In this episode, Susan Mangion shares the story of her daughter Ella’s Type 1 diagnosis and what life has looked like for their family since that day.

Ella was almost 11 when she was diagnosed and Susan talks openly about those first days in hospital and the huge learning curve that followed.

The conversation covers so many of the realities that come with raising a child with Type 1. From managing hypos and navigating school to learning to trust other people with Ella’s care and slowly giving Ella more responsibility as she has become more confident with her diabetes.

Susan also talks about moving to an insulin pump and the freedom that this has given Ella. While the pump has been a game changer for their family it has also highlighted how much work still happens behind the scenes to manage Type 1.

There is a really honest conversation around the emotional side of Type 1 too. Susan shares the impact that constantly thinking about blood glucose levels food exercise and insulin can have on Ella and the challenge of wanting to feel like a normal kid when Type 1 is always there in the background.

Retreat club website:  The Pilates Retreat Club
Instagram: @pilatesretreatclub and @changinglanesthepodcast

Every conversation helps break down stigma and reminds our community that they are never alone.  

Further Resources:              
Type 1 Foundation Website
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Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

What does Type 1 diabetes burnout really look like?

For many people, the answer isn't what you'd expect.

In this powerful conversation, I'm joined by diabetes advocate Lucy Woods, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just six years old. Lucy shares her diagnosis story, growing up with diabetes before continuous glucose monitors and modern technology, and the years she silently struggled with burnout.

What makes Lucy's story so important is that, from the outside, no one knew she was struggling. She appeared happy, capable and thriving, while secretly avoiding insulin, hiding her blood glucose levels and carrying the overwhelming mental load of living with Type 1 diabetes.

Today, Lucy has transformed that experience into advocacy, using her voice to help others feel less alone. Through her work, social media and community involvement, she's changing the conversation around diabetes burnout and reminding people that there is hope on the other side.

Whether you're living with Type 1 diabetes, parenting a child with T1D or supporting someone you love, this episode offers practical insights, reassurance and a powerful reminder that no one should navigate diabetes alone.

📱 Instagram: @thesweetlifeoflucy
🎵 TikTok: @thesweetlifeoflucy

Lucy shares honest conversations about diabetes burnout, practical tips, everyday life with Type 1 and plenty of encouragement for anyone navigating the highs and lows of diabetes.

Please subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone living with Type 1 diabetes, or with a parent, friend or family member who wants to better understand the invisible side of this condition.

Every conversation helps break down stigma and reminds our community that they are never alone.

Further Resources:             
Type 1 Foundation Website
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Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

For 16 years, Aron Mazur managed his Type 1 diabetes largely on his own.

From the outside, he looked like he had everything under control—a successful career, extensive travel, an active lifestyle and a HbA1c that suggested he was "doing fine." But behind the scenes, Aron was carrying something much heavier: shame, fear and the emotional burden of living with Type 1 diabetes.

In this incredibly honest conversation, Aron shares his diagnosis story at age 17, including an initial false negative result that delayed his diagnosis, the devastating impact diabetes had on his mental health, and how a single conversation with his dad completely changed the way he viewed his condition.

We also explore why the emotional side of Type 1 is often overlooked, how perfectionism and shame can become barriers to better management, and why finding the right support made all the difference.

This episode is a powerful reminder that Type 1 diabetes is about so much more than blood glucose numbers.

Follow Aron on Instagram @aron.mazur for honest conversations about living with Type 1 diabetes, mental health and improving diabetes management.

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

What happens when you're diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as an adult, far from home and with no idea what life is about to look like?

In this episode, Jacqui sits down with Type 1 advocate Sarah Loftus to share her powerful diagnosis story. Diagnosed at 26 while living in Australia, Sarah opens up about months of unexplained symptoms, navigating a life-changing diagnosis without family nearby and learning to manage a condition she knew very little about.

Sarah also speaks candidly about something rarely discussed in the diabetes community—living with Type 1 after recovering from an eating disorder. She shares the emotional challenge of returning to food calculations, insulin dosing and constant decision-making while protecting her mental health.

This is an honest, vulnerable conversation about resilience, therapy, advocacy and why finding your community can make all the difference.

Connect with Sarah:
Follow Sarah on Instagram @smollsarahl for honest conversations about living with Type 1 diabetes, mental health and improving diabetes management.

If this episode resonated with you please subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone living with Type 1 diabetes or supporting someone who is. Every conversation helps remind people they are not alone.

Further Resources:            
Type 1 Foundation Website
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Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

The teenage years can bring a unique set of challenges for young people living with Type 1 diabetes. As independence grows, so do the demands of managing a chronic condition alongside school, friendships, sport, social pressures and the desire to simply fit in.

In this episode, Jacqui is joined once again by Angie Manzke from Reflective Haven to explore the emotional side of Type 1 diabetes during adolescence. Together, they discuss diabetes burnout, motivation, responsibility, family dynamics and how parents can continue to support their teenagers without creating conflict or pressure.

Angie shares practical strategies for understanding what's happening beneath the surface when a young person starts disengaging from their diabetes management and explains why connection, compassion and nervous system awareness are often more powerful than reminders, rewards or consequences.

Connect further with our Guest:
Website: Reflective Haven
Instagram: @reflectivehaven

Join Angie's "The Joyful Child Within" program
A monthly online art and nature-based group for children aged 5–10 living with Type 1 diabetes, designed to build emotional resilience, confidence and connection through creativity and play. You can find more information on the Type 1 Kids Groups page on Reflective Haven's website.

Further Resources:           
Type 1 Foundation Website
Follow us on Instagram
Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

In this episode of The Type 1 Club, Jacqui speaks with Hannah, a fellow Type 1 mum whose son Eli was diagnosed at just 10 months old.

Hannah shares the early signs they missed, the terrifying moment that led to calling an ambulance and Eli’s time in intensive care with severe diabetic ketoacidosis. What began as months of an unsettled baby quickly turned into a life-changing diagnosis just days before Christmas.

Together, Jacqui and Hannah talk about navigating life with a very young child with type 1 diabetes – from learning injections and managing unpredictable blood sugars to the relief of moving onto insulin pump therapy with diluted insulin.

They also discuss:

• The challenges of managing diabetes in babies and toddlers
• Food aversions and the realities of dosing insulin for little eaters
• Sibling dynamics when one child needs extra care
• The role of technology
• How the type 1 community often becomes an invaluable source of support and practical advice
• Preparing a child with type 1 diabetes for kinder and school

Hannah also shares her perspective on protecting children from the emotional weight of diabetes for as long as possible while still helping them grow into confident young people living with the condition.

A thoughtful and honest conversation about parenting, advocacy and finding your people in the “worst best club.”

Further Resources:            
Type 1 Foundation Website
Follow us on Instagram
Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

In this episode of the Type 1 Club Podcast, Jacqui speaks with Himanshu, who shares his experience of living with type 1 diabetes and later supporting his son through the same diagnosis.

They discuss the realities of managing diabetes across different generations, the role of technology and how families learn to adapt, support each other and keep life moving forward.

Himanshu shares the importance of family support, managing parental anxiety and helping his son see diabetes not as a limitation but simply as part of their lifestyle.

It’s an honest and thoughtful conversation about parenting, resilience and learning to live with type 1 together.

Further Resources:           
Type 1 Foundation Website
Follow us on Instagram
Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

In this episode, Jacqui chats with Emily Mason, a teenager from Tasmania who shares her experience of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 13.

Emily speaks openly about becoming critically unwell before diagnosis, returning to school just days later and navigating life as the only person she knew with type 1. Now using pump therapy and playing football, she reflects on growing confidence, managing diabetes alongside sport and finding connection with others living with the condition.

It’s an honest and hopeful conversation about growing up with type 1 and learning to thrive.

Further Resources:          
Type 1 Foundation Website
Follow us on Instagram
Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

In this episode, Jacqui chats with Chris Roome, who has spent much of his life proving that type 1 diabetes doesn’t have to define what’s possible.

Diagnosed at 12, Chris quickly adopted the mindset of being child first, diabetic second. Since then, he’s taken on endurance races, extreme outdoor adventures and even dog sledding in the Arctic, all while managing the constant decisions that come with type 1 diabetes.

Chris also shares the inspiration behind Project InsulNation, a community designed to bring people with type 1 together through outdoor adventure and shared experience.

This episode is a reminder that with preparation, resilience and the right support, life with type 1 diabetes can still be bold, adventurous and full of possibility.

Connect further with our guest:
Instagram:  @project_insulnation
Facebook: Chris Roome
Website: www.projectinsulnation.com

Further Resources:         
Type 1 Foundation Website
Follow us on Instagram
Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]

In this episode, Jacqui is joined by Ellen Chaplin, a type 1 mum who shares her family’s experience of diagnosis, diabetes technology and resilience.

Ellen’s daughter Charlotte was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at six years old, just days before Christmas. What began as a routine appointment quickly became a life-changing hospital admission, marking the start of an intense and emotional learning curve.

Ellen reflects on navigating diagnosis in a rural area, learning to trust diabetes technology and finding balance around food, independence and school life. She also shares the impact of an unexpected brain tumour diagnosis of her own and what it meant to hand over her daughter’s diabetes care while facing major surgery.

This episode is a powerful reminder that life with type 1 diabetes unfolds alongside real life, messy, unpredictable and deeply human.

Further Resources:        
Type 1 Foundation Website
Follow us on Instagram
Join the Facebook Group

If you'd like to share your story with our podcast listeners, please email: [email protected]