Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1687: “Knowing Doesn't Mean Ready”

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Lauren, mother of a 7-year-old living with Type 1 Diabetes
Date: November 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the often-overlooked gap between intellectual knowledge and real-world readiness in parenting a child with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Lauren, who spent years in pharmaceutical sales focused on diabetes, shares her family’s emotional and practical journey through her son’s diagnosis, early hospital experience, and the complexities of adapting to daily life with T1D. The conversation, marked by humor, candor, and tactical advice, aims to offer relatable strategies to help families thrive with diabetes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lauren’s Background and Initial Diagnosis Experience

• Lauren, mother of two boys (ages 7 and 10), worked nearly 20 years in pharma—12 of them specializing in diabetes medicines, primarily for Type 2.
• Despite her expertise, the signs of T1D in her younger son were easily rationalized away until a bathroom emergency and rapid weight loss triggered alarm.
  • Quote: “You can hold it. It is a 10 minute drive. ... If he cannot hold it, he has diabetes.” (06:10, Lauren)
• DIY blood glucose check yielded a 564 reading. Despite knowing what it meant, Lauren still hesitated to see it as real.
• Attempts to shortcut the ER by asking the pediatrician for insulin were rebuffed, resulting in a proper hospital admission.

2. Hospital Frustrations: Knowledge vs. Systemic Limitations

• Lauren’s medical literacy clashed with cautious hospital protocol, causing tension.
  • Quote: “The hospitalist comes into the room, walks in and tells me, ‘I can’t give you insulin yet. Because I don’t know if he’s a type 1 or a type 2.’ I look at the guy and say, ‘It’s 100% a type 1.’” (18:36, Lauren)
• Difficulty in securing a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) for her son, with staff pushing outdated “learn the hard way” methods.
  • “The way to learn about diabetes isn’t to be able to see your blood sugar exactly at all moments?” (19:16, Scott)

3. Transitioning to Home and Self-Education

• Frustrated by local care, Lauren self-referred to Riley Children’s Hospital, where she finally received the education and tech her family needed.
• Key advice: Advocate doggedly for referrals and tech access.
  • “You have to advocate for yourself. If something doesn’t feel right, do whatever you need to get a better result...” (24:16, Lauren)
• Discovered the Juicebox Podcast based on recommendations from other T1D parents and later, her new endocrinologist.

4. Coping, Learning, and Adjusting Attitudes

• The podcast's “Bold With Insulin” approach empowered both Lauren and her hesitant husband to evolve from fear-based control to proactive interventions.
  • “They want you to be afraid, like deadly afraid of the low blood sugars… But I can’t remember how many just normal primary care doctors… would tell me, ‘We’re not worried about low blood sugar, we’re worried about the hyperglycemia.’” (25:13, Lauren)
  • Notable Moment: Both an acquaintance and their doctor independently recommended the podcast (30:06), solidifying its trusted status for Lauren’s husband.

5. Trial and Error: Strategies, Tech, and Professional Guidance

• Quickly moved from MDI (Lantus and Humalog) to an Omnipod pump, and began working with diabetes educator Jenny Smith.
  • Implemented “steal the A1C overnight” (keeping overnight glucose stable to improve time-in-range and A1C).
  • Emphasized the value of manual pump mode per Jenny’s advice, despite pushback from pump trainers.
  • “If we can make [the overnight] strong and tight and that a flat line, like, we will win.” (34:44, Lauren)
• Lauren considered (but hesitated) moving to Loop technology (DIY closed-loop), highlighting the anxiety of relinquishing hands-on control after early success with intensive management.

6. Family Dynamics and Emotional Impact

• Lauren left her career to become her son’s primary caregiver, a shift laden with mixed emotions, identity challenges, and gratitude for the flexibility to do so.
• “You stop working, you give up a big piece of who you are... but there’s nothing more important than making sure he stays healthy and doesn’t have these long-term complications.” (36:43, Lauren)
• Reflected on how her son’s resilience differs from her own childhood temperament, and the emotional toll (and pride) this brings.

7. Daily Life, Burnout, and Pragmatic Flexibility

• Both host and guest emphasize learning in increments, adjusting advice to avoid burnout and recognize the need for rest:
  • “If you need to sleep one night and the blood sugar’s 130, I don’t think you should sit up all night trying to make it 85.” (50:24, Scott)
  • Lauren warns against both complacency and perfectionism: “It’s easy to get hung up on feeling bad if you have a bad day... not get complacent...” (51:00)

8. Rethinking Medical Goals and Standards

• Deep frustration with the medical establishment’s “below 7 A1C” mindset for kids—believes tighter control is possible and ethical with today’s technology.
  • “The doctors just want you under seven, and that’s not good enough... we can do better.” (53:12, Lauren)
• Scott provides nuance: not all doctors can support everyone toward these ambitious targets due to systemic constraints and variable patient engagement.

9. The Future: GLP-1s and Advancements

• Lauren, with a pharma/diabetes tech background, weighs in on GLP-1s (Ozempic et al.) as “miracle drugs” for Type 2, expressing both hope and frustration that T1D approvals and access lag behind despite enormous promise.
  • "They are miracle drugs. ...I don't even know if I could do my job anymore because I'm jealous at the sense that it's not indicated for my child...” (57:34, Lauren)
• Scott shares his personal experience with GLP-1s for weight loss, illustrating life-changing benefits beyond diabetes, and reflecting on public misunderstanding and stigma.
  • “Maybe you had stolen this driver’s license...I was not going to get, for whatever reason, God bless my body, I was not going to get type 2 diabetes...but I was going to have a heart attack one day...This gives me the best possibility I have of making it as far as I can...” (68:08–65:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On parental advocacy:

  • “You have to advocate for yourself. And if something doesn’t feel right, do whatever you need to do to get a better result…” (24:16, Lauren)

• Hospital care skepticism:

  • “This is classic, textbook type 1 diabetes, and no one knows what they’re doing.” (18:55, Lauren)

• The knowledge gap:

  • “I knew all about insulin. I was trained that insulin works... but I was never trained on the variables,” (17:02, Lauren)
  • “Knowing doesn’t mean ready.” (episode title theme)

• Scott on technology:

  • “The way to learn about diabetes isn’t to be able to see your blood sugar exactly at all moments?” (19:16, Scott)

• Empowering, actionable advice:

  • “It’s almost like a marriage where you’re kind of like sitting down and understanding all the little details before you actually get married and commit to the algorithm in a sense…” (37:26, Lauren, on learning pumps in manual mode first)

Timestamps for Key Sections

• [06:10] First suspicions and the “bathroom incident”
• [08:53] At-home glucose check, realization moment
• [14:06] ER assessment, learning son is not in DKA, feeling “relief”
• [18:36] Hospital frustrations, insulin delay, push for CGM
• [24:16] Advice on self-advocacy, bypassing local system for better care
• [25:13] Podcast kicks in as education resource
• [30:06] Husband convinced after endocrinologist recommends Juicebox Podcast
• [34:44] “Steal the A1C overnight” concept explained
• [36:43] Career change, emotional toll
• [50:24] Burnout, permission to aim for “good enough” at times
• [53:12] Medical establishment vs. patient ambitions
• [57:34] GLP-1s, pharma insider perspective
• [65:01]–[68:08] Life expectancy, medical bias, and Scott's weight loss journey

Concluding Insights

The conversation is both deeply practical and unflinchingly honest about the emotional and systemic challenges of managing T1D in children, even for those with a significant knowledge base. Lauren’s journey illustrates how knowing the facts doesn’t fully prepare parents for the emotional heavy lifting and the tenacity required to achieve optimal outcomes—and how peer-to-peer support, coupled with nuanced education like the Juicebox Podcast provides, can bridge that gap. The episode encourages families to reframe their expectations, advocate relentlessly, and embrace technological and pharmaceutical advancements, all while allowing themselves occasional grace and breathing room.

Tone:
Supportive, candid, and occasionally irreverent, the discussion combines clinical insight with lived experience, making it at once accessible and empowering for families managing T1D.