#154: Mia Fasanella | Celebrating Your Uniqueness

By Amber Clour on Feb 20, 2024

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After her Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, Mia Fasanella became a certified yoga instructor, using yoga and meditation to navigate the uncertainties. As a second-grade teacher, she fosters a supportive classroom environment by embracing her diabetes, inspiring her students to celebrate their uniqueness. In this episode we discuss the fascinating story of how her father unraveled her unique Type 1 diabetes family history, the importance of being mindful, and how to navigate the classroom.

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What I’ve Learned About Mental Health & Diabetes

By Kayla Chorley, BEd MACP CCC on Nov 26, 2023

In honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, I wanted to share some things I’ve learned about diabetes and mental health over the past 23 years of living with the condition and working as a counseling therapist within the community.

Here are a few key take-aways:

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Podcast #120: Azure Wolfe | Loving the Skin We’re In

By Amber Clour on Jul 15, 2022

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Every change that our body experiences as we age is connected to hormones, and should not be neglected. In this episode we discuss the changes our T1D bodies are experiencing in our forties. Azure also speaks passionately about the importance of connecting with others who are living with diabetes to support one another and recommends a community approach to diabetes management.

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#86: Sarah MacLeod | The Highs & Lows of Diabetes and Cannabis

By Amber Clour on May 13, 2020

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Sarah is a breath of fresh air. Her ability to be honest, vulnerable and willing to discuss all aspects of her T1D journey is the perfect combination to connect the diabetes online masses. In this first ever episode for the DDG, we discuss medicinal cannabis and what it has done for Sarah in addition to daily practices of yoga, meditation and online connectivity.
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#83: Tracey D. Brown | A Positive Poster Child for the Type 2 Diabetes Community

By Amber Clour on Apr 14, 2020

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For newly diagnosed T2D, it might be overwhelming and many fall into diabetes denial. In an effort to change this mentality, Tracey shares an authentic story of how a question from her daughter was the “aha” moment to take things seriously. In this episode, Tracey unapologetically shares her story because there is no shame in the game! Diabetes is a family affair and her energy, lifestyle choices and overall mentality is hopefully contagious – in a good way.

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The Indiscriminate, Transcendental Low Blood Sugar

By Ryan Fightmaster on Mar 5, 2015

Photo Credit: Red Dirt Ruminations

Peace. Focus. Confidence. Ask a person with diabetes if those words are associated with low blood sugar. You’ll get a resounding no. If we look at it from the perspective of the brain’s energy needs in blood, 20 percent of each heart beat heads to that squishy mass. In that blood is energy in the form of sugar. Cut down the energy source to your brain and lose functioning power, like the ability to focus.

Science is wonderful. Yet, the phrase Albert Einstein is often credited with, Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted, applies here. (more…)

How Meditation Transforms Your Diabetes Management

By Ryan Fightmaster on Feb 19, 2015

Diabetes does not leave. It’s the last person at the party, but that person happens to stay forever. It’s always there. The way we live our life often reflects directly onto how we manage our diabetes. The whole body is connected and our blood sugar is a huge indicator of its health. Meditation is in vogue. I read online daily about how someone has changed their life with meditation. It’s powerful. And yeah, it has effects on the diabetes life too.

Here’s a look at the four things I’ve witnessed since jumping on the bandwagon:

1) You now have the power to pause.

Space enters between an event and our reaction. Instead of immediately jacking 5 units of insulin into my body after a surprise 300 sugar, I can assess where I would like my blood sugar to be in two hours. It helps take my reactions from immediate to long-term gratification.

Tip: Valuable read about this pausing, and the accessing of infinite potentiality by Deepak Chopra: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

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