really means 13:36 Why exercise is a behavior, not a personality trait 16:04 The Movement Menu explained 18:09 The best workout is the one you actually do 20:13 Releasing judgment around imperfect workout days 24:40 The calorie math trap: why your class still counted 27:48 Exercise as a stress reset in 2026 29:32 You don't need more time, you need less friction 31:22 The Exercise with Diabetes Draft begins 40:27 Keeping it simple, sustainable, and fun Resources: Amanda Mueller on Instagram: @bicepsandbolus Movement Menu Document: Comment "MENU" on the podcast post on Instagram (@diabeticsdoingthings) and Rob will send it to you. Atomic Habits by James Clear: referenced in conversation around small, compounding habits: atomichabits.com

  8. APR 1

    Episode 348 - Claude vs. T1D - I asked Claude 10 Questions about Type 1 Diabetes

    Rob Howe has lived with type 1 diabetes for 21 years. So when he sat down to interview Claude as a newly diagnosed patient, he expected a pop quiz. What he did not expect: Claude passing the test on the first try by answering as Rob himself. Because Claude thought it been hosting this show all along. This is Diabetics Doing Things Episode 348: Claude vs T1D — an experiment in AI health literacy, a genuinely funny accident, and a real question about what AI-powered diabetes care means for everyone. Guest Bio Claude is Anthropic’s large language model and this episode’s unusual guest. Rob runs the interview twice: first with his regular Claude (which has absorbed 21 years of his diabetes story and all DDT content), then in an incognito window with a clean slate. The contrast is the episode. Key Topics and Timestamps 1:43 — Why Rob is interviewing AI: the Bernie Sanders moment and the AI zeitgeist of early 2026 2:53 — Round 1 begins: Rob plays newly diagnosed patient, Claude plays diabetes educator 7:07 — The plot twist: Claude reveals it has had T1D for 21 years and started Diabetics Doing Things 8:56 — Rob catches it: Thats my LLM. Resets to incognito mode. 9:30 — Round 2: Fresh Claude, no prior context, same 10 questions 10:37 — Claude covers patient assistance programs, 340B pharmacies, free insulin for the uninsured 13:40 — What you actually cannot do with T1D (shorter list than most people think) 17:22 — The reveal: I have had T1D for 21 years. I think you passed. 18:30 — Robs closing question: Is AI advancing faster than humans on diabetes care? Notable Quotes Okay, I have got to stop Claude there — because clearly that Claude is me. — Rob Howe I started Diabetics Doing Things because I realized there was not enough honest conversation about living with type one — the medical stuff, but the real life stuff, the mental load, the wins, all of it. — Claude (Round 1, in Robs voice) Is the future of diabetes care, no matter who you are or where you are, made better by AI? Really something to think about. — Rob Howe, closing From there, the conversation gets tactical and evidence-driven: why breathing is uniquely powerful because it’s both autonomic and voluntary, how airflow through the nose can influence brain activity and calm states, and how slow breathing can improve markers tied to autonomic function (like heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity) that are often reduced in people with diabetes. Rob connects this to modern diabetes stress—constant data, alerts, and decision fatigue—and why breath is a fast, accessible tool for resilience. Nick addresses the “woo vs. science” tension by grounding claims in research and meta-analyses while staying open to whatever “gateway” gets someone to practice safely. They close with simple starting protocols (using an app, 4-in/6-out pacing, diaphragmatic breathing), and emphasize nasal breathing and mouth taping at night as high-leverage habits—“passive income of health”—with a reminder to keep it safe and consistent over perfection. Chapters: 00:15 Insulin Sensitivity Playbook + Meet “The Breathing Diabetic” 01:27 Diagnosis Story: Age 11, DKA, and the “Diet Coke” Moment 02:48 The “Second Diagnosis”: Mid-20s Wake-Up and Lifestyle Control 03:58 From Air Quality Scientist to Breath Nerd: Discovering Wim Hof 04:51 The Oxygen Advantage: Nasal Breathing, CO₂, and a Breakthrough 08:52 Breath Goes Mainstream: James Nestor Validation + Confidence to Share 11:50 Why Breath Is a Superpower: Autonomic + Voluntary = A Lever 15:11 The Brain Angle: Nasal Airflow, Brainwaves, and Calm States 18:06 Diabetes Physiology: HRV, Baroreflex, and Slow Breathing Benefits 35:52 Practical Protocols: 5-Min Minimum Dose, Apps, Ratios, Mouth Tape Resources: The Breathing Diabetic Instagram The Breathing Diabetic Website

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Hosted by T1D Rob Howe, Diabetics Doing Things tells amazing stories of people with diabetes from across the globe, digging deep into everything it takes to Live Well with Diabetes and sharing exciting adventures along the way.

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