Reclaim Your Rise: Type 1 Diabetes with Lauren Bongiorno

Drew Mendelow was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 13 and left the hospital overwhelmed by how much he was suddenly expected to learn and calculate on his own. So he built the tool he wished he’d had: T1D1, a free app that takes the mental math out of insulin dosing for people who are newly diagnosed or managing with injections.

Now a student at Georgia Tech, Drew joins Lauren to talk about what’s actually next in diabetes tech, from AI and continuous ketone monitoring to smarter pump algorithms and the apps making daily life with T1D easier, while asking an important question: as diabetes technology gets smarter, how do we make sure people with T1D still feel informed and in control of their own management?

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why Drew built T1D1 after being diagnosed at 13
• The diabetes tech Drew thinks could change T1D next
• Why continuous ketone monitoring matters, even when blood sugar is in range
• Lauren’s scariest low in 25 years with T1D and what caused it
• The diabetes app Drew recommended that Lauren immediately wanted to download
• Where AI and smarter pump algorithms could help, and where they could take away too much control

WHAT’S NEXT:

🛒Use code RiselyHealth15 for 15% off discount at Lakanto!

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode got you excited about where T1D tech is headed, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with diabetes can find these conversations.

Lauri Beale never imagined a routine visit would end with her 5-year-old daughter being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. What followed was an 11-month honeymoon phase that left her family in a constant state of uncertainty. While her daughter was still producing some insulin, every day felt unpredictable, and Lauri found herself waiting for the other shoe to drop.

In this conversation with Risely's Director of Coaching, Abby Cooper, Lauri shares what the first year after diagnosis really looked like. From the mental load that consumed every conversation with her husband to learning how to parent as a team without letting diabetes take over their family, she opens up about the challenges most parents don't expect. She also shares how expanding her toolkit through coaching, prioritizing her own mental health, and reframing blood sugar data helped her move from fear to confidence. If you're raising a child with type 1 diabetes and wondering whether life will ever feel manageable again, this episode offers practical hope from someone who's been there.

WHAT WE COVER:

• What an 11-month honeymoon phase practically looked like with insulin dosing 
• The simple communication rule that stopped diabetes from taking over every conversation in their marriage
• The three things that helped Lauri stop living in survival mode after her daughter's diagnosis
• The biggest frustrations with their endocrinology appointments, and how they got the confidence to stop waiting in between appointments to make changes
• How they started building diabetes independence in their 6-year-old without putting too much on her shoulders
• The mindset and management changes that helped increase their daughter Regan’s Time in Range from 65% to 85%

WHAT’S NEXT:

📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   
IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

Kenna Porter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 13, and for years she did everything she thought she was supposed to. She followed a strict paleo diet, worked out consistently, and built her life around healthy habits. But every time she went to the endocrinologist, she still couldn't seem to get her A1C below 7%.

Together, they talk about the frustration of feeling like nothing was working despite doing everything "right,", learning to let go of control, navigating pregnancy and motherhood with Type 1 diabetes, and the tangible shifts that helped diabetes finally feel lighter to live with.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why doing everything "right" still wasn't enough to get her A1C below 7% and what she had to do instead 
• The shifts that helped Kenna stop chasing perfection and find a more sustainable approach to diabetes
• The role comparison played in keeping her stuck, and how she finally broke free from it
• Why Kenna avoided connecting with other people with Type 1 diabetes for nearly a decade
• The realities of pregnancy, postpartum, and emergency C-sections with Type 1 diabetes
• Kenna's experience navigating miscarriage with Type 1 diabetes and the message she wants other women to hear

WHAT’S NEXT:

📲Follow Kenna's journey with T1D + motherhood on IG!

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   
IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If Kenna's story made you feel less alone in the parts of T1D you've never spoken about, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with this can find the support they deserve.

Last week, Lauren went for a 30-minute run and left her phone at home.

No CGM. No way to check her blood sugar. Just two glucose tablets in her pocket, a plan she trusted, and confidence in the patterns she'd learned about her body.

For most people living with Type 1 diabetes, our phones are never more than an arm's length away. They're where our CGM lives, where we bolus insulin, and how we make hundreds of diabetes decisions every day. While that technology is incredible, it can also make it difficult to truly disconnect.

In this impromptu solo episode, Lauren reflects on what happened when she intentionally stepped away from her diabetes technology for just 30 minutes. She shares the blood sugar strategy that made it possible, why the experience felt surprisingly emotional, and the question she's now asking herself and every person living with T1D:

When was the last time you intentionally spent 30 minutes away from your diabetes technology?

WHAT WE COVER:

What We Cover:

• The blood sugar strategy Lauren used before heading out for her run
• Why leaving her phone behind felt both scary and incredibly freeing
• How learning your body's patterns builds confidence beyond your CGM
• The difference between using diabetes technology as a tool versus relying on it as a crutch
• A simple challenge to help you build more confidence in your own diabetes management

WHAT’S NEXT:

📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode made you want to challenge yourself to be a little more present with T1D, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with this disease can find it.

When your child's CGM alarms at 2 a.m., does your body go into panic mode before your brain has a chance to think?

If you're raising a child with Type 1 diabetes, you know the constant mental load. The carb counting, the overnight alarms, the second guessing, and the pressure to get every decision right.

In this episode, Lauren and Risely’s Director of Coaching, Abby Cooper, sit down after spending  three days at the Friends for Life Conference to share the seven things they wish every T1D caregiver knew. Not carb ratios or pump settings, but the beliefs, nervous system patterns, and relationship dynamics that quietly shape everything about how T1D feels to manage as a family. Including why shielding your child from the burden of this disease can work against them, why your nervous system matters just as much as their blood sugar, and why time and happiness deserves just as much weight as time in range.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Highlights from the Orlando Friends for Life Conference
• The surprising difference between teaching diabetes management and helping your child build a healthy relationship with diabetes
• Why your child's nervous system often mirrors yours, and practical ways to stay regulated during stressful diabetes moments
• The mistake many parents make when trying to "protect" their child from diabetes, and how to build confidence through age-appropriate independence
• How diabetes quietly creates resentment between partners, and the conversation most couples never realize they need to have
• Why T1D Facebook groups can leave parents feeling more anxious than informed, and how to know when it's time to step away
• Why one family with 93% Time in Range still felt like they were losing, and the powerful concept of Time in Happiness that completely reframes success as a T1D caregiver

WHAT’S NEXT:

🎓 August 4th and 5th Free Live Workshop: How to Stop Letting T1D Run Your Family's Life Without Second-Guessing Every Decision or Living in Fear. Register for free here: [LINK]

📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode made you feel less alone in the weight of T1D parenting, subscribe and leave a review so more caregivers can find it.

Kate Makinson has lived with Type 1 diabetes since 7th grade and has spent the last 33 years building a life of absolute adventure. She’s a PE teacher, runner, mountain biker, and someone who has always found a way to figure it out, whether that meant finishing a half marathon with a failing CGM or managing nine days in Europe after her insulin pump broke with nothing but short-acting insulin.

After 12 years away from the diabetes community, raising two kids and focusing on her career, things started changing. When perimenopause hit, the symptoms looked so much like long-term diabetes complications that Kate convinced herself that was exactly what they were. That fear, after three decades of managing T1D with confidence, sent her looking for a T1D community she’d never thought she needed. She found it in Risely's group coaching program, where her average blood sugar dropped from 171 to 155, her time in range climbed from 61% to 75%, and her A1C improved from 7.5 to 6.9. But more than the numbers, Kate walked away with a mindset she hadn't had in years: that no matter what diabetes throws at you, you've got this.

WHAT WE COVER:

• The specific habit that helped drop her average blood sugar from 171 to 155 and bring her time in range from 61% to 75%
• What it was like to spend nine days in Europe after her insulin pump broke with nothing but short-acting insulin, and how she managed to keep adventuring anyway
• How a failing CGM in the first mile of a half marathon forced her to run 13 miles on instinct, gels, and sheer determination
• Why perimenopause symptoms convinced her she had long-term diabetes complications
• What brought her to Risely coaching after 33 years of managing T1D largely on her own, and why she says it was the support she didn't know she needed
• Her best travel tips for flying, international trips, and staying prepared without letting diabetes overthink the adventure

WHAT’S NEXT:

📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   
IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If this episode made you feel like the best with T1D really is yet to come, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with this disease can find it.

Chris Roome was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 12 after waking up in the ICU, but for years, managing his T1D wasn’t his priority. Through his teens and early adulthood, he struggled with teenage rebellion, addiction, an A1C of 12, and eventually reached a turning point that changed the course of his life.. Within a year of getting sober, his A1C dropped to under 6.

Today, Chris has completed multiple marathons, 50+ mile ultramarathons, and founded Project InsulNation, an organization leading backcountry expeditions exclusively for adults living with Type 1 diabetes.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Lauren to  share how recovery transformed the way he approached T1D, the exact insulin and fueling strategies he uses during ultra-endurance races, the moment his pump site ripped out halfway through a 50-mile trail run, and why he's on a mission to help more adults with Type 1 diabetes discover they're capable of far more than they've been led to believe

WHAT WE COVER:

• What it was like waking up in an ICU at 12, going months without checking his blood sugar, and what finally forced everything to change
• The direct connection between getting sober and getting his A1C from a 12 to under 6 in one year
• The exact fueling and insulin strategy he uses to run 50-plus miles without his blood sugar crashing
• What happened when his insulin pump ripped out in the middle of a race, and how he still crossed the finish line
• Why endurance sports gave him a completely different perspective on living with Type 1 diabetes
• The inspiration behind Project InsulNation and why he's creating outdoor expeditions specifically for adults with T1D
• What it looks like to join a Project InsulNation expedition, and who it's for

WHAT’S NEXT:

🏔️ Interested in joining Chris and Project InsulNation on their August Grand Teton expedition? Learn more and apply at projectinsulnation.com or follow them on Instagram at @project_insulnation.

📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If hearing how Chris went from an A1C of 12 and active addiction to running 50-mile races made you rethink what's possible with T1D, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with this disease can find it.

Audrey DeGuerrera was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2022 while working as a management consultant at McKinsey, averaging 80-hour weeks and traveling four days a week. The physical demands were a lot, but it was the mental load of suddenly living with a chronic condition that hit hardest. When she turned to her endocrinologist for support, they offered antidepressants. That's when she started questioning whether the healthcare system was built to actually support people with T1D, or just manage them.

Now pursuing her MBA at Stanford's Graduate School of Business and a former Risely coaching client, Audrey attended this year's American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions and left with a lot of insights and questions she brought to the conversation. In this episode, she and Lauren dig into why 70% of US counties have no endocrinologist, why only 1 in 4 people with diabetes are meeting their care targets, and why insurance companies aren't incentivized to fix any of it. Audrey also shares what's giving her genuine hope, and why she believes team-based care could be the most important shift the diabetes world makes in the next decade.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Being diagnosed with T1D in the middle of 80-hour weeks at McKinsey, and what happened to her insulin needs when she finally left
• The statistics from ADA 2026 that stopped Audrey in her tracks
• Why the endocrinologist shortage isn't just a rural problem, and who it's actually affecting
• The reason insurance companies aren't built to care about your long-term T1D outcomes
• The single change Audrey believes could shift the entire diabetes care ecosystem
• Where AI fits- and where it doesn't-in the future of T1D care

WHAT’S NEXT:

📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this conversation made you feel less alone in your frustration with a medical system that wasn't built for you, subscribe and leave a review so more people with T1D can find it.

Alex Tolwinski… known online as @TypeOneAlexx… built a pretty recognizable T1D presence on social media by doing what everyone told him he couldn’t do: feasting on Crumble cookies, Chinese buffets, and dirty sodas, and posting every blood sugar along the way. But behind the funny viral videos is a guy who spent years feeling completely alone with his diagnosis, and who eventually found his way back through community.

In this episode, Alex joins Lauren to talk about what it actually looks like to live boldly with T1D, why he'll never delete a negative comment, and the moment in college that made him realize he didn't have to figure this out by himself.

In this episode you'll hear:

• Why Alex intentionally ate 6 Crumbl Cookies in one sitting, and what happened to his blood sugar afterward
• The terrifying 24 mg/dL and 28 mg/dL lows that led to paramedics, police officers, and complete memory loss
• What Alex says is the hardest part of Type 1 diabetes (and it’s not high blood sugar)
• How Alex handles the comments that claim he doesn't take care of himself
• Why he answers "what does reclaiming life with T1D mean to you?" with just one word

WHAT’S NEXT:

📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If Alex's story felt like the permission slip you didn't know you needed, subscribe and leave a review so more people find this show.

Argelis Milian Robles was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2025 — alone, without a car, on the brink of losing her job, and managing celiac on top of it all. And that was just the beginning. What came next tested everything she had. Her faith. Her will to stay. Her relationship with her own body.

In this episode, Argelis opens up about the moments that brought her to her lowest point and what it actually took to start building a life she wanted to live… one that includes pancakes, boba, and yellow curry. It's a story about learning to trust yourself when everything falls apart at once.

WHAT WE COVER:

• The Sunday morning church visit that ended in the ICU with a blood sugar of 407
• What a pituitary brain hemorrhage six months into T1D changed about her insulin resistance, her mental health, and what she wanted for her life
• How celiac prepped Argelis to drop her A1C from 13.9 to 5.4 in eight months, and why she doesn't recommend it
• Why pancakes, boba, and yellow curry became the goals that mattered most in coaching
• The two pages Argelis wrote after the brain hemorrhage that changed the direction of her life
  
  

WHAT’S NEXT:
📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 

Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you've ever felt like you were figuring out T1D completely on your own, subscribe and leave a review so more people find their way here.