#1795 Had Enough - Part 2
You can always listen to the Juicebox Podcast here but the cool kids use: Apple Podcasts/iOS - Spotify - Amazon Music - Google Play/Android - iHeart Radio - Radio Public, Amazon Alexa or wherever they get audio.
Justin returns to talk anger, money, burnout, and why 21 million downloads matter. A raw, funny, honest look at what it really costs to live with type 1.
Key Takeaways
- Pharmacy vs. DME Savings: Navigating insurance to move supplies from Durable Medical Equipment (DME) to the pharmacy can result in massive savings. Justin saved $2,000 annually by switching to pharmacy co-pays for Omnipod and Dexcom G7.
- Retinopathy and A1c: Justin observed that his mild diabetic retinopathy improved or receded in one eye after achieving better blood sugar stability and a lower A1c.
- Hardware Reliability: While "looping" with old Medtronic pumps is a viable entry point for DIY automated insulin delivery, hardware failure is a risk; modern options like the Omnipod Dash offer current hardware with pharmacy accessibility.
- Accessibility Commitment: The Juicebox Podcast invests in transcripts and ASL translations for the "Bold Beginnings" series to ensure life-saving management information is available to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or non-English speakers.
- The "Legacy" Purpose: Beyond building a top 1% podcast with 21 million downloads, Scott’s primary motivation remains creating a comprehensive resource for his daughter to use as an adult.
Resources Mentioned
- Eversense 365 (1-Year Wear CGM): eversincecgm.com/juicebox
- Tandem Mobi (Control IQ Plus): tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox
- Touched by Type One: touchedbytype1.org
- Juice Cruise 2026: juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise
- Erica Forsyth (Therapist): ericaforesight.com
- Dexcom G7 CGM: dexcom.com/juicebox
- Omnipod 5 & Dash: omnipod.com/juicebox
- Wrong Way Recording: wrongwayrecording.com
Health Complications and Retinopathy
Scott BennerFriends, we're all back together for the next episode of the Juice Box podcast. Welcome.
JustinI'm Justin. I'm a type one diabetic. I've had diabetes since I was just shy of three years old, and I'm pissed off.
Scott BennerThis is part two of a two part episode. Go look at the title. If you don't recognize it, you haven't heard part one yet. It's probably the episode right before this in your podcast player. Check out my algorithm pumping series to help you make sense of automated insulin delivery systems like Omnipod five, Loop, Medtronic seven eighty g, Twist, Tandem Control IQ, and much more.
Scott BennerEach episode will dive into the setup, features, and real world usage tips that can transform your daily type one diabetes management. We cut through the jargon, share personal experiences, and show you how these algorithms can simplify and streamline your care. If you're curious about automated insulin pumping, go find the algorithm pumping series in the Juice Box podcast. Easiest way, juiceboxpodcast.com, and go up into the menu. Click on series, and it'll be right there. Nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin.
Scott BennerI'm having an on body vibe alert. This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by Eversense three sixty five, the only one year wear CGM. That's one insertion and one CGM a year. One CGM, one year. Not every ten or fourteen days. Ever since cgm.com/juicebox. Today's episode is also sponsored by the Tandem Mobi system, which is powered by Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ Plus technology. Tandem Mobi has a predictive algorithm that helps prevent highs and lows and is now available for ages two and up.
Scott BennerLearn more and get started today at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. The podcast is also sponsored today by Touched by Type One. Please take a moment to learn more about them at touchedbytype1.org on Facebook and Instagram. Touchedbytype1.org. Check out their many programs, their annual conference, awareness campaign, their d box program, dancing for diabetes. They have a dance program for local kids, a golf night, and so much more. Touchedbytype1.org. You're looking to help or you wanna see people helping people with typeone, you want touchedbytype1.org. Do you have any complications right now?
JustinNo major ones. My eyes seem to be struggling a little bit. I had corrective eye surgery back in, I think, 2004. I had glasses for a while as a kid, and I went with corrective eye surgery to fix that. And then maybe, like, two years ago, I started needing cheaters a lot more often for reading. I can drive without glasses. Mhmm. They say I have mild diabetic retinopathy, but it's I think I had it in both eyes, and I wanna say the one eye I don't know if it's receded or gone away or whatever, but it at least in the one eye, it's improved. And the other one, the current eye that it is noticed in, she's had a harder time finding it.
Scott BennerI've interviewed people that say that they've had pretty significant issues that once they got their a one c down and they've got nice stable blood sugars that they've experienced a lot of progress and positivity in their eyes. So, yeah, that's awesome.
The Financial Burden: DME vs. Pharmacy
JustinI I would say the only other complication is financial and with hardware. Stuff costs more now. Well, it it costs more, but maybe two years ago, it was nice. I at the one endo office, I said I was looping, but I need the old pumps. My NP went into a drawer, pulled out about eight of them from patients who would surrender them to the office once their four year warranty was up, and she just gave me six of them. I thought, this is great. So I but I think in a matter of a year, two broke and one died. So I thought, oh, that doesn't make me feel very good. And then I thought back to I had been on MiniMed since the early two thousands. I was on Desatronic before that when I first went on the pump. Medtronic's all I knew, but then I said, well, that girl at the ADA tour de cure event, she had the Omnipod, and dashes are still being made. So that's new current hardware. And, oh my gosh, it comes through the pharmacy.
Scott BennerI was gonna say, you're not still looping with an old Medtronic pump. Right?
JustinI think I have two of them upstairs. But you're doing it with Omnipod right now? I am. I am. For a couple reasons. First one's financial. I don't ask me why. Okay. Back to the anger. It pisses me off that I went, oh, boy, probably five years paying the rates for DME through my insurance for the Medtronic supplies or the MiniMed supplies, which were separately reservoirs, tubings with the infusion sets, and oh, at one time, the n light sensors.
JustinBecause the CGM went through them too. So, eventually, the first thing I switched off of was the nLIGHT, and I went to DexCom because lo and behold, LOOP would let you use Freestyle DexCom or the nLIGHT sensor if you had the Medtronic. Mhmm. And I thought, well, if I'm gonna switch off, let me try the Medtronic pump with the Dexcom sensor to get on more current hardware, and Dexcom has always been, in my mind, from what I've heard, the gold standard for CGM. In that day, certainly starting off, I migrate to Dexcom. Then eventually, I think after I broke the third pump, I said, boy, I gotta get this other pump. So I I go to Omnipod. Now that had to go through the pharmacy, so that was a single co pay. I got to easily drop the co pays or move away from DME for the Medtronic supplies. And then I said, yeah. Omnipod only goes to the pharmacy. And for some stupid reason, I looked up on the formulary list for, I think, MiniMed. And sure enough, all the supplies are in the pharmacy. Yeah. And I'm saying, where are people to—
Scott BennerTell me that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
JustinWho's gonna stand up and say, DME may work? Because I guess it worked. I asked my mom recently, how much did you pay for my supplies as a kid? And she goes, gosh. I really don't remember, which to me says—not that much. I doubt it was free or covered, but it couldn't have been much. So now I'm like, how much am I paying? And so I added everything up, doing the, like, four circuits of it a year for the ninety day supplies, switching all the mini med supplies. If I changed nothing—switching the mini med supplies would save me a thousand dollars a year out of pocket.
Scott BennerThat's awesome.
JustinThen switch that around and with the change to Omnipod, which is a single co pay every ninety days, plus doing g seven instead of G 6 because G 6 was two scripts, transmitter and sensor. Yep. Going to the G 7, since it's all one unit, that's one co pay and one script. And then moving from DME to pharmacy, out of pocket, I saved $2,000 a year.
Scott BennerThat's a significant amount of money. Jeez.
JustinAnd where is somebody to say, hey. Maybe you should check that out? Or think to search through the Apple podcast app and say, oh, who's got podcasts about diabetes loop? Oh, this dummy Benner has it.
Scott BennerI'm uncomfortable with you calling me dumb. Man, I'm happy the podcast is valuable for you. I really am. It's it makes me feel great.
JustinAnd it's it's not just me. I mean, clearly, what are your downloads like each day?
Podcasting Stats and the Top 1%
Scott BennerWell, I don't share that. But Okay. I could tell you that I have this is January 2026. I've just started producing my twelfth solid year. We did 320 episodes last year. We'll probably do somewhere similar, you know, maybe a fewer this year. I, woke up this morning. The podcast was number 12 in the Apple US medicine category. It was top 200 in 42 other countries. Australia, Canada, England, there were, like, in the top twenties, top 30 in those countries.
JustinAre you just buying time to try to get a number, or are you gonna answer the question?
Scott BennerI've I've done close to 21,000,000 downloads the time I've been making the podcast. The podcast is in the top 1% of all podcasts that exist. Let me be honest. Not that I'm not being, but let me be further honest. I am in the top one percent of all podcasts. Having said that, there are about four and a half million registered podcasts. Only about 800,000 of them actually produce an episode. Of those 800,000, something like 86% of them don't do enough downloads to get an ad. So you're basically talking about 14% of about 800,000 podcasts that are, like, viable, actually get more than about a 130 downloads per episode. But of those 800,000, I'm in the top 1%. If you take the top 1% and break it down into a 100 parts, I'm, like, the top 40% of the top 1%. Meaning that, you know, the big the famous people—
JustinYeah. You're you're no Joe Rogan. You're no Jason Kelce.
Scott BennerThose people are probably doing my daily downloads in an hour. If I did some rough math here correctly, I would this is my opinion. You're in the four figures, probably— A day? We do millions of downloads a year. So the rough math would suggest that you're around maybe 10,000 a day. So that's 10,000 downloads a day Mhmm. from people like me. Hopefully, not too many people like me because I'm a jerk.
Scott BennerSo angry and mean, Justin. I'm also looking out the window. It just started to snow. So I'm gonna get angrier. Where are you at? Saratoga, New York. Yeah. That would piss me off. I don't want it to snow here. I just wanna say that right now. Go ahead. I'm sorry. People like you.
JustinThere are roughly 10,000 people who are listening to you every day because they are scared. We are scared. I'm gonna let myself in. We are scared. We are let down. We are lost, and we need you, the guy from Jersey, to basically tell us and show us what we're not being told that's more valuable than the blessed safe thing. Because what happens if and when—let me run a a crazy theoretical. What happens if somebody comes out with research that says GLP ones don't work? You've been banging that drum for a while for good reason. Let me be clear. But if you were a medical professional and that blew up in your face, you would lose your license or you would have a reputation that would hurt your well-being. What happens to you if that comes out? Probably nothing. You pivot because you're just a guy—
Scott BennerSharing people's stories. That's really it. And guiding us. I mean—that's where the value is. Justin, listen. I've come to think of it more like this. I'm sure I have some skills that make this listenable. That's all well and good. But what I've done if somebody with type one diabetes wants to say thank you to me, I think that what I've done is I built this thing up to be large enough that it attracts people to come in and tell their story so that you can hear their story. I just think of this more as like a I don't know. I own the megaphone. It's kinda how it feels. I could be doing all kinds of cool stuff with my megaphone if I wanted to, but instead of going to a football game and using it and picking something that I'm could make a bunch of money off of or whatever, I just take my megaphone every day and I hold it up and I find somebody with type one diabetes or is impacted by diabetes somehow and I say, here's my megaphone. You go ahead and use it today.
Tandem Mobi and Eversense Sponsoship
Scott BennerLet's talk about the Tandem Mobi insulin pump from today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. Their newest algorithm, Control IQ plus technology and the new Tandem Mobi pump offer you unique opportunities to have better control. It's the only system with auto bolus that helps with missed meals and preventing hyperglycemia, the only system with a dedicated sleep setting, and the only system with off or on body wear options. Tandem Mobi gives you more discretion, freedom, and options for how to manage your diabetes. This is their best algorithm ever, and they'd like you to check it out at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. When you get to my link, you're going to see integrations with Dexcom sensors and a ton of other information that's gonna help you learn about Tandem's tiny pump that's big on control. Tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. The Tandem Mobi system is available for people ages two and up who want an automated delivery system to help them sleep better, wake up in range, and address high blood sugars with Autobolus.
Scott BennerWhy would you settle for changing your CGM every few weeks when you can have three hundred and sixty five days of reliable glucose data? Today's episode is sponsored by the Eversense three sixty five. It is the only CGM with a tiny sensor that lasts a full year sitting comfortably under your skin with no more frequent sensor changes and essentially no compression lows for one year. You'll get your CGM data in real time on your phone, smartwatch, Android, or iOS, even an Apple Watch. Predictive high and low alerts let you know where your glucose is headed before it gets there, so there's no surprises, just confidence. And you can instantly share that data with your health care provider or your family. You're going to get one year of reliable data without all those sensor changes. That's the Eversense three sixty five. Gentle on your skin, strong for your life, one sensor a year that gives you one less thing to worry about. Head now to eversincecgm.com/juicebox to get started.
Education and Curriculum through Entertainment
JustinBut you balance it with Jenny and Erica and doctor Blevins, folks who are adding more curriculum, more structured. Yeah. I mean, listen. Put another way, I think I trick you into taking care of your diabetes by entertaining you. That's what I'm trying to do. Like, I make the podcast something you wanna come back to so that you'll listen to the stuff that helps you because I think if you just made a very cold podcast about diabetes, don't think anybody would listen to it. Actually, I think other people have proven that out. You provide the wants of the stories alongside the needs of the curriculum.
Scott BennerListen. I can tell you this. The ADA has a podcast. They do? Yeah. Well, listen. The ADA has a podcast that there's been blog talk radio shows before mine, but I think I had the first type one diabetes podcast, January 2015. And when I really went back and looked, I think the ADA might have had one a couple of months before me, and I just didn't realize it. But in their social media somewhere, I saw them celebrate a million downloads, but it took them, like, ten years. And and I thought I mean, because the information in the ADA podcast must be pretty rock solid, you would imagine. You know what I mean? Listen. Getting a 100,000 downloads on a podcast in a year, and I don't know what they are, but I'm kinda saying ten years, 1,000,000, kinda breaking it down that way. That's just it's insignificant as far as a podcast goes. You know, if you're just trying to reach a small group of people and you're using it for a business or something, that might be amazing. But if you're trying to cast a net that reaches the whole world and brings back in—you know, I hate to say it, but if you're doing a $100,000 a year on a podcast, you're not reaching very many people. It's about making it something that is listenable, that you leave with something actionable, and that could be your mental health feels better, you feel heard, you feel like somebody understands you, you understand how to pre bolus now, whatever that might be for you that day. And you leave with that improved so much so that you think to go tell someone else about it. And that's how it grows, and it's why I get as many downloads as I do and why the podcast continue—actually, this year is starting off great. Like, it's growing like crazy right now again. And so that's why that stuff is happening. And was that my intention when I started? Like, I don't know. Like, I I really don't know. I just didn't wanna lose my blog was popular and it helped people. And I didn't wanna lose it and people stopped reading, so I made a podcast. And this thing has clearly grown since then.
JustinI like audio better myself personally. None of us read anymore. That's pretty much over. Well, that's true. Yeah. But it also sticks to you better. And by the way then, there's people who, like, came to me years ago and they're like, well, listen. I it's nice to hear that this pro tip series is helping people, but I don't learn that way. And I'm like, oh, okay. Well, here's transcripts. Do you know there's a person I just learned this in the last year. There's a person who helps me online. Like, I have these group of people who help in the Facebook group. Lovely, lovely, wonderful people. And I learned recently, one of them doesn't even listen to the podcast and never listens to it. And I was like, wait. What? And they go, no. I read it every day. I'm like, you read the podcast every day. He's never once heard it. Wow. Ain't that fascinating? Because when people came and said I need transcripts, I was like, why? Because I would never read it. But then I realized some people did, so we added transcripts and that helped immensely for another group of people. I don't know if 50 people will ever see it, but I, out of my pocket, paid for an ASL translation of the bold beginning series.
JustinAnd I watched one of those videos. I don't know sign language, but I watched it because you had put in that effort and expense, and that lady does a terrific job. She's awesome. The way I thought of it was for the person who needs that, my gosh, that's gonna be big for them. Right? And I only knew that because I hear from so many people who are like, a woman just contacted me recently and said, would you mind if I took all your transcripts and translated them to another language? And I was like, they're on the Internet. You can do whatever the hell you want with them. Like, go ahead. But she's got a whole population of people, I don't wanna say exactly where, but, like, on a small island somewhere who need this content. And she's like, they just don't have any context for English at all. I do. I'm gonna translate it all and give it to them. And I said, you should do that. But at the same time, Justin, what I'm gonna tell you is Facebook is doing it now. They're picking, a few videos that they're running, and you can live click on the video and choose a different language, and it just translates it right there.
Technology and Accessibility (iOS 26 and AI)
JustinOh, see. I know you talked about I think it's your AI agent in Circle. It does that too. Yeah. You can go into that Circle group, and, basically, there's, like, a couple of 100 transcripts of the podcast in there. You can type a question in a different language, and it'll query everything and answer you in your own language. But the problem with that circle group is is that it's hard to build up. I think I have, like, a thousand people in there, which is lovely, but people use Facebook because Facebook's on their phone. It's in their face. And what I'm learning after a year of running that circle group is that it could just isn't drawing people in, and it costs me $400 a month. And so I'm thinking I have to shut it off, and it breaks my heart. I wish you would all just go use it and talk to each other there and get the benefits of what else it does, but I just don't think it's gonna work. People who are on Facebook are programmed to be on Facebook, and to ask them to open up a different app, it just doesn't translate. But I also don't know that that's gonna matter in another year or so because my point is is that Apple just updated their podcast app again. If you have iOS 26, your podcast app looks a little different now. And I actually think you can update it without going to iOS 26. But update your podcast app in Apple because now it breaks it down into chapters already. As you're listening, it says, like, this part's about this. This part's about that. The live translation to text is pretty seamless. I think the Apple Podcast app makes better transcripts than whatever the services I'm using online. And my expectation is if I pull back and see the big picture, if you can type into something in one language, it can query a different language, come back to you in your language. If Facebook is starting to mess with videos that you can click on and change it into German or Spanish, like, right there, like an English speaking video, then my expectation is that we are not far away from going into Apple Podcasts or Spotify, listening to an English language podcast and just pushing a button and saying, wanna hear it in this language. I think that's probably pretty close. So once that happens, most of the things I've been trying to get to are gonna happen automatically, which is good because I along the way, didn't have the resources to do half the things I wanted to do anyway. It looks like AI is gonna take care of that for us.
JustinThat's pretty wild. Yeah. For the different languages, the spoken and written languages, that's wild. I mean, I already knew about the written translations that you could do out of the AI agent, but if they're doing that—live. Yeah. It's happening live in front of you. In audio or video. That's incredible.
Scott BennerI'm listening to an episode today because I tried a different editing thing today, and I was trying to listen to the audio. So I'm listening to my own podcast this morning to hear it, but I'm in the player right here. If you click on it, it drops down, and it breaks into chapters. The $15,000 dog, a frustrating diagnosis journey, early medical trauma, compounding health crises, finding answers through listening, redefining diabetes management, advocating for better care. Broke it down into those chapters. I didn't do that. I didn't tell it that. I just uploaded my podcast, and when it comes out on the app, it's got those chapters on it now. Everything's gonna speed up really quickly.
JustinI've never noticed your episodes that have the chapters, and I've seen—
Scott BennerNo. Apple did it. It just started happening. Yeah. Like, everybody go download iOS 26 if you wanna help me. That would be a big deal. Get the new podcast app. Anyway, the Circle Group is it's $5,000 a year.
JustinWhich was great for when you had one of the sponsors. Yeah. I got a sponsor to cover it last I'm paying for it now this year. So, like, I just go in there, and it sometimes it feels like there's, like, 20 people using it. I do see the same people I see, Monica and Domino and Jen. Yeah. Which Jen, by the way, very sheepish and concerned about what she said in her interview with you. So she's not real keen on how it's gonna come out.
Scott BennerReally? She's scared. No. You scared her, Scott.
The Unscripted Nature of the Show
Scott BennerWell, listen. What I can tell you is that most people leave this thinking like they did a bad job. And what I always say is I might be getting close to 1,800 episodes, and everybody does a good job. You're not doing a good job or a bad job. You are telling your story the way you know how to tell it, and it's it helps people. I think that one of the great things about the podcast is that it's me talking to people who have never been on a podcast before mostly. Yep. It's not somebody who's out there. Like, it's podcasting is used to be that if you got together and you in you'd interview a blogger, but bloggers became rehearsed. And so it didn't matter what you asked them, they had pat answers. And so no matter how many times they did an interview, it just all looked the same. And now with people trying to be influencers, they've all made the same mistake. Like, I could get thoughtful about why I think my podcast is popular, but I try not to fall into that, like, well, I shouldn't say that or I just def you know, don't say this. Don't talk about that. Like, know, just say these things. But it all works the same way now too. So there's the same group of people that are running around doing diabetes media basically, and they all just say the same damn thing over and over again. And so there's no value in that at all. Or they're trying to get out the word about their thing. Oh, you know, I have a coaching service or I have this or, like, they tell their stories so they can get to the thing they want you to click on or whatever. I don't have any of that. Although, I would like you to come on the cruise. The cruise is awesome. If you don't come, I'm okay with it. You know what I mean?
JustinAnd you've had, you know, some people—clearly, Jenny's from IDS to get more treatment and consultation with her. You gotta go to IDS. You've had Erica who I imagine has her own practice. She does. Yeah. But those people aren't picked by me for that reason. Jenny's picked from me because Jenny just came on the podcast, like, in the first year or so of it. And I just left that conversation thinking, oh, I love the way she talks about this. And it was maybe a couple of 100 episodes later when I decided to make the pro tip series, but I thought it would sound ridiculous if it was just me talking. It would. Yeah. And so I said, like, why don't I see if Jenny will do it with me? And then she was really tickled by it because she said, for as many people as I help in my profession, I I still don't feel like I help enough people. And she likes the way I talk about it. I mean, Jenny's probably been on this podcast hundreds of times, and it added something to it. There's no doubt the pro tip series is better because Jenny is there. If there's no doubt. Right? For sure. Yeah. And then we go on and we make other stuff, but Erica—no disrespect to other people—Erica is, like, the fifth—maybe the—I mean, I tried so many different psychologists, and I never vibed with them until I got to Erica. And I was like, I like the way this feels when I'm recording with her.
Scott BennerSo now I have somebody who can come on and entertain my my silliness or my ideas about the world or mental health or whatever like that and try to keep it, you know, together. We just finished a series that's gonna start running in a week about body grief, which is an idea I didn't understand that she brought the light, which is awesome. The next series we're gonna do is the opposite of the aces. So that aces list of life traumas that lead to difficulty later, we're gonna do a list of things that parents can do that lead to successes later. That kind of stuff is with her. And, yeah, ericaforesight.com. If you need a therapist, you should go check her out. But we don't push it. Like, she comes on and does the thing, Jenny. I don't think I ever mentioned what Jenny does for a business. It's something people figure out for themselves. And I have no business relationship with the company that Jenny works for. Sure. Yeah. Jenny just yeah. By the way, I don't have a business relationship with Erica. Like, I'm not getting a piece of anybody. If I did, I would tell you, but I'm not.
JustinRight. Have your sponsors that you do your ads for in the show, but then you're happy to have on people who have value to add for all of us, like Kenny Fox—Kenny. Yeah. Who brought me to you. His original—The Fox and the Loop House. Episodes. And then there was, is his name John Fawcett with Sugarpixel. Yeah. John and I are doing a whole thing this year together. John and I are gonna be at ADA, ADCES, Friends for Life. We're gonna do a booth together at all those events this year. You're not shy about highlighting something that will help the audience in their daily lives, but you're not shilling either.
Ethics of Free Information and Ad Revenue
Scott BennerNo. I'm definitely not. There are things that I have, like, personal discomfort with. I I don't begrudge anybody a living, but I am not gonna drive you towards a coaching service that's basically just gonna tell you you can do it and here's how you're pre bolus. I don't think you should have to pay for that. Right. There are plenty of coaches that try to come on. I'm like, I'm I'm not doing that with you. Like, you're not charging somebody a few $100 to tell them how to, like, do a sit up, you know, or something like that. And there are people who need that. You're gonna hound us to pre bolus, but you're gonna do it free. Yeah. I don't think you should have to pay to understand the bare bones ideas about diabetes. Right. Which is why I set the thing up the way I did. And I tell people, anybody who buys an ad on this podcast has sat through a meeting with me when I've said to them, I am gonna take your money and use it to make that podcast so that these people don't have to pay for this stuff. I say it to everybody. And and don't get me wrong. Like, I make a reasonable living. I'm not, like, I'm not over here telling you, like, I'm barely getting by or anything like that.
JustinAnd for the people who don't like the ads, tough. Yeah. And honestly, even as the years go on, that becomes less of a complaint. People understand how the Internet works now. You know what I mean? Like, they know if they want something for free, someone's paying for it. And if it's not them, then why should you care who it is? Right. Also, maybe you'll enjoy a Medtronic pump or an Omnipod or a Dexcom or you know what? Try US Med. I really love getting art and supplies through US Med. I'm not making that up. I was using them before they came on as an advertiser, and that's awesome. I think the Kontoor Nextgen is the best blood glucose meter you could get. That even makes that easier for me because I am not out in front talking about anything that I don't feel really comfortable about. I'll tell you right now, I drink AG one, but I didn't enjoy my business relationship with them. So I told them to go away last year. You know, I was like, and it's a significant loss. You know, I pay an editor. I I have bills. You know what I mean? Like, it wasn't easy just to say, I'm not doing this with you anymore. It was a financial loss for me.
JustinOh, no doubt. Yeah. I see AG ads often. And plus—hi, Rob. Yeah. Somebody's editing your podcast. Right? Like, that person makes a living too. Like, there's trust me. The thing I'm doing on this topic, in this niche, the thing I'm delivering at the consistency and the quality that I'm delivering at, it is nothing short of a miracle that it's happening. There are plenty of other people out there trying to make it happen. I'm the only one who scaled it. So, like, I don't know why that is. I don't even care. It doesn't matter to me. Like, it just worked out. You know?
JustinAnd you were doing the right thing at the right time starting with the blogging stuff, and then it morphed. It changed. You've described that you were a first mover. So you were in the right place at the right time. That podcast became more popular. You have the dedicated app right on your phone, so you're in everyone's pocket.
Scott BennerIt just works. And there's a little mix of me and the people. And, I mean, the truth is is that I probably don't cover every topic that people want, but I listen to them when they speak up and say, you know, hey. How come we're not talking about this? I mean, the bold beginning series is because Isabelle told me the pro tips are great, but what if we had it one for people who are a little more newly diagnosed so it wouldn't seem as scary? And I was like, alright. A bold beginning series is great. Then small sips comes from people saying, like, I can't get my kids to listen to a forty five minute podcast episode. Is there something you could do? And, you know, then all the effort that goes into that, that small sip series might seem like a throwaway and easy, but it took like a year and a half to put together. That's why my content isn't here's a great cake you can bring to a fourth of July party that won't make your blood sugar spike. Like, that's why you're getting actual thoughtful stuff that it seems like it's off the cuff, but a lot of effort goes into it in the background. This is a business. It is a ton of effort to make this podcast. Like, I'm not kidding you. I didn't realize it was gonna be this much work or I might not have started. That's the first thing. And secondly, I'm even finding it hard to believe that I'm good at doing it, but I am. Nothing's written down, Justin. I don't have any plans. I have a whiteboard, and that's it. Everything you're hearing is just my interpretation of what you guys need based on what I think, what I'm watching with my daughter, and what I'm witnessing and experiencing with people online. It's pretty much it.
Influences and Interviewing Style
JustinPlus you have the pedigree or wisdom from listening to radio hosts for the better part of, I think, your childhood and young adulthood. So it comes naturally. You see how they conduct their interviews, their shows, and you apply it to this. Yeah. Some of you might not like it, but if you like this podcast, you've got Howard Stern to thank. And if you like that it's a podcast, you also have Kevin Smith to thank. He's a movie director who was making a podcast long before podcasts were a thing. Silent Bob. Yeah. I loved his podcast. So, actually, his mom just passed away and it made me feel sad. I've met Kevin a few times. But yeah. I mean, I just based on listening to Howard Stern since I was in high school, I know to keep things moving. If I get bored, I move on. I don't let people drive the conversation. I believe that I know what people wanna hear, and I do my best to, like, keep things moving in that direction. I must be right. It's working out pretty well. Because it would be easy to let somebody come on and prattle on and just go, well, it's their story. Let them talk. And I'm like—but you can hear in my mind—this is probably a quote from Howard Stern—but I can hear the radios turning off if people get boring. And not only that, but, like, even this thing here you and I are doing right now, we don't know each other. We've been talking for an hour and a half. I've just, like, articulated some fairly deep ideas off the top of my head a 100 miles an hour. If you go back and listen to it, it makes sense. I am good at talking. I know people who aren't good at talking. They know their story, but to get it out of their mouth is a struggle. And plenty of those people come on here as guests and I help them get their story out. And but I'm proud of that. Like, I'm proud of helping somebody who can't just sit down and talk a 100 miles an hour like I can to sit down and feel like when they're done, I was able to express myself. I think this podcast is awesome. I'm trying to keep it going for a decade.
JustinYou should be proud of what you've built. Thank you. You clearly reach 10,000 people a day, roughly. You you just gotta scroll through, like, three screens worth of your Facebook group to see the people that you've helped and touched and made cry, and that means something. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Whether they cried because they are so scared because their four year old was just diagnosed in DKA, which I don't even think I was in DKA when I was diagnosed. My parents, even back then, saw that I was being irritable with my grandparents, and that probably mixed with frequent urination and thirst were the big signs. I didn't have some catastrophic event. Yeah. But you beating that drum of here's the signs and symptoms. Here's the tools and techniques to get through your day, to do the best for your blood sugar and for your life, your family members, loved ones' life. That means a lot, and you should be proud of what you've built. Yes. I said I'm angry with you, but I truly am incredibly thankful for what you've built, what you give to all of us, for having these intimate conversations. Yeah. I was reading through the Circle group, and it's I think Jen was saying that Monica said that she hasn't even listened to her episode. It's too bad because—good episode—you should listen—Yeah.—to them all. But Jen was worried about what she had said in her episode with you, and I I replied and said that it's the embarrassing, the sensitive, the vulnerable stuff that you pull out of us and that you add. You know, you add very intimate stuff about you, your health situation, your, you know, Arden's, Cole's, Kelly's situation that, you know, at a dinner party, you probably wouldn't tell to somebody else.
Scott BennerJustin, you don't know me, but I probably would. Most of us would. Most of us. Most of you wouldn't. Yeah. I would. Listen. I just interviewed a doctor that I had something done with the other day and his episode will be up. I don't know when. But I talked about something in detail where I was like, oh god. Like, why am I even doing this? But the real reason is because I don't know how to expect you guys to come on here and open up if I'm not willing to do it as well. And, you know, if we want this thing to be valuable for people, then it has to be it has to be like this. It can't just be pleasant or, you know, it can't be two people going like, does your blood sugar get low when you work out? Yeah. Diabetes. So, like, I I can't stand all that. It's just such a waste of your time. Yeah. I just cringed. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But you know what I'm talking about. There's a ton of it out there. It just doesn't help anybody. I mean, it's nice and all, but it doesn't get to the core of the issue. I get done interviewing somebody and sometimes the the recording stops and they'll be like, my god. I feel so much better. You know, where people will joke that they're gonna send me their copay and not go to therapy this week. Or, you know, they leave and send me an email five minutes later and they're like, oh, I you know, I'm gonna try that thing. I just called my endo, like, that kind of stuff. Like, that's what we need. We need people being really clear and honest about what's happening to them so that you can say, oh, wow. That happened to me too. What did you say worked for you? Then actually have that a leveling up of your life, whether it's how you feel or where your health is or maybe a lessening of the burden, whatever it ends up being. This is how I think it has to happen. It has to happen in long form conversations where people are being really honest. And I know there are people who tell me, I can't listen that long. I feel bad for you. I don't know how else to do this.
Sharing Personal Stories Honestly
JustinWell, I was just looking it up. The Harry Potter audiobooks are, like, like, on average, near twenty hours a piece, and people go crazy for Harry Potter. Well, listen. I that's why I said it must have felt magical to you. See? I'm trying to get the Harry Potter group. Man, Justin, I don't know. Like, it's not for everybody. Also, if people hate my guts, you should check out some of the reviews. Oh, it's true. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But it just is what it is. If it works for you, that's awesome. And if it doesn't, let me try to leave you with this. When I hear other people who make podcasts, like, really popular podcasts, and they talk about how I can't worry about what other people think of me, and then you hear about how, like, some of the people dislike them, you realize it's all bull—from me to somebody who's got five people listening to them, to somebody who has 5,000,000 people a day listening to them, there are some people out there being performative and saying what they think you want them to say. I get that. But for the ones who are just talking, the bottom of their heart or the back of their head like I am, not prepared for this at all every day when I make this. For people who are just talking, I don't have a deeper—you know what I mean? Like, if this was a political podcast, this would just be me talking. It wouldn't be me trying to affect politics. If this was a, like, a lifestyle podcast, this would be how I feel about things, not me trying to get you to eat a certain way or do a certain thing. Like, I am just sharing how this occurs to me. I am not trying to make you do something. I'm not trying to make something happen. And I think that the average listener to content always is looking for, like, what's this person's ulterior motive? Like, why did this guy just say this about the senator in my state? Why did he just say that about the food pyramid? Why did he, or whatever it is that people think, I have no ulterior motive. At this point, I make this podcast because I know it helps people and I enjoy doing it, and then it pays my bills. Those are the three reasons I make it. And I have never once gotten on here and thought, well, let me say this because it will make x happen. I do deliver content that I think you guys need, but it's not some Machiavellian thing. Like, I say it out loud. I say I'm trying to trick you into listening to podcast content about diabetes because I think it's boring and you wouldn't listen otherwise. It is just really me being myself. And if you're out there listening to somebody else's podcast or watching someone's YouTube channel and they're just talking the way I am, you should stop wondering what it is that they're doing because they're probably just doing what it appears to be, like, on face value because at face value, I am just doing what it appears that I'm doing. I don't have another and I know that bothers me when I see people break apart. Like, I'm not on the level of some of these people that take it all day long in the media and everything like that. People are like, oh, this is what he meant. This is what he's trying to say. And I'm like, you don't know that. You don't know that person. You know? I go anyway. And sometimes I don't know what the hell I'm saying too, but that's part of making this thing. It is what it is, man. It works the way it works. You know?
JustinIt does work the way it work. I mean, you wanna see people have their a one c's down. So you you bang your drum of pre bolusing, and you get stories all the time that the a one c's are good for people. Yeah. It's nice. It's nice to see. Like, on my day, I just told somebody three days ago. They were asking me what I did for a living, I said the the part about this that I could have never expected is that it just it fills me up every day. I feel like I sound like a douchebag saying that. Right? But, like, it really does like, seeing you all out there doing well makes me feel lighter. I say this all the time and I'm happy to say it here too. If you guys are enjoying the podcast or it's helping you, I'm glad for you, but I'm making this thing for my daughter. Like, that's it. Like, I am trying to put together a spot where she can go as an adult when I'm gone and get answers that she might need. I started writing the blog for her. Yes. It starts to help people, and it does become about that at some part because I I've had times in my life I have felt like I'm not helping enough people. I've been able to give that away, but there's there are years where I felt bad about the number of people I was reaching. And now I just this is what it is. It works the way it works. And every day, I'm having a conversation that maybe one day when I'm dead, my daughter will listen to. And maybe she's listening right now fifteen years from now and saying to herself, like, yeah. I gotta get back to pre bolusing. Know what I mean? Like, who knows? That's it. I'm trying to make money. I'm trying to help you, and I like this. That's it. That's my triangle of why I make the podcast.
Managing the Community: Behind the Scenes
JustinYou're trying to make money to sustain the production of the podcast. You're not trying to make money so that you retire in Cabo or on the shore. You know? Hey. Listen. If that happens, I'm not gonna say no. But, no. Like, it you're right. I'm I'm trying to make a living. I'm trying to get through my life. And for all of you that think like, oh, it's you know, whatever you might think about how this is, there's an editor and people help me with Facebook. But other than that, this is me. I get up in the morning. I come into this room. I sit my ass down here. And last night, I stopped working at 09:30 at night. So, god, I easily put sixty hours just into the podcast, and there's other countless hours about Facebook that, like, happened fifteen minutes, thirty minutes at a time. Like, I was in the middle of working yesterday, and I had to stop and go online and stop a problem, you know, because one person was saying something insane and another person was chiding them. And I'm like, I wish I could just have both of them in front of me right now and just say, like, look. I'm happy for you to, like, share your experiences, but we're gonna have to put a caveat on this here because what you're saying is a little weird. And the other person, leave her alone. Just stop because I'm trying to make the podcast, and now I've stopped to do this. But that happens all the time. It's forty five minutes just shot in the middle of the day to manage something like that. But it's also really important because, yes, that happened, but at the same time, that Facebook group is overwhelmingly positive and runs overwhelmingly smooth for what is just about to be 80,000 members. And so it's very important to keep it moving smoothly like that. I'm not like, oh, I gotta stop to do this. I'm just saying it takes up my only fear is that I'm gonna get done doing all this and look back and think, oh, wow. I spent twenty years talking into a microphone and keeping people on track, and a lot of my life is gone now because I really don't have a lot downtime. And I've been trying to fix that over the last couple of years, so I'm starting to get there. But, anyway, as I said that, I'm getting a text right now about something that needs to be managed online. So I'm gonna go do that now.
JustinYour twenty year investment is gonna lead to thousands of years collectively for us listeners to have our lives extended and then be better health. So—that's lovely. Thank you. On behalf of everybody, I will thank you for that. Thank you. A few of you come to my funeral, please. Just a couple. Hold some signs up in the back. Anything. That that man brought my a one c down. Anything like that just so my family will see because I don't think they think I'm doing anything in here.
JustinAnnoy me, but lower my a one c. By the way, I still I'm always gonna say my favorite reviews are the ones that are like, I don't like that guy, but you should see my a one C. That makes me so happy. I have no idea how to explain it to you. That says something. Yeah. No kidding. Alright, Justin. Thank you so much, man. I appreciate you spending the time with me. Thanks, Scott. Yep. Hold on one second. Okay? Holding.
Outro and Series Resources
Scott BennerThis episode was sponsored by Touched by Type one. I want you to go find them on Facebook, Instagram, and give them a follow, and then head to touchedbytype1.org where you're gonna learn all about their programs and resources for people with type one diabetes. Today's episode is also sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care. Learn more about Tandem's newest automated insulin delivery system, Tandem Mobi with Control IQ plus technology at tandemdiabetes.com/juicebox. There are links in the show notes and links at juiceboxpodcast.com. Are you tired of getting a rash from your CGM adhesive? Give the Eversense three sixty five a try. Eversense c g m dot com slash juice box. Beautiful silicone that they use. It changes every day. Keeps it fresh. Not only that, you only have to change the sensor once a year. So, I mean, that's better. Okay. Well, here we are at the end of the episode. You're still with me? Thank you. I really do appreciate that. What else could you do for me? Why don't you tell a friend about the show or leave a five star review? Maybe you could make sure you're following or subscribe in your podcast app, go to YouTube and follow me, or Instagram, TikTok. Oh, gosh. Here's one. Make sure you're following the podcast in the private Facebook group as well as the public Facebook page. You don't wanna miss please, do you not know about the private group? You have to join the private group. As of this recording, it has 74,000 members. They're active talking about diabetes. Whatever you need to know, there's a conversation happening in there right now. And I'm there all the time. Tag me. I'll say hi.
Scott BennerHow would you like to share a type one diabetes getaway like no other? Join me on Juice Cruise 2026. You may be asking, what is Juice Cruise? It's a week long cruise designed specifically for people and families living with type one diabetes. It's not just a vacation. It's a chance to relax, connect, and feel understood in a way that is hard to find elsewhere. We're gonna sail out of Miami, and the cruise includes stops in CocoCay, San Juan, Saint Kitts, and Nevis aboard the stunning Celebrity Beyond. This ship is chosen for its comfort, accessibility, and exceptional amenities. You're gonna enjoy a welcoming environment surrounded by others who get life with type one diabetes. I'm gonna host diabetes focused conversations and meetups on the days at sea. There's thoughtfully designed spaces, incredible dining, and modern amenities all throughout the celebrity beyond. Your kids can be supervised and there's teen programs so everyone gets time to recharge. Not just the the kids going on vacation, but maybe you get the kickback a little bit too. There's gonna be zero judgment, real connections, and a whole lot of sun and fun on Juice Cruise 2026. Please come with me. You're going to have a terrific time. You can learn more or set up your deposit at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. Get ahold of Suzanne at cruise planners. She will take care of everything. Link's in the show notes. Link's at juiceboxpodcast.com.
Scott BennerMy grand rounds series was designed by listeners to tell doctors what they need, and it also helps you to understand what to ask for. There's a mental wellness series that addresses the emotional side of diabetes and practical ways to stay balanced. And when we talk about GLP medications, well, we'll break down what they are, how they may help you, and if they fit into your diabetes management plan. What do these three things have in common? They're all available at juiceboxpodcast.com, up in the menu. I know it can be hard to find these things in a podcast app, so we've collected them all for you at juiceboxpodcast.com. Have a podcast? Want it to sound fantastic? Wrongwayrecording.com.
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