#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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#1725 2026 Kickoff: Bloopers & Big News

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.

Scott celebrates the New Year with a special episode featuring bloopers, a preview of 2026 content, event announcements, and more.

+ Click for EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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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 to the Juice Box podcast. (0:03) Happy New Year. (0:34) Some people want content no matter what the day. (0:38) Some people don't. (0:40) So today, I thought this one's gonna be for diehard fans.

Scott Benner (0:42) Let's make it something special, something fun, and, of course, not too long. (0:47) Today, I'm gonna share with you some bloopers from our recordings this year and some ideas about where I think the podcast is headed in 2026. (0:56) There are ways that you can be involved as a guest or as a community member. (1:01) I've got a couple of events to go to. (1:04) I'll tell you about all of it interspersed here with some fun bloopers.

Scott Benner (1:25) Just diagnosed with if you were just diagnosed with if you or a loved one was just diagnosed with type one diabetes, meet the bold beginning series from the Juice Box podcast. (1:37) Oh, man. (1:37) This is hokey is a mother hold on. (1:40) Less hokey. (1:45) Sorry, Rob.

Scott Benner (1:46) I guess there's no better way to start than to talk about the lists of diabetes content that's available if you're looking for management content. (1:56) This is not conversational stuff or interviews. (1:59) This is like the bold beginning series, the pro tips, etcetera. (2:03) Head to juiceboxpodcast.com/lists. (2:09) And there, you're gonna get a comprehensive guide to all of the different episodes that are collected in series format for you.

Scott Benner (2:18) Bold Beginnings Diabetes Pro Tips, Defining Diabetes, Small Sips, Diabetes Variables, Fat and Protein, Algorithm Pumping, The Math Behind Mental Wellness, pregnancy, grand rounds, how we eat after dark, bolus four, disordered eating, GLP meds, quick start guide, runs in the family, talking with children, the myths around diabetes, glucagon stories, defining thyroid, talking celiac, and much more. (2:44) Juiceboxpodcast.com/lists. (2:48) Jordan Wagner's back. (2:50) You know Jordan. (2:50) He's a nurse, a type one diabetes fucking Wagner's back.

Scott Benner (2:56) Jordan, of course, a nurse. (2:58) Fuck me. (3:00) Anyway, you might have liked Jordan. (3:01) He was on a number of episodes this year that were awesome. (3:05) You should go find them, and I'm hoping to have him back.

Scott Benner (3:08) I hope you, enjoy listening to me try to make a bumper for his recent episode. (3:14) I'm gonna be talking about some stuff this year that I didn't imagine I'd ever be talking about on the podcast, and one of them is gonna come up pretty quickly in the first quarter. (3:24) Here's a little look into what that might be about. (3:28) And he's like, don't worry. (3:29) It's no big deal.

Scott Benner (3:30) She can watch the baby for a second. (3:32) She puts Cole behind a curtain. (3:33) Cole doesn't know he was there for that, by way. (3:35) But she puts Cole behind a curtain. (3:36) Thank god she puts Cole behind the curtain because then the nurse watches Cole instead of my instead of my balls hanging sideways next to my asshole while this guy cranks me open like a clam.

Scott Benner (3:47) You you know what I mean? (3:47) And then and you ladies gotta go to the the hoochie doctor. (3:51) You know what I'm talking about. (3:52) Imagine that in your butt. (3:53) So and by the way, I've never had an experience on my butt.

Scott Benner (3:56) So that was my first time he took my virginity. (3:59) I guess we're just talking about this now. (4:00) So he puts it in there and you can literally see him turning the thing. (4:03) I'm like, you are kidding me. (4:05) And it hurts, FYI.

Scott Benner (4:08) Yeah. (4:08) So look forward to me sharing a health issue that you didn't know I had coming up soon on the Juice Box podcast. (4:15) Wow. (4:15) I can't believe I said I that person, she tricked me into saying that. (4:20) When you hear the episode, you'll see why.

Scott Benner (4:22) I I guess I hadn't actually decided how open I was gonna be about that. (4:25) No pun intended. (4:27) But that actually helped me make a couple decisions moving forward that I'm very, very happy about. (4:32) You'll hear more about them as well. (4:35) Alright, Rob.

Scott Benner (4:36) There's some cursing. (4:37) I apologize for that. (4:38) But I there's a title in here. (4:40) I forgot it. (4:42) Things have changed.

Scott Benner (4:43) Nothing's ever gonna be the same. (4:44) Something in that vein she said in the last quarter of the converse goddamn it. (4:50) Oh, Rob. (4:51) I'm so mad. (4:51) It was a perfect title.

Scott Benner (4:52) I didn't write it down. (4:54) Goddamn it. (4:55) Not the same. (4:56) Never the same. (4:57) Things have changed.

Scott Benner (5:00) Fuck. (5:00) Fuck. (5:01) Fuck. (5:01) Fuck. (5:01) Fuck.

Scott Benner (5:02) If you don't know what I'm talking I'm so mad at myself. (5:05) If you don't know what I'm talking about, tell me, and I'll relisten to it before I put it up to get the title out because the title's too good. (5:11) That's it. (5:12) Goddamn it. (5:13) That pisses me off.

Scott Benner (5:15) So you must be thinking, Scott, you've obviously put a piece of paper by your desk so you can write things down as you're recording. (5:20) No. (5:20) I have not. (5:21) I I what's the word I want? (5:24) Frequently.

Scott Benner (5:26) I frequently forget the titles that I wanna make the podcast, and then I drop it on poor Rob during editing to figure out what I was talking about. (5:33) Anyway, I do say fuck a number of times and shit twice. (5:39) I think they're grouped together. (5:41) Robbie. (5:42) What's up, Robbie?

Scott Benner (5:43) Hey, Robbie. (5:43) So the episodes end. (5:46) I usually say, hey, Rob. (5:47) I wanna call this episode this. (5:48) I curse here or there, and then I say his name oddly.

Scott Benner (5:52) I don't know why I do all of that, but you're now getting to hear private messages that I leave for my editor, Rob, who does a wonderful job. (5:59) By the way, he's, available to, edit your podcast as well if you have one and you're looking for a great editor. (6:07) Oh my god. (6:07) I'm dying. (6:08) Hold on a second.

Scott Benner (6:11) Oh my god. (6:12) Hold on. (6:13) Rob, cut that out. (6:14) Would you If you're looking for community, I really think you should check out the private Facebook group for the Juice Box podcast. (6:24) It now has 78,000 active members, and it it's absolutely wonderful.

Scott Benner (6:28) It does about a 150 new posts a day. (6:31) Those posts, they get up to 8,000 likes, hearts, and comments every day. (6:38) About a 150 new people join the group every two to three days. (6:43) It is really just a wonderful, a wonderful place. (6:47) I highly suggest even if you don't think you wanna talk or interact with people directly, just watching, lurking, seeing how people are, you could find it incredibly comforting.

Scott Benner (6:57) I'm very proud of that group. (6:58) Go check it out. (6:59) If you don't like Facebook, I also have a private group on Circle. (7:02) There's links in the show notes for that. (7:05) It's, most people charge for their Circle groups.

Scott Benner (7:07) Mine's completely free. (7:08) I hope you you take a look at that too. (7:12) Listen. (7:12) I'm just gonna come out and say it. (7:14) We shouldn't have let everybody use the Internet.

Scott Benner (7:16) It should have just I don't know how we should have chosen who, but there can't be 17 different answers for one fucking question. (7:22) Okay? (7:23) There are so many opinions on the Internet, but I find that that private Facebook group is just uniquely wonderful about giving their perspectives that are very helpful for people. (7:37) It's not a whole lot of junk opinions that waste your time. (7:41) This year, longtime listeners must have laughed at me over and over again talking about how I would never get another dog, and then Arden asked for a puppy, and I got her a puppy.

Scott Benner (7:50) Robert, I got you a two parter here, my friend. (7:53) I curse a fair amount. (7:54) So there's that. (7:56) She's sick. (7:57) She coughs a couple of times, but she doesn't cough over herself while she was talking, so it's probably pretty easy to lift out.

Scott Benner (8:06) And I of course, I don't really understand your job, so maybe it's easy and maybe it's not. (8:10) I really don't know. (8:11) Sorry. (8:12) Crumble in paper. (8:14) And my dog hello, dog.

Scott Benner (8:16) Had to be in here with me today. (8:18) So I don't in the beginning, you might hear him licking his feet. (8:21) You monster. (8:22) Look at why you lick your feet so much? (8:25) Robbie just was like he was like it was just happening a lot.

Scott Benner (8:29) So, if you hear that, I'm sorry. (8:32) But I tried not to talk over it, so it'd be easy to lift. (8:35) That's pretty much it, my friend. (8:36) I'll see you soon. (8:38) I hope you guys don't skip the bumpers that we put at the beginning of the end to tell you about the different series and where you can go get more information that will help you because I work really hard on those.

Scott Benner (8:47) And I they're not as easy for me as they may sound in the final edit. (8:53) Though once in a while, I get it right, and I am incredibly proud of myself when that happens. (8:58) How's that, Rob? (9:00) In one take, motherfucker. (9:03) Fuck you.

Scott Benner (9:04) God, you do it one time. (9:05) You can't. (9:07) It's you and your laptop out in the woods. (9:10) I don't know what you do out there. (9:12) Also, sometimes Rob goes on bike rides and then edits the show in, like, coffee shops and stuff like that.

Scott Benner (9:17) And I get a little jealous in case you're wondering what that was. (9:20) If you've ever recorded with me and something that's in my office has made a bunch of noise, it's usually paraphernalia keeping my many lizards alive. (9:28) I apologize for that. (9:30) However, if you would like to be on the Juice Box podcast, now is the time to send in your pitch. (9:36) Scott@JuiceBoxpodcast.com.

Scott Benner (9:38) I am currently filling the 2026. (9:42) My calendar fills up incredibly quickly. (9:45) Please do not hesitate. (9:48) Noisy thing in the background. (9:49) Gonna get rid of it, and I will go right back to my thought.

Scott Benner (9:51) Rob, I apologize about this, of course, about the pause. (9:57) I was talking about this with Jenny today while we were recording, but I've been using, different AI models to synthesize conversations from the podcast, taking a number of different conversations about certain topics and then creating, blog posts basically that direct you through those ideas a little more specifically. (10:18) And I have to tell you, I know some of you don't love the, don't love the computers, but I am finding it incredibly valuable. (10:26) Like, I don't know that I could ever sit down, listen to three hours worth of stuff, synthesize it out, you know, pull out the very the very, important unique points that need to be made over and over again, then regurgitate them again in a way that are is valuable for you. (10:42) You should check it out.

Scott Benner (10:43) If you go to juiceboxpodcast.com up to the top, there are, guides like fat and protein insulin calculator, you know, how to improve your you know, how how physician can improve their care for people. (10:57) Like, that's the entire grand round series broken down. (11:02) There's caregiver burnout stuff, GLP medication, understanding thyroid. (11:06) This stuff is all I mean, they're my words and, you know, conversations that I've had with other people, so, you know, other people's words as well. (11:14) But I just don't have the staff to sit down and and parse through everything, and and AI has been really helpful for that.

Scott Benner (11:20) So I know some of you are scared of it, but I really appreciate it. (11:24) I hope you guys are enjoying what it's, churning out for you. (11:29) Now the people who are like, you're ruining the world with ChatGPT. (11:33) The whole world the whole podcast is about that now. (11:35) I hear you fucking crybabies.

Scott Benner (11:39) I've made over, I don't know, 220 episodes this year. (11:42) Some of them have been awesome. (11:44) All of them have been good, my opinion. (11:46) But once in a while, I get knocked over by by how honest and forthright you guys are, and I can't thank you enough for coming on and sharing your stories like that. (11:54) It sometimes boils over even when I'm done recording.

Scott Benner (11:59) Holy Roberto, hold on to your knickers. (12:03) I wanna take a moment to thank all the great sponsors for the podcast. (12:07) They're in your show notes right now and at juiceboxpodcast.com. (12:10) Every one of them is back for 2026. (12:12) I can't thank you guys enough.

Scott Benner (12:14) I worked very hard on those ads. (12:15) I hope you guys appreciate it. (12:18) Holy balls. (12:21) That ain't gonna fit in thirty six seconds. (12:22) What the fuck?

Scott Benner (12:23) Maybe it will. (12:25) Crafting a good thirty or sixty second ad is a lot more work than you think. (12:29) Getting everything in there just right so that it's memorable and and, been said correctly, it's, you should see the beginning of every year as me sitting in here for a while sounding just like that. (12:40) I don't remember what this one's about, but Rob sent me something about the Beatles. (12:45) It was a video or something, and this was my response to it.

Scott Benner (12:49) Oh, by the way, that Beatles thing was fucking creepy, man. (12:52) Don't send me shit like that again. (12:53) You're gonna make me sad. (12:55) How the fuck did why did someone even do that? (12:57) The Internet.

Scott Benner (12:58) You know what I mean? (12:59) Too many people. (13:01) Speaking of the Internet, if you're not following me on Facebook, on the public page or part of the Facebook group on the private page. (13:08) You could also follow me on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. (13:11) We're about everywhere.

Scott Benner (13:12) Speaking of that, if you're interested right now, I just got back from a cruise on the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship. (13:20) This is the same ship we're going out on in June for the Juice Cruise. (13:23) That's Juice Cruise, 2026. (13:27) Right now, we have a nice group together. (13:29) We're building it up.

Scott Benner (13:30) It's getting bigger every day. (13:31) I mean, quite honestly, if you'd like to get together, you know, at the days at sea or during the days at sea, hear me talk about some diabetes stuff, do some q and a's. (13:41) We're having Jenny come on again, remotely. (13:44) Jenny does a great, two hour talk. (13:48) Last time, I don't know how we're gonna do it this time, but Jenny comes on, chats with you guys.

Scott Benner (13:52) The Internet, by the way, while we're complaining about the Internet, out in the middle of the ocean, the Internet is rock solid. (13:58) I don't know how they do that. (13:59) It's amazing. (14:00) But Jenny's, Zooms in. (14:02) So does Erica, if you know Erica from the mental health stuff.

Scott Benner (14:06) It's a really nice opportunity for you to go on vacation, to meet a lot of other people with type one diabetes, to be on a premium boat. (14:13) I like I said, I just got back from basically taste testing the Celebrity Beyond, and it is an exceptionally clean, well run ship. (14:21) Kelly and I just got back from a week on it. (14:23) It was awesome. (14:25) What I'll say is this.

Scott Benner (14:26) If you're a person who loves cruising, this is a no brainer for you. (14:31) If you can afford it, because it's not inexpensive. (14:33) Right? (14:34) Juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise to learn more. (14:38) But it's also not crazy if, cruises are something that you're accustomed to doing.

Scott Benner (14:42) Get off at different ports of call. (14:44) I love it. (14:44) You get up in the morning. (14:45) You're in a completely different country. (14:47) You go enjoy it for a full day.

Scott Benner (14:49) Come back. (14:49) Have a nice meal. (14:50) Go for a swim. (14:51) I watched a football game up on the deck, Saturday night. (14:54) My god.

Scott Benner (14:55) I was 40 yards from the TV, and it was still massive. (14:58) Looked like a a drive in movie screen. (15:00) So, anyway, if you wanna come along, again, there's links in the show notes, but juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (15:07) Give it a try. (15:09) I I learned a lot last year seeing, a diverse group of people living with type one together, and I'm talking about, like, from kids and their families, young kids, you know, eight, nine, ten, three, four, five, 17, 18, 19, parents, adults, up to people in their seventies were there who had type one diabetes.

Scott Benner (15:30) It's a really awesome opportunity to mingle together an eclectic group of people who would not normally be together. (15:37) I watch these people immediately become comfortable, And then, of course, you're not stuck together. (15:44) It's a giant ship and there's a lot to do. (15:46) So you can see people when you want, have that experience, move on, have your vacation at the same time. (15:51) I'll do a little chitting and chatting about diabetes.

Scott Benner (15:53) We'll get Jenny there. (15:54) We'll get Erica there. (15:55) We're working on some other stuff as well. (15:56) I think you're gonna love it. (15:58) Check it out.

Scott Benner (16:00) Oh gosh. (16:00) And I said all that because on my social media, can see some videos of the ship. (16:04) I think that's how I started down that path. (16:05) Sorry. (16:06) Alright.

Scott Benner (16:06) Let's give you one more of these and wrap this sucker up, shall we? (16:09) What do I want to play for you Right when my dick stops working. (16:15) No. (16:15) We'll save that one for later. (16:19) Rob, we're I can't do custom intros for all the episodes.

Scott Benner (16:25) Let's see. (16:27) No. (16:27) That's funny. (16:27) I can't do that for you. (16:30) Let's do this one.

Scott Benner (16:31) I used to have this awesome skill when I was younger, like stopping myself from breathing and then making noises, and I tried it for Rob one day. (16:39) Robert, I have no idea what to call this one. (16:41) This one took me by surprise. (16:54) You ever do this? (16:55) Do you ever go I used to be better at this when I was younger.

Scott Benner (17:02) Maybe I need a drink. (17:03) Hold on. (17:05) It's like you stop breathing, and then you make, like, a noise in the back of your throat. (17:11) So good when I was a kid. (17:12) Ready?

Scott Benner (17:42) Oh my god. (17:43) Almost passed out. (17:46) That's how it's too long to hold my breath. (17:49) Alright, guys. (17:50) Listen.

Scott Benner (17:51) It is time for me to go, but I want you to know that I'm recording this on December 22. (17:57) There is a full year of podcast coming up for you. (18:00) We're gonna be running a Monday, but I'll tell you what. (18:02) Don't I know how many I'm putting up. (18:03) We're definitely doing Monday through Friday.

Scott Benner (18:05) We'll probably slip in some bolus for stuff on the weekends without ads on it, give you some ideas about how to bolus for simple, simple one item meals and more combo meals. (18:17) Jenny and I just did a combo meal one today. (18:19) It went really well. (18:19) We're gonna probably do more of that. (18:22) But I'm already looking at the first couple of weeks set up on the podcast.

Scott Benner (18:26) Emma's dad, bloopers, DK has become a problem. (18:31) Cinderella story. (18:33) Oh, squishy pushy is coming out soon. (18:36) Medtronic for the win. (18:38) There's a lot here.

Scott Benner (18:39) The other thing that you're gonna be seeing in 2026 is me at events. (18:44) So ADA, a d c e s, Friends for Life, Touched by Type one, Juice Cruise twenty twenty six. (18:52) Finalizing a deal to by the way, a deal. (18:55) They're not paying me. (18:56) I'm just showing up.

Scott Benner (18:57) A hospital in Long Island. (18:59) If you have a an event you'd like me to come out to, like, you know, come find me. (19:03) This is the year of Scott. (19:04) I'm gonna be a little bit of everywhere this year. (19:07) A lot of public events.

Scott Benner (19:09) We are trying right now. (19:10) I hope the person listening to this hears me. (19:12) I really wanna get together and do that Phillies game this summer in Philadelphia, like, you know, where everybody can buy tickets, we'll sit in the same section together. (19:20) I'll be out and about. (19:22) So come find me on the socials, in the Facebook group, you know, however you want to.

Scott Benner (19:27) You can email me through the website. (19:29) And if you'd like to be a guest on the Juice Box podcast, go to the website. (19:33) Email me, Scott@JuiceBoxpodcast.com. (19:36) Just let me know what it is you'd like to talk about, and we're gonna get you out a link, get you set up on the show, and you're gonna be part of the stories that people hear in 2026. (19:45) There'll be a ton of stories for you next year, more new series with Jenny, with Erica, and other prominent people in the diabetes community.

Scott Benner (19:54) We're gonna be talking to people from different companies about their devices. (19:58) I have a series coming out with Tandem about using their algorithm. (20:02) I've got stuff coming out with Omnipod. (20:04) I've been talking to Medtronic about making some stuff. (20:07) I've been talking to Dexcom.

Scott Benner (20:08) We're gonna get you a lot, a lot of content that you're looking for. (20:11) I hope you have an absolutely wonderful New Year, and I hope you enjoy Rob, who is not just a great editor, but a really awesome guitar player, giving you a little old Lang Syne. (20:23) Did you know it was old Lang Syne? (20:25) It's not old Lang Syne. (20:26) You know, some people think that.

Scott Benner (20:28) May old acquaintance be for you know that whole thing? (20:32) Can can I give it to you a little bit? (20:38) I'm gonna get the meaning for you. (20:40) I forget where I learned this. (20:42) I think in one of my first jobs as an adult, we were doing something for New Year's, and someone's like, you are saying that wrong.

Scott Benner (20:48) So it's often people say old long since, or it's misspelled as old langs ein, but it's old lang sine, a u l d l a n g s y n e. (21:02) I believe it's Scottish, and it does mean old long since or more naturally times long past or days gone by. (21:12) So Rob does a beautiful version of it on guitar. (21:15) I'm trying to get him to put it in right here. (21:17) Obviously, it's what I'm doing.

Scott Benner (21:18) We sing it, farewells, funerals, graduations, New Year's Eve, anytime where you kinda pause, look back in song. (21:26) And, I'm gonna give you the, I'm gonna give you the lyrics for it. (21:30) So when you hear Rob playing, you kinda sing along if you want. (21:35) Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? (21:39) Should old acquaintance be forgot and old lang sein?

Scott Benner (21:44) For old lang sein, my dear. (21:46) For old lang sein. (21:48) Will take a cup, oh, kindness yet, And surely, you and surely, you'll be your surely, you'll be your pint stop. (22:01) Leave this in, Rob, for people so they can hear the bloopers live. (22:04) And surely ye okay.

Scott Benner (22:06) Ready? (22:07) And surely you'll be your pint stop, and surely I'll be mine, and we'll take a cup of kindness yet for Auld Lang Syne. (22:16) We toa run about the braze and pal the goin's fine, but we've wandered money a weary fit. (22:26) Sin on Lang Syne. (22:28) Wow.

Scott Benner (22:28) This gets, like, really. (22:30) I'd oh, jeez. (22:33) We'd I'd I'd the burn. (22:37) Fry morning sun till dine, but sees between us, braid Hayward. (22:43) Sin on all the lang sign.

Scott Benner (22:47) And there's a hand, my trusty fire, and guys, a hand, o thine, and will take a right guild willy wot for all the lang sign. (22:57) Alright. (22:57) Let's let's see that in modern English, shall we? (23:00) See if I can get you like a I didn't know I was gonna be doing this. (23:04) It's kind of interesting.

Scott Benner (23:05) I hope you think it's interesting. (23:07) Modern English. (23:08) Should old friendships be forgotten and never remembered? (23:11) Should old friendships be forgotten and days long past? (23:14) This is kind of a translation.

Scott Benner (23:15) For days long past, my friend, for days long past, we'll share a cup of kindness for days long past. (23:22) You'll buy your drink and I'll buy mine, and we'll share kindness again for days long past. (23:29) We ran together through the hills and picked wildflowers, but we've walked many tired miles since days long past. (23:36) We paddled in the streams from morning until dinner, but wide oceans now lie between us since days long past. (23:43) So take my hand, my trusted friend, and give me yours, and we'll drink with goodwill for days long past.

Scott Benner (23:51) And then it goes on. (23:53) Anyway, we can all do that together. (23:56) Right? (23:56) Let's take our hands and, walk forward in 2026, learn more about taking care of ourselves and our health and our families. (24:04) Here's to a bright and prosperous New Year and a great future for people living with type one diabetes.

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#1724 Emma's Dad - 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.

Chris returns to redeem himself after episode 1600, discussing resilience, family health improvements, AI in diabetes care, and an unbelievable story about inheriting land and a battleship.

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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 to the Juice Box podcast. (0:03) Another year down, another year of helping each other through the highs, lows, and everything in between. (0:39) This is part two of a two part episode. (0:41) Go look at the title. (0:42) If you don't recognize it, you haven't heard part one yet.

Scott Benner (0:45) It's probably the episode right before this in your podcast player.

Chris (0:50) My name is Chris. (0:52) I'm Emma's dad from episode 1,600 Into the Woods, and I'm here to sort of follow-up and redeem myself for all the nasty things she said about me in that episode.

Scott Benner (1:06) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. (1:12) Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. (1:15) But everybody is welcome. (1:16) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. (1:21) If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook.

Scott Benner (1:32) While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:40) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. (1:53) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. (1:58) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what'd I just say? (2:05) A free Omnipod five starter kit.

Scott Benner (2:08) Free? (2:09) Get out of here. (2:10) Go click on that link. (2:11) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:13) Check it out.

Scott Benner (2:14) Terms and conditions apply. (2:15) Eligibility may vary.

Chris (2:17) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:22) Links in

Scott Benner (2:23) the show notes. (2:23) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (2:26) Today's episode is also sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. (2:32) Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox. (2:37) I saw somebody online the other day asking a question, and they were clearly just trying to get other people's opinions.

Scott Benner (2:43) But they had gone to chat GPT and had a, a conversation about something about diabetes that they did, they didn't understand. (2:52) And I browsed it really quickly, I thought, I think this thing gave her a rock solid answer. (2:57) And, you know, she was able to ask follow-up questions, which I think is maybe where that separates you from Google a little bit. (3:03) Like, you ask the first question, you get an answer back, and you might have more questions, but it's hard to know then where to go from there. (3:09) And then people came in, they were like, this seems reasonable to me.

Scott Benner (3:12) And people were interested in it too. (3:14) So it's gotta be coming a little bit. (3:17) But I don't know how long till regular people who aren't, you know what I mean, digging into stuff like this figure it out. (3:23) Because if you're online, you think everybody's doing this, but that's certainly not the case. (3:27) Yeah.

Scott Benner (3:28) How do you use it at work where the translator helps again?

Chris (3:31) So where the translator helps, like, we're doing an effort with Japan. (3:35) So, you know, we don't speak Japanese. (3:37) So there was there are translators involved, like actual human translators today. (3:42) And then they released this feature into Microsoft Teams, and we all tried it out first by hopping in there and having it translate our voice in real time to Japanese, which none of us could understand. (3:53) But then later, they joined a meeting with the translator, and it was pretty close.

Chris (3:57) And the fascinating thing is it's faster than the actual translator

Scott Benner (4:01) Okay.

Chris (4:01) Because it takes the real translator a fair amount, and the translator is going to to change things. (4:08) You know? (4:08) When it when because when you convert from one language to another, a lot of times, it's not a direct word for word translation. (4:13) Mhmm. (4:14) You have to you have to assume emphasis or whatever.

Chris (4:17) And, know, that that's something that the human is adding and modifying where the AI will be more, more universal and more standardized in in its approach and its responses.

Scott Benner (4:27) Yeah. (4:28) I am right now, while you're talking, I started the agent mode because my transcripts are behind a drop down on each page. (4:36) So you have to click on it to to to make the text appear. (4:39) I put it in agent mode, I told it to go get the transcript for 1,600. (4:43) And I just I'm watching it navigate the the website by itself right now.

Chris (4:48) Oh, that's so cool.

Scott Benner (4:49) Yeah. (4:49) I'm trying to see. (4:50) I don't know if it's gonna figure it knows that the the click box is there. (4:53) It's it's it's trying. (4:54) The cursor's on the screen.

Scott Benner (4:56) It says it's doing it. (4:57) If it hits that drop down and then pulls out that transcript, I have to tell you, I see that as a that's gonna be a pretty big leap. (5:06) You know? (5:07) Oh. (5:07) Oh, it just did it.

Chris (5:08) No. (5:08) No.

Scott Benner (5:08) It just hit the it just it just clicked the

Chris (5:10) That's so cool.

Scott Benner (5:10) It just clicked the box, clicking to expand the transcript. (5:17) Yeah. (5:17) It's gonna copy that transcript out. (5:20) And then I'm and now I may you know, imagine, I'm obviously, I can ask it, you know, what Emma talked about. (5:25) I can ask it about, like, you know, what what were some of the big topics.

Scott Benner (5:29) But if she and I actually spoke about, you know, something technical, like, it could pull it right out. (5:35) Accessing transcripts and preparing to share. (5:37) It is just scrolling through the website by itself. (5:40) The way OpenAI tell is trying to get people excited about it is if you have, like, an online shopping setup where you have your groceries delivered as an example. (5:49) Like, this is an example.

Scott Benner (5:50) In their video where they tried to explain how this might work, they had the guy go on and, like, he's like, know, I pulled up a recipe, and he's like, you know, these recipes, like, they put so much stuff on the page. (6:00) It's always hard to find. (6:01) I was like, that's true. (6:02) And then he just said, like, tell me the ingredients I need to to feed eight people. (6:06) And it told him, and then he looked at it, he's like, well, I need this and this, these two things.

Scott Benner (6:11) And he just said, order the beef and the chicken or something like that. (6:14) And the agent just went through his browser, opened up his account, ordered the food, paid for it. (6:19) It was insane. (6:20) Oh. (6:21) Yeah.

Scott Benner (6:21) Yeah.

Chris (6:21) That that's gonna make that's gonna make things like my job so much easier. (6:25) The things that I have to either delegate or do manually today to be able to just tell an agent like, hey. (6:30) Go do that thing I I had to do last week. (6:32) Right.

Scott Benner (6:32) And in real simple language too. (6:34) Right. (6:35) Not, you know, not specific. (6:36) Well, now the transcript is over in the in the window. (6:39) It pulled the transcript out.

Scott Benner (6:41) Let's do something strange, like, say, translate it to Korean. (6:49) Korean. (6:49) We'll do that. (6:51) Okay. (6:52) Y'all gotta find something to do with your time.

Chris (6:55) I'm sure the government will give you food and money. (6:58) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (6:59) You know, listen. (6:59) I don't this isn't gonna, you know, this isn't gonna stop my hairdresser from cutting my hair, but there is definitely gonna I mean, it's in Korean now. (7:06) I can't speak Korean, but there it is.

Chris (7:09) Yeah. (7:09) I've I've I've got a couple of little topics that she wanted to make sure that I covered. (7:12) She wrote me a note.

Scott Benner (7:13) Go to it. (7:14) Start start up while it pulls out all the crap she said about you.

Chris (7:17) So she wanted me to mention that she's no longer doing gymnastics and that she's she's transitioned almost full time to jujitsu Mhmm. (7:24) And that she's doing cross country. (7:26) So she wanted me to give little give a little update on that. (7:28) She's actually loving loving jujitsu, which I love because it means that as she gets more involved with boys, that she's just going to be able to choke them out if they they give her a hard time. (7:38) It's awesome from a dad's perspective.

Scott Benner (7:41) She told Scott that she loves gymnastics and believes she's way better than her dad at it. (7:45) She joked that her dad tries to copy her routines, watches her closely, and thinks he's this is in quotes, thinks he's so much better than me now. (7:53) And Scott asks what she thinks in her head, but doesn't say out loud. (7:56) Emma replied, I think he's so bad that he will never get it.

Chris (8:02) Oh, that that so the fact that it put it in quotes is awesome because I I just listened to the episode within the last few days. (8:08) And the way she says it is, like, oh, he thinks he's so much better than me. (8:12) Like, it picked up the that sentiment in there.

Scott Benner (8:15) Yeah. (8:15) No. (8:15) This

Chris (8:15) is That's really cool.

Scott Benner (8:16) This is fascinating. (8:17) It really is. (8:18) I I can't wait to pick around with it a little more and see. (8:20) But my point was is that, you know, if I jumped in too quickly with you know, a year ago, it was you're gonna have to finance your own large language model and find a server to put it on, and you're gonna pay tokens for people to use it, and it's gonna cost you tens of thousands of dollars a year to offer this to people. (8:39) And I thought, oh, I can't do that.

Scott Benner (8:40) And then more recently, a few months ago, I talked to somebody who's in the space and they said, oh, you know, in a couple of years, you'll be able to build your own model for a couple thousand dollars. (8:49) It won't be as hard, like, blah blah blah, like, you know, on and on. (8:52) And and and now today, they're like, you know, they're like, hey. (8:55) Here's a browser. (8:56) And I'm like, what's gonna happen in six months?

Scott Benner (8:59) When's it gonna look at my, kid's blood sugar and go, hey. (9:03) Why don't you make the insulin sensitivity a little stronger?

Chris (9:06) Have you seen the Will Smith video? (9:08) Wait. (9:08) Will Smith eating spaghetti?

Scott Benner (9:09) Not the catcher for the Dodgers?

Chris (9:11) No. (9:12) I haven't seen that one.

Scott Benner (9:13) Okay. (9:13) Well, Will Smith is the catcher for the Dodgers.

Chris (9:15) Every time

Scott Benner (9:15) Oh, okay. (9:16) Every time he popped up on television last week, Arden was like, that throws me off every time. (9:20) No. (9:20) Wait. (9:20) There's a video of Will Smith eating spaghetti?

Chris (9:23) Yeah. (9:23) The, you know, the artist formerly known as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Scott Benner (9:26) Mhmm.

Chris (9:26) He, there was early AI. (9:29) And I I mean, what, two years ago? (9:31) I think maybe when Sora first came out. (9:33) There was a video it was sort of a benchmark of this is what AI video can do. (9:38) And it was Will Smith eating spaghetti, but it kinda looked like Will Smith at the beginning and then turned into something that might have looked like like Shrek.

Scott Benner (9:46) Okay.

Chris (9:46) And then it just got really weird, you know, multiple fingers and then the fingers became the spaghetti. (9:51) It was wild. (9:53) Then there was a version two about a year later where it was better, but he still had too many fingers and, you know, sometimes his he'd move and his ear would stay, and it was still a little funky. (10:02) Yeah. (10:02) Spaghetti didn't really look like spaghetti.

Chris (10:04) The one that just dropped last week looks like Will Smith's eating spaghetti and even has him say something like, damn, that is some good spaghetti, and it sounds just like Will Smith. (10:15) Wow. (10:16) So it just shows in two years, this is what we've been able to do. (10:20) Yeah. (10:21) It's really gonna be something to see where it goes.

Scott Benner (10:22) Super excited about it. (10:23) I also I can understand that we've all become more socially conscious, and I think that's great. (10:27) I honestly genuinely think that's great. (10:30) But I just think back to when I was younger, and this stuff didn't exist. (10:34) Like, you're, what, you're probably thirteen years younger than me.

Scott Benner (10:38) Right? (10:38) So but I grew up in a world where none of this existed, and we'd sit around and dream about this stuff. (10:44) Even if I told you that my mom used to sit around and say, one day, they're gonna come out with a pill and people aren't gonna be fat anymore. (10:52) That's my mom's Mhmm. (10:53) Her words.

Scott Benner (10:54) And I'll be damned. (10:56) I live long enough for that to happen. (10:57) Right. (10:58) I swear to you, I I sat down on that stage yesterday and I saw myself in a monitor and I was like, goddamn. (11:03) I look like a person.

Scott Benner (11:04) Look at that. (11:04) Like, it was really like, I was excited. (11:07) You know? (11:07) Like, I was like, this is this is awesome. (11:10) Not I wasn't embarrassed to be up there.

Scott Benner (11:11) I didn't have to kinda think about it. (11:13) And I'll I'll tell you too. (11:14) I don't know if

Chris (11:14) this is right or wrong.

Scott Benner (11:15) I think it's wrong, but I think people took me more seriously because of it too. (11:19) Because I've spoken in the past at things heavier, and I don't know. (11:23) You know? (11:23) I just people just don't take it as seriously for some reason.

Chris (11:26) And I bet. (11:27) Same experience. (11:28) Yep.

Scott Benner (11:29) Really, a terror like, listen. (11:30) That's terrible. (11:31) People shouldn't do that. (11:32) But I also don't think they were doing it consciously. (11:34) Like, I don't think they were giving me more credit yesterday because I'm leaner than before, and I don't think they were consciously taking away from me.

Scott Benner (11:42) I just I don't know, man. (11:43) I just think it's how it's how people's minds work sometimes. (11:45) You know? (11:46) Yeah. (11:46) But with this technology stuff, I swear to you, I've told this story probably too many times in this podcast, but when I was a little kid, I saved up money.

Scott Benner (11:54) I went to Radio Shack, and I bought a computer. (11:57) And it took me two years to save up that money. (12:00) And I brought that computer home, and I had a book with me. (12:03) And I typed code for a day into that damn thing and hit execute, nothing happened. (12:09) And then I went back and went back through the book and back through the code.

Scott Benner (12:12) I found, like, three typos, fixed them. (12:16) I was like, I did it. (12:17) I hit execute and a stick figure did one jumping jack. (12:21) And I took that computer, put it back in the box and I returned it.

Chris (12:25) Yep. (12:25) See, I was the kid who took that computer and then said, okay. (12:29) How how can I make him do more than the jumping jack? (12:31) And I just continued to expand it. (12:33) I would take all those little pre canned games, and I would I would modify them and

Scott Benner (12:38) yep. (12:38) Yeah. (12:39) Not me. (12:39) I was like, this ain't ready for prime time. (12:41) You know, the next one comes out, and honestly, well, was the Commodore 64 was maybe the next, like, leap there, and it really just played games.

Scott Benner (12:49) But at least it was games, and it kept us into the computer a little bit. (12:52) And then there was they tried to do, like, a a desktop thing where you could open drawers and put files in it. (12:58) It was very visual and not very usable, but it still gave you the idea of, like, oh, something's coming. (13:04) I bought my first iPhone. (13:06) I had no use for it.

Scott Benner (13:08) I literally thought, oh, this is a better way to keep my contacts at that time. (13:13) Like, that's how it felt to buy it, but it also felt like possibility. (13:16) People don't realize till if you took all the apps off your phone, it's a cell phone that text. (13:20) And, like, you know, it's the apps that make your phone. (13:22) Right?

Scott Benner (13:23) And so when they first came out, there were no apps. (13:26) Getting the weather was a big deal on your phone.

Chris (13:29) Right.

Scott Benner (13:29) But still, like, you sit there and think, what's coming? (13:32) There's something. (13:32) I can see where this is going. (13:34) Now a lot of it's problem and crap and, you know, is not adding to your life at all. (13:40) But in that phone somewhere is a great tool.

Scott Benner (13:42) This specifically when I see people struggling to get their basal right or to not even know that the their basal insulin is their problem. (13:52) They don't understand settings. (13:53) They don't understand timing. (13:55) They don't understand diabetes in general. (13:57) Right?

Scott Benner (13:58) They can suffer for weeks, months, years, and a lifetime sometimes. (14:02) Like, you have no idea how quickly it can turn into hopelessness. (14:08) And to say to something one day, hey. (14:11) Look. (14:11) Here's my settings.

Scott Benner (14:13) Here's my graph. (14:14) Like, you probably won't even have to tell it what's happening. (14:16) You'll probably just show it your graph and your settings, and it's gonna make suggestions that'll be better than you would be able to figure out on your own. (14:23) Absolutely. (14:23) I don't know if I'm not seeing people doing that already online, by the way.

Chris (14:26) Yeah. (14:27) Right. (14:28) Abs Yeah. (14:28) There's no question about it. (14:29) That that's where it's gonna be insanely helpful is to consolidate all that information, make it really consumable.

Scott Benner (14:36) I don't tell you that it's gonna be right all the time. (14:40) But even that, even the, what's the rallying cry of people who hated ChatGPT a year ago? (14:46) It hallucinates. (14:47) Right? (14:47) And now we're a year later, and I don't hear people saying that as much anymore.

Chris (14:52) Yep.

Scott Benner (14:52) Right? (14:53) Obviously, you wanna hold the feet to the fire when people are doing stuff. (14:56) You want stuff to be safe and effective and valuable. (14:58) Right? (14:58) And I appreciate the voices that yell, hey.

Scott Benner (15:01) It hallucinates. (15:01) Don't use it right now. (15:02) But I think sometimes those people then plant their flag there, and then it moves forward. (15:08) Anything. (15:08) It doesn't have to be this.

Scott Benner (15:10) And it gets a little better, but they still say, no. (15:12) No. (15:12) It hallucinates. (15:13) I know not that that's been decided already. (15:15) I'm not gonna look at it again.

Scott Benner (15:17) Man, this thing is changing so quickly to make a static decision about it is foolish.

Chris (15:22) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (15:23) Yeah. (15:24) Because it's it's coming hard, man. (15:26) I can't wait to see what you guys can do with this for yourselves. (15:30) You put me out of business. (15:31) Man, my podcast will just turn into, like you know, it'll just be a community thing and probably won't talk much about management in the future for for if you're lucky.

Scott Benner (15:40) You know? (15:40) And and then can't they they I sound like my mom. (15:44) My program's on. (15:45) But can't they, whoever they is, think about, like like, why not put, a tiny little specific part of this into your pump, right, that looks at your graph and looks at your insulin and looks at your outcomes and is making suggestions for you. (16:03) And may and then you can change if you want to.

Scott Benner (16:05) But, you know, then we'll see how long till that works so well that the thing can just be like, hey. (16:09) Here we go. (16:09) Can you imagine if your pump asked you if your phone you had an app on your phone that controls your insulin pump, and you told it, like, look. (16:19) I work Monday through Friday at a desk job, but I'm pretty active on the weekends. (16:24) So keep that in mind when you're adjusting my insulin.

Scott Benner (16:27) And then Friday afternoon ran rolled around and your pump looked at you and said, hey. (16:31) Are you planning on playing pickleball tomorrow like usual or no? (16:34) Because I'm gonna make some adjustments if we're going to.

Chris (16:37) Wow. (16:37) Yeah.

Scott Benner (16:38) How would that be crazy?

Chris (16:40) Yeah. (16:40) Awesome.

Scott Benner (16:40) I don't see that as not being possible at all. (16:43) And the one that I brought up from years ago, three pizza places in your town, three different kinds of pizzas, three different kinds of outcomes. (16:51) Why can't your pump remember geographically? (16:55) Your phone knows where you are. (16:56) When I'm at this location and I tell you I'm having forty five grams, this is my insulin need.

Scott Benner (17:01) And when I'm at that location, I tell you I'm having 45. (17:04) That's my need. (17:05) You don't that that doesn't sound reasonable to you? (17:07) It sounds incredibly reasonable to I just watched my goddamn browser browse my own website and click on stuff.

Chris (17:13) Yep. (17:13) Yeah. (17:14) Yeah. (17:14) We're almost there.

Scott Benner (17:16) Yeah. (17:16) Put me out of business.

Chris (17:18) I don't know, but it's the people. (17:20) I mean, I'll I'll be totally honest. (17:22) I listen to very, very few of the management episodes these days. (17:25) Once in a while, I get through the end of the episode, one rolls on, I'll listen to it. (17:29) But for the most part, I'm here for the people.

Scott Benner (17:32) For the conversation, Sam. (17:33) Yeah. (17:33) I love Well, then I'm good. (17:34) Get to keep my job.

Chris (17:35) That's right. (17:36) That's right.

Scott Benner (17:36) I was gonna have to pivot to, motivational speaking, if not. (17:39) And I have to tell you, I I don't wanna be flying all over the place constantly, so it doesn't sound I mean, although may I tell you something? (17:45) Chris, that's all we're doing is talking to each other. (17:47) Right? (17:48) Yeah.

Scott Benner (17:49) Thinking about how we talked earlier about how different people react to things. (17:54) And you were talking about, like, being, like, either super focused or, you know, whatnot and being overwhelmed. (18:00) And what I clung to in that part of the conversation is, like, coming from chaos and knowing how to deal with it. (18:06) I was in a room yesterday, 600 people in the audience, you know, people on stage. (18:11) It was a big production.

Scott Benner (18:12) There was a lot going on. (18:14) And I really was looking around at everybody, and some people were wide eyed. (18:18) You know? (18:18) Like, just being in the room with so many people made them wide eyed. (18:21) Some of the people that were going up on the stage looked pensive.

Scott Benner (18:24) Some of them looked a little worried. (18:26) You know, they some of them looked like you could see them talking through what they wanted to say in their head before they went up. (18:32) Was really interesting. (18:33) And I sat there like a lion in a cage. (18:36) I was like, come on.

Scott Benner (18:37) Let's go. (18:38) And I did think for a minute, like, what is wrong with me? (18:42) Why am I not, like, reasonably nervous or frightened to do this? (18:47) Like, why I'm just like, get to me. (18:49) I I I'm gonna like, let's let's do it.

Scott Benner (18:52) Let's tell stories. (18:53) Let's try to get people thinking about ways to do better stuff for themselves. (18:56) Like like, I sat in that chair. (18:58) I was like, get me up there. (19:00) Yeah.

Scott Benner (19:00) And I do wonder as you were talking, it made me wonder, like, I grew up with chaos. (19:04) Like, I wonder if I'm not, like like, if that's not a comfortable place for me.

Chris (19:09) Yep.

Scott Benner (19:09) You know?

Chris (19:10) I think that's what we do. (19:11) We find those those things that do make us feel comfortable.

Scott Benner (19:15) Yeah. (19:15) I could not have been more at ease.

Chris (19:17) That's that's amazing. (19:19) Well, I don't know. (19:19) Don't know. (19:20) Like, I

Scott Benner (19:20) was worried for myself. (19:21) Like, it it everyone else seemed to be having what I thought was a more normal reaction to to the experience. (19:27) And I was just like, even when they were like, you know, we have this much time. (19:30) Everyone says that whenever I go to something, they're like, you know, we we have an hour. (19:34) Can you fill it?

Scott Benner (19:35) I'm like, an hour? (19:36) Stop. (19:38) I could sit up there all day if you wanted me to. (19:39) I know if anybody would be interested or not, but I'd be okay with it. (19:42) It it really is something.

Scott Benner (19:43) So alright. (19:44) Well, what else did, did your dear Emma want you to tell you? (19:47) She's not doing gymnastics anymore. (19:48) She's rolling full this episode of the juice box podcast, and it features a lightning fast thirty minute warm up time. (19:59) That's right.

Scott Benner (20:00) From the time you put on the Dexcom g seven till the time you're getting readings, thirty minutes. (20:06) That's pretty great. (20:07) It also has a twelve hour grace period, so you can swap your sensor when it's convenient for you. (20:13) All that on top of it being small, accurate, incredibly wearable, and light, these things, in my opinion, make the Dexcom g seven a no brainer. (20:22) The Dexcom g seven comes with way more than just this.

Scott Benner (20:26) Up to 10 people can follow you. (20:27) You can use it with type one, type two, or gestational diabetes. (20:30) It's covered by all sorts of insurances. (20:34) And, this might be the best part. (20:36) It might be the best part.

Scott Benner (20:38) Alerts and alarms that are customizable so that you can be alerted at the levels that make sense to you. (20:45) Dexcom.com/juicebox. (20:47) Links in the show notes. (20:48) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com to Dexcom and all the sponsors. (20:53) When you use my links, you're supporting the production of the podcast and helping to keep it free and plentiful.

Scott Benner (21:00) Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. (21:03) Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? (21:09) That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery. (21:14) And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. (21:17) You heard that right.

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Scott Benner (21:54) Eligibility may vary. (21:55) Why don't you get yourself that free starter kit?

Chris (21:57) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (22:02) Yep. (22:03) Yep. (22:03) She's rolling full time and she's in cross country, which is awesome. (22:06) I mean, we've we've got to experience the, having hot lunch and then running for six or seven miles

Scott Benner (22:12) Oh.

Chris (22:13) Within an hour or two later, it's it was, it was interesting adjusting her settings and everything when she first started cross country. (22:19) But she's handled it so unbelievably well. (22:22) She's received a medal. (22:23) She's placed in every single meet this year, and she has her big championship tomorrow.

Scott Benner (22:27) So awesome. (22:27) Hey. (22:28) Well, good luck to her. (22:29) But where were the adjustments that were made?

Chris (22:31) I mean, for the most part, it was getting something in her system after lunch. (22:36) Because what would happen, of course, is she would have a pretty heavy lunch, and then she'd start it would give her a bunch of insulin. (22:43) She would start drifting down, and it Luke just couldn't couldn't catch it. (22:46) She had a little bit too much insulin on board, especially when she's running around like crazy. (22:51) So it was we just started throwing a little protein snack, like an uncovered protein snack in there, and a little bit of drop to the to the basil right after after lunch.

Chris (23:00) And Nice. (23:01) We got her there the last couple. (23:03) She's been totally totally oh, this one this one was actually good, though. (23:06) She was doing her time travel thing, which is at the beginning of cross country, you run a mile and you time it. (23:13) And then at the end of cross country, you do the same thing to see how much you've improved.

Chris (23:17) And I had been watching her graph. (23:19) I'm like, oh, she's going to need something. (23:22) So I'm like, I call her. (23:23) She doesn't answer. (23:24) I'm like, oh, I'll call her again.

Chris (23:25) Then about two minutes later, I I get a text saying I'm all set. (23:29) Then she comes home and she's like, dad, I did it. (23:31) I shaved a minute off my time. (23:33) She ran a mile in seven minutes and forty eight seconds, which is insane at 10 years old.

Scott Benner (23:39) Goodness.

Chris (23:39) Then she's like, oh, by the way, thanks for calling me right in the middle of it. (23:44) And I was like, really? (23:45) I called you right in the middle of it? (23:46) And she's like, yeah. (23:47) But she's like, it's okay.

Chris (23:48) I just I shut it off, and I I grabbed my Smarties, and, you know, I just kept going. (23:52) And I'm like, so you ignored my call and treated it low and shaved a minute off your mile.

Scott Benner (23:59) Yeah.

Chris (23:59) Like, that's

Scott Benner (24:00) How old?

Chris (24:01) That's mind blowing.

Scott Benner (24:02) How old is she now?

Chris (24:03) She's she's still 10. (24:04) She'll be 11 in a month and a half. (24:06) Yep.

Scott Benner (24:06) That's awesome. (24:07) She's got your way about her. (24:09) Does that make sense?

Chris (24:10) Yeah. (24:11) No. (24:11) I know exactly what you mean.

Scott Benner (24:12) Yeah. (24:12) Yeah. (24:12) No. (24:13) She's real chill and kind, and she was funny and sarcastic and smart. (24:19) Oh.

Scott Benner (24:19) She's a really great mix.

Chris (24:20) I I I I gotta be honest with you. (24:23) When she first of all, she told you that joke. (24:25) I don't know if you remember it, the long one with the all the animals and the brick hitting the girl in the head.

Scott Benner (24:29) Yes. (24:30) And the joke was that she made me listen to it. (24:32) Am I right?

Chris (24:33) Essentially, right. (24:34) Because you, you know, it like, you missed the whole thing a lot. (24:36) When she's between that and then when she gave the whole fake disease, do you remember when she mentioned that?

Scott Benner (24:41) That I remember. (24:42) She made up a disease that she had. (24:44) Yeah. (24:44) It strung me along.

Chris (24:46) I literally I fell to the floor laughing when I heard that. (24:49) I'm like and she she nailed it so effortlessly. (24:52) Like, when when she said when you responded and said that she was gonna be on the podcast, I'm like, Emma, you gotta come up with something good. (24:57) You know, I was just trying to make her be more comfortable.

Scott Benner (24:59) Sure.

Chris (25:00) And I was like, come up with a good joke to tell. (25:03) And she's like, what if I tell them that I have pneumonology microscopic silico volcaniconiosis? (25:08) And I was like, you're gonna be able to do that? (25:09) And I said, you gotta do it, but at the end of it, you gotta you gotta really drop it. (25:13) You gotta be like, oh, no.

Chris (25:14) No. (25:15) No. (25:15) I'm just messing with you. (25:16) And the way she just flawlessly dropped the f bomb right there. (25:20) I'm like, how?

Chris (25:21) This kid needs to be a stand up comedian. (25:23) I

Scott Benner (25:23) mean Oh, she's she's really lovely. (25:26) Now if you've raised her on this homestead in Maine, I don't know if she's gonna talk to enough people or not. (25:30) Do you live on that property now or do you is it just a property you own?

Chris (25:33) No. (25:33) We we live about an hour away. (25:35) About a half an hour away. (25:36) We live in in Brewer, which actually, she mentioned that she lived on on a river. (25:40) We live in, we live right on the Penobscot River, which is the big river in Maine.

Scott Benner (25:44) Okay.

Chris (25:45) So, yeah, we we but we live close to people. (25:48) So we're kind of in the woods. (25:49) Like, we've got, a couple acres of property and, like I said, woods and goes down to the river, and we have chickens. (25:54) But we're also, like, ten minutes from the airport.

Scott Benner (25:58) Wait. (25:59) Did you say the Penobscot River?

Chris (26:01) Yeah. (26:01) The Penobscot River.

Scott Benner (26:02) What seventies TV character had that last name?

Chris (26:06) Penobscot?

Scott Benner (26:08) Hold on a second. (26:09) People are like, oh, great. (26:10) Another reference I don't know. (26:12) It's Happy Days or? (26:14) Oh god, what's it gonna be?

Scott Benner (26:16) A Lauren and Shirley mash. (26:19) Was Okay.

Chris (26:20) Mash. (26:20) Damn. (26:20) Mash.

Scott Benner (26:21) Yes. (26:21) Yes. (26:22) Margaret marries a guy named, Donald Panopscott. (26:27) Wow.

Chris (26:28) No way. (26:29) There's gotta

Scott Benner (26:29) be somebody had to have grown up near that river road on that TV show.

Chris (26:32) Well, it it I mean, Penobscot is the one of the the Indian tribes here in Maine. (26:36) Is it? (26:36) I didn't realize. (26:37) Oh, okay.

Scott Benner (26:38) Yeah. (26:38) Alright. (26:38) Well, now we're learning stuff finally.

Chris (26:39) The Penobscot Indians. (26:41) Yeah.

Scott Benner (26:42) Well, now we're learning stuff. (26:43) The people are like, I always learn something new. (26:45) Now you know that. (26:46) I don't know what you're gonna do with it, but God bless you. (26:47) Good.

Scott Benner (26:48) Great. (26:48) What else you got on your list there?

Chris (26:51) So things that I can oh, oh, oh, she mentioned that she had her crush coming over. (26:55) You were asking her about boys and Yeah. (26:57) And and she told you her her sneaky plan to get her her friend to break up with her crush. (27:05) Mhmm. (27:05) And that way that she could slide in and have her chance.

Chris (27:07) Well, I just wanna say that that was that was successful. (27:10) She waited her time. (27:11) She didn't intervene, and it all worked out. (27:14) The crush is now is now her, you know, 10 year old boyfriend, and he's a great kid.

Scott Benner (27:18) She she's a home wrecker?

Chris (27:20) She is well, but but she did she's not because she waited her time. (27:23) She didn't say anything until after they broke up, and then then she went in for her chance.

Scott Benner (27:27) Yeah. (27:28) No kidding.

Chris (27:28) Look at her.

Scott Benner (27:29) Yeah. (27:30) Is that awesome?

Chris (27:30) Yeah. (27:31) She said I could share that. (27:33) And then let's see. (27:36) Oh, she mentioned she mentioned PPODS, which was it's a local, like, diabetes organization in the area.

Scott Benner (27:42) Okay.

Chris (27:43) That's something that she does with with a bunch of her friends, and it's really cool around here. (27:46) So her endocrinologist and the CDE, they're all involved in it, and they they do, like, summer camp events. (27:53) They we had a Brett Michaels concert. (27:55) Didn't know Brett Michaels had type one.

Scott Benner (27:56) Oh, no kidding. (27:57) You didn't know that?

Chris (27:58) No. (27:59) I had no idea.

Scott Benner (27:59) Oh, okay.

Chris (28:00) I I no. (28:01) I I didn't even know he was the lead singer of Poison, though I like Poison. (28:04) I had no idea. (28:05) I I don't follow I didn't follow it that closely. (28:07) But we went there and went to the concert, and right up toward the front of the stage, there was a a group of, you know, a group of us there that were from it was like a type one fundraiser.

Chris (28:17) And he saw her CGM, drag her up on stage, and had a whole thing about type one diabetes. (28:23) And it was so awesome for all of those kids to see this, like, totally normalized and to be able to to to rock out with with all it it was fantastic.

Scott Benner (28:32) Oh, that's nice.

Chris (28:33) I just wanted to throw a shout out for the the PPODS organization here in Maine. (28:37) Absolutely fantastic.

Scott Benner (28:38) Yeah. (28:38) Oh, that's lovely. (28:39) Good for them. (28:39) It's a a local org.

Chris (28:41) Yeah. (28:42) Yeah. (28:42) Yep. (28:42) That's right. (28:43) Isn't that nice?

Scott Benner (28:44) People see, there's plenty of people doing nice stuff.

Chris (28:47) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (28:48) There's a few people who aren't, but that's fine. (28:50) We can overcome that, maybe.

Chris (28:52) For sure.

Scott Benner (28:53) How do you expect her to progress through this? (28:56) Do you imagine there's gonna be a time of rebellion, or what do you think?

Chris (29:00) Well, I don't know. (29:02) I mean, she she does she's really good at caring about taking care of herself. (29:07) She doesn't let it get her down very often, but I imagine there's definitely gonna be times that she struggles. (29:12) You know, sometimes, like, there's the food struggles where she'll she really wants something. (29:18) She'll be like, oh, I'm so hungry.

Chris (29:19) I want, you know, I want a doughnut. (29:20) Let's go get some ice cream. (29:21) And she'll look at her blood sugar, she'll be like, oh, it's too high. (29:25) We can't do it. (29:26) And so one of the things we work on a lot is, like, showing her, like, we know how to use insulin and helping her get through that type of stuff.

Chris (29:34) But I'm sure that at some point, that that's something I I think she'll probably struggle with is, like, that balance of having to do this extra thing that most people don't have to deal with, which is hopefully, as the technology goes grows, that that won't even be an issue.

Scott Benner (29:47) Yeah. (29:48) You know, I talked to a gentleman recently talking about his college aged son, and he said the saddest thing. (29:53) His his son told him, dad, I'm here for a good time, not a long time.

Chris (29:58) Oh. (29:58) It

Scott Benner (29:59) made me sad. (30:00) Oh. (30:00) Yeah. (30:00) It made him I I he looked sad as well. (30:03) Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:04) And I he's like, do you have anything to offer me? (30:06) And I said, I I would maybe try to get him to listen to the Small Stips episodes. (30:10) I was like, they're really short. (30:11) They're like, it's a packed one thing, one idea. (30:15) It should be short enough for a, you know, a teenager to listen to.

Scott Benner (30:19) And I was like, and you're probably paying for college. (30:20) So and just tell him if he wants to keep going to college, you could just listen to these real quick and see if, you know, you can take something from him. (30:25) Because how do you change someone's mindset who just thinks, I'm not gonna live very long because of this?

Chris (30:32) We we know people somewhat close to us that are that are in that kind of boat where they just they grow up in a different time with different technology and a different support structure, and that's that's their general attitude. (30:42) I mean, e even Emma sees it, and she's like, that that's really sad. (30:46) She's like, because I'm gonna live a normal life. (30:48) And I love that she has that perspective of you know, she knows, hey. (30:50) If I take care of myself, hopefully, it's gonna just be something other than diabetes against me.

Scott Benner (30:54) I don't understand the not fighting to be here thing.

Chris (30:58) Yeah.

Scott Benner (30:58) That that that to me is strange. (31:00) I'm I'm doing everything I can to, you know, stay here longer. (31:05) That would seem like job one to me, but I guess not for everybody or maybe there's a little I don't know if there's depression. (31:10) I don't know the kid, obviously, if there's depression mixed in or maybe just had a bad time and just doesn't see the way out. (31:15) You know, I I there's been plenty of episodes.

Scott Benner (31:18) I don't even remember the episode number anymore, but this guy came on one time and talked about how he's great. (31:24) I still I keep in contact with him still, but he was looking for help online and somebody pointed him to me, and we talked privately on the phone. (31:32) And then, you know, things just started getting better for him and, you know, he changed his life and and, you know, back to school to do something else. (31:40) He does something really kind for people now as his as, you know, as his profession. (31:44) But, you know, he comes to the podcast a long time after we actually spoke privately and confided in me, I guess, in everybody listening that he'd had a plan to end his life.

Scott Benner (31:56) He was getting ready to enact a plan to end his life. (31:59) It's not a thing he wanted to do. (32:00) He just had he was hopeless about his diabetes and and everything. (32:05) You know, I just I make the point that I don't you just don't know what people are going through. (32:09) You know?

Scott Benner (32:09) So it's it's easy to say, like, you know, the kids said I'm here for, you know, a good time, not a long time. (32:15) Is he joking? (32:16) Does he feel that way? (32:17) Is he scared? (32:18) Is there something that's going on that the the parents don't know about?

Scott Benner (32:21) Maybe there's something happened to him he's not even aware of. (32:24) You know? (32:24) Right. (32:25) But and try not to judge anybody, but I I do still tell you that I, from my personal perspective, I can't understand not holding on with every last fingertip and searching. (32:37) But I don't know.

Scott Benner (32:37) You know, people's minds all work differently.

Chris (32:39) With you. (32:40) For sure.

Scott Benner (32:41) Tell Emma, I'm gonna try to keep this podcast going for a decade longer so that I can interview her when she's in college.

Chris (32:49) She wanted me to make sure that that she had an invite back again even though you told her very clearly before she had a great time. (32:55) So, yeah, keep keep doing that.

Scott Benner (32:57) Let's wait until she starts to, become a lady and I know what she means. (33:01) Stops talking to you as much. (33:03) And then, like, right in there, when she gets super sure of herself but has no actual content to back up her ideas, that's when I'd like to talk to her next and then in college after that.

Chris (33:12) Fantastic.

Scott Benner (33:13) Absolutely. (33:14) Yeah. (33:14) No. (33:15) It's well, I I there's a couple of people who come on at, like, intervals in their life, and I think it's, it's super interesting to visit back with them sometimes and see where they've gotten to and what's happened.

Chris (33:27) Actually, you know, this girl that was on one

Scott Benner (33:29) of the after darks, she was a an exotic dancer. (33:32) I'd like to have her back on too.

Chris (33:34) Oh, yeah. (33:34) I've heard that one.

Scott Benner (33:35) Wish she'll hear this. (33:37) Anyway, am I leaving anything out? (33:39) How am I doing?

Chris (33:40) Awesome. (33:41) A couple of the things that I wanted to mention is that you guys talked a little bit about the books I have in my toilet. (33:46) And then one of them she said a bunch of them are yours, but, of course, one of them is yours. (33:49) And I just wanted to say that,

Scott Benner (33:51) I love that book.

Chris (33:52) Like, for real, that that's one of that book, in my mind, helped me set the stage for how I am as a dad. (33:59) It's given me a lot of great ideas. (34:01) And the story you tell in there about you and Cole heading to Obama's inauguration, oh, man.

Scott Benner (34:06) Oh.

Chris (34:07) That is I recall that story all the time.

Scott Benner (34:09) No kidding.

Chris (34:09) I just wanted to say thank yeah. (34:10) Thank you a ton for writing that book and talking about it on the podcast because it it it it really is. (34:16) I keep it there on my toilet because, you know, that's that's actually probably what I read the most.

Scott Benner (34:20) Don't sit too long. (34:21) They say it's not good.

Chris (34:22) Oh, yeah. (34:23) No. (34:23) That's that's true. (34:24) Well, it's

Scott Benner (34:24) a You only sit down when you have to go. (34:25) Okay?

Chris (34:26) It's it's a short book. (34:28) Big font. (34:28) So I get through it pretty quickly.

Scott Benner (34:29) There's no deep thoughts in there that, that needed extra words. (34:32) But, personally, that's lovely of you to say, and and I feel honored that that you that you said that genuinely. (34:37) And and you reminded me of something that happened to me yesterday up on that stage when I finally got up there. (34:43) So for the biggest game that I talk and I'm not certainly, I'm not overblowing it, I really was sitting there like, let me up there. (34:50) I know I'm good at this.

Scott Benner (34:51) Like, let me get going. (34:52) Once I get up there and they start laying out my, you know, I don't know what you would even call it, like, you know, describing, you know, the podcast and and things that it's done and people it's reached and everything, I get very I've, the humility hits me really quickly. (35:09) Like, I don't know if it's because I you know, the way I grew up, if I don't feel like I belong in that situation. (35:13) Like, I I you know, I don't don't have a therapist to tell me what it is, but I I'm guessing it's one of these things. (35:19) Right?

Scott Benner (35:19) But, you know, they introduced me and then they asked me to tell him you know, talk about how I got to this spot. (35:27) Like, you know, like, what's the pathway that this whole thing took? (35:30) And I got all done and the one of the gentlemen that was interviewing me said, you know, like, he looked out in the audience. (35:36) He goes, Scott is is being very, very humble right now. (35:39) And I thought, no.

Scott Benner (35:40) I'm not. (35:41) Like, I'm not. (35:42) I I am not doing that. (35:44) I'm not up there, like, consciously trying to be like, oh, no. (35:46) No.

Scott Benner (35:47) No. (35:47) No. (35:47) Like, you know what I mean? (35:48) Like like, or or trying to come off as I wasn't trying to come off as humble. (35:52) I wasn't trying to give them a feeling that it was something that I'm not I know what this podcast does.

Scott Benner (35:58) Right? (35:58) I see what happens in the community. (36:00) I'm really grateful that it worked out that way. (36:04) Don't I feel like I can take credit for it. (36:06) Like, I just think I'm being myself and this sort of happened.

Chris (36:11) And You call that impostor syndrome. (36:12) Right?

Scott Benner (36:12) I guess so. (36:13) Right? (36:14) Yeah. (36:14) Yeah. (36:14) Or but I mean, is that important really?

Scott Benner (36:16) Like, do I is it important for me for you to say that and then I tell you, oh, yeah. (36:21) Yeah. (36:22) I did that's what I did. (36:23) I did that on purpose. (36:24) Like, know what I mean?

Scott Benner (36:24) I wrote that book like that so you'd have that feeling like, I by the way, I did, but I don't feel that way Right. (36:31) If that makes any sense. (36:32) And I know it doesn't. (36:34) Like, it to hear you go go ahead. (36:37) Say respond.

Scott Benner (36:37) I'm sorry.

Chris (36:38) No. (36:38) I was just gonna say, like, I get you, and I I feel the same way, like, in in what I do for a career. (36:44) Like, many days, I don't believe, like, that I do something and I get congratulated for what I did or thanked for it. (36:50) I'm just like, I was either just doing my job or sometimes I'm like, I don't even I don't believe I even really did that. (36:55) Like, how did I do that?

Chris (36:56) Like, I I kind of I think I relate to a similar feeling.

Scott Benner (37:00) Yeah. (37:00) It it's funny because in my heart, like, I'm I'm fully capable of giving myself credit. (37:07) Like, it's in front of other people where I don't want that. (37:10) Yeah. (37:10) Here here's the other side of it.

Scott Benner (37:12) And I have a podcast, so I have to talk. (37:14) Right? (37:14) So everything is happening right now. (37:16) If you're being helped by the Facebook group or the thing I'm trying in the circle group or this podcast or something else that I've done, I want you to know I did it all very intentionally and on purpose. (37:28) I didn't have a plan when I started, but I am really good at seeing where the road is going and running up ahead.

Scott Benner (37:33) And in any time I've done something that's been a failure or not worked out, I just pivot. (37:38) I stay flexible and I go, okay. (37:39) That didn't work or it didn't resonate with them or whatnot. (37:42) Like, I still think the grand round series is awesome, and it doesn't get listened to as much as it should. (37:47) You know?

Scott Benner (37:47) That's not what a mass of people want. (37:49) It downloaded well, but it didn't download the way I think it should. (37:52) Then I pivoted off to something else. (37:53) I said, okay. (37:54) If they don't want that information this way, I'll find another way to get it to them.

Scott Benner (37:58) I'm making a compilation now, and I've been at this for two years, compiling people's struggles. (38:05) Right? (38:06) I'm right now in the middle of just imagining how to conversate around their struggles that will be most valuable back to them. (38:14) Like like, do I break them down into mental health, management, you know, other ideas and then find a partner to talk about each one of those things with and deliver them back like that? (38:26) It would it be better if I mixed it into conversation and just hope that they found it?

Scott Benner (38:30) And I'm gonna figure out what the best way to go is. (38:33) But what I figured out was, is it between talking to people and then watching them online and then outright asking them, I was able to build a comprehensive list of things that people with type one diabetes struggle with. (38:46) And once you have that list, there's a way to help them with it. (38:50) And now I gotta find a way to deliver it in a way that they'll receive better than they receive their grand rounds. (38:55) Maybe even the grand rounds, maybe it was just the name.

Scott Benner (38:57) Like, I don't even know. (38:58) Like, maybe people don't know what that means or or care or maybe it seemed overly medical before they dove in. (39:05) Like, I don't know. (39:06) But that series, it's a how to for doctors and a what to ask for for patients. (39:10) It's for both people, and I think it's really valuable.

Scott Benner (39:13) And I've heard back from people that it's valuable. (39:15) It just didn't catch on the way it should have. (39:17) The small sips scared me too. (39:19) Like, everybody's like, people need shorter form content. (39:22) I was like, alright.

Scott Benner (39:23) You put a ton of effort into distilling the pro tips and the bold beginning series into the small sip series, and I don't see people sharing it the way I expected them to. (39:32) So maybe they are and I can't see it. (39:33) I don't know. (39:34) But, like, I'm constantly, like, working towards that on purpose. (39:39) Oh.

Scott Benner (39:40) But I but if you sat down in front of a group, like, I can say it to you because you can consciously forget for a second that other people are gonna hear it. (39:47) But if you put me in front of those 600 people again and told me to say this, I'd be like, oh, I'm just doing my best. (39:52) Like, that's how it would come out. (39:54) You know?

Chris (39:55) Yeah. (39:55) I mean, it's been great to see where you started and and where you've taken it. (39:59) It's awesome. (40:00) I I hope you keep making it for however many more years because it's, I'll I'll definitely keep listening, and it's it's been very valuable to us and lots of people that we know. (40:09) I mean, I I share it as much as possible.

Chris (40:10) Some people just don't like podcasts.

Scott Benner (40:12) Yeah. (40:13) But By the way, they think they don't.

Chris (40:15) Yeah. (40:16) You're right.

Scott Benner (40:17) I hear two things. (40:17) Right? (40:18) I hear my brain doesn't work that way. (40:21) And I would tell you, I get it, but just listen passively and you'll pick things up you don't even realize, but that's a hard thing to explain to people. (40:29) I did pass an entire psychology class in high school by sleeping through it.

Scott Benner (40:33) I must have heard something while I was asleep. (40:35) That's a great story. (40:36) I feel like I've told it before, but I got the best score on the final and I slept through that class every day.

Chris (40:42) That's amazing.

Scott Benner (40:42) And now I look back and think it's possible I was anemic then too and I didn't realize it. (40:47) But Wow. (40:47) Nevertheless, I think listen passively. (40:50) Don't put your I think some people's brains tell them that they're supposed to sit down, listen, and know a thing when it's over. (40:56) Right.

Scott Benner (40:56) And I just don't think that that needs to be the way. (40:59) So just listen in the background. (41:01) You'll pick stuff up eventually. (41:02) It'll start making sense. (41:03) I teach myself I'm looking at this little tiny lizard I have over here in this little tiny cage.

Scott Benner (41:08) Okay? (41:09) And I know you're like, oh, it's chameleons. (41:10) No. (41:10) There's a couple others. (41:11) It's called a a Sri Lankan pygmy lizard.

Scott Benner (41:15) There's a pair of them in there. (41:17) Not many people breed them. (41:18) And as a matter of fact, I believe they're on a SIDES list now. (41:21) You can't get them out of Sri Lanka anymore. (41:22) So the ones that are here are the ones that are.

Scott Benner (41:25) They breed. (41:26) So I don't have any desire to be in the reptile breeding business. (41:30) I guess unless you guys want my Sri Lankan pygmy lizards, then hit me up, I guess, and I'll I'll ship it to you. (41:35) It would be easier than driving them back to the brooder, which is what I do is I take them back to the guy that made mine. (41:40) And I'm like, look.

Scott Benner (41:41) You know, I know you're gonna sell these and make some money, but right on, like, just take them. (41:44) You know? (41:44) Mhmm. (41:45) I just want them to go out and have other people, you know, enjoy them and hopefully, you know, maybe there'll be more of them one day. (41:51) But there's the guy's got, like, a twenty minute care video about them.

Scott Benner (41:58) So I listen to it once, and then I don't know what I'm doing. (42:02) And I listen to it twice, and I don't know what I'm doing. (42:04) I listen to it three times. (42:05) I don't know what I'm doing. (42:05) If you ask me right now to give you the parameters for keeping this thing, I don't know that I could rattle them back to you, but I am taking great care of them.

Scott Benner (42:14) Right. (42:14) And and I kind I know that sounds strange, but I think that diabetes can be like that to some degree. (42:19) You know? (42:20) Just hear stuff over and over and over again, and maybe just in the moment, you'll do the right thing.

Chris (42:26) Absolutely.

Scott Benner (42:26) If that sounds hocus pocus y to people, I would understand. (42:29) But I think that's real. (42:31) And I think I've interviewed enough people who've said things like, I listen to the podcast. (42:35) I'm not really good with numbers, but I'm doing really well. (42:38) And they don't know why.

Scott Benner (42:39) Or people have said, like, I already knew how to do all this, but listening to the podcast keeps me background focused without being front brain focused. (42:48) I don't know how to explain all of it. (42:50) I just see it works.

Chris (42:52) So that that's actually a really good point. (42:54) So I have an engineering background even though, as Emma would say, I'm terrible at math and I'm a big college dropout. (43:00) The way you broke it down helped me so much because I was so focused on I remember the first time that I'm like, I gave 1.4 units last time, and it worked out perfect. (43:09) And I gave it today, and it didn't work. (43:11) And or, you know, this plate of food is supposed to be this much.

Chris (43:15) Like, I was so tied to rules that hearing the, like, you know, I just look at it, I'm like, it's a unit or it's four units. (43:23) Like, just that sort of swag, that loose way of doing it, that mixed with my wife is much more that way of just, like, laid back when it comes to the stuff. (43:32) Like, let's just try it and see how it works.

Scott Benner (43:34) Yeah.

Chris (43:35) That's so powerful for me. (43:38) Like, that that helped me so much to be able to just not have to adhere to the rules that that, you know, computers and and everything else have to adhere to. (43:47) That it's just be flexible and and figure it out as you go. (43:51) Isn't it

Scott Benner (43:51) funny that's the first time somebody's used the word swag more like swagger? (43:55) And, it made a lot of sense to me when you said it that way.

Chris (43:58) Oh, swag is is scientific wild ass guess in the IT community.

Scott Benner (44:02) I know it is. (44:03) Yeah. (44:03) Actually Okay. (44:03) But that's not my point. (44:04) My point is is that, like, that's how it's always used.

Scott Benner (44:07) And that one time when you said it, I thought it was more like I imagined myself being like, yeah. (44:11) I don't know. (44:12) It's, like, about this much. (44:13) And that almost felt like swagger. (44:15) And I thought yeah.

Scott Benner (44:16) Yeah. (44:16) Yeah. (44:17) And, that's interesting, really, to me. (44:20) I don't know if it's interesting to anybody else listening.

Chris (44:21) Yeah. (44:22) Well well, as as you grow that, it that's kinda what it becomes. (44:25) Right? (44:25) Like, you almost have, like, a swagger of, oh, yeah. (44:27) It's just this much.

Chris (44:28) Just just do this. (44:29) I mean, that's the relationship we have with it now. (44:32) It's just sort of like, we look at it and we're like, I don't know. (44:35) It's somewhere around that. (44:36) And I mean, obviously, a well tuned algorithm helps with that a significant amount.

Chris (44:41) Mhmm. (44:41) But, yeah, that that's kind of how we approach it.

Scott Benner (44:44) A lot of people are gonna know, you I was having this conversation yesterday with somebody kinda off to the side, and I was like, you know, you can't raise a person on this technology and then make it hard for them to get to it sometimes. (44:57) Like, you either give it to them and they can always have it or it's not always available. (45:01) But, like, there are people coming up in diabetes right now, and the extent of their understanding of diabetes is that I put that thing on and that thing on, and the thing does the thing and I'm okay.

Chris (45:11) Right.

Scott Benner (45:11) Right? (45:11) And so going back almost full circle here, you know, your care team telling you it needs to be a year, I think that's what they're talking about. (45:19) We want people to understand it, you know, sticks and stones, nuts and bolts in case it all, like, you know, reverts back that way. (45:26) I just don't think it's actually gonna revert back that way. (45:28) But you could lose your insurance.

Scott Benner (45:30) You could I guess that's how it could end up reverting back, and then you're not gonna know what to do. (45:35) I do think it's possible to teach people what to do when they have the tools, But then maybe you run into a a human limitation where they're gonna say, I don't really need to know this now because the thing does the thing. (45:48) So there's a lot of arguments. (45:49) I find myself somewhere between worried like Jenny is. (45:53) Jenny's like, I'm afraid that people aren't gonna understand what they're doing and hopeful about the technology the way I am.

Scott Benner (46:00) Like, I'm trying to draw myself more to the center on that. (46:03) And I've been doing I've been working on that for a couple of years actually not to just, like, say, no. (46:06) The thing works. (46:07) Like, it'll be great Because I mean, look at me. (46:09) You saw me with the GitHub.

Scott Benner (46:10) I don't know what I'm doing with that.

Chris (46:12) And it works.

Scott Benner (46:13) Yeah. (46:13) Yeah. (46:13) But it works. (46:14) So good. (46:14) And if I really get stuck, you know, I'm lucky enough to be able to reach out to find people who do understand it.

Scott Benner (46:19) But that's not a real answer because if all those people disappear, what am I supposed to do all of a sudden? (46:25) You know what I mean? (46:26) I won't know what to do. (46:27) Now could I figure it out? (46:29) This to me is the last step of that.

Scott Benner (46:31) I think I could. (46:33) Right. (46:33) Could everybody? (46:34) I don't think that's the case. (46:35) I don't think I'm special, but I think you're dealing with all levels of financial support, emotional support, intellectual backing.

Scott Benner (46:43) Like, there's a lot of different kinds of people. (46:46) So I don't know I don't think there's an answer answer. (46:49) I just think these are things that we have to keep in mind while we're trying to help people and while they're trying to help themselves.

Chris (46:55) Definitely.

Scott Benner (46:55) Okay.

Chris (46:57) So one one last thing.

Scott Benner (46:58) Yeah. (46:58) What do you got?

Chris (46:59) So Emma called me a big college dropout.

Scott Benner (47:02) Must have been lovely to hear.

Chris (47:04) It was. (47:05) It was. (47:05) It was absolutely fantastic. (47:06) And, which which I am, and I boasted. (47:09) I and not only did I drop off from college once, but I dropped off from college three different times, so it's really drives the point home.

Chris (47:16) But didn't slow me down. (47:18) Whatever. (47:19) So and then she called me skinny and weak. (47:21) I think you would ask something about, like, is your dad a big strong guy because he's out in the woods? (47:25) And she's like, no.

Chris (47:26) He's actually really skinny and weak. (47:28) So I just had to give my rebuttal. (47:30) So what I have to say to Emma is that, Emma, I'm very, very proud of you. (47:36) You're an amazing young young lady, and I am so excited to see what you're gonna do as you move forward. (47:42) And I'll I'll save the actual ribbing and and and whatnot for the next time we fight.

Scott Benner (47:46) Very nice. (47:47) No. (47:48) You're lovely. (47:48) You're a good dad, man.

Chris (47:50) Thanks. (47:51) I really appreciate it. (47:52) And and and so so are you. (47:53) I've been hearing your stories forever, and they they definitely influence my my dad decisions on a daily basis.

Scott Benner (47:58) I can't tell you how much that means to me. (48:00) It really does. (48:01) Good. (48:02) I'll try to break through the feeling for a second one more time and tell you that I've never been able to kinda quantify it more than to say that things occur to me when crisis comes up, when there's problems, when there's something to get accomplished. (48:15) More often than not, the thing that I think to do works out.

Scott Benner (48:19) I don't know another way to put that because I can't take credit for any of it. (48:22) I don't think things through the way you imagine thinking things through. (48:26) I just look at things and something pops into my head. (48:29) And more often than not, that thing works. (48:33) And even as a younger person, people would come to me for all kinds of advice and I never understood why.

Scott Benner (48:40) I genuinely never understood why. (48:41) I was not a I didn't have money. (48:43) I didn't have any kind of, you know, position in the world, anything at all. (48:47) And yet people around me would always ask what I thought about stuff. (48:51) And they'd come back and say, hey.

Scott Benner (48:53) That really worked out for me. (48:55) I remember one time, my wife was managing a movie theater and there were kids working there that were, like, 16, 18. (49:01) We were probably in our, like, early twenties. (49:03) And this kid was like, I'm I'm always spending all of my money. (49:07) He's like, I just he's like, I I and these ATM machines were a little newer back then.

Scott Benner (49:11) He's like, I'm always going to the ATM machine, getting out a couple of bucks, and spending it before I know it all my money is gone. (49:16) Would you have any advice about that? (49:17) Now advice, well, I didn't have any money. (49:19) I didn't know anything about anything. (49:20) You know?

Scott Benner (49:21) And I said, yeah. (49:22) Only take out $20 when you go to the ATM. (49:25) And he's like, wait. (49:26) Your advice is to spend more money? (49:28) I said, no.

Scott Benner (49:28) My advice is when you go to the ATM, only take out a 20. (49:31) Never take out less than 20 because this wasn't a kid who had a ton of money, $20 was a big chunk of it. (49:36) You know? (49:37) A couple months later, he comes back to me. (49:39) He goes, hey.

Scott Benner (49:39) I've been saving money. (49:40) I'm doing great. (49:41) I was like, oh, yeah. (49:41) I said, how how's it going? (49:43) Like, what what'd you do?

Scott Benner (49:43) And he goes, I just did a thing where, you know, I only take out a 20. (49:48) And I was like, oh, cool. (49:49) And I just walked I was like, that's great. (49:51) Like, I don't really know what to do after that. (49:53) Was like, alright.

Scott Benner (49:53) Right on, man. (49:54) I'm like, go clean up the popcorn, you know, to, like, relationship stuff and, like, everything in between. (50:00) Like, I don't know. (50:01) Like, when something goes wrong, I seem to know what to do and it translated into parenthood for me somehow. (50:08) And then as I try to be reflective about it, the only thing I can kinda come up with is that it just all seems like common sense stuff to me.

Scott Benner (50:16) I don't really feel like it's anything special. (50:19) I read the meditations from Marcus Aurelius recently. (50:23) It it just seems like common sense to me, but, you know, a long time ago. (50:28) Or or, you know, you read a collection. (50:30) There's this collection of Ben Franklin quotes that he he wrote under a pen name and read them.

Scott Benner (50:35) I think they're called poor rich it's like poor Richard's almanac.

Chris (50:38) I've read those. (50:38) Yeah.

Scott Benner (50:38) Yeah. (50:39) It's common sense.

Chris (50:40) A 100%.

Scott Benner (50:41) Yeah. (50:41) It is. (50:42) Now I don't know why some people have it and some people don't. (50:44) I that I couldn't begin to explain to you, but it's not some deep secret. (50:48) Like, like I said to somebody yesterday, they said, well, how come so many people have good outcomes after listening to the podcast?

Scott Benner (50:53) Like, what are you telling them that other people aren't telling them? (50:55) I'm like, nothing special.

Chris (50:56) It feels that way. (50:57) Right? (50:57) Like, it feels like common sense. (50:59) I feel the same way. (51:00) Like, I I don't know how I do most of what I do, but I'm also a person that people often come to for advice, and I'm always confused.

Chris (51:07) Like, why me? (51:09) But like you said, most of the things I've done, like, they just kinda seem to work out. (51:14) Actually, that common sense topic, one of the other books on my toilet is Robert I think it's Robert Fulgum. (51:20) It's Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Mhmm. (51:23) Which is common sense.

Chris (51:24) The whole thing is literally him talking about how like, all the difficult things in life, it's just use common sense.

Scott Benner (51:29) Yeah.

Chris (51:30) But most people, common sense isn't common as it seems.

Scott Benner (51:33) Yeah. (51:33) I guess that's a saying for a reason, but I would wonder why. (51:37) Yeah. (51:38) Everyone has the intellect and the brainpower to run those their basic ideas. (51:42) Right.

Scott Benner (51:42) You don't even have to remember them. (51:44) You just have to have a a decision making tree that lends that leads you to that spot. (51:49) Right? (51:50) Like, this is happening. (51:51) What do I do?

Scott Benner (51:51) How do I do it spending the least amount of effort, the least amount of time, the least amount of money? (51:56) That's probably the best way to get through it. (51:57) If it's not, then why not? (51:58) Like, what did removing time out of it? (52:01) Is that maybe I should have thought about it longer?

Scott Benner (52:03) Taking money out of it? (52:04) It would have been easier with better materials. (52:06) Like, but that doesn't happen in front of me. (52:09) Right. (52:09) Like, in front of my eyes.

Scott Benner (52:10) I don't see the decision tree. (52:11) I don't hear the words. (52:13) I just I get to the end, and that's the answer. (52:15) And and if it's not right, then you reapply it, and it seems to work the next time. (52:20) Yeah.

Scott Benner (52:21) It is almost like watching that chat GPT go through the the website. (52:25) Like, I don't know exactly what it was doing, but it was taking the steps that it should have and it got to the end and it did the thing it said it was gonna do. (52:31) And I couldn't figure out what it was doing. (52:33) And maybe that's how it feels to people when they listen to You or Me sometimes or why that dumb book I wrote seems so important to you.

Chris (52:40) That dumb book you wrote.

Scott Benner (52:42) Chris, you have no idea. (52:43) I was approached by a publisher to write a diabetes book, and I immediately said, I should not be writing a diabetes book. (52:51) That's ridiculous. (52:52) I was like, I talk about it, and I give people, this is what I think, and they tell me what they think, and it's conversational. (52:59) It's meant to build a community, and then I you know, for people to draw out of it what they want.

Scott Benner (53:02) I'm like, I don't know how to sit down a to b and tell you how to do it. (53:05) You don't want me. (53:07) But I wanted to write a book. (53:08) So I said, could write a book about being a stay at home dad. (53:11) I said, I think that would be really interesting.

Scott Benner (53:13) I've thought about that before. (53:14) And they said, yeah. (53:15) Sure. (53:15) Like, get us a you know, get us an outline. (53:18) And I got off the phone, called my wife.

Scott Benner (53:21) You know? (53:21) I was like, hey. (53:22) This is what they want. (53:23) And she's like, are you gonna do it? (53:24) I said, yeah.

Scott Benner (53:25) I think so. (53:25) And then I just turned to my computer and I sat down and I just every one of those chapters is a thing that I wrote down in five seconds. (53:34) I just was like, this is important to know. (53:36) This is important to know. (53:37) This, this, this, this, this.

Scott Benner (53:38) I don't know if I put, like, 15 or 20 ideas together. (53:41) And then I've said this before on the podcast, but I was done ten minutes after I got off the phone with him. (53:47) I sat on it, like, for the rest of the week through the weekend because I wanted to think I was truly thinking about it. (53:52) And then I just sent it off and they said, this looks good. (53:55) You know?

Scott Benner (53:55) We'll give you a half the money upfront and the other half when you're done. (53:59) And I was like, okay. (54:01) And then I just sat down and wrote out how I felt about being a parent. (54:04) That's pretty much it. (54:06) I don't think I'm a particularly good writer.

Scott Benner (54:08) I'm if it reads even half decent, I'm I'm grateful.

Chris (54:12) Yeah. (54:12) It it does. (54:14) I listen to a fair amount of books. (54:15) Not a not a whole lot of similar topic books to that, but, I mean, it it reads, I think, similar to the way that your podcast listens. (54:22) I mean, you well spoken, and and the ideas are thought out.

Chris (54:26) It's I thought it was excellent.

Scott Benner (54:28) Thank you.

Chris (54:29) I've shared it with non you know, other people that I know, other dads, and I've had similar feedback where they're like, wow. (54:35) This is I've had people actually listen to a few episodes of the podcast with no context about type one diabetes. (54:40) Some of your podcast episodes are great, they're really not all that much about diabetes. (54:44) Yeah. (54:44) They're just about life.

Scott Benner (54:46) I told somebody the other day, I don't think I make a diabetes podcast. (54:49) I think I make a podcast where I only talk to people who are affected by diabetes.

Chris (54:53) Yeah. (54:54) That that's a great way to put it. (54:55) Yeah. (54:56) I and I'd agree.

Scott Benner (54:56) We came out of that that session yesterday, and, there was a lot of people lined up to say hi. (55:01) And one lady just came up to me and she said, you were so well spoken. (55:04) That was such a pleasure to listen to. (55:06) And I thought, no. (55:07) I'm not.

Scott Benner (55:08) I am not well spoken. (55:10) Then you just use the same words. (55:12) Like, I I don't know how to think about that. (55:14) I think I speak like you're watching Pulp Fiction. (55:18) I think you're here and then you're in the future and then you're in the past and then you're in your future and then somehow at the end it all ties together.

Scott Benner (55:24) Yeah. (55:25) Yeah. (55:25) But is that

Chris (55:26) That's good.

Scott Benner (55:27) That's good, though? (55:27) Like, I I mean I

Chris (55:29) it it works for you.

Scott Benner (55:30) Yeah. (55:30) It seems wrong to me.

Chris (55:31) It seems wrong to Like you said, you're not you're not planning it. (55:34) You're not trying to do this. (55:35) It just is who you are. (55:37) Yeah. (55:37) You're

Scott Benner (55:38) just I guess so.

Chris (55:39) Being your genuine self, which is, I think, why why it works so well for you because you're not trying to be something you're not.

Scott Benner (55:45) I'm gonna I'm gonna do something that I think a therapist would tell me is good, I'm gonna say thank you, and I appreciate that, and I'm taking it in. (55:52) And I'm gonna tell you I agree with you. (55:54) So there. (55:55) I'm gonna Awesome. (55:55) I'm gonna take the compliment.

Chris (55:57) Good.

Scott Benner (55:57) Awesome. (55:58) Alright. (55:58) Hold on one second for me. (55:59) This is a real pleasure. (56:00) By the way, you get a two parter out of that because we chatted so long.

Scott Benner (56:02) Congratulations.

Chris (56:03) Awesome. (56:04) Well, thank you for for talking to me and and to Emma. (56:06) It it's it's been excellent.

Scott Benner (56:08) Alright. (56:09) I really do appreciate it. (56:10) Hold on one second for me. (56:18) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. (56:22) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what'd I just say?

Scott Benner (56:29) A free Omnipod five starter kit. (56:32) Free? (56:34) Get out of here. (56:34) Go click on that link, omnipod.com/juicebox. (56:38) Check it out.

Scott Benner (56:39) Terms and conditions apply. (56:40) Eligibility may vary.

Chris (56:42) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (56:47) Links in

Scott Benner (56:47) the show notes. (56:48) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (56:52) Dexcom sponsored this episode of the juice box podcast. (56:55) Learn more about the Dexcom g seven at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox. (57:04) Says to forget old acquaintances, but honestly, I'm grateful for every one of you that keeps showing up.

Scott Benner (57:10) Thank you so much for listening. (57:12) Here's to a fantastic 2026. (57:17) Hey. (57:17) I'm dropping in to tell you about a small change being made to the Juice Cruise twenty twenty six schedule. (57:22) This adjustment was made by Celebrity Cruise Lines, not by me.

Scott Benner (57:25) Anyway, we're still going out on the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship, which is awesome. (57:30) Check out the walkthrough video at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (57:34) The ship is awesome. (57:36) Still a seven night cruise. (57:38) It still leaves out of Miami on June 21.

Scott Benner (57:41) Actually, most of this is the same. (57:43) We leave Miami June 21, head to Coco Cay in The Bahamas, but then we're going to San Juan, Puerto Rico instead of Saint Thomas. (57:50) After that, Bastille, I think I'm saying that wrong, Saint Kitts And Nevis. (57:54) This place is gorgeous. (57:56) Google it.

Scott Benner (57:57) I mean, you're probably gonna have to go to my link to get the correct spelling because my pronunciation is so bad. (58:01) But once you get the Saint Kitts and you Google it, you're gonna look and see a photo that says to you, oh, I wanna go there. (58:08) Come meet other people living with type one diabetes from caregivers to children to adults. (58:14) Last year, we had a 100 people on our cruise, and it was fabulous. (58:19) You can see pictures to get at my link juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise.

Scott Benner (58:24) You can see those pictures from last year there. (58:27) The link also gives you an opportunity to register for the cruise or to contact Suzanne from Cruise Planners. (58:32) She takes care of all the logistics. (58:34) I'm just excited that I might see you there. (58:37) It's a beautiful event for families, for singles, a wonderful opportunity to meet people, swap stories, make friendships, and learn.

Scott Benner (58:49) If you're new to type one diabetes, begin with the bold beginnings series from the podcast. (58:53) Don't take my word for it. (58:55) Listen to what reviewers have said. (58:57) Bold beginnings is the best first step. (58:59) I learned more in those episodes than anywhere else.

Scott Benner (59:02) This is when everything finally clicked. (59:04) People say it takes the stress out of the early days and replaces it with clarity. (59:08) They tell me this should come with the diagnosis packet that I got at the hospital. (59:12) And after they listened, they recommend it to everyone who's struggling. (59:16) It's straightforward, practical, and easy to listen to.

Scott Benner (59:19) Bold Beginnings gives you the basics in a way that actually makes sense. (59:26) If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. (59:32) Listen, truth be told, I'm like 20% smarter when Rob edits me. (59:37) He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that. (59:42) And it just I don't know, man.

Scott Benner (59:44) Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? (59:46) And then I remember because I did one smart thing. (59:49) I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.

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