Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1705: Red Lobster - Part 2
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Jamie (Type 1 diabetic, LADA, law enforcement and retail loss prevention background)

Episode Overview

This lively, candid conversation with Jamie, an eight-year Type 1 diabetes (LADA) veteran, explores living boldly and practically with diabetes, weaving in humor, stories of family, coping with autoimmune issues, and a detailed firsthand account of using nicotine patch therapy to address long COVID symptoms. Scott and Jamie’s rapport brings warmth and honesty to topics ranging from police anecdotes to diabetes management, resiliency, and adapting to life’s curveballs.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Autoimmune Stack: Diabetes, Raynaud’s, Psoriasis, Allergies

• Jamie shares her diagnoses (Raynaud's, anaphylactic allergies, psoriasis), describing the impact on daily life and linking autoimmune conditions in her family.
  • "I have Raynaud's. I have anaphylactic allergies and I also have psoriasis." (02:28)
  • Psoriasis particularly flares in her ear canals and scalp, often triggered by stress and potentially diet, though she hasn't pinpointed the trigger yet. (03:07)
• Family history is rich with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and celiac. She is an only child but has several relatives with autoimmune issues. (03:56)

2. Jamie’s Backstory: Relationships, Family, and Adolescent Antics

• Jamie describes reconnecting with her now-husband after a long gap, familial opinions, and how financial or pragmatic reasons can influence relationships humorously. (04:43–07:04)
• Growing up: Jamie was raised by a single mother, never experienced parental divorce, and reflects on being a “spitfire” child—sneaking out, substance experimentation, and running away at 16.
  • “I packed my bags, I was gone for a couple of days, and I called the police department to bring me home because I was afraid she would kill me.” (09:00)
• Her mother was initially angry but ultimately grateful for Jamie’s return; Jamie now appreciates her mom’s strength and plans to thank her more often. (07:57–08:40)

3. Law Enforcement & Loss Prevention: From the Jail to the Store

• Brief stint as a police officer: mostly worked in jail due to her seniority and need for female officers, never had to use her weapon but did encounter tense situations.
  • “I worked in the jail a lot because I was low in the seniority, and so I didn't really carry my gun... So.” (12:27)
• Unique experiences:
  • Women hiding contraband: “A lot of people stick things in their private parts that they're just not supposed to, or they have things like stuck in the folds of their skin.” (17:02)
  • Wildest story: escorting a woman with marijuana hidden internally to the hospital for removal.
    • “She had marijuana. Bags of marijuana. But. So if somebody is doing like when you're doing the strip search ...if they lose their bladder, it's a sure sign that there's something up there.” (18:15-19:01)
• Transition to retail loss prevention—caught shoplifters frequently and enjoyed the "adrenaline” of the job.
  • “I was good at it. I could catch a shoplifter in my sleep.” (20:07)

4. Shoplifting: The Psychology & The Game

• Jamie and Scott discuss the art of shoplifting, psychology of getting caught, and how loss prevention agents train to spot subtle behaviors.
  • Scott’s theory: “Just acting like you weren’t doing anything wrong was the key to it. It was more body language... I could walk into a store, walk out with an armful of stuff, and you wouldn’t notice if I looked like I was supposed to be doing it. Am I onto something?” (24:20)
  • Jamie: “That's part of why I was really good at [catching people]… I could pick up on those little nuances, those little... the nervous tick, the quick glance around.” (24:20)
• Funny show idea: A “loss-prevention” game show with teams of shoplifters vs. security agents. Scott riffs in typical hilarious fashion (20:48).
• Jamie’s vigilance remains even while shopping as a civilian—she notices theft and sometimes confronts the perpetrators.
  • “It's just hard to let it go because it's so ingrained in me to do something about it.” (26:21)

5. Compassionate Conversations & The Impact of the Podcast

• Scott recounts a poignant recent interaction with a grieving acquaintance and reflects on how the podcast improved his capacity for empathy and holding space for emotions.
  • “I was not uncomfortable while he was having his feelings, I kept eye contact, which was, I thought, a big deal... I was really proud of myself.” (29:41)
• Jamie shares her own struggles with emotional support and how her church involvement brings frequent opportunities for emotional connection.
  • “Sometimes when people come to me with emotional things, I don't know how to always handle it. And sometimes it makes me cry.” (30:35)
• Jamie credits the podcast for empowering her, changing her relationship with diabetes, and dissolving the feeling of disability.
  • “I don't feel like it really disables. I feel like it just changes the way I live... A big part of that is from listening to your podcast, because it gave me that hope and the ability to make those decisions and treatment decisions on my own without being forced to constantly ask the doctor for help.” (31:13–32:02)

6. Aging, Autoimmune Onset, and Life Changes

• Both reflect on getting older, how autoimmune conditions seem to mount up post-diabetes diagnosis, and the strange comfort that comes with age and perspective.
  • “You feel less worried. I feel less rushed… it's so upsetting, the way it works. It starts off, you don't know anything, and just when you're figuring it out, you die.” (33:44)

7. Experimental Therapy: Nicotine Patch for Long COVID

• Jamie describes experimenting with a nicotine patch protocol (21 days, 7mg/day) after both a friend and chiropractor suggested it, backed by clinical studies.
  • “Covid is binding to a nicotine receptor in your body, which is causing a lot of long term effects. By using a nicotine patch... it puts the nicotine into your body and disrupts the COVID that's stuck to that receptor and knocks it out.” (38:49)
• Process: She cuts 21mg patches into thirds, rotates application sites, and reports substantial improvement in pain, brain fog, and migraines:
  • “My brain fog is a lot better… Today is the first day I've had any kind of nerve pain in almost two weeks, which is a first in quite a while.” (36:30)
  • “I sleep better. I don't wake up with nerve pain or migraines every night.” (46:34)
• Details and perceived mechanics of action covered in depth (39:08–42:38).
• Jamie committed to updating Scott and the audience with long-term results.
  • “I need you, and I'm not joking, to email me in a couple weeks and tell me how it's going.” (38:04)

8. Diabetes Lows and Recovery

• Jamie inquires about Scott's daughter Arden’s experience after severe lows—her own recent low left her exhausted and insatiably hungry for days.
  • “It took me a good three or four days at least to feel awake… and then I could not get enough carbs into my body.” (49:19, 49:41)
• Scott notes he’s heard others report similar aftereffects, with variability between individuals. (49:55)

9. Breadmaking, Family Barter, and Winding Down

• Jamie is making her first loaf of bread, inspired by Scott’s podcast stories, and plans to share the outcome (47:33).
• She’s heading to her mom’s for dinner, highlighting a family barter system—fixing things in exchange for meals (50:12–50:21).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On living with multiple autoimmune diseases:

  "All of the autoimmune diseases have just, like, riddled my body … what next is this body going to come up with to try to kill me?" — Jamie (34:47)

• On loss prevention instincts dying hard:

  “We go to the stores and I'm like, that guy's shoplifting. And my husband's like, you do not work here. Shut up.” — Jamie (26:08)

• On the value of the podcast:

  “It really has framed how I think about my diabetes and how I handle it … it gave me that, like, the hope and the ability to make those decisions and treatment decisions on my own.” — Jamie (31:13–32:02)

• On reactions to lows:

  “...when she, like, came back up from the low, was she exhausted for a couple of days?... I could not get enough carbs into my body.” — Jamie (49:19)

• On empathy and growth:

  “A decade ago, I would not have been good at this... Now, I was not uncomfortable while he was having his feelings, I kept eye contact, which was, I thought, a big deal...” — Scott (29:41)

• On experimenting with nicotine patches for long COVID:

  “My brain fog is a lot better … the nerve pain, today is the first day I’ve had any kind of nerve pain in almost two weeks, which is a first in quite a while.” — Jamie (36:30)
  “I need you, and I'm not joking, to email me in a couple weeks and tell me how it’s going.” — Scott (38:04)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Autoimmunity discussion & family history: 02:23–04:33
• Teen stories, family dynamics: 07:29–10:45
• Law enforcement anecdotes: 11:06–14:46
• Contraband search story: 17:02–19:36
• Loss prevention job, shoplifting psychology: 20:02–24:20
• Compassionate conversation skill-building: 29:40–32:02
• Nicotine patch experiment for long COVID: 35:17–38:49, 39:08–42:38
• Details on diabetes lows & recovery: 49:19–50:04

Episode Tone

Friendly, humorous, frank, and at times deeply vulnerable and supportive. Scott’s informal, quippy interviewing puts Jamie at ease, encouraging detailed storytelling and practical truth-telling about living with diabetes, managing health, and rolling with what life brings.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Resilience: Living well with diabetes and other autoimmune conditions means learning, adapting, and refusing to be limited by diagnoses.
• Community empowerment: Peer-shared wisdom, as found on Juicebox Podcast, can transform how people relate to and manage their diabetes.
• Curiosity and experimentation: Facing persistent health challenges like long COVID may require open-mindedness, ongoing learning, and safe self-advocacy when standard interventions fail.
• Human connection: Skills built around diabetes management—empathy, self-reflection, direct conversation—can have powerful ripple effects elsewhere in life.

For further resources and community, listeners are encouraged to check out juiceboxpodcast.com and the Juicebox Podcast Facebook community.