There’s no doubt that our blood sugars affect our mood and cognitive function, and in this week’s episode, I’m joined by Brea Di Dato, a family and psychiatric nurse practitioner in Oregon, for a conversation that is chalk full of wisdom. Our conversation includes her story of being diagnosed at age 38, her experience with neuropathy, anxiety, and more. She paints a vision of how our joy can coexist with suffering and that the goal of life is NOT an end to suffering. Brea also shares her expertise on the role between blood sugar, cognitive function, mood, and how to effectively communicate your “grumpy space” needs to your partner.

Time Stamps:  

• (04:56) Weight Loss and Brain Fog: Her Diagnosis at 38 Years Old 
• (08:20) Her First 6 Months of Diagnosis
• (10:05) Neuropathy 
• (12:05) How She Approaches Her Patients Now Post Diagnosis 
• (13:04) The Slippery Slope of Single Data Points 
• (14:53) Safety & Taking Control of Anxiety With a New Diagnosis 
• (17:43) Barriers to Living 
• (19:40) First Steps: Validate the Grief 
• (20:48) The Coexistence of Joy and Suffering 
• (22:42) A Dead Person Goal
• (23:45) Growth, Change, and Discomfort 
• (26:22) Distress and Burnout 
• (30:15) Reaching Out for Help 
• (33:18) Diabetes, ADHD, Blood Sugar and Cognitive Function
• (35:49) Blood Sugar and Mood 
• (38:41) Creative and Effective Communication of Your Needs
• (42:32) I Don’t Need You to Fix This

What to do now: 

1. For any person with Diabetes in Oregon who would like to talk to someone about their mental health, check out Brea’s business website https://www.pbh.health/
2. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
3. Learn more about our coaching programs HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan.

He’s an endocrinologist who has met the Dalai Lama three times! In this episode, I get to talk with Dr. Allen Sussman about why he sees endocrinology as a holistic field, the root of burnout in medicine, and how he thinks the healthcare system can be changed. He shares stories of meeting with the Dalai Lama, what he has seen work and not work when supporting patients in making changes to their T1D health, and more. He also highlights the vital significance of community and connection to our health and discusses the limitations of AI in medicine with its lack of mind-body connection which is unique to humans. Dr. Sussman also shares his top four habits for a healthy life. This is a truly unique conversation to have with an endocrinologist, and I hope you appreciate his unique perspective as much as I do! 

Time Stamps:  

• (03:53) Becoming a Freudian in High School 
• (6:00) His Turning Point in Holistic Health & Meditation
• (08:05) What His Family Thought of This in the 60’s
• (9:30) Meditation and Connection to the Dalai Lama
• (14:40) The Importance of Slowing Down 
• (17:18) Medical School & Endocrinology as Holistic
• (20:55) Developing Relationships with Patients 
• (27:05) Changing the Healthcare System
• (29:00) The Role of Community & Connection and Your Health
• (34:32) The Third Place and Limitations of AI in Medicine
• (40:32) The Importance of Mind-Body Connection & Meaning in Life
• (42:30) “T.I.P.” and How Can We Increase the Placebo Effect and Why?
• (46:38) Diabetes as a Blessing
• (47:20) His Top Four Habits for a Healthy Life

What to do now: 

1. Check out Dr. Sussman’s book and website Saving the Art of Medicine HERE.
2. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
3. Learn more about our coaching programs HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

23 years with T1D and I have never done this before! I’m telling you all about my recent experience of accidentally giving myself 10x the units of insulin I needed for breakfast. After sharing this story on Instagram in real time and getting tons of feedback from folks saying, “This happened to me too,” I knew I needed to share more about how it all played out.  

Time Stamps:  

• (02:46) The Story: How I Accidentally Gave Myself 10 Units of Insulin
• (05:30) The Click: The Moment I Realized What I’d Done
• (07:40) My First Step to Course Correct
• (10:45) The Food I Ate to Course Correct
• (11:45) Have Glucagon As a Backup
• (12:34) My Blood Sugar Results 
• (13:44) The Emotional Drain 
• (14:18) First Takeaway: I Didn’t Need the Carbs I Thought
• (14:36) Second Takeaway: Max Bulose Feature
• (16:28) Third Takeaway: You Have the Knowledge Within You
• (17:45) Fourth Takeaway: This Happens to So Many of Us
• (19:09) Fifth Takeaway: Slow Down 

What to do now: 

1. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
2. Learn more about our coaching programs HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Risely’s new coach and dietitian Elisabeth DiDonato. After being a vegan for years and battling her own health issues, Elisabeth learned a lot about gut health, finding the right foods for your body, and the importance of holistic health. We cover so many of your FAQ’s in this episode from probiotics, intuitive eating, intermittent fasting, juicing with T1D and so much more! 

Time Stamps:  

• (05:50) Releasing T1D Embarrassment and Wearing Your Device
• (8:04) Diabetes and Relationship to Food 
• (13:02) What She Learned in Going Vegan
• (16:17) Eating the Rainbow for a Healthy Gut
• (16:50) Listening to What Your Body Needs vs. Boxing Yourself Into a Diet Label
• (21:11) Why We Take a Holistic Health Approach
• (22:30) The Gut: Our Second Brain and Eating the Rainbow
• (25:00) How to Juice Safely as a Diabetic
• (29:04) Imbalanced Gut Health and Autoimmune Issues 
• (31:38) Stress and Insulin Resistance
• (34:20) How to Properly Fuel Your Body to Workout in the AM
• (37:18) Intermittent Fasting
• (40:48) Probiotics and Prebiotics
• (42:24) Can You Eat Intuitively as a Diabetic?
• (46:55) How Do You Snack With Diabetes?
• (51:13) What She’s Most Excited About Sharing as Risely’s Dietitian 

What to do now: 

1. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
2. Learn more about our coaching programs HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Today you get to meet one of the new Risely Coaches Lindsey Payne. She tells the story of her intense childhood diagnosis and her journey of becoming a coach after so much personal struggle and frustration with her T1D. Lindsey shares the education gaps that made her feel like she was just never going to figure out her diabetes - like how menstrual cycles affect blood sugar or how blood sugar affects mental health. Plus, we talk about the sometimes confusing difference between a coach and a mentor. I know many of you will resonate with Lindsey’s experience.  

Time Stamps:  

• (05:08) Challenges in Health and Shifts in Diabetes Management
• (06:39) The Delayed Impact of Childhood Diagnosis on Mental Health and Her Diagnosis Story
• (09:07) What Her Teenage + College Years Looked Like with T1D
• (11:38) Blood Sugar and Mental Health Connection
• (14:05) Her Two Biggest Transformations from the DCB Program
• (16:35) Understanding the Connection Between Blood Sugars and Your Menstrual Cycle
• (17:40) Optimism and Shifting Frustration into Hope
• (22:45) Becoming a Coach and Working with Military Sailors
• (26:40) Coaching vs. Mentorship - the difference 
• (30:20) Giving Yourself Grace and Patience
• (32:48) What Lindsey Wishes People Knew about Living with T1D

What to do now: 

1. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
2. Learn more about our coaching programs HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Today’s guest never expected that after her daughter’s cancer recovery, that she would later be diagnosed with T1D as a teenager. Dr. Maureen Peterson, a pediatrician and life coach, surely thought lighting couldn’t strike twice, but what they thought was a UTI turned out to be so much more. Maureen shares her wild story and encourages us, especially parents of kids with T1D, to practice modeling open communication and vulnerability. Maureen’s unique experience has equipped her with resiliency and emotional processing skills that all of us can benefit from. You’ll want to journal your feelings after this one! 

Time Stamps:  

• (03:31) Every challenge we have a choice
• (05:14) Her lightbulb moment as a pediatrician and a parent
• (08:06) Am I gonna die? Her daughter’s cancer diagnosis followed by a T1D diagnosis in the bathroom
• (13:24) Self Care: Maureen’s response to the T1D diagnosis 
• (16:40) Cancer prepared me
• (19:11) Resilience, vulnerability, and modeling behavior for your kids
• (22:29) Having a hormonal teenager with T1D and creating open communication
• (27:29) Her advice for the parent whose kid doesn’t want to take care of themselves
• (29:43) Plot Twist: Maureen learns that Lauren’s dad was diagnosed with T1D
• (31:40) Archie the diabetic dog
• (33:05) What inspired her to write her book and the emotional process
• (36:30) The power of journaling and your homework assignment 

What to do now: 

1. Learn more about Maureen HERE and read her book Reclaiming Life: A Guide for Parents of Chronically Ill Children
2. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
3. Learn more about our coaching programs HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Home birth as a mom with T1D? This may not be the “norm” but today’s guest is here to change that and empower YOU. A mom of four, Brooklyn Powell shares her journey from hospital births to a home birth, highlighting the importance of advocating for your birth preferences and creating a peaceful birth experience, while busting through any self-limiting beliefs and societal pressure. Throughout the conversation, Brooklyn emphasizes the importance of trusting your instincts, taking control of your health, and making informed decisions. In this conversation, she discusses how becoming a mother and starting a business at home has pushed her to evolve. With enthusiasm, Brooklyn emphasizes the importance of mindset and overcoming doubts and fears. She encourages listeners to take small steps towards their goals and not compare themselves to others. She also provides practical advice on time management, decluttering, and finding strength through faith. I’ve been SO excited for you to listen to this one! 

Time Stamps:  

• (06:34) Brooklyn’s Reclaim Your Rise as a First Time Mom
• (08:09) Brooklyn's Birth Stories: From Hospital to Home Birth
• (13:49) The CDC Stats of Home Birth in the US
• (18:42) Her Peaceful Home Birth Experience 
• (21:31) Creating a Peaceful Hospital Birth Experience
• (27:00) Advocating for Your Birth Preferences, Backup Plans, & Doctor Involvement 
• (31:40) Reactions and Criticism
• (37:59) Trusting Your Maternal Instincts and Decision Making
• (38:49) Personal Growth and Motherhood
• (41:52) Finding Purpose and Balancing Motherhood
• (44:25) Overcoming Doubts, Fears & Taking Small Steps Towards Goals
• (48:18) “I want you to Fail”
• (50:10) Her Tips for Time Management as a Mom 
• (52:32) Declutter Like a Mother and Simplifying
• (53:39) The Importance of Faith as a Mom

What to do now: 

1. Follow Brooklyn on IG HERE.
2. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
3. Learn more about our coaching programs HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

We’re celebrating New Years with our 100th episode on how YOU can start off in the right direction! In 2024, don’t just be a product of time passing. You have agency over your outcomes by setting yourself up for success. In this episode, I share with you a three part framework to do just that, and I also tell you my word of the year. Here’s to 100 episodes and to your beautiful year ahead - get out your journal and let’s do this! 

Time Stamps:  

• (06:43) Don’t just be a product of time passing 
• (08:25) Choosing a theme of the year 
• (09:29) Rooted: my theme of 2022
• (12:01) Consistency versus quantity of goals
• (15:38) Framework part 1: thoughts, beliefs, feelings
• (20:31) Framework part 2: take holistic inventory
• (23:04) Framework part 3: theme/word of the year 
• (23:56) My words of the year since 2017
• (26:35) My 2024 word of the year
• (28:40) How change actually happens 
• (30:50) The psychology of procrastination 

What to do now: 

1. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
2. Learn more and apply for the January 2024 Decide and Conquer Bootcamp HERE. 
3. Enter our 100th Episode GIVEAWAY for your chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card! 

To enter: 1. Rate the podcast 2. Subscribe to the podcast 3. Follow @riselyhealth on IG 4. Comment on the January 2nd episode post on our Risely page. Winner announced next week.

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Do you worry about staying balanced during the holiday season with T1D? The holidays can be stressful enough as it is, but then add in regulating your blood sugar and we have a whole other worry. In this episode, I identify three “archetypes” of people with diabetes and how they approach the holidays based on my personal and professional experience. Plus, I share five of my best T1D tips to not just survive, but THRIVE during this season.

Time Stamps:  

• (06:30) The 3 types of people with diabetes and how they approach the holidays
• (06:43) My hot take on ditching the T1D pressure during holiday season & calling myself out from years past 
• (10:03) Type 1: The 20% type
• (15:51) Type 2: The obsessive type
• (18:56) Type 3: The disappointed type
• (21:25) Tip 1
• (22:02) Tip 2
• (22:33) Tip 3
• (24:07) Tip 4
• (24:25) Tip 5

What to do now: 

1. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
2. Learn more and apply for the January 2024 Decide and Conquer Bootcamp HERE. 
3. Get the T1D Holiday Survival Guide HERE

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

It wasn’t until today’s guest thought about becoming a mom that her mindset around diabetes started to shift. I sat down with DCB graduate Tricia Culligan to discuss her experience from eating whatever she wanted and not giving too much energy to her diabetes, to becoming paralyzed by fear at the thought of preparing her body for pregnancy with T1D. Many of us don’t want diabetes to run our lives, and Tricia admitted that she came into the DCB simply for knowledge, but she soon learned that her mindset and community were huge factors in getting to a different place with her T1D. You’ll learn some of DCB’s best mindset hacks and hear Tricia’s transformation, you don’t want to miss this! 

Time Stamps:  

• (08:03) Her personal strategy to work with her body’s patterns for a successful workout that avoids highs and lows 
• (09:00) Don’t hate on white bread and avoiding labeling foods “good” and “bad’ 
• (10:45) What it was like growing up with a brother who also has diabetes and a father as a doctor after getting diagnosed at 8
• (13:43) Her family’s approach to handling her diabetes
• (14:40) When the “eat what you want and give insulin” approach stopped working for her after 24 years and how wanting a baby moved her to join DCB
• (18:10) The anxiety of preparing her body for a baby as a woman with diabetes 
• (19:12) The visualization exercise we do in group coaching 
• (21:11) Her goals for coming to the DCB Bootcamp and how they evolved to include community and mindset 
• (22:48) The thought train exercises she loves from DCB and that made her aware of her mindset’s impact 
• (28:19) How community supported her 
• (31:19) Growing up as a high school girl with T1D, Steel Magnolias, and the narrative that sharing about her diabetes = being “too dramatic”
• (36:07) The importance of friends who respect your diabetes 
• (38:30) The difference her family sees since doing DCB

What to do now: 

1. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
2. Learn more and apply for the January 2024 Decide and Conquer Bootcamp HERE. 

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan.