Reclaim Your Rise: Type 1 Diabetes with Lauren Bongiorno

Angela Gaeddert was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at nine years old. For 23 years, she showed up to her endo appointments and filled in the gaps on her own. Along the way, she navigated diabulimia during one of the most isolating seasons of her life, and more recently, received a diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

In this episode, Angela shares how her meal spikes went from 220 to 170, her energy from a 5 to a 9, and her self-love and acceptance from a 4 to an 8. But what shifted most was how she sees herself. She shares what it looked like to recover from diabulimia largely on her own, stop comparing to other T1Ds, and finally look for more support.

Tune in for an honest, moving conversation about what it looks like to keep going through the hard parts of this disease, and the reminder that it's never too late to reclaim your rise.

WHAT WE COVER:

• How Angela valued feeling thinner more than her T1D during COVID, and the moment she finally put the pieces together
• What it felt like to think "anything under 250 was a win" and why that mindset was so hard to move past alone
• The moment Angela looked up at her husband and her vision had completely changed, and what the doctor said next
• Why Angela felt devastated after her retinopathy diagnosis and how she worked through it
• How her meal spikes went from 220 to around 170, and what that shifted in her energy and peace of mind
• What finally made her feel like she’s one step ahead of T1D.

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 sat in an endo appointment and left feeling like there had to be more, you're not alone. Subscribe and leave a review so more T1Ds can find the support they deserve.

“I had no idea adults could get Type 1”. Sue May spent more than 20 years as a health coach supporting women through fertility, IVF, perimenopause, and menopause. But in her 50s, her own life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after missing symptoms like extreme thirst, rapid weight loss, and exhaustion, eventually discovering her blood sugar was over 500.

As someone who had spent her career helping others navigate major health transitions, Sue suddenly found herself overwhelmed, under-supported, and trying to make sense of a diagnosis she never saw coming.

In this episode, Sue shares what it was really like to be diagnosed later in life, the emotional weight of learning to manage an entirely new condition, and how finding the right support completely changed her experience. She also opens up about the overlap between type 1 diabetes and perimenopause, why so many women are left without answers during hormonal shifts, and what it looks like to advocate for yourself through seasons of change.

Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of adult-onset type 1 diabetes, the impact hormones can have on blood sugars, and the reminder that even the most unexpected diagnosis can become an opportunity to reclaim your rise.

WHAT WE COVER:

• How Sue navigated being diagnosed with T1D in her 50s
• Why adult-onset type 1 diabetes is far more common than most people realize, and early signs to watch for
• What it means to stay flexible when life, hormones, and diabetes are constantly evolving
• Sue’s reminder that women are not “crazy” when they notice midlife changes
• How Sue turned an unexpected diagnosis into a new purpose and a deeper way of serving others
• How finding community helped her stop feeling alone and start feeling empowered in her diabetes journey
• Why reclaiming your rise starts with putting yourself first and trusting your ability to adapt through every season

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 Sue’s story helped you feel less alone in navigating a later-in-life diagnosis, subscribe and leave a review so more adults with T1D can find this support.

In this episode, Meg Bomley shares her T1D journey from being diagnosed at 18 years old and spending eight years on MDI without a CGM, to becoming someone who feels deeply empowered in her body and her diabetes.

Meg first came on the podcast in 2022 after graduating from Risely coaching. At the time, she had just come out of a season of constant lows, burnout, and feeling completely overwhelmed after switching to a pump without the support she needed.

Today, she’s back as a nationally board certified health coach, and 35 weeks pregnant with type 1 diabetes, one of Risely’s top coaches.

The majority of this conversation is the reality of navigating pregnancy with T1D: the nausea, insulin resistance, fear of highs, changing carb ratios, and learning to trust yourself in this season.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why Meg resisted pumps and CGMs for nearly 8 years after diagnosis
• The “biggest disaster ever” that happened when she first switched to a pump
• What finally helped her stop feeling resistant, overwhelmed, and burnt out with diabetes
• How coaching helped her uncover mindset blocks that had nothing to do with insulin or carb counting
• The first sign Meg noticed that told her her insulin resistance was changing after getting pregnant
• How she managed nausea, vomiting, insulin on board, and eating mostly carbs during pregnancy
• The difference between taking 5 units for oatmeal pre-pregnancy vs. 16 units during pregnancy
• What it’s actually like mentally to watch yourself take “large amounts of insulin” every day

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 helped you feel less alone or more prepared for pregnancy with type 1 diabetes, subscribe and leave a review so more T1Ds can find this support.

Rafael Pepen was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 17, right in the middle of rehearsing for his very first musical in the Dominican Republic. Without access to a CGM or carb counting education, he learned to manage largely on instinct. Years later, he moved to the US, pursued his dream of performing professionally, and eventually landed at Disney, where he now performs five high cardio shows a day.

In this episode, Rafael sits down with Lauren to talk about what it actually looks like to manage T1D in a life that never slows down. He shares the months of burnout, panic attacks around lows, and constant roller coaster blood sugars that led him to seek coaching, and what shifted on the other side of that.

WHAT WE COVER:

• What it was like to be diagnosed at 17 in the Dominican Republic with limited access to education, CGMs, or carb counting guidance
• The unique challenge of managing T1D across five high cardio shows a day and why it is a completely different beast from a traditional performance schedule
• The moment things started to unravel at Disney and what five months of daily lows, panic attacks, and burnout actually felt like from the inside
• What shifted when Rafael started working with a Risely coach and the tools that made the biggest difference for his day to day management
• The emotional side of T1D that most people never talk about, including what it felt like to cry during a low and the moment that started to change
• What Rafael is still working toward and the one thing he wants most from his relationship with diabetes going forward

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. 

📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.

💻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 Rafael's story made you feel less alone in the harder seasons of T1D, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with this disease can find it.

In this solo episode, Lauren breaks down one of the most common and frustrating T1D scenarios: correcting and still running high. She starts by validating why it's so hard, and how it’s not necessarily because of the high itself, but because of the "boomerang decision" it creates. 

Lauren walks through the exact decision framework she uses with clients at Risely to think through this scenario clearly. From checking your insulin timing and ruling out a site issue to widening the lens on what else might be driving resistance. The goal isn't just to fix the high. It's to build the muscle of thinking through situations like this so they get easier every time. She also shares how the Risely app's Decision Domains feature brings this kind of framework to life, with voice notes and written breakdowns for the real scenarios T1Ds face every day.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why correcting and staying high feels so frustrating and why the gap between what you expected and what happened is the hardest part
• The urge to rage bolus, why it backfires, and what to do instead
• Checking the timing of your correction and understanding your insulin action window
• Why ruling out a pump site issue comes first, and how to know when changing your site is worth it even if you're not sure it's the problem
• Widening the lens to consider fat, protein, stress, illness, and sedentary days as hidden drivers of insulin resistance
• How to use movement to activate insulin on board before reaching for more
• When to look at your correction factors versus treating this as a one-time scenario
• How decision frameworks reduce the energy drain of T1D over time, and how the newly launched Risely app brings this to life through Decision Domains

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.

📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.

💻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 gave you a clearer way to think through the next time you're stuck high after a correction, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.

About a month ago, Lauren went through a two week stretch of crazy work hours, disrupted sleep, missed workouts, and a few sick days. Her time in range started slipping and she had to figure out how to navigate it in real time.

In this solo episode, she walks through exactly what happened, how she recognized her insulin sensitivity was changing, and the three options she always considers when life throws her off routine. Because waiting for perfect conditions to come back is never the answer.

WHAT WE COVER:

• The first sign Lauren noticed that told her her insulin sensitivity was dropping 
• The three options available when your insulin sensitivity changes
• How Lauren used a hybrid of all three approaches to get her time in range from 65% back up to 80% during a chaotic two week stretch
• The difference between temporary insulin resistance and a long term foundational shift in your sensitivity and how to know which one you are dealing with
• What factortends to creep up when you are out of your routine and how it impacts your insulin sensitivity more than most people realize
• How hormones, sleep, stress, illness, and exercise all play a role in shifting your sensitivity and what to do about each one
• What parents of children with T1D need to know about insulin sensitivity changes during puberty

WHAT’S NEXT:

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

🏋️ Join our upcoming free live workshop to discover smarter, more strategic way to work out with T1D, while staying in range. Two timessessions available on Tuesday, May 12th.

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

📧Join 20+ thousand 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 gave you a clearer way to think through what is happening with your blood sugars when life gets in the way, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.

In this episode, Lauren walks through a recent day in Florida where a combination of late night pizza, an exhausting night with a newborn, a long tennis session without enough food, and a handful of chips sent her on a full day roller coaster that ended with a scary low at dinner.

Lauren shares the five things she always does to reset physically and mentally following a tough blood sugar day, and why how you respond matters just as much as what caused it in the first place.

WHAT WE COVER:

• First and foremost: EVERY T1D has bad blood sugar days, what matters is how you respond 
• How to get to a place where these days are more rare then they are normal   
• Lauren’s five steps for overcoming a bag blood sugar day 
• Why reflecting on these days is important & how to stop procrastinating it 
• Recognizing low TIR days as data to move forward *instead of* a reflection of failure 
• Why communicating with the people around you on bad blood sugar days matters and how to ask for what you actually need

WHAT’S NEXT:

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

📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.

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

📧Join 20+ thousand 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 helped you feel less alone after a tough blood sugar day and gave you something to reach for the next time one happens, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.

On April 3rd, in the middle of a regular workday, Lauren's CGM read 245 with double arrows up. She did not feel high. She bolused anyway. Twenty minutes later she was on her kitchen floor, chugging orange juice, with her blood sugar in the 30s, headed down fast. Her CGM had been over 100 points off.

In this solo episode, Lauren shares exactly what happened that day, why it scared her in a way that CGM issues never had before, and what she believes needs to change in the conversation around CGM accuracy. She also talks about how to hold gratitude for the technology that keeps us alive while still being honest about its limitations and why trusting your instincts and finger pricking more often might be the most important PSA she can share right now.

WHAT WE COVER:

• How Lauren’s CGM was recently over 100 points off, and why it led to one of the worst lows she has had in years
• The three issues she noticed immediately after switching to the Dexcom G7 last August and how they evolved over time
• Why she believes you can hold gratitude for diabetes technology in one hand and frustration in the other at the same time
• What she would do differently next time
• The PSA every person with T1D needs to hear about finger pricking and what happens when you override your own instincts

WHAT’S NEXT:

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

📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.

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

📧Join 20+ thousand 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 frustrating and sometimes scary reality of managing T1D with imperfect technology, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with this disease can find it.

Erin Provost was living a busy life as a wife and mom when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 30. In 2023, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and spent the better part of a year fighting her way through it. Just when she thought the hardest part was behind her, a routine eye appointment introduced her to one more word she never expected to hear: retinopathy.

In this episode, Erin sits down with Lauren to talk about what it looks like to manage T1D through a cancer diagnosis, radiation, a hysterectomy, and the complete loss of her ability to feel her lows and highs. She talks about the guilt, the burnout, the deep fear of insulin that took root after a terrifying low, and the moment the retinopathy diagnosis finally pushed her to get the support she had been needing. She shares how coaching helped her go from 50% to 75% time in range by taking it one small step at a time, and what it meant to finally stop being angry at herself and start forgiving herself for the years of hardship.

WHAT WE COVER:

• What it felt like to manage T1D while fighting breast cancer, how her A1C climbed to an 8.5 during treatment, and why she does not blame herself for it
• How accidentally doubling her metformin dose led to a terrifying low that created a lasting fear of insulin, affecting every bolusing decision she made from that point forward
• What it was like to lose the ability to feel both lows and highs after a hysterectomy, and how she learned to navigate T1D without any of the physical signals she had relied on
• The moment at her eye doctor appointment where she finally decided she could not keep going the way she had been and sought support
• How coaching helped her take one step at a time, starting with something as simple as eating breakfast, and how those small steps compounded into real momentum
• What it means to stop wallowing, forgive yourself for the hard years, and find your way back to yourself

WHAT’S NEXT:

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

📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.

💻 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 Erin's story helped you feel less alone in the weight of everything T1D can bring, subscribe and leave a review so more people navigating this disease can find it.

Coach Lindsey has lived with Type 1 Diabetes for 19 years and has been coaching with Risely for over two years. Lindsay was already a health coach in her primary role when she came to Risely as a client. She came through our group coaching program, found her footing with her own diabetes management, and knew she wanted to bring that same support to others. After completing the program, she went on to earn her National Board Certification in coaching and trained under the Risely team before officially joining as a coach. She now works with clients through the exact challenges she once navigated herself, which makes her one of the most grounded voices on what it actually takes to move from reactive management to intentional decision-making with T1D.

In this episode, Lauren and Lindsey dig into the Tandem pump features that many T1D’s either don't know exist or don't know how to use to their full advantage. They cover the features most people are only using at surface level (Control IQ, sleep mode, exercise mode, temp basal, and extended bolus) and share the real-life context behind when and why to use each one. The conversation is honest about the fact that none of these are one-size-fits-all, and that getting to a place where these tools feel second nature takes time, pattern recognition, and a willingness to test and learn.

WHAT WE COVER:

• The biggest gaps we see when people are using pumps but not actually optimizing them
• How to think about your pump as a tool you can adjust, not something that controls you
• The difference between reacting to your numbers and making intentional decisions
• What Control IQ is actually doing in the background, including correction limits most Tandem users aren’t aware of
• How to use exercise mode and sleep mode beyond their intended use to help prevent highs and lows

WHAT’S NEXT:

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

📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.

💻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 gave you one tip you can take back and test this week, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.