#143: Sara Spencer-Kinoti | I’m a Tour Guide on Your Diabetes Journey

It’s been awhile since I interviewed a T1D parent, but Sara Spencer-Kinoti stands out. Her LinkedIn profile reads unapologetic, ridiculously excited diabetes advocate, ally and part-time pancreas. In this episode we discuss her college side hustle taking care of insulin dependent cats, her family history of Type 2 and how she uses her unique platform as a healthcare provider to not only influence and educate those living with diabetes, but also members of their care team.

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#142: Bryan Flynn | Your Pancreas Left About an Hour Ago and It’s Not Coming Back

I can’t remember a joke to save my life so finding someone who can, with the addition of diabetes humor, makes Bryan Flynn the perfect guest. In this episode we discuss Bryan’s advertising career with clients like Starburst and Mars candy, his crazy dog Darla who keeps him in shape, winning the funniest person in advertising contest, and all of the jokes. 

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#141: Thom Solo | Speaking Things Into Existence

The diabetes community is fortunate to have so many one of a kind warriors and Thom Solo is top of the list in my opinion. His advocacy efforts at an early age + pursuit of art as a career = my dream guest. In this episode we discuss Thom’s artistic journey, runway lows, diabetes and dating, his fashion family, the LGTBQ+ community, and speaking things into existence.

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What an Inquiring 8 Year Old Mind Wants to Know

I had the pleasure of finally connecting with my dear friend Katie – a busy mother of two active boys, business professional, and person who dedicates time to so many causes. We don’t get to see each other often so I cherish when we can and I was thrilled to have her youngest son Vail (aka BEEF) join us for a stroll around town. I’ve known Vail since birth and he has always been interested in my life with diabetes. He asks the hard hitting questions – some that are honestly hard for me to answer and the very reason why I’m writing this post.

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#139: Allison Nimlos | A Space to Process

May is mental health awareness month and is the perfect time to release this episode with Allison Nimlos, a licensed marriage and family therapist and co-founder of the Diabetes + Mental Health Virtual Conference who specializes in behavior change psychology for diabetes. In this episode we discuss the importance of addressing mental health for those living with a chronic disease.

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#137: Reverend Mireya Martinez | I’m All About Being Real

Reverend Mireya Martinez was a panelist on the Crushing: The Burden of Diabetes on Patients session during SXSW in Austin, Texas where she dominated the conversation in my opinion. In this episode we discuss her life as an insulin dependent person living with Type 2 diabetes, healthcare disparities and how she is writing her own story.

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My COVID Free Bubble Has Popped

I tested positive for COVID after living in a bubble for literally four years. I’ve been such a hermit, wore my mask when no one else did, avoided crowds and felt serious social anxiety most of the time, but it finally got me. My COVID free bubble has popped.

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#134: Serena Valentine | The Change We Want to See Starts With Us

Serena Valentine, was misdiagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in her twenties. This misdiagnosis is one of the many reasons she is a passionate advocate for health equity, eye health and diabetes education. In this episode we discuss Serena’s misdiagnosis, diabetes complications, healthcare disparities, food deserts and her advocacy efforts.

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#133: Thapi Semenya | I Need to Take Myself Seriously

Thapi Semenya is in her final year of law school, is an IDF Young Leader in Diabetes Trainee, a Dedoc voice, a professional advisor for the Luna Project UK and a strong diabetes advocate. We connected on LinkedIn after I read her mindful post about lowering her A1c and what steps it took to get there. 

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