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Five principles that make change more likely to stick

John Pemberton is joined by Vanessa Haydock (The Diabetic Health Coach). Background in psychology and applied behaviour analysis, certified behaviour analyst, personal trainer, and coach supporting people with type 1 diabetes through sustainable behaviour change.

Full notes: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/beahviour-change-t1d/

This conversation lays out a practical behaviour change playbook grounded in psychology, lived experience, and the realities of diabetes physiology.

00:00 — Why this conversation matters — why willpower alone fails.

02:45 — Vanessa’s story: diagnosis, denial, and turning point
Growing up with type 1 diabetes, rebellion, burnout, retinopathy as an emotional trigger, and how behaviour change (not perfection) transformed Vanessa’s relationship with diabetes.

16:45 — Principle 1: Design beats discipline
Why willpower is finite in type 1 diabetes, and how reducing decision load through systems, defaults, and realistic goals makes change more sustainable.

30:35 — Principle 2: Cues beat grit
How environment and prompts outperform memory — from insulin timing to daily routines — and why piggybacking on existing habits works.

39:20 — Principle 3: Reduce threat before effort
How fear, pressure, and perceived failure drive avoidance behaviours — and why lowering the threat level is essential before increasing effort.

45:10 — Principle 4: Hawk or Owl, Carrot or Stick
Choosing the right style of accountability and feedback — frequent vs spaced, direct vs gentle — and why mismatch derails progress.

51:15 — Principle 5: Community support, not shame
Why small, safe communities outperform noisy online spaces, and how shared reality reduces isolation and burnout.

59:40 — Pulling it together: a practical playbook for 2026
How to apply the five principles deliberately, without perfectionism or guilt.

Find Vanessa at:

• Website: https://diabetichealthcoach.co.uk/
• Instagram: https://www.

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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Host: John Pemberton, RD
Guest: Anjanee Kohli, RD MNutr

2025 was a formative year for The Glucose Never Lies Podcast. Not because everything went smoothly — but because repeated exposure to real-world problems forced clearer models, sharper questions, and fewer illusions.

In this year-in-review episode, John Pemberton is joined by Anjanee Kohli — diabetes specialist dietitian, creative lead, and co-director at Glucose Never Lies — for an honest audit of what the podcast set out to do, what it actually delivered, where their thinking evolved, and where uncertainty remains.

Together, they revisit the core themes that kept resurfacing across episodes in 2025: insulin timing and dose over tactics, the liver’s central role, exercise variability, device and algorithm trade-offs, accessibility, and the gap between theoretical optimisation and lived experience with type 1 diabetes.

This conversation is not a highlights reel. It’s a reflective pause — stripping ideas back to what survived contact with reality, and clarifying what Glucose Never Lies is deliberately carrying forward into 2026.

Read the full episode page, explore linked episodes, resources, and references:
 https://theglucoseneverlies.com/episode-28-2025-in-review/

What this episode covers

• Why 2025 required a shift from tactics to principles
• What repeated real-world patterns taught us about insulin, exercise, and devices
• Where technology helps — and where trade-offs remain unavoidable
• Episodes and resources worth revisiting depending on your current challenge
• What changed our minds, and what we’re still uncertain about
• What Glucose Never Lies is committing to — and leaving behind — in 2026

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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Host: John Pemberton, RD
Guests: Roger Moore & Robin Lucciantonio

Roger has lived with type 1 diabetes since age two and has been totally blind for more than 35 years. While automated insulin delivery (AID) has transformed safety and glucose stability for many people with type 1 diabetes, most systems remain inaccessible without sight.

In this Inspiring Stories episode of The Glucose Never Lies Podcast, John Pemberton speaks with Roger Moore and diabetes educator Robin Lucciantonio about how they refused to accept that limitation. Using the open-source Loop system with iPhone VoiceOver, a careful stepwise rollout (simulator → saline → insulin), and a handcrafted tactile pod-filling station, Roger achieved full autonomy with AID.

This conversation isn’t about technology alone. It’s about accessibility as a safety requirement, not a convenience feature — and what becomes possible when clinicians stay open-minded and systems are built around real people rather than default users.

Read the full episode page and see the setup:
https://theglucoseneverlies.com/looping-blind/

What this episode covers

• Living with type 1 diabetes without visual feedback
• Why most commercial AID systems are inaccessible without sight
• Using Loop and VoiceOver for non-visual insulin delivery
• Simulator and saline trials to reduce risk before going live
• Designing a tactile pod-filling station for safe, repeatable insulin delivery
• Outcomes that matter: reduced hypoglycaemia, autonomy, and dignity

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It does not create a therapeutic relationship. DIY automated insulin delivery systems carry real risks and require appropriate training, oversight, and contingency planning.

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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Host: John Pemberton, RD
Guest: Diabetes with Milly (Milly)

Episode page: Detailed show notes

In this episode, Milly joins John to explore how real community forms when people with type 1 diabetes feel safe enough to be vulnerable. Diagnosed during lockdown and thrown into DKA in the final year of her biology degree, Milly rebuilt her life through movement, self-experimenting with strength training, discovering yoga, and eventually travelling alone to India for formal practice in breathwork, mindset and nervous-system regulation.

What began as a personal diary on Instagram became Diabetes with Milly — a space where 10,000+ people find honesty, humour and connection, and where the Glucose Gals WhatsApp community now supports hundreds of women navigating type 1 diabetes, menstrual cycles, trauma echoes, and real-life blood glucose chaos.

This conversation sits firmly “Beyond the Numbers”: the human reality of diagnosis, burnout, highs that trigger old trauma, rebuilding confidence, and how movement and mindfulness can reshape the emotional experience of living with the condition.

Your community is not optional — it is protective infrastructure.

What This Episode Covers

• Diagnosis in lockdown: DKA, isolation, and learning to manage T1D without real-world support
• Sport to strength training: using exercise as both therapy and education
• Yoga, India, breathwork and regulating the panic response during hypos
• Trauma memory: why highs can trigger the emotional weight of diagnosis
• Building an online presence through vulnerability, not perfection
• Creating the Glucose Gals WhatsApp community (250+ women)
• Women’s health, menstrual cycles and why female physiology in T1D is so understudied
• Milly’s plans for a new master’s → PhD in women’s exercise physiology
• The future: UK meet-ups, movement spaces, and combining strength + yoga for holistic T1D support

Key Insights

Vulnerability builds community.
People don’t gather around perfect numbers — they gather around honesty.

Movement changes glucose, but a

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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In this episode, John Pemberton and Dr Dessi Zaharieva open a transparent, evidence-based conversation about alcohol, nightlife, festivals, hypos, and harm-reduction for people living with Type 1 Diabetes.

Full episode page 

FAQ: Alcohol & Type 1 Diabetes

Alcohol suppresses hepatic glucose output, disrupts REM sleep, increases overnight hypo risk, and affects metabolism differently across single-night and multi-day events. This episode walks through the mechanisms, the patterns, and the practical adjustments that help people stay safer.

What we cover:
• Alcohol’s effects on the liver and glucose release
• Why glucagon often fails
• Why memory disappears after drinking
• Night-one vs multi-night physiology
• Basal adjustments, Activity Mode, manual mode and MDI
• Festival strategies and hypo prevention
• How parents and clinicians can talk about alcohol without shame

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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Host: John Pemberton, RD
Guest: Dr Laurel Messer, PhD, RN 

Epidose page - Detailed show notes

Episode FAQ - Dr Messer answers the FAQ's (free Downlaod)

In this episode, Dr Laurel Messer joins John to break down the real science behind skin integrity, sensor performance, and the hidden link between skincare and safer automation. Drawing on leading research from the Barbara Davis Center, the Panther Program, and international AID consensus work, this conversation reframes device wear as both a biological and behavioural skillset.  

Your skin is not decoration — it is life-critical infrastructure.

What This Episode Covers 

• Why device-related skin issues are common, predictable, and preventable
• Mechanical vs chemical irritation, and how to distinguish both from allergic dermatitis
• The “Soap–Water–Dry → Rotate → Low & Slow” skin-protection framework
• Why skin damage leads to noisy CGM data and poor insulin absorption
• How to prepare skin for CGM and pump wear in children, teens, and adults
• Practical barrier strategies: wipes, films, and hydrocolloids
• Understanding Control-IQ: why the correction factor is the SUPERPOWER
• Time-block insulin tuning for evening surges, alcohol, illness, and real-life
• The future of Tandem: Control-IQ+, Mobi, patch options, & Libre 3+ 

Key Insights 

Skincare is diabetes care.
Healthy skin leads to better signal quality, fewer dropouts, more predictable insulin delivery, and improved algorithm stability. 

Rotation must be broader than most people think.
Use 6–10 zones and give each at least a week off. Children need even more structure due to limited real estate. 

Removal is where most damage occurs.
Dr Messer emphasises a wound-care approach: oil-based loosening, supporting the skin, and folding adhesives back on themselves — never pulling upward. 

Allergy and irritation are not the same problem.
Irritation improves with barriers and technique; allergy is reproducible, blistering, intensely itchy, and requires dermatology support and sometimes device chan

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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Join John Pemberton as he sits down with Dr Temi Olonisakin — the doctor who turned a lonely Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at 17 into a movement of connection, confidence, and pancakes.

From small brunch tables in London to dreams of Bali gatherings, Temi’s story shows how joy, representation, and community can change what it means to live with diabetes.

How one young doctor turned isolation into connection — building a joyful, inclusive community for people living with Type 1 diabetes.

Diagnosed at 17, Temi knows the isolation that hits just as independence begins. Years later she began bringing people together — from one-to-one coffees to full-scale Diabetes Brunch Live events — mixing friendship, advocacy, and education with a healthy side of pancakes.

It’s not about brunch. It’s about belonging, visibility, and joy.

Say hello to Temi on Instagram @temidiabeticdoctor and join her for Brunch!

Full show notes and links
 
Chapters

00:00 Diagnosed at 17 — the lonely years
 05:30 First coffees → first brunch
 12:20 From 9 to 26 — growth & facilitation
 16:40 “Bottomless brunches” & normalising spikes
 21:30 Brunch Abroad dreams
 24:30 Beyond London — plans for the North
 25:50 Doctoring & sustainable work
 31:20 Advocacy wins — getting the right tech
 38:30 Representation & equity
 45:40 What services for teens miss
 47:50 Wrap-up & reflections

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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When sixteen-year-old Kirsten de Klerk was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she asked how long she’d have to live like this. Her doctor replied, “Every day for the rest of your life.”

Years later, that sentence became the fuel for change.

Sign the CGM Access Petition: In less than one-minute, you can change global access to CGM forever.

In this episode, John Pemberton talks with Kirsten about her journey from diabetes burnout to national advocacy, and how her work is now shaping a CGM Access Blueprint for South Africa — a model that could influence global policy.

Episode 22: show notes and links and consider buying the GNL a Coffee to the podcast independent.

They discuss:

• The emotional toll of diabetes burnout and the power of community.
• How the #LetterToMyDiabetes movement sparked a nationwide campaign.
• The reality of access inequality — 85 % of South Africans rely on public healthcare with only a few test strips a day.
• The creation of SA Diabetes Advocacy, gathering 14 000+ petition signatures for CGM funding.
• Why access without accuracy is false progress — and how unregulated devices put people at risk.

Kirsten and John explore what happens when lived experience meets evidence, and how persistence — not privilege — drives real change.

Together they outline three truths that every policymaker, clinician, and person with diabetes should understand:

1. Not all CGMs are created equally.
   Some systems are clinically validated for insulin dosing; others are not. Price competition must not compromise safety.
2. Inaccuracy harms you now.
   When CGMs fail to detect highs or lows, real people are put at immediate risk.
3. Inaccuracy harms you later.
   CGMs that systematically under- or over-report glucose create false reassurance — “70% time-in-range on one device might be 60% on another.”

Sign the CGM Access Petition: In

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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Professor Partha Kar joins The Glucose Never Lies® Podcast to unpack how the UK moved from research to reality in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and hybrid closed-loop systems (AID) — and how the same approach can be applied to any challenge in life or leadership.

Through openness, accountability, and courage, Partha helped create one of the fastest national tech adoptions in healthcare history. At the centre of that journey sits a practical philosophy anyone can use: the S-P-A-R-K Mindset, his Five-to-Drive-Change Framework.

It’s not just about diabetes care — it’s about how you make things happen.

Get the Full show notes and SPARK download

Help the GNL Podcast reman independent by buying the GNL a Coffee

Partha Kar on what matters:

• Implementation is where science becomes real
• Social media can be a listening system and an accountability engine.
• Accountability ≠ blame — transparency builds trust.
• Equity starts with measuring bias and publishing it.
• Language and leadership shape safety.
• Every change starts with a SPARK.

The S-P-A-R-K Mindset — Five-to-Drive-Change Framework

S – Start small, prove it locally
Change begins in your patch. Pilot, test, measure. Evidence beats opinion.

P – Put your skin in the game
If you believe in it, stand behind it. Take the risk, own the outcome.

A – Accountability, not blame
Use data to shine a light — RAG ratings, heat maps — but keep language neutral. Data should nudge, not shame.

R – Reveal through listening
True leadership starts with the community. Listen first; understand before you act.

K – Keep language human
Words shape behaviour. Talk with people, not at them. Better language builds safer systems.

Chapters

·        00:00 The CGM Journey: From Science to Street

·        04:15 Harnessing Social Media for Change

·        09:19 Accountability Without Blame

·        14:29 Implementation Science in Action

·        19:59 The Future of Diabetes Care

·        20:54 Seeing

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....

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Episode 20 — Standardization of Testing CGM Performance: The Nuts and Bolts

With Dr. Stefan Pleus (Institut für Diabetes-Technologie, Universität Ulm; Chair of the IFCC Working Group on CGM).

Full show notes and FAQ, and consider buying me a Coffee to keep pumping.

In this episode, we go deep into the future of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) standards. Dr. Pleus explains why the FDA iCGM framework (2018) is no longer enough, what a robust international standard would look like, and why ISO standardisation by 2030 is essential if CGM is to:

• Be a reliable basis for insulin dosing
• Act as a trusted comparator in clinical trials
• Enable screening and early diagnosis of type 1 diabetes
• Provide consistency across devices for people with diabetes

Key insights from Stefan Pleus:

• Study design matters: if you avoid rapid glucose changes, results look good — but that’s not real life.
• Stress-testing requires minimum data in low, high, and rapid-change zones.
• Every comparator has bias: retrospective correction is essential to align results across manufacturers.
• With better study designs, today’s systems may appear less accurate — but only because we’re finally testing them properly.
• Global alignment between FDA and Europe is needed; without it, innovation risks stalling.

Why this matters:

 Without standardisation, insulin dosing, clinical trials, and diagnostics will remain inconsistent across devices. The 2030 opportunity is a global, reproducible framework that ensures fairness for users, clarity for clinicians, and valid results for researchers.

Full show notes and FAQ, and consider buying me a Coffee to keep pumping.

Disclaimer

This podcast is for education and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for individualised care.

The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design

We do not accept sponsorships and advertising. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners who value independence. So, consider:
Buying the GNL a Coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2

Enquiries

Collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected]

Creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected]

Follow The Glucose Never Lies®

Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies

LinkedIn: John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/

X: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

© The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved....