#1726 Cinderella Story - Part 1
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Diagnosed at 16 months while her parents were on a cruise, Olivia reveals how diabetes became her anchor through divorce, depression, and a chaotic family life.
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner (0:00) Hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Juice Box podcast.
Olivia (0:14) Hi. (0:15) My name is Olivia. (0:16) I'm 29 years old. (0:18) I've lived with type one diabetes since the age of 16, and I'm here to talk about t one d and my life and very excited to be on the show today.
Scott Benner (0:31) Alright. (0:32) Let's get down to it. (0:33) You want the management stuff from the podcast. (0:35) You don't care about all this chitting and chatting with other people. (0:38) Juiceboxpodcast.com/lists.
Scott Benner (0:41) They are downloadable, easy to read, every series, every episode. (0:47) They're all numbered. (0:48) Makes it super simple for you to go right into that search feature. (0:51) In your audio app, type juice box one seven nine five to find episode one seven nine five. (0:57) Juiceboxpodcast.com/lists.
Scott Benner (1:05) While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the juice box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:13) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. (1:29) The episode you're about to listen to was sponsored by Touched by Type One. (1:33) Go check them out right now on Facebook, Instagram, and, of course, at touchedbytype1.org. (1:40) Check out that programs tab when you get to the website to see all the great things that they're doing for people living with type one diabetes.
Scott Benner (1:47) Touchedbytype1.org. (1:49) Today's episode is also sponsored by the Eversense three sixty five, the one year wear CGM. (1:56) That's one insertion a year. (1:58) That's it. (1:59) And here's a little bonus for you.
Scott Benner (2:01) How about there's no limit on how many friends and family you can share your data with with the Eversense Now app? (2:07) No limits. (2:08) Eversense. (2:09) The podcast is also sponsored today by the Tandem Mobi system, which is powered by Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ Plus technology. (2:18) Tandem Mobi has a predictive algorithm that helps prevent highs and lows and is now available for ages two and up.
Scott Benner (2:25) Learn more and get started today at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox.
Olivia (2:31) Hi. (2:31) My name is Olivia. (2:32) I'm 29 years old. (2:34) I've lived with type one diabetes since the age of 16, and I'm here to talk about t one d and my life and very excited to be on the show today.
Scott Benner (2:44) I'm excited to talk to you, Olivia. (2:45) Thank you for doing this.
Olivia (2:47) Of course.
Scott Benner (2:48) 16.
Olivia (2:50) Yes. (2:50) Sixteen months.
Scott Benner (2:51) How many children did your parents have, and where did you fall in that order?
Olivia (2:55) So I am the youngest of two. (2:57) I have an older brother who is two years older than me. (3:00) Pretty small family.
Scott Benner (3:02) Mhmm. (3:02) Youngest of two because after you got diabetes, they stopped having kids?
Olivia (3:07) Well, not necessarily because of my t one d, but more so because my mom had a very rough delivery with me. (3:15) So I think originally, she was planning on having four. (3:20) Then my brother came along. (3:21) She said, okay. (3:23) Let's make it three.
Olivia (3:24) Then I came, and she said, I'm done.
Scott Benner (3:26) Would you, like, hold onto her spleen on the way out? (3:28) What were you doing?
Olivia (3:30) I mean, I have no idea what I was doing. (3:32) All I know is that it came very fast, and my mom had no kind of, epidural or anything. (3:39) And I was I was a larger baby. (3:41) So, yeah, it was from the sound of it, it was just really rough on her.
Scott Benner (3:47) Oh, I'm so well, I'm sorry for her, but, fun story. (3:49) Like, you know, so you're slip and slide now, what, at, like, nine pounds three ounces or something like that?
Olivia (3:54) Like, nine pounds six ounces, I think.
Scott Benner (3:56) No kidding. (3:57) Oh, wow. (3:57) You were big.
Olivia (3:58) Yeah.
Scott Benner (3:59) So did she have gestational with you?
Olivia (4:01) I I'm not a 100% sure. (4:03) I think I recall her saying before that she might have had gestational with me, which would explain why it was a larger baby, but I'm not really sure. (4:12) She hasn't really, like, talked in detail about it with me. (4:16) Interesting. (4:16) So, yeah, I don't really know.
Scott Benner (4:18) Okay. (4:19) No. (4:19) It's interesting because I think I think you would think that eventually I could remember these things, but I feel like I I feel like people have spoken on here before about gestational, like, making the possibility of your baby having type two later in life greater. (4:35) You should probably look into that, before I say it out loud, but I never I've never heard it, like, connected to type one. (4:40) Doesn't mean it's not.
Scott Benner (4:42) Also, makes me wonder if is your mom, like, a not a very what do I mean? (4:47) Like, not a very open person with stuff like that, or is it just you know what I mean?
Olivia (4:52) It's a good question because I think I don't know. (4:58) Like, I think when it comes to things like that involving her health, she isn't maybe the most open about certain topics. (5:06) And, again, I'm not really sure why, but that's kind of the way that she's been.
Scott Benner (5:10) Yeah. (5:11) So No. (5:11) I mean, I'm not trying to, like I'm not saying anything about her, Jane. (5:14) I'm just trying to figure out like, in my mind's eye, I'm thinking, like, oh, she has a baby. (5:19) Sixteen months later, has type one.
Scott Benner (5:21) You know? (5:22) A year and a half before that, somebody said to her gestational diabetes, you know, blah blah blah. (5:26) Maybe she feels maybe she just feels, I don't know, at fault and doesn't wanna talk about it even though that would be silly if that's not the case. (5:34) You know what I mean?
Olivia (5:35) Yeah. (5:35) I've I've never really thought about it that way, but now it kinda gets me wondering if there is some kind of connection between gestational and t one d. (5:44) Again, I'm I don't really know, but I am interested in finding out more.
Scott Benner (5:47) Right now. (5:48) Don't worry about it. (5:49) I don't
Olivia (5:49) Awesome.
Scott Benner (5:50) Yeah. (5:50) So, yeah, I don't think that's the case. (5:53) And gestational diabetes does not directly cause type one diabetes. (5:55) And to him, no. (5:56) I didn't say caused.
Scott Benner (5:57) I said increased likelihood. (6:00) If our overlord's not gonna pay attention, then what's gonna happen here? (6:05) You're asking gestational diabetes, likelihood not cause of type one diabetes in child. (6:09) The main drivers of type one are genetic. (6:11) Yeah.
Scott Benner (6:11) Thank you. (6:11) Gestational diabetes by itself does not significantly increase the likelihood of type one. (6:15) I didn't think so. (6:17) Large studies show no strong link between maternal gestational, and later type one diabetes. (6:24) Where the impact is clear, children exposed to gestational diabetes in utero have a higher likelihood of obesity, insulin resistance, and type two later in life.
Olivia (6:33) Okay. (6:34) That's interesting.
Scott Benner (6:35) Do you have any insulin resistance?
Olivia (6:37) No. (6:38) I in fact, like, a week or two ago, I noticed that my insulin sensitivity did a sudden jump, I was like, oh my goodness. (6:46) I'm having so many low blood sugars. (6:48) I need to back off on how much insulin I'm taking. (6:51) So it it it's kind of a blessing in disguise, I guess.
Scott Benner (6:54) Well, I for sure it is. (6:56) Let me let's move forward from my pretend supposition that possibly your mom had gestational diabetes. (7:01) Sure. (7:02) So we don't because that would be a weird road to continue down. (7:05) Anyway, I think maybe away from the the more technical parts of that conversation, it just struck me.
Scott Benner (7:14) I wonder if somebody said diabetes to her, and then you got diabetes, she got, like, just, I don't know, sensitive to it maybe.
Olivia (7:23) But I I don't know.
Scott Benner (7:24) That's me guessing still. (7:25) So
Olivia (7:26) Yeah. (7:26) I don't know. (7:27) But, but the the circumstances surrounding my diagnosis were pretty chaotic, actually, from what I've heard my mom share with me.
Scott Benner (7:37) Yeah. (7:37) Tell me what they've told you.
Olivia (7:39) Yeah. (7:40) So, of course, I don't remember anything because I was so young, but this would have happened around Memorial Day when I was a year old. (7:50) And leading up to Memorial Day, both my brother and I were sick with the flu. (7:56) My brother was recovering at a pretty normal rate, and I was taking more time to recover, kinda dragging my feet in recovery. (8:05) Mhmm.
Olivia (8:05) And around that time, my mom and dad were planning to go on a cruise to The Caribbean, and, they were going to leave my brother and me with my grandparents. (8:16) And so leading up to their trip, my mom was pretty worried about leaving me sick with the flu with my grandparents, but they were like, no. (8:24) Go ahead. (8:25) Like, go have fun. (8:26) We'll take care of the kids.
Olivia (8:27) We'll be fine. (8:28) So they left, and they were down in the Caribbean Sea. (8:33) And for context, they live in Michigan, so very, very far away. (8:37) So based on what I understand, I was exhibiting a lot of the classic t one d symptoms, peeing a lot. (8:47) Apparently, I was wearing, like, the strongest absorbency of diapers that you can wear, and I was peeing through those.
Olivia (8:53) I was drinking lots and lots of liquids. (8:57) And so I think I and, again, based on what I have heard, what ended up happening was one night, I woke up in the middle of the night. (9:07) I was asking my grandparents for something to drink. (9:10) And so they got me Kool Aid, which is probably one of the worst things that you can give a non diagnosed type one diabetic to drink, but I was excited about it because it was like, yay, like, more liquids. (9:23) Mhmm.
Olivia (9:23) I can satiate my thirst. (9:26) And after giving me that Kool Aid, I immediately threw it up. (9:29) So
Scott Benner (9:30) I thought you were gonna say you ran through a wall because that would have been awesome.
Olivia (9:34) That would have been hilarious. (9:35) Of course.
Scott Benner (9:36) Like a little baby Yeah. (9:37) Like a little baby sized, you know, hole through the drywall. (9:40) That would have
Olivia (9:40) been great. (9:41) Yeah. (9:42) That would have been amazing. (9:43) But Like, obviously, they, you know, they could tell that something's wrong. (9:47) From what I understand, one of my aunts who works in the medical field was also there, and she was observing what was going on.
Olivia (9:54) So she said to my grandparents, let's take her to I'm assuming they took me to urgent care first.
Scott Benner (10:01) Think there was urgent care thirty years ago.
Olivia (10:04) I think Sorry. (10:05) What was that? (10:05) You said, do
Scott Benner (10:05) you think urgent cares existed thirty years ago?
Olivia (10:10) I did they not?
Scott Benner (10:12) I don't know. (10:15) That seems to me like a am I just so old? (10:19) Oh, yeah. (10:20) Apparently, in the nineteen seventies. (10:21) Oh, how about that?
Olivia (10:23) Well Oh, wow. (10:24) Okay.
Scott Benner (10:24) Sorry, guys. (10:25) My dog's in here today if you're hearing him licking his paw. (10:27) Stop licking your paw. (10:29) The first recognized urgent care centers were started by emergency medicine doctors in 7071
Olivia (10:36) Wow.
Scott Benner (10:37) In Phoenix, Arizona. (10:38) Later in the Midwest and early hubs by the mid seventies urgent care became a defined industry which chains and organizations formed to expand the model. (10:46) In the eighties and nineties, urgent care centers spread widely filling a niche between primary care and today, there are more than 10,000 urgent care centers across The US. (10:55) Okay. (10:55) I'm so sorry.
Scott Benner (10:56) You're the middle of trying to tell me how you got diabetes, and I'm like, wait. (10:59) Did urgent cares exist? (11:00) I'm I it really did strike me that way. (11:02) Anyway, they took you somewhere. (11:04) Right?
Scott Benner (11:04) Because your aunt is a fancy lady, and she went to college, and she knew something. (11:08) Right now,
Olivia (11:08) what happens?
Scott Benner (11:09) Yeah. (11:09) Yeah. (11:09) Good.
Olivia (11:10) Yep. (11:10) So they took they took me to some medical facility, whether if that was an urgent care or a hospital, but, ultimately, whoever we saw first said, you gotta take her right away to the emergency room. (11:23) So they took me to the emergency room, checked my blood sugar. (11:27) It was over 600. (11:29) So I was diagnosed on the spot with type one diabetes.
Olivia (11:33) And meanwhile, both of my parents are thousands of miles away in the Caribbean Sea.
Scott Benner (11:38) Yeah. (11:38) Trying to enjoy a Mai Tai.
Olivia (11:41) And Yeah.
Scott Benner (11:42) You can't just tell the boat to go home because my kid's sick. (11:45) Right?
Olivia (11:46) No. (11:46) So from my parents' perspective, what ended up happening when they're on the ship is so back, you know, almost thirty years ago, there were you know, there was no Wi Fi, no cell service, or anything like that. (12:00) So they put a slip underneath their cabin door saying, call this phone number using the landline. (12:08) And I think it was a slip with some information from the hospital describing what happened. (12:15) Oh.
Olivia (12:15) And when when they got the slip, they were out at sea on that day. (12:20) So, like, long story short, my mom was incredibly shaken up and my my dad too, and they had to wait until the next day when they were in port to get an airplane to fly back to The United States.
Scott Benner (12:34) Oh, I bet you they felt terrible.
Olivia (12:37) Oh, yeah. (12:37) I I'm pretty sure that they did. (12:40) I I don't know how else they would feel.
Scott Benner (12:42) Although, I I wouldn't I should've married a lady like your mom, though, because in a million years, I couldn't have got Kelly to go on that cruise. (12:49) She'd be like the babysitter. (12:50) We're not going anywhere. (12:51) Don't even think she would have left without you. (12:52) As a matter of fact, and this is not a judgment about your parents, but I had friends growing up who once in a while would get left at our house for a week while their parents went on vacation.
Scott Benner (13:02) And I always thought that was strange. (13:06) But I guess that but I learned as I got older, it's pretty it was a pretty common thing that parents don't always take their kids on vacation with them. (13:13) And it's not a thing I knew
Olivia (13:14) about. (13:14) Yeah.
Scott Benner (13:15) Isn't that crazy? (13:16) Because by the way, I didn't go on vacation. (13:17) We were so broke. (13:18) We didn't go we didn't go anywhere. (13:19) We were always together.
Olivia (13:21) Oh. (13:21) Yeah.
Scott Benner (13:22) Yeah. (13:22) It's okay. (13:22) Don't worry. (13:23) Everything worked out. (13:24) So they fly home.
Olivia (13:26) And Yeah. (13:26) They fly home. (13:27) Yeah. (13:28) There was actually a delay in them getting home because so they were flying, I think, from Saint Thomas to Florida Mhmm. (13:35) Where they had, boarded the cruise ship.
Olivia (13:39) On the day that they're flying into Florida, there was a tornado by the airport. (13:42) So there was a delay in that landing, and then they had to get another plane from Florida back up to Michigan. (13:48) So I think it took probably a day or two before they got to me. (13:52) And my mom, when she entered the hospital, she described described it as I was laying in a bed. (14:00) I had an IV in each arm, one with insulin and one supposedly with glucose, I think.
Olivia (14:07) Like, probably a dual insulin glucose strip.
Scott Benner (14:10) Yeah.
Olivia (14:10) And, like, she she was devastated. (14:12) My my dad was too. (14:14) So, yeah, that's that's the story.
Scott Benner (14:17) Olivia, thank god this all happened before cell phone cameras because otherwise, there'd be an incredibly odd photo of your mother super tan with her hair braided holding a very sick 16 year old 16 old baby. (14:28) And it would just Yeah. (14:29) Because people listen. (14:31) Again, I'm not throwing shade on anybody, but, like, I don't get why people take pictures of weird stuff like that all the time. (14:36) Like, but I like, you know what I mean?
Olivia (14:38) People let me get a either.
Scott Benner (14:40) I'm like, I'm in the hospital. (14:41) I don't need a photo. (14:42) I'm good. (14:42) Thanks. (14:43) But Yeah.
Scott Benner (14:44) But but nevertheless, like, oh my gosh. (14:46) That I feel badly for them. (14:48) That's a terrible, like, amount of time to have to spend not knowing, feeling terrible like that, like, you know, trying to travel while your grandparents who, you know, are are trying to stand in for them.
Olivia (15:02) Oh, absolutely.
Scott Benner (15:03) Is that aunt your mom's sister or your dad's?
Olivia (15:05) That's my dad's sister. (15:07) Okay. (15:07) My grandparents are also my dad's parents.
Scott Benner (15:10) Oh, it's even worse for your mom. (15:11) You the baby Yeah. (15:13) The baby was with with his parents while it was happening. (15:16) Oh my gosh. (15:18) If you're married, you know what I'm saying.
Scott Benner (15:20) Anyway, well, okay. (15:21) You lived through it. (15:22) That's awesome. (15:23) Yep. (15:23) What is your earliest obviously, you don't remember much from being 16 old.
Scott Benner (15:27) If you did, would think you were lying. (15:30) You're like, let me tell you what happened, Scott. (15:31) I remember the whole thing. (15:33) But what are your what are your earlier remembrances of having type one? (15:39) Let's talk about the Tandem Mobi insulin pump from today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care.
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Olivia (17:51) Yeah. (17:52) So my earliest memories probably are from when I was three years old, and I remember from the time I was diagnosed all the way up until I was seven, my parents were giving me multiple daily injections. (18:07) And so, like, I I don't remember a whole lot of those instances, but I remember there was one evening where, they were giving me probably Lantus. (18:20) They're giving me a Lantus shot, and, I remember just laying on the floor and saying, like, you know, dad, this hurts. (18:29) And and he said, like, you know, in a joking voice, like, maybe it won't hurt so much if, you know, I chop your leg off.
Olivia (18:37) Like, he was trying to make a joke out of it. (18:39) Awesome.
Scott Benner (18:40) Funny guy. (18:40) And I
Olivia (18:40) was like, oh my goodness.
Scott Benner (18:43) Listen. (18:44) I I'm gonna guess that your dad is, an older school guy. (18:47) My if I would have said something hurt, my dad would have said, why don't I punch you in the arm so you don't feel it anymore? (18:51) I don't know where that common sense came from from that generation, but there it was. (18:56) So Yeah.
Scott Benner (18:56) I'm I'm I'm guessing he was going for one of those jokes.
Olivia (19:00) I I guess so. (19:01) Like a I don't know. (19:02) Maybe a traditional dad type joke.
Scott Benner (19:05) Just not a good one. (19:06) That's all.
Olivia (19:07) Not a good one. (19:08) No. (19:08) Well,
Scott Benner (19:09) your note is very interesting, Olivia, because you kind of laid out something that you wanted to talk about. (19:14) And Mhmm. (19:15) And I I'd like to dig into it a little bit because you're telling me that that having diabetes was a source of strength for you and that it be it came in handy because a number of times through your adolescence and growing up, some rocky things happen. (19:30) So I'd like to first understand how do you characterize a strength that comes from diabetes?
Olivia (19:37) Yeah. (19:38) So I I think a lot of times, I hear that having type one diabetes is just, like, one of the most awful things in the world. (19:47) It and it it it's tough. (19:49) Like, it you know, I think every person living with type one diabetes has better days and other times really rough days. (19:57) Mhmm.
Olivia (19:59) For me being diagnosed at the age of 16, I don't know any better. (20:03) I don't know what it's like to not live with this. (20:06) Yeah. (20:06) So it's always been a sense of normal for me. (20:09) But I think throughout my life, and as I start digging into some of the messier stuff that I've endured, having type one diabetes has always been, like, a source of stability and a constant in my life.
Olivia (20:25) It's been something that I've been able to really take the reins on and do my best managing in the midst of a lot of instability and uncertainty throughout my adolescence and early adulthood.
Scott Benner (20:41) That's interesting. (20:42) So the diabetes is is knowable once you figure it out. (20:47) It's pretty consistent with meaning that it needs you every day, and you feel like that's interesting. (20:56) So you feel like compared to other things that happen in life, you're pretty much in control of how you handle the diabetes?
Olivia (21:02) I like to say that, and I think a large part of that is actually due in part to listening to the diabetes pro tip series. (21:10) I've learned so much just listening through all of those podcast episodes. (21:15) And even though I still have rough days here and there, I think the rough days in general have dropped in quantity, and the good days have increased. (21:27) So
Scott Benner (21:27) That makes me happy. (21:29) Thank you for saying that. (21:30) As you didn't Yeah. (21:30) Absolutely. (21:31) You didn't have to, but that was that was lovely.
Scott Benner (21:33) You made me feel emotional. (21:34) I appreciate that. (21:34) Oh. (21:35) Well, it's early. (21:36) It's good.
Scott Benner (21:37) And I had a I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted last night, so I'm gonna be a little more set so because oh, by the way, because Arden's CGM stopped barking at 5AM.
Olivia (21:46) So Oh my goodness.
Scott Benner (21:47) You know, and I get a text, are there CGMs up here? (21:50) And I'm like, I don't know. (21:53) So I popped up and I I grabbed one and and I tossed it into a room like a hand grenade. (21:58) I was like, here. (21:59) But she was like, wait.
Scott Benner (22:00) Turn the light on. (22:01) And I was like, okay. (22:02) Now I'm involved.
Olivia (22:02) Oh, that's so rough. (22:04) I actually had that happened to me the other night where I had a sensor fail on me at, like, 3AM, and I was laying in bed thinking, okay. (22:12) Do I get up and change it, or do I just go back to sleep and change it in the morning? (22:17) And it was causing me just enough anxiety where I was like, alright. (22:21) Fine.
Olivia (22:21) I'll get out of bed. (22:22) I'll change it and then go back to sleep.
Scott Benner (22:25) Well, I wanna say in fairness to the CGM, I think it might have been Arden were right till the last second and thought it was gonna make it till morning, and it didn't.
Olivia (22:33) Oh, no. (22:34) And then
Scott Benner (22:34) it was making that, I don't know if you do which one you wear, but the g seven makes that like, like, it's a really loud noise. (22:41) I think that's why she was changing it.
Olivia (22:43) Oh my goodness.
Scott Benner (22:44) But the last thing she said is the light went off and she laid back down. (22:47) She I just heard her go, why at 05:00? (22:50) And that was like, and I'm assuming she was asleep before I got back to my bed, but I gotten back in bed, and I did not I wasn't able to fall back asleep right away. (22:58) So Ugh. (22:58) Yeah.
Scott Benner (22:58) It's fine. (22:59) That's rough. (23:00) Yeah. (23:00) Anyway, that makes me more emotional when I'm tired. (23:02) I don't know if that's a thing that happens to everybody or not.
Olivia (23:04) I yeah. (23:05) I would say, you know, when I don't get a lot of sleep, I tend to be more emotional too. (23:09) I I think it's pretty common.
Scott Benner (23:11) Yeah. (23:11) Yeah. (23:11) Here here's a marriage tip for anybody. (23:13) Do not have important conversations later at night.
Olivia (23:16) Oh, yes. (23:17) Absolutely.
Scott Benner (23:18) Do just do not. (23:19) Worst idea in the world. (23:21) Nevertheless, so to keep going with this Mhmm. (23:24) Diabetes is a is a constant for you even though it's not super consistent. (23:28) Right?
Scott Benner (23:28) I I assume it's like the the ocean a little bit. (23:31) Like, sometimes the ocean's calm, sometimes it's choppy, but it's always deep and you can drown in it. (23:36) So it's there's some consistency to it. (23:38) And Yeah. (23:39) Other things in your life have not been as reliable.
Scott Benner (23:43) Is that right?
Olivia (23:44) That's right. (23:45) Yeah. (23:45) Mhmm.
Scott Benner (23:46) What's the first thing that came for you, do you think?
Olivia (23:49) So I think so the first major thing that happened during my life was my parents getting divorced when I was 10 years old. (23:59) But before even that, there was a lot of a lot of moments of tension that I could sense between my mom and dad. (24:06) They didn't really have a happy and intimate marriage with one another. (24:13) Mhmm. (24:13) I remember being a young girl, and my mom would be raising her voice and screaming at my dad for who knows what reasons.
Olivia (24:22) And whenever I heard my mom's voice starting to rise like that, I knew, like, okay. (24:29) It's time to hide either in my bedroom or the basement. (24:32) Time to get out of here and just hide until the storm rolls over. (24:38) So I think a lot of the instability started even before my parents' divorce. (24:44) And I remember several months ago, my mom even sharing an anecdote with me where she told me when I was, like, too young to remember, maybe two years old, she screamed at me so harshly that I vomited.
Olivia (25:01) And so although I don't remember that, I'm pretty sure that my nervous system has Has remembered
Scott Benner (25:07) it? (25:07) Yeah.
Olivia (25:08) Yeah. (25:08) Yeah.
Scott Benner (25:08) What's, what's up with your mom? (25:10) She got, anything going on?
Olivia (25:12) Honestly, I don't really know. (25:15) I think I'm not a 100% sure.
Scott Benner (25:19) Have a guess, Olivia?
Olivia (25:21) Sorry. (25:22) What was that?
Scott Benner (25:22) Do you have a guess?
Olivia (25:24) Well so I've there's been issues between my mom and I over the past few months
Scott Benner (25:31) Oh, I'm sorry.
Olivia (25:32) Where, yeah, where she and I haven't been speaking to one another since mid June. (25:39) And that's a whole other story to unpack probably later on as we carry on with this, but sorry. (25:46) Go ahead.
Scott Benner (25:47) No. (25:47) I don't wanna like, I'm not trying to pick through your life too much. (25:49) I'm trying to figure out is she, you know, undiagnosed thyroid? (25:54) Is she is she, you know, depressed? (25:58) Is she borderline?
Scott Benner (25:59) Does she have, like, some sort of a mental health issue?
Olivia (26:02) So my mom hasn't been diagnosed with any of those. (26:06) Though, over the past few months, I have come to an increasing hunch that my mom could be borderline. (26:15) Mhmm. (26:15) And she seems to exhibit a lot of the DSM criteria for it. (26:20) But, again, I I don't wanna go around just diagnosing her because I'm not a mental health expert.
Scott Benner (26:26) No. (26:26) Yeah. (26:26) Leave that to podcasters. (26:28) You don't wanna do that.
Olivia (26:29) Yeah.
Scott Benner (26:30) No. (26:31) I understand. (26:31) I I I mean, listen. (26:32) It's you know, from a young age, you you remember your mom, like, screaming at your dad. (26:37) You you know, eventually, they got divorced.
Scott Benner (26:39) You know? (26:40) It's a little I I mean, there's some strange stuff in there, like, like, enough for make me wonder. (26:46) You know what I mean? (26:46) So oh, okay.
Olivia (26:47) Yeah. (26:48) Absolutely.
Scott Benner (26:49) But but you're what the the crux of that story is is that a as a child, somebody yelled at you and you vomited from it.
Olivia (26:57) Mhmm.
Scott Benner (26:57) Like, that's pretty drastic. (26:58) Like, either the yelling was drastic or the, you know, the response or maybe the combination of them, I guess.
Olivia (27:04) Yeah. (27:05) And and the crazy thing is that, like, I I don't have any memory of this happening. (27:10) I take my mom's word for it. (27:11) I trust that what she told me is true, but it's yeah. (27:16) I don't know.
Olivia (27:16) It it's weird to think that this happened, I have no recollection whatsoever.
Scott Benner (27:21) You're so nice. (27:22) How old is she?
Olivia (27:23) She is 61. (27:25) Oh, She's 61 years old.
Scott Benner (27:26) That's older than when when people start saying, like, I don't know. (27:29) My mom makes stuff up. (27:30) I don't trust her anymore. (27:32) I
Olivia (27:34) I think my mom is still with it. (27:37) Oh. (27:37) I think she's still very much with it.
Scott Benner (27:39) Yeah. (27:39) No. (27:39) I don't
Olivia (27:40) She might forget things.
Scott Benner (27:41) I don't know if people are always forgetting when they make stuff up. (27:44) I think sometimes it's a little bit of, you know, trying to shine up history a little bit or, you know, it's it's I'm I've I've seen it with other people. (27:52) So Mhmm. (27:53) Yeah. (27:53) Anyway okay.
Scott Benner (27:54) So okay. (27:55) Your mom screamed at you and made you vomit, and your parents and your parents got divorced, but that's probably not the end of it. (28:01) What happened next?
Olivia (28:02) No. (28:02) In fact, I would say that the divorce was really the beginning of a lot of stuff. (28:07) So when my parents got divorced, I was 10. (28:11) And when they drew up their divorce papers, they agreed to share split custody of my brother and I. (28:18) So the way that that looked was we would go stay with my mom for one week, and then we'd go stay with my dad for one week, and then back to mom for a week, back to dad for a week.
Olivia (28:30) And this repeated until I was 16. (28:34) So six years of going from one house to the other. (28:38) Horrible. (28:38) One house to the And it was I I think that living situation so at first, being 10 years old, I was innocent, and I thought, great. (28:49) I get to see mom and dad for the same amount of time versus, like, my mom or dad taking full custody of us.
Olivia (28:56) So at first, was happy about it, but as time went on and my brother and I were going back and forth constantly between each house, I started I think, like, around the age of 12, I started developing some form of depression. (29:15) I I remember back during that time having some subtle suicidal thoughts. (29:21) Like, you know, I wish I wasn't here. (29:23) I never acted on any of these, though.
Scott Benner (29:25) Did you ever have a plan did you ever have a plan?
Olivia (29:28) I never had a plan. (29:30) I never really thought about carrying out anything.
Scott Benner (29:34) Right.
Olivia (29:35) But I just remember thinking, like, I wish I was dead.
Scott Benner (29:39) Well, the
Olivia (29:40) back of 12.
Scott Benner (29:41) I mean, listen. (29:42) From my perspective, the it it feels to me like for six years, you lived in a hotel because it's you pack up, go somewhere, stay there for a few days, leave. (29:51) I I that feels unsettling to me.
Olivia (29:54) Yeah. (29:54) That's a really good way of looking at it. (29:56) And what you said about packing up belongings and leaving, that's exactly how it felt. (30:03) Every Friday, my brother and I would go to the other house. (30:08) And so Thursday night, we'd be packing up, you know, our, like, cell phone chargers and
Scott Benner (30:15) Yeah.
Olivia (30:16) Video game systems and all of that to carry to the other parent's house.
Scott Benner (30:20) By the way So the other house, what a humble brag. (30:23) Two houses. (30:24) Yeah. (30:25) Look at you look at you guys. (30:26) Yeah.
Olivia (30:28) It's like living in two houses. (30:29) It it was I remember being a a teenager, though, and it it would just be confusing to me because I remember making friends in middle school and high school. (30:39) And when I would go hang out with them at their parents' house, they'd say, yeah. (30:44) I live at this address. (30:46) But on the other hand, whenever I would invite my friends over, I would have to specify, okay.
Olivia (30:52) This week, I'm at my mom's house or this week, I'm at my dad's house. (30:55) So it never really felt like I had a true address, like a true home.
Scott Benner (31:00) Yeah. (31:01) You're settled.
Olivia (31:02) Exactly. (31:03) Yeah.
Scott Benner (31:04) Am I I mean, were the houses very close to each other, or or you spend a whole week with friends and then be like, hey. (31:09) We should hang out on Saturday, but you're going across town or somewhere else?
Olivia (31:13) Fortunately, the the good news is that they lived only about ten minutes away. (31:17) Okay. (31:18) And I was going to the same high school in the midst of all of this too. (31:21) So that was another point of stability Yeah. (31:24) In the midst of this, chaotic sea.
Scott Benner (31:26) So they tried to keep it I mean, it it is a good try from them. (31:31) But, I mean, I'm just thinking if all you would just, like, tough it out and stay together, we wouldn't have a housing crisis. (31:36) That's all I'm saying.
Olivia (31:37) Yeah. (31:38) Yeah. (31:39) It so I remember during those
Scott Benner (31:42) Sorry. (31:42) Sorry, Olivia. (31:43) I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm characterizing being married as tough it out.
Olivia (31:49) Well, I mean, like, marriage isn't all, you know, rainbows and kittens all the time. (31:54) Yeah. (31:55) Like, it it's great if it's that way most of the time, but Yeah. (31:58) You know, marriages are, you know, like any other relationship. (32:02) You'll run into Of course.
Olivia (32:03) Times where there's a bit more friction and you have to work it out.
Scott Benner (32:07) But You ever feel like that? (32:08) You know, I don't get to talk to a lot of adults who come from divorce. (32:11) Like, it doesn't come up as much as you would think. (32:13) You ever mad at them? (32:15) Did you have a parent that you blamed as a child?
Scott Benner (32:18) Did that hold true as an adult?
Olivia (32:20) Yeah. (32:21) I so from what I understand, it was my mom who initiated the divorce, so I don't think it was mutual. (32:31) Well, it it ended being a mutual decision on both of their parts because they went through with it, but my mom was the one who initiated it. (32:38) I don't think my dad wanted the divorce to happen. (32:41) Yeah.
Olivia (32:42) So I remember
Scott Benner (32:43) Olivia, I don't think you get to stay if if if you want to and the other one tells you to go, though. (32:48) So it's you know what I mean? (32:50) Like, if she if she says, don't wanna be married anymore, he goes, well, I do. (32:54) That's not that she doesn't have you know, she doesn't get to go, oh, well, then never mind. (32:58) Like, so maybe Right.
Scott Benner (32:59) Yeah. (32:59) Maybe it wasn't. (33:00) It also reminds me of that great scene in the the Santa Claus movie, gosh, with, Vince Vaughn. (33:09) Do you know this this movie?
Olivia (33:10) Oh, yeah.
Scott Benner (33:10) Where his brother is Santa Claus?
Olivia (33:13) Yes.
Scott Benner (33:13) And he's he's dating this girl, and she breaks up with him at from I know I've talked about this before. (33:19) It is, like, it is an incredibly funny scene and not a very good movie. (33:23) But but she's yelling down to him from the apartment. (33:27) She's like, I'm done. (33:28) He's like, I'm not done.
Scott Benner (33:29) I'm not done. (33:29) And there's I I can't do it justice, but go watch it. (33:32) It's hilarious.
Olivia (33:33) Yeah. (33:34) Oh, I totally gotta watch that just as Christmas season is coming up too.
Scott Benner (33:38) You know what? (33:38) While you're talking, I'll find the actual name of it for you. (33:40) Oh, it's Fred Claus. (33:41) I know what it's called. (33:42) It's called Fred Claus.
Olivia (33:43) Okay.
Scott Benner (33:43) Yeah. (33:44) Yeah.
Olivia (33:44) Fred Claus. (33:45) Yeah. (33:45) I I've watched I've watched, like, the first two Santa Claus movies with, Tim Allen, but I haven't watched Fred Claus yet. (33:52) So I'll have to add that one to my list.
Scott Benner (33:53) Well, I don't know how good it is, but that one scene make if you if you're trying to understand my sense of humor at all, that scene makes me cackle just so so everybody knows.
Olivia (34:02) I'll totally have to get give that a a listen Thank you. (34:05) And a watch.
Scott Benner (34:06) Thank you. (34:06) Thank you. (34:06) I'm sorry. (34:07) Go ahead. (34:07) So continue.
Scott Benner (34:08) I apologize.
Olivia (34:09) Yeah. (34:10) So I remember so during these six years of living under split custody between both of my parents, I I remember so there was that feeling of feeling very, very unsettled and not having a a true place to call home. (34:27) And my my mom and dad are very, very different people with different expectations. (34:32) And so over time, I, so during these six years, there was also pretty regular conflicts between my mom and dad, so there wasn't really even much peace between them after the divorce. (34:47) And so, like, I'm sitting there thinking, like, okay.
Olivia (34:50) Like, I want some kind of peace. (34:52) What can I do to achieve that peace? (34:55) I'm going to be the person my mom wants to be when I'm with her. (34:59) And then when I'm with my dad, I'm going to be the person that he wants me to be. (35:04) So I was a massive people pleaser with both my mom and dad.
Olivia (35:10) And since my mom and dad are very different people, personality wise and expectation wise, I in a sense, I developed two different personalities living with each of them, and I really didn't know who I truly was for a long, long time.
Scott Benner (35:30) Did you consciously turn them on and off?
Olivia (35:34) I that's a good question.
Scott Benner (35:37) Yeah. (35:38) Like, did it become a mental health issue, or was it conscious?
Olivia (35:43) I don't know if it ever truly became a mental health issue per se. (35:47) I think it was more a situation where if I knew I was going to my dad's house, for example, I would say to myself, okay. (35:56) Like, since my dad is, you know, quieter and more stoic, I'm going to be quieter and more stoic with him. (36:04) Mhmm. (36:05) And then whenever I would go to my mom's house, she's a lot more expressive.
Olivia (36:10) Yeah. (36:10) Like, a lot more expressive.
Scott Benner (36:12) You kinda locked up than around
Olivia (36:13) her. (36:14) Yeah.
Scott Benner (36:14) Was your dad quiet, or was your dad beaten down?
Olivia (36:19) That's a good question. (36:21) So
Scott Benner (36:23) You don't know. (36:23) You're so young. (36:25) You know?
Olivia (36:25) Yeah. (36:25) I I honestly don't know, but I think so I think if my suspicions about my mom having borderline are true, I think my dad probably was beaten down quite a bit by my mom. (36:38) Right. (36:39) And I think, generally speaking, he is a quiet person. (36:42) He's more introverted.
Olivia (36:44) Yeah. (36:44) But I I think my dad was just beaten down by my mom's barrages when they would happen.
Scott Benner (36:51) It's tough. (36:52) Is she a is she a physically opposing person?
Olivia (36:55) What do you mean by that?
Scott Benner (36:56) Is she is she tall? (36:57) Is she strong, or is she small and slight? (37:00) Like, what's her build?
Olivia (37:01) She's pretty small. (37:03) She's strong. (37:04) She's less than five feet tall.
Scott Benner (37:06) Okay. (37:06) Because it's a little She's
Olivia (37:07) pretty small.
Scott Benner (37:08) Yeah. (37:08) You know what I mean? (37:08) Like, it's a little less scary for a lady who's four eleven to be yelling at you than if she was five nine and, you know, give Right. (37:14) Yeah. (37:15) I I mean, honestly, like, if somebody's ranting and raving at you like that, like, it's there's a physical component to it as well.
Olivia (37:22) Yeah. (37:22) Absolutely.
Scott Benner (37:23) Are you a smaller person? (37:24) Are you built like her?
Olivia (37:25) I'm built more like her. (37:27) I'm a few inches taller than her, which isn't really saying much. (37:30) I'm barely, you know, just scraping above five feet. (37:33) Yeah. (37:33) Yeah.
Scott Benner (37:35) I don't know. (37:36) Do you ever see yourself in her or vice versa? (37:39) Does that worry you?
Olivia (37:41) So now that I like, so now in adulthood, now that I have a much better picture about who I am as a person, and I'm still actually I feel like I'm still trying to piece that together fully.
Scott Benner (37:54) Yeah.
Olivia (37:56) So my mom, I would say, is very extroverted. (38:00) I'm definitely more of an introverted person, more of a quiet soul, I would say. (38:06) Yeah. (38:06) When it comes to expressing emotions, she's a lot more expressive. (38:11) Me, on the other hand, I'm not quite as expressive, though I feel things deeply, if that makes any sense.
Scott Benner (38:18) Sure.
Olivia (38:18) So personality wise, I don't see a whole lot of her in myself. (38:25) Yeah. (38:26) Appearance wise, though, I take after her quite a lot.
Scott Benner (38:29) Gotcha. (38:30) Now do you find yourself because of what you shared a moment ago, do you find yourself wondering if this is your personality or if it's the one you chose? (38:37) Do you know what I mean? (38:38) Mhmm. (38:38) Like, because if you because I imagine when you were with your dad, you didn't become another person.
Scott Benner (38:42) You probably just leaned harder into the quiet part of yourself. (38:45) And when you were with your mom Sure. (38:46) You know what mean? (38:47) You leaned harder into that part. (38:48) But then it sounds like you chose one, but I won't but I don't know.
Scott Benner (38:53) This is just me. (38:54) Like, I would wonder. (38:55) I'm not trying to mess you up. (38:56) Like, you know what I mean? (38:57) Like, I would I would I would wonder, like, is this who I am, or is this who I settled on?
Scott Benner (39:03) Does that make sense?
Olivia (39:04) I see what you mean. (39:05) Yeah. (39:06) Yeah. (39:06) That I think that's a good question too. (39:08) I so I think maybe there were certain elements of my personality that I chose just in you know, I saw things in both of my parents, and I said to myself, don't wanna be like them in these different ways.
Olivia (39:25) I think also the times that I was at school so, like, again, kind of that common one point of stability when I was going back and forth between houses. (39:35) I think the way that I was at school gave me some hints as to who my true self was. (39:42) And, at school, I was generally a a pretty quiet girl
Scott Benner (39:46) Okay.
Olivia (39:46) A bookworm, a a band geek, all of those types of things. (39:51) Like, I never really was, like, super bubbly or going up to random people, striking up conversations.
Scott Benner (40:00) Yeah. (40:01) Clarinet? (40:01) What'd you play?
Olivia (40:03) Yeah. (40:03) I played clarinet.
Scott Benner (40:04) Did I get it? (40:04) Yeah. (40:05) Goddamn. (40:05) Yeah. (40:06) Hold on, Olivia.
Scott Benner (40:06) Take a second. (40:07) Hold on. (40:07) Just take one second. (40:09) Everybody just give me some credit, like, virtually through the airwaves right now. (40:14) I how do I do these things?
Scott Benner (40:16) This is not a great skill, Olivia, but it is my skill, and I'm gonna celebrate it for a second. (40:21) How did I do that? (40:22) What do you think I knew about you that I came up with clarinet? (40:25) Oh, we'll never know.
Olivia (40:27) That was amazing.
Scott Benner (40:28) Thank you. (40:29) I'm basically a genius at things that don't matter.
Olivia (40:34) Seriously, that was brilliant. (40:35) Can't wait to tell my husband about this later.
Scott Benner (40:38) Thank you. (40:39) Thank you. (40:39) So I wish there was an audience here right now. (40:41) I would take a curtain call on that. (40:44) Really lovely.
Scott Benner (40:45) Okay. (40:45) Oh, wow. (40:46) Alright. (40:47) I'm sorry.
Olivia (40:49) Let me refocus. (40:50) Good.
Scott Benner (40:50) I was about to ask you something really serious, and it just hit me. (40:53) I'm like, I know for sure this was a clarinet. (40:55) Let me say it out loud. (40:56) But then there was a lot of risk because I could have been wrong. (40:58) You know?
Scott Benner (40:59) You said you didn't wanna be like either of them, but, like, so far in the story, your dad's a good guy. (41:04) Does that change?
Olivia (41:06) It does. (41:06) Oh. (41:07) So, like, there's nothing in my story yet that I would say is completely black and white. (41:13) So my dad, when it comes to him, I should actually back up to the time I was 16 when the split custody thing ended. (41:23) It ended when I came to a decision to live at my mom's house all the time because because of a variety of factors, but one of the primary factors was that I just needed stability.
Olivia (41:39) I couldn't take it anymore. (41:41) And in deciding between whether to live with my mom or my dad, I remember a lot of times being at my dad's house and just sitting in my bedroom pretty much the whole time unless if I was sharing a family meal or going to school. (41:57) Mhmm. (41:58) But I felt very lonely. (41:59) And my dad and my stepmom, his wife, didn't really check on me a whole lot when I was spending time in my bedroom.
Olivia (42:10) So it I remember back during those days thinking that my bedroom was like a prison cell, and I was starving of love.
Scott Benner (42:17) Oh my gosh. (42:19) That's crazy.
Olivia (42:20) Yeah.
Scott Benner (42:21) Did they have kids of their own, the two of them?
Olivia (42:24) Yeah. (42:25) They when I was 13, they started having kids of their own. (42:31) They have, four daughters together.
Scott Benner (42:33) Jeez.
Olivia (42:34) Yeah.
Scott Benner (42:36) Wow. (42:37) I think like, that's I mean, you're already 13, and they're having four they have four other kids?
Olivia (42:42) Yep. (42:43) My, for context, my it's kind of weird. (42:47) My stepmom is fourteen years younger than my dad, and she's also fourteen years older than me. (42:53) So she's, like, right in the middle
Scott Benner (42:55) Oh my gosh.
Olivia (42:56) Between my dad and I. (42:57) But, yeah, they they popped out four girls. (43:00) I suspect they were probably trying for a boy, but then gave up after the fourth daughter was born. (43:06) Not really sure.
Scott Benner (43:07) I have so many theories in here about, like, your dad being domineered by your mom and then him probably going after a younger person who is more amenable the next time. (43:16) But am I right?
Olivia (43:19) Maybe to an extent. (43:20) I think I think and, again, based on what I remember back during my adolescence, I think my stepmom definitely wore between the two of them. (43:30) Think he was being domineered by her.
Scott Benner (43:33) Yeah. (43:34) Wow. (43:34) Your dad's a a he's got a type.
Olivia (43:38) Yeah. (43:40) Yeah. (43:40) Just I don't know. (43:41) Like, compliant. (43:42) I'm not really sure if compliance is the right word.
Scott Benner (43:44) See, I was I'm I was a 100% as right as I was about the clarinet thing, I was very wrong about that. (43:48) Like, what I thought was is he went after somebody younger because maybe they wouldn't know themselves as well and maybe would not, like, stick up and you know what I mean? (43:56) Like, maybe he was tired of being told what to do and was looking to tell somebody what to do, but that doesn't sound like the vibe.
Olivia (44:02) So No. (44:03) No. (44:04) I I think I think, ultimately, the dynamics that were at work in his marriage to my mom are pretty similar to the dynamics he shares with his, with his new wife in that
Scott Benner (44:16) In the I'm sorry. (44:17) In that
Olivia (44:18) in that, my both my mom and my stepmom are more domineering types, and my dad is more of the passive type.
Scott Benner (44:25) Mhmm. (44:26) What do the kids call that? (44:27) A simp? (44:28) Is that what they call it?
Olivia (44:28) I
Scott Benner (44:29) I don't know the Internet that much. (44:30) Yeah. (44:30) Yeah. (44:31) Yeah.
Olivia (44:31) I'm I'm not really familiar with a lot of the common lingo these days. (44:34) Like, simp sounds right, but I I could be totally wrong too.
Scott Benner (44:37) I love that you said common lingo. (44:39) I love you, Olivia. (44:40) You're awesome. (44:40) I don't know. (44:41) Listen.
Scott Benner (44:41) I don't know why.
Olivia (44:42) Too, Scott.
Scott Benner (44:42) Oh, thank you. (44:43) I don't know why your parents were ignoring you. (44:44) You seem cool. (44:46) So
Olivia (44:46) I I appreciate that. (44:48) Seriously. (44:48) I do. (44:49) Seriously.
Scott Benner (44:49) Also, I wanna take a half a sidebar here for a second before we because I have a question about why you picked your mom. (44:54) But I just found myself thinking, like, when you're out in public or at work, you know, or you're around a bunch of people, whether you're related to them or just around them a lot, like, when you listen to people's stories like Olivia's and other people that come on the podcast, does it not make you look around the room and wonder, like, what are all of these other people's stories? (45:13) Because this is such a complicated, you know, rich, sad, you know, story that you're telling. (45:21) And that's a thing you carry around with you every day. (45:23) Like, your building blocks are this story.
Scott Benner (45:25) Right? (45:26) And when you're at work or church or wherever you go at the grocery store, everything you do and think and react come from from this, like, this this origin story of yours. (45:39) You you know? (45:40) And and everyone has one. (45:42) And it's so simple, I think, to, you know, sit in a room with 20 people that you work with and just be like, oh, you know, he's a asshole and she's a bitch and that one's you know, wants to tell us what to do all the time and that one doesn't listen and but and to oversimplify people.
Scott Benner (45:58) But and I really think if people got to know each other better, they'd work better together. (46:03) You know? (46:03) I don't know how reasonable it is at work for you to tell stories like this, but it just occurs to me we should know each other if we really expect to, exist well. (46:11) So, anyway
Olivia (46:13) Yeah. (46:13) Definitely. (46:14) I I agree with that because every person is unique. (46:17) Every person has a unique story that they are carrying around. (46:23) They have different sets of circumstances that have led them to the point where they are now in the present moment.
Olivia (46:29) And I think that it's so easy to just kind of go along our own way, not really give a second thought to what other people are going through.
Scott Benner (46:37) Yeah. (46:37) Yeah. (46:37) You've overcome a lot. (46:39) Like, I would like, if you were on my team at work, I would think, like, hey. (46:42) Let's get Olivia involved in this.
Scott Benner (46:44) Like, she doesn't give up. (46:45) You you know, like, she gets stuff done. (46:47) She follows through. (46:48) She doesn't, you know, she doesn't just put up her hands and go, oh, no. (46:50) You know?
Scott Benner (46:51) Well, dad stuck me in the in the love prison and my mom's screaming. (46:55) I mean, like, this is my next question. (46:56) It's like, how do you choose her? (46:58) Like, that's, like, that's that's all. (47:00) I mean, that's really, like that's like a reverse Sophie's choice, isn't it?
Scott Benner (47:09) This episode was too good to cut anything out of, but too long to make just one episode. (47:15) So this is part one. (47:16) Make sure you go find part two right now. (47:18) It's gonna be the next episode in your feed. (47:23) Touched by Type one sponsored this episode of the Juice Box podcast.
Scott Benner (47:27) Check them out at touchedbytype1.org on Instagram and Facebook. (47:32) Give them a follow. (47:33) Go check out what they're doing. (47:35) They are helping people with type one diabetes in ways you just can't imagine. (47:41) Today's episode of the juice box podcast was sponsored by the new Tandem Mobi system and Control IQ plus technology.
Scott Benner (47:49) Learn more and get started today at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. (47:54) Check it out. (47:57) The podcast episode that you just enjoyed was sponsored by Eversense CGM. (48:02) They make the Eversense three sixty five. (48:05) That thing lasts a whole year.
Scott Benner (48:07) One insertion. (48:08) Every year? (48:09) Come on. (48:10) You probably feel like I'm messing with you, but I'm not. (48:12) Eversensecgm.com/juicebox.
Scott Benner (48:17) Thank you so much for listening. (48:19) I'll be back very soon with another episode of the juice box podcast. (48:22) If you're not already subscribed or following the podcast in your favorite audio app, like Spotify or Apple podcasts, please do that now. (48:30) Seriously, just to hit follow or subscribe will really help the show. (48:34) If you go a little further in Apple Podcasts and set it up so that it downloads all new episodes, I'll be your best friend.
Scott Benner (48:41) And if you leave a five star review, oh, I'll probably send you a Christmas card. (48:46) Would you like a Christmas card? (48:52) Hey, kids. (48:53) Listen up. (48:53) You've made it to the end of the podcast.
Scott Benner (48:55) You must have enjoyed it. (48:56) You know what else you might enjoy? (48:57) The private Facebook group for the Juice Box podcast. (49:01) I know you're thinking, Facebook, Scott, please. (49:04) But no.
Scott Benner (49:04) Beautiful group, wonderful people, a fantastic community. (49:08) Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook. (49:11) Of course, if you have type two, are you touched by diabetes in any way? (49:15) You're absolutely welcome. (49:17) It's a private group, so you'll have to answer a couple of questions before you come in.
Scott Benner (49:20) We'll make sure you're not a bot or an evil doer, then you're on your way. (49:24) You'll be part of the family. (49:27) Oh my, did I get lucky. (49:29) The Celebrity Cruise Line reached out to me and said, how would you like to come on a cruise before your juice cruise so you can get a real good look at the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship and share some video with your listeners. (49:43) I said, thank you.
Scott Benner (49:45) So that's where I might be right now. (49:47) If it's December, let me actually find a date for you. (49:50) I'm not a 100% sure. (49:52) I think I'm going in December right before Christmas. (49:56) Like, you know, like, I don't know, like, the third or fourth week of December.
Scott Benner (49:59) I'm sorry. (49:59) Know this isn't much of a that. (50:00) But if you wanna see video from me on the cruise ship, my wife and I are gonna head out and really check it out to see what it's all about to grab some great video for you. (50:09) Get it up on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook so you can see what you'd be getting if you came along on Juice Cruise 2026, which, of course, leaves from Miami on 06/21/2026. (50:21) We're gonna be going to CocoCay in The Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts And Nevis.
Scott Benner (50:26) Do not miss it. (50:27) It's a great opportunity to meet other people living with type one diabetes to form friendships, to learn things, and just swap stories. (50:34) It's a relaxing vacation with a bunch of people who get what your life is like. (50:39) And trust me, there's a lot of value in that. (50:41) Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise.
Scott Benner (50:45) Come check it out and go find my socials to see what that ship looks like. (50:49) There's also a video at my link that's, kind of a ship tour for the celebrity beyond. (50:54) And let me tell you something. (50:55) If this ship is a tenth as nice as this video is, I am in for a great time, and so are you. (51:02) Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise.
Scott Benner (51:05) Come along. (51:08) If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. (51:14) Listen. (51:15) Truth be told, I'm, like, 20% smarter when Rob edits me. (51:18) He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that.
Scott Benner (51:23) And it just I don't know, man. (51:25) Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? (51:28) And then I remember because I did one smart thing. (51:31) I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.
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