Your Best T1D Year

Comebacks aren’t overnight. This episode talks about honest timelines and the moments that tap you on the shoulder and say “pay attention.” What You’ll Learn Realistic clocks: getting your edge back is slow and starts with admitting there’s a problem. Number nudges: lab days, weekly summaries, and trend lines that whisper “something needs fixing.” Body cues and life stuff: stubborn highs, scary lo...

Hydroplaning is what happens when your car slides where it wants ... and it’s how T1D can feel when numbers drift despite “doing everything right.” This episode puts words to that feeling. What You’ll Learn Ghost carbs and winging doses: counting carbs you didn’t really count and guessing your way through meals. Pre‑bolus amnesia and alarm fatigue: eating before dosing and muting alerts without fi...

How we drift off track in T1D management and why it happens quietly. It’s less about dramatic crashes and more about the slow blur of basic habits. What You’ll Learn Drift looks ordinary: fewer CGM checks, skipping the pre‑bolus, guessing carbs instead of reading labels, putting off refills. Habits blur slowly: late doses, dismissing alarms without adjusting thresholds, and a sense of “I’ll fix it...

How to build clinical, personal, and peer support teams that actually reduce diabetes distress. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Support team types - Clinical, personal, and peer support networks • Gap identification - How to spot missing support areas • Team building - Simple steps to expand your sup...

How to audit and adjust your CGM and pump alarms to reduce tech-related diabetes distress. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Alarm fatigue - Why too many alerts increase stress and burnout • Settings audit - How to review and adjust CGM/pump thresholds • Alert zones - Different settings for day vs nigh...

Neil Greathouse sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Bill Polonsky , founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and one of the pioneers behind the concept of diabetes distress. They unpack what diabetes distress really is (and what it isn’t), why it’s so common, and how both people with T1D and their caregivers can navigate the emotional weight of this disease without shame or burnout. This...

Why connecting with other T1Ds can reduce diabetes distress and where to find real support. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Support types - Formal groups, online communities, one-on-one connections • Research benefits - How peer support reduces distress and builds confidence • Finding community - Whe...

Practical mindfulness techniques that actually work for people with type 1 diabetes. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Practical techniques - CGM pause, 60-second reset, name without judgment • Research benefits - How mindfulness reduces distress and improves decisions • Real-life application - No moun...

Research shows two proven approaches to reducing diabetes distress - skills-based and emotion-focused. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • T1-REDEEM study results - Two proven paths to reduce diabetes distress • Skills-based approach - Problem-solving, decision-making, management confidence • Emotion-foc...

How to identify your personal diabetes distress triggers with a simple tracking method. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Trigger identification - Simple method to spot your diabetes distress patterns • Tracking technique - What happened, what triggered it, how you felt • Pattern recognition - How to m...

The detailed 28-question diabetes distress scale reveals exactly where stress hits hardest. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Distress categories - Powerlessness, management, hypoglycemia, healthcare, family, eating, social • Detailed assessment - How the 28-question version provides specific insights...

The Other Side of Type 1 Diabetes: My Wife Gina on What It’s Really Like Thirty years, three DKAs, countless alarms - and one marriage that somehow survived it all. In this episode, Neil sits down with his wife Gina Greathouse for the conversation everyone’s been waiting for. Together, they talk about what diabetes distress really does - not just to the person living with type 1 diabetes , but to...

Your diabetes distress score is a tool, not a judgment. Here's how to use it constructively. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Score interpretation - What low, moderate, and high distress scores actually mean • Tools vs judgments - How to use your score as information, not self-criticism • Self-compari...

When it comes to diabetes distress, not all surveys are created equal. In this episode, we break down the two main ways researchers measure distress in type 1 diabetes: the T1-DDS7 (7 questions) and the T1-DDS (28 questions). Both tools were created to capture the emotional side of living with diabetes, but they go about it differently. We’ll talk about what each version asks, why shorter isn’t al...

The actual 7 questions researchers use to measure diabetes distress, explained in plain English. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • The 7 core questions - Each diabetes distress assessment question explained simply • Scoring system - How the 1-6 scale works and what scores mean • Cut points - Low (below...

Episode 100 milestone! Neil breaks down the crucial difference between diabetes distress and clinical depression. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Milestone celebration - Episode 100 of building T1D habits together • Clear distinction - How diabetes distress differs from clinical depression • ADA reco...

Diabetes distress affects 40% of adults with type 1 diabetes, but what exactly is it and where did the research come from? Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • The definition of diabetes distress - It's not just 'having a bad day' with blood sugars • Research history - From the PAID scale (1990s) to the T...

Episode summary Today’s episode is a practical deep-dive with Diabetes Sangha co-founders Brooke Cassoff and Heather Nielsen on using mindfulness and self-compassion as real tools for life with Type 1. We talk origin story, why “everything belongs,” what a weekly practice actually looks like, and then do three short, on-mic practices you can follow anywhere: breath, grounding, and a micro self-com...

Summary No time is still time. Micro-resets in 30–60 seconds can downshift your nervous system and make insulin work better. Keywords: micro resets, vagus nerve, sympathetic drive, one minute reset, T1D stress. What you’ll learn Four under-a-minute tools… shoulder drop, cold touch, one-line journal, change the room How short pauses lower sympathetic drive in 60–90 seconds A mindset shift for days...

Summary Bring less stress to bed, get smoother nights. Short evening routines can lower cortisol, improve sleep quality, and give your basal a fighting chance. Keywords: sleep, overnight glucose, bedtime stress, evening routine, CGM. What you’ll learn Three simple evening resets… phone-free 15, gratitude list, stretch and breathe Why pre-bed stress drives overnight variability A five-minute plan y...

Summary Exercise helps in the long run, but stress hormones can spike you in the short term. We cover warm-ups, patience, timing, and tiny experiments that turn chaos into clarity. Keywords: exercise and T1D, workout spikes, cortisol, HIIT, pre-bolus, five minute reset. What you’ll learn Why high-intensity workouts can raise glucose before they lower it Four practical resets… warm up, pause before...

Summary Alarms don’t ask permission. Label the moment, move a little, ask two quick questions, and stop the spiral before it compounds. Keywords: CGM alarms, stress response, mindful interruption, five minute reset. What you’ll learn “Information, not judgment”… a one-line reframe for alarms Micro-movement and two-question check-in Why a short pause changes how stress hits your numbers Try this to...

Summary Work and school stack the mental load. Cortisol rises, insulin sensitivity dips, and numbers drift. Here’s how to build five-minute firewalls into hectic days. Keywords: workday stress, office resets, school stress, insulin resistance, CGM. What you’ll learn Three resets that fit real life… bathroom, hallway lap, one song Why midday stress can reduce insulin sensitivity 10–15 percent How t...

Episode summary Today’s episode is a practical deep-dive with creator and NBCHWC coach Mila Clarke (aka @thehangrywoman) on how to keep food joy without the guilt, lower the mental load of T1D, and use a quick five-minute reset when stress (or your CGM) starts shouting. We also do an on-mic, one-minute reset you can follow anywhere, play a rapid-fire True or False , and wrap with a vulnerable Conf...

Summary Stress right before you eat raises glucose and blunts insulin. Two minutes of calm can change the whole post-meal flight path. Keywords: pre-meal reset, cortisol, insulin sensitivity, carb counting, CGM. What you’ll learn Why the same meal can spike higher under stress Three pre-meal resets in under two minutes A simple way to make the pause a daily habit Try this today Breathe or doodle f...