#1726 Cinderella Story - Part 1

Summary

Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1726: Cinderella Story – Part 1
Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Olivia
Date: January 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features Olivia, a 29-year-old woman who has lived with type 1 diabetes (T1D) since she was a toddler. Olivia opens up about her experiences growing up with T1D, her unique diagnosis story, and how diabetes provided a source of stability while navigating family turmoil and emotional instability throughout her adolescence and early adulthood.
The discussion explores the interplay between chronic illness management and difficult personal circumstances, with a focus on resilience, identity, and coping strategies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Olivia’s Diagnosis Story

[02:31 – 15:23]

• Early Onset and Family Background [02:51]
  Olivia was diagnosed at 16 months old. She is the younger of two siblings. Her mother had challenging births, ultimately deciding not to have more children after Olivia.

  "I am the youngest of two. I have an older brother who is two years older than me. Pretty small family." — Olivia [02:55]

• The Diagnosis Experience [07:26]
  Olivia’s parents left for a Caribbean cruise while Olivia and her brother recovered from the flu. Olivia’s health worsened under her grandparents’ care—classic T1D symptoms emerged (excessive urination and thirst).

  “Apparently, I was wearing like the strongest absorbency of diapers that you can wear, and I was peeing through those. I was drinking lots and lots of liquids.” — Olivia [07:56]

• Emergency Hospitalization [11:08]
  Her medically trained aunt recognized something was wrong, leading to urgent care and an emergency room, where Olivia's blood sugar was found to be over 600.

  “Whoever we saw first said, you gotta take her right away to the emergency room. So they took me to the emergency room, checked my blood sugar, it was over 600. So I was diagnosed on the spot with type 1 diabetes.” — Olivia [11:10]

• Parents’ Ordeal [11:38]
  Her parents, unreachable at sea, received word via a slip under their cabin door and rushed home, delayed by a tornado and flight logistics.

  “I think it took probably a day or two before they got to me. And my mom, when she entered the hospital… she was devastated. My dad was too.” — Olivia [13:26]

2. Living with T1D from Childhood

[17:51 – 19:37]

• Earliest Memories of T1D Management [17:51]
  Olivia’s early memories involve multiple daily injections, administered by her parents. She recounts a specific moment with her dad, using humor to diffuse the pain.

  “I remember just laying on the floor and saying like, you know, Dad, this hurts… And he said… maybe it won’t hurt so much if, you know, I chop your leg off.” — Olivia [17:51]

3. Diabetes as a Source of Strength and Stability

[19:09 – 21:27]

• A Constant Amidst Chaos [19:37]
  Despite frequent negative takes on diabetes, Olivia describes the condition as a “source of stability” and control when other aspects of her young life were chaotic.

  “Having type 1 diabetes has always been, like, a source of stability and a constant in my life.” — Olivia [20:19]

• Benefiting from Community & Resources [21:02]
  Olivia credits the Diabetes Pro Tip series for helping her gain better control, increasing her confidence and reducing the frequency of “rough days.”

  “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.” — Olivia [21:02]

4. Family Dynamics and Emotional Turmoil

[23:44 – 28:02]

• Parental Conflict and Divorce [23:48]
  Olivia’s parents divorced when she was 10, but she recalls tension and emotional volatility (particularly from her mother) predating the separation.

  “Whenever I heard my mom’s voice starting to rise like that, I knew, like, okay, it’s time to hide… just hide until the storm rolls over.” — Olivia [24:00]

• Emotional Impact and Maternal Relationship [25:07]
  Olivia’s mother shared that she once screamed at Olivia so fearfully that Olivia vomited (an event Olivia does not consciously remember).

  “She told me when I was… maybe 2 years old, she screamed at me so harshly that I vomited. And… my nervous system has remembered it.” — Olivia [25:07]

• Mental Health Considerations [26:02]
  Olivia’s mother has not been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, but Olivia suspects she exhibits signs of borderline personality disorder, although she hesitates to label her without expertise.

  “I have come to an increasing hunch that my mom could be borderline. She seems to exhibit a lot of the DSM criteria for it.” — Olivia [26:02]

5. The Split-Custody Years

[28:02 – 35:30]

• “Living in a Hotel” [29:41]
  For 6 years (ages 10–16), Olivia alternated weekly between her parents’ homes, creating instability and lacking a “true home.”

  “So every Friday… we’d be packing up, you know, our cell phone chargers and video game systems… to carry to the other parent’s house.” — Olivia [29:54]

• Identity Confusion and People-Pleasing [35:08]
  Olivia shaped her personality to appease each parent, developing two “different personalities” depending on whose home she was in, leading to confusion about her true self.

  “I was a massive people pleaser with both my mom and dad… 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.” — Olivia [35:08]

6. Adolescence: Depression and Choosing Stability

[28:02 – 42:17]

• Depression and Suicidal Thoughts [28:02 – 29:28]
  Olivia describes the onset of depression around age 12, triggered by the relentless instability, and occasional suicidal ideation (but no intent or planning).

  “I remember back during that time having some subtle suicidal thoughts, like, you know, I wish I wasn’t here. I never acted on any of these though.” — Olivia [29:25]

• Permanent Move to Mother’s Home [41:06]
  At 16, Olivia chose to live full-time with her mother to escape the instability of shuttling between homes and the emotional vacuum at her father’s house.

  “I just needed stability. I couldn’t take it anymore… I remember a lot of times being at my dad’s house and just sitting in my bedroom… thinking that my bedroom was like a prison cell and I was starving of love.” — Olivia [41:11-41:53]

• Changes in the Family Structure [42:24]
  Her father remarried a woman 14 years younger than him (and 14 years older than Olivia), and they had four daughters together, further altering household dynamics.

7. Personality, Identity, and Individuality

[35:30 – 40:27]

• Adaptation and Self-Discovery [39:04]
  Olivia has spent much of her life questioning which personality traits are authentic and which are survival mechanisms.

  “I would wonder, like, is this who I am or is this who I settled on?” — Scott [39:04]

• Indicators of Her True Self [39:04 – 40:01]
  School was a setting where Olivia expressed her “true self”—quiet, studious, a “bookworm, a band geek,” not bubbly or extraverted.

• A Memorable Guess [40:01]
  Scott correctly guesses Olivia played the clarinet in band.

  “Clarinet. What'd you play?" — Scott [40:01]
  "Yeah, I played clarinet." — Olivia [40:03]

8. Reflections on Family, Empathy, and Connection

[44:48 – 46:37]

• Empathy for Others’ Stories [44:48 – 46:11]
  Scott and Olivia reflect on the value of understanding others’ stories in work and social settings, noting how hidden trauma and adversity influence everyday interactions.

  “It just occurs to me we should know each other if we really expect to exist well.” — Scott [46:00]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On diabetes as stability:
  “Having type 1 diabetes has always been, like, a source of stability and a constant in my life.” — Olivia [20:19]

• On handling adversity:
  “Let’s get Olivia involved in this… she gets stuff done. She follows through. She doesn’t just put up her hands and go, no.” — Scott [46:37]

• On parental conflict:
  “Whenever I heard my mom’s voice starting to rise like that, I knew, like, okay, it’s time to hide, either in my bedroom or the basement.” — Olivia [24:00]

• On identity confusion:
  “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.” — Olivia [35:08]

• On family change:
  “My stepmom is 14 years younger than my dad, and she's also 14 years older than me, so she's, like, right in the middle.” — Olivia [42:55]

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Timestamps for Key Sections

• Diagnosis & Childhood: 02:31 – 17:51
• Parental Dynamics & Divorce: 23:48 – 29:28
• Split Custody & Emotional Impact: 28:02 – 35:08
• Identity & Self-Discovery: 35:30 – 41:06
• Father’s Remarriage & New Siblings: 42:24 – 43:33
• Empathy and Teamwork Talk: 44:48 – 46:37

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Tone and Style

The conversation maintains a candid, sometimes humorous, but always empathetic tone. Scott uses levity (“Did you hold onto her spleen on the way out?”) to punctuate heavier moments, fostering a safe space for Olivia’s vulnerable storytelling. Olivia speaks thoughtfully, balancing detail and introspection without bitterness, offering raw yet practical examples of how she’s coped with complexity in both health and family matters.

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Conclusion

Part 1 concludes as Olivia reflects on her decision to live with her mother full-time, with Scott noting the story’s richness and hinting at further exploration of her adulthood and insights in Part 2. This episode stands out for its honest exploration of how chronic illness can coexist with—and sometimes anchor—other major life challenges.

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For more details or to hear the continuation, listen to Part 2 of Olivia’s Cinderella Story on the Juicebox Podcast feed.

Transcript

[A]

Hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Juice Box Podcast.

[B]

Hi, my name is Olivia. I'm 29 years old. I've lived with type 1 diabetes since the age of 16 months, and I'm here to talk about T1D and my life and very excited to be on the show today.

[A]

All right, let's get down to it. You want the management stuff from the podcast. You don't care about all this chitting and chatting with other people. Juicebox podcast.com lists they are downloadable, easy to read. Every series, every episode, they're all numbered. Makes it super simple for you to go right into that search feature in your audio app. Type Juice Box 1795 to find episode 1795 juiceboxpodcast.com lists. While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juice Box Podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. Foreign. The episode you're about to listen to was sponsored by touched by type 1. Go check them out right now on Facebook, Instagram, and of [e-mail] 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 1 diabetes. Touched by type1.org Today's episode is also sponsored by the Eversense 365. The one year wear CGM. That's one insertion a year. That's it. And here's a little bonus for you. How about there's no limit on how many friends and family you can share your data with with the eversense now app. No limits ever since. The podcast is also sponsored today by the Tandem MOBI system, which is powered by Tandem's newest algorithm, Control IQ technology. Tandem MOBI has a predictive algorithm that helps prevent highs and lows and is now available for ages 2 and up. Learn more and get started today at tandomdiabetes.com juicebox.

[B]

Hi, my name is Olivia. I'm 29 years old. I've lived with type 1 diabetes since the age of 16 months and I'm here to talk about T1D and my life and very excited to be on the show today.

[A]

Excited to talk to you, Olivia. Thank you for doing this.

[B]

Of course.

[A]

16 months.

[B]

Yes, 16 months.

[A]

How many children did your parents have and where did you fall? In that order?

[B]

So I am the youngest of two. I have an older brother who is two years older than me. Pretty small family.

[A]

Youngest of two because after you got diabetes? They stopped having kids.

[B]

Well, not necessarily because of my T1D, but more. More so because my mom had a very rough delivery with me. So I think originally she was planning on having four. Then my brother came along. She said, okay, let's make it three. Then I came, and she said, I'm done.

[A]

Would you like, hold onto her spleen on the way out? What were you doing?

[B]

I mean, I have no idea what I was doing. All I know is that it came very fast and my mom had no kind of epidural or anything, and I was. I was a larger baby. So, yeah, it was. From the sound of it, it was just really rough on her.

[A]

Well, I'm sorry for her, but fun story. Like, you know, so you're slip inside not, what, at like 9 pounds, 3 ounces or something like that?

[B]

Like 9 pounds, 6 ounces, I think.

[A]

No kidding. Oh, wow. You were big.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So did she have gestational with you?

[B]

I'm not 100% sure. I think I recall her saying before that she might have had gestational with me, which would explain why I was a larger baby. But I'm not sure. She hasn't really, like, talked in detail about it with me. So. Yeah, I don't really know.

[A]

Okay. No, it's interesting because I think. I think you would think that eventually I could remember these things, but I feel like. I feel like people have spoken on here before about gestational, like, making the possibility of your baby having type 2 later in life greater. I should probably look into that before I say it out loud, but I never. I've never heard it, like, connected to type 1. Doesn't mean it's not. Also makes me wonder if. Is your mom, like a. Not a very. What do I mean? Like, not a very open person with stuff like that, or is it just. You know what I mean?

[B]

It's a good question, because I think. I don't know, like, I think when it comes to things like that involving her health, she isn't maybe the most open about certain topics. And again, I'm not really sure why, but that's kind of the way that she's been.

[A]

Yeah. So, no, I mean, I'm not trying to, like, I'm not saying anything about her. I'm just trying to figure out, like, in my mind's eye, I'm thinking like, oh, she has a baby. Sixteen months later, it has type one. You know, a year and a half before that, somebody said to her, gestational diabetes, it, you know, blah, blah, blah. Maybe she feels. Maybe she just feels, I don't know, at fault and doesn't want to talk about it. Even though that would be silly if that's not the case. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah. I've never really thought about it that way, but now it kind of gets me wondering if there is some kind of connection between gestational and T1D. Again, I don't really know, but I am looking right now.

[A]

Looking right now. Don't worry about it. I don't.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

Yeah. So, yeah, I don't think that's the case. And gestational diabetes does not directly cause type 1 diabetes and children. No, I didn't say caused. I said increased likelihood. If our overlords aren't going to pay attention on what's going to happen here. You're asking. Gestational diabetes increase likelihood, not causes of type 1 diabetes in child. The main drivers of type 1 are genetic. Yeah. Thank you. Gestational diabetes by itself does not significantly increase the likelihood of type 1. I didn't think so. Large studies show no strong link between maternal gestational and later type 1 diabetes, where the impact is clear. Children exposed to gestational diabetes in utero have a higher likelihood of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 later in life.

[B]

Okay, that's interesting.

[A]

Do you have any insulin resistance?

[B]

No, I. In fact, like a week or two ago, I noticed that my insulin sensitivity did a sudden jump, and I was like, oh, my goodness, I'm having so many low blood sugars, I need to back off on how much insulin I'm taking. So it's kind of a blessing in disguise, I guess.

[A]

Well, for sure it is. Let me. Let's move forward from my pretend supposition that possibly your mom had gestational diabetes.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Because that would be a weird road to continue down anyway. I think maybe away from the. The more technical parts of that conversation, it just struck me. I wonder if somebody said diabetes to her and then you got diabetes and she got, like, just, I don't know, sensitive to it maybe, but I don't know. That's me guessing still. So.

[B]

Yeah, I don't know. But. But the. The circumstances surrounding my diagnosis were pretty chaotic, actually, from what I've heard my mom share with me.

[A]

Yeah, tell me what they told you.

[B]

Yeah, 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 and leading up to Memorial Day, both my brother and I were sick with the flu. My brother was recovering at A pretty normal rate. And I was taking more time to recover, kind of dragging my feet in recovery. 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. 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, nah, go ahead. Like, go have fun. We'll take care of the kids. They'll be fine. So they left and they were down in the Caribbean Sea. And for context, I live in Michigan, so very, very far away. So based on what I understand, I was exhibiting a lot of the classic T1D symptoms. Peeing a lot. Apparently. I was wearing like the strongest absorbency of diapers that you can wear, and I was peeing through those. I was drinking lots and lots of liquids. And so I think. And again, based on what I have heard, what ended up happening was one night I woke up in the middle of the night, I was asking my grandparents for something to drink. And so they got me Kool Aid, which is probably one of the worst things that you can give a non diagnosed type 1 diabetic to drink. But I was excited about it because it was like, yay, like more liquids. I can satiate my thirst. And after giving me that Kool Aid, I immediately threw it up. So I thought you were going to.

[A]

Say you ran through a wall, because that would have been awesome.

[B]

That would have been hilarious.

[A]

Of course. Like a little baby. Like a little baby sized, you know, hole through the drywall. That would have been great.

[B]

Yeah, that would have been amazing. But yeah, like, obviously they, you know, they could tell that something's wrong. From what I understand, one of my aunts who works in the medical field was also there and she was observing what was going. So she said to my grandparents, let's take her to. I'm assuming they took me to urgent care first.

[A]

I think there was urgent care 30 years ago.

[B]

Sorry, what was it I said, you.

[A]

Think urgent care existed 30 years ago?

[B]

I did they not.

[A]

I don't know. That seems to me like, am I just so old? Oh, yeah. Apparently in the 1970s. Oh, how about that?

[B]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[A]

Sorry, guys. My dog's in here today. If you're hearing him licking his paw, stop licking your paw. The first recognized urgent care centers were started by emergency medicine doctors in 70, 71.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

In Phoenix, Arizona. Later in the Midwest and early hubs, by the mid-70s, urgent carers became a defined industry which chains and organizations Formed to expand the model in the 80s and 90s, urgent care centers spread widely, filling a niche between primary care and today, there are more than 10,000 urgent care centers across the U.S. okay, I'm so sorry. You're in the middle of trying to tell me how you got diabetes, and I'm like, wait, did urgent cares exist? It really did strike me that way. Anyway, they took you somewhere, right? Because your aunt is a fancy lady and she went to college and she knew something right? Now, what?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Good.

[B]

Yep. So they took. They took me to some medical facility, whether if that was an urgent care or hospital. But ultimately, whoever we saw first said, you got to take her right away to the emergency room. So they took me to the emergency room, checked my blood sugar, it was over 600. So I was diagnosed on the spot with type 1 diabetes. And meanwhile, both of my parents are thousands of miles away in the Caribbean Sea.

[A]

Yeah. Trying to enjoy a Mai Tai. And. Yeah, you can't just tell the boat to go home because my kid's sick, Right?

[B]

No. So from my parents perspective, what ended up happening when they're on the ship? So back, you know, almost 30 years ago, there were, you know, there was no WI fi, no cell service or anything like that. So they put a slip underneath their cabin door saying, call this phone number using the landline. And I think it was a slip with some information from the hospital describing what happened and when. When they got the slip, they were out at sea on that day. 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.

[A]

Oh, I bet you they felt terrible.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I. I'm pretty sure that they did. I. I don't know how else they would feel.

[A]

Although I. I wouldn't. I should have married a lady like your mom, though, because in a million years, I couldn't have got Kelly to go on that cruise. She'd be like, the baby sick. We're not going anywhere. I don't even think she would have left without you, 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. And I always thought that was strange, 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. And it's not a thing I knew about. Yeah, isn't that crazy? Because, by the way, I didn't go on vacation. We were so broke. We didn't go. We didn't go anywhere. We were always together. Oh, it's okay. Don't worry. Everything worked out. So they fly home.

[B]

And they fly home. There was actually a delay in them getting home because so they were flying, I think, from St. Thomas to Florida where they had boarded the cruise ship. On the day that they were flying into Florida, there was a tornado by the airport, so there was a delay in them landing. And then they had to get another plane from Florida back up to Michigan. So I think it took probably a day or two before they got to me. And my mom, when she entered the hospital, she described. Described it as, I was laying in a bed, I had an IV in each arm, one with insulin and one supposedly with glucose. I think like probably a dual insulin glucose drip.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And like, she was devastated. My. My dad was too. So. Yeah, that's. That's the story.

[A]

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, holding a very sick 16 year old, 16 month old baby. And it was. Yeah, because people listen 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. Like. But I. Like, you know what I mean? People let me get a shot. Either I'm like, I'm in the hospital. I don't need a photo. I'm good, thanks. But yeah, but nevertheless, like, oh, my gosh, that I feel badly for them. 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 trying to stand in for them.

[B]

Oh, absolutely.

[A]

Is that aunt your mom's sister or your dad's?

[B]

That's my dad's sister. My grandparents are also my dad's parents.

[A]

Oh, it's even worse for your mom. The baby. The baby was with. With his parents while it was happening. Oh, my gosh. If you're married. You know what I'm saying? Anyway. Well, okay. You lived through it. That's awesome.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

What is your earliest. Obviously you don't remember much from being 16 months old. If you did, I would think you were lying. You were like, let me tell you what happened, Scott. I remember the whole thing. But what are your earlier remembrances of having type one let's talk about the Tandem Moby Insulin pump from today's sponsor, Tandem Diabetes Care. Their newest algorithm, Control IQ Technology and the new Tandem Mobi pump offer you unique opportunities to have better control. It's the only system with auto bolus that helps with missed meals and preventing hyperglycemia, the only system with a dedicated sleep setting, and the only system with off or on body wear options. Tandem Mobi gives you more discretion, freedom and options for how to manage your diabetes. This is their best algorithm ever and they'd like you to check it [e-mail] juicebox when you get to my link, you're going to see integrations with Dexcom sensors and a ton of other information that's going to help you learn about Tandem's tiny pump that's big on control. Tandomdiabetes.com juicebox the tandem mobi system is available for people ages 2 and up who want an automated delivery system to help them sleep better, wake up in range and address high blood sugars with auto bolus. This episode of the Juice Box podcast is Sponsored by the Eversense365 Get365 days of comfortable wear without having to change a sensor. When you think of a continuous glucose monitor you think of a CGM that lasts 10 or 14 days, but the Eversense 365, it lives up to its name, lasting 365 days. That's one year without having to change your CGM. With the Eversense 365 you can count on comfort and consistency 365 days a year because the Eversense silicone based adhesive is designed for your skin to be gentle and to allow you to take the transmitter on and off to enjoy your shower, a trip to the pool or an activity where you don't want your CGM on your body. If you're looking for comfort, accuracy and a one year wear, you are looking for Eversense365. Go to eversensecgm.com juicebox to learn more.

[B]

Yeah, 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 and so like I don't remember a whole lot of those instances, but I remember there was one evening where they were giving me probably Lantus, they're giving me Atlantis shot and I remember just laying on the floor and saying like, you know death, this hurts 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. Like he was trying to make a joke out of it.

[A]

Awesome. Funny guy.

[B]

And I was like, oh, my goodness.

[A]

Listen, I'm gonna guess that your dad is an older school guy. If I would have said something hurt, my dad would have said, why don't you. I punch you in the arm so you don't feel it anymore? I don't know where that common sense came from from that generation, but there it was. So, yeah, I'm guessing he was going for one of those jokes.

[B]

I. I guess so. Like a. I don't know, maybe a traditional dad type joke.

[A]

Just not a good one. That's all.

[B]

Not a good one. No.

[A]

Your note is very interesting, Olivia, because you kind of laid out something that you wanted to talk about, and. And I'd love 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. It came in handy because a number of times through your adolescence and growing up, some rocky things happen. So I'd like to first understand how do you characterize a strength that comes from diabetes?

[B]

Yeah. So I. I think a lot of times I hear that having type 1 diabetes is just, like, one of the most awful things in the world, and it's tough like it. You know, I think every person living with type 1 diabetes has better days and other times, really rough days. For me, being diagnosed at the age of 16 months, I don't know any better. I don't know what it's like to not live with this. So it's always been a sense of normal for me. But I think throughout my life and as I start digging into some of the messier stuff that I've endured, having type 1 diabetes has always been, like, a source of stability and a constant in my life. 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 into early adulthood.

[A]

That's interesting. So the diabetes is. Is knowable. Once you figure it out. It's pretty consistent with meaning that it needs you every day, and you feel like that's interesting. So you feel like compared to other things that happen in life, you're pretty much in control of how you handle the diabetes.

[B]

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. I've learned so much just listening through all of those podcast episodes, 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.

[A]

So that makes me happy. Thank you for saying that. You didn't have to, but that was lovely. You made me feel emotional. I appreciate that.

[B]

Oh, it's early.

[A]

It's good. And I had a. I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted last night, so I'm gonna be a little more. Because. Oh, by the way, because Arden's CGM stopped working at 5am, so.

[B]

Oh, my goodness.

[A]

You know, I get a text, are there CGMs up here? And I'm like, I don't know. So I popped up and I grabbed one and. And I tossed it into her room like a hand grenade. I was like, here. But she was like, wait, turn the light on. And I was like, okay, now I'm involved.

[B]

Oh, that's so rough. I actually had that happen to me the other night where I had a sensor fail on me. It, like, felt 3:00am and I was laying in bed thinking, okay, do I get up and change it, or do I just go back to sleep and change it in the morning? And it was causing me just enough anxiety where I was like, all right, fine, I'll get out of bed, I'll change it, and then go back to sleep.

[A]

I want to say, in fairness to the cgm, I think it might have been. Arden wore it right till the last second and thought it was going to make it till morning, and it didn't.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

And then it was making that. I don't know if you do which one you wear, but the G7 makes that, like, do, do, do, do, do. Like, it's a really loud noise. I think that's why she was changing it.

[B]

Oh, my goodness.

[A]

But the last thing she said is the light went off and she laid back down. I just heard her go, why? At 5 o'. Clock? 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. So, yeah, it's fine.

[B]

That's rough.

[A]

Yeah. Anyway, that makes me more emotional when I'm tired. I don't know if that's a thing that happens to everybody or not.

[B]

I. Yeah, I would say, you know, when I don't get a lot of sleep, I tend to be more emotional, too. I think it's pretty Common.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Here's a marriage tip for anybody. Do not have important conversations later at night.

[B]

Oh, yes, absolutely.

[A]

Just do not. Worst idea in the world. Nevertheless, so to keep going with this. Diabetes is a. Is a constant for you, even though it's not super consistent. Right. I assume it's like the ocean a little bit. Like, sometimes the ocean's calm, sometimes it's choppy, but it's always deep and you can drown in it. So it's. There's some consistency to it, and other things in your life have not been as reliable. Is that right?

[B]

That's right.

[A]

What's the first thing that came for you?

[B]

Do you think so? I think so. The first major thing that happened during my life was my parents getting divorced when I was 10 years old. But before even that, there was a lot of. A lot of moments of tension that I could sense between my mom and dad. They didn't really have a happy and intimate marriage with one another. I remember being a young girl and my mom would be raising her voice and screaming at my dad for who knows what reasons. And whenever I heard my mom's voice starting to rise like that, I knew, like, okay, it's time to hide, either in my bedroom or the basement. Time to get out of here and just. Just hide until the storm rolls over. So I think a lot of the instability started even before my parents divorce. 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 2 years old, she screamed at me so harshly that I vomited. And so, although I don't remember that, I'm pretty sure that my nervous system has remembered it.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's up with your mom? She got anything going on?

[B]

Honestly, I don't really know. I think. I'm not 100% sure.

[A]

You have a guess, Olivia?

[B]

Sorry, what was that?

[A]

You have a guess.

[B]

Well, so I've. There's been issues between my mom and I over the past few months.

[A]

Oh, I'm sorry, where?

[B]

Yeah, where? She and I haven't been speaking to one another since mid June. And that's a whole other story to unpack probably later on as we carry on with this, but. Sorry, go ahead.

[A]

No, I don't want to. Like, I'm not trying to pick through your life too much. I'm trying to figure out, is she, you know, undiagnosed thyroid? Is she. She, you know, depressed? Is she borderline? Does she have, like, some sort of a mental health issue?

[B]

So My mom hasn't been diagnosed with any of those, though over the past few months, I have come to an increasing hunch that my mom could be borderline. She seems to exhibit a lot of the DSM criteria for it. But again, I don't want to go around just diagnosing her because I'm not a mental health expert.

[A]

No, yeah, Leave that to podcasters. You don't want to do that. Yeah, no, I understand. I. I mean, listen, it's. You know, from a young age, you re. You remember your mom, like, screaming at your dad. You know, eventually they got divorced. You know, that's a little. I mean, there's some strange stuff in there, like, for. Like, enough for. Make me wonder, you know what I mean? So. Okay.

[B]

Yeah, absolute.

[A]

But you're. The crux of that story is, is that a child. As a child, somebody yelled at you and you vomited from it. Like, that's pretty drastic. Like, either the yelling was drastic or the, you know, the response, or maybe the combination of them, I guess.

[B]

Yeah. And the crazy thing is that, like, I don't have any memory of this happening. I take my mom's word for it. I trust that what she told me is true, but it's. Yeah. I don't know. It's weird to think that this happened and I have no recollection whatsoever.

[A]

You're so nice. How old is she?

[B]

She is 61. She's 61 years old.

[A]

That's older than when. When people start saying, like, I don't know, my mom makes stuff up. I don't trust her anymore.

[B]

I. I think my mom is still with it. I think she's still very much with it.

[A]

Yeah. No, I don't.

[B]

She might forget things.

[A]

I don't know that people are always forgetting when they make stuff up. 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 time. I've seen it with other people. So. Yeah. Anyway. Okay. So, okay, 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. What happened next?

[B]

No, in fact, I would say that the divorce was really the beginning of a lot of stuff. So when my parents got divorced, I was 10. And when they drew up their divorce papers, they agreed to share split custody of my brother and I. 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, and this repeated until I was 16. So six years of going from one house to the other, one house to the other, and it was, I think, that living situation. So at first, being 10 years old, I was innocent. And I thought, great, I get to see mom and dad for the same amount of time versus like my mom or dad taking full custody of us. So at first I 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. I, I remember back during that time having some subtle suicidal thoughts, like, you know, I wish I wasn't here. I never acted on any of these though.

[A]

Did you ever have a plan? Did you ever have a plan?

[B]

I never had a plan. I never really thought about carrying out anything right. But I just remember thinking like, I wish I was dead at the age of 12.

[A]

I mean, listen, from my perspective, 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. That feels unsettling to me.

[B]

Yeah, that's a really good way of looking at it. And what you said about packing up belongings and leaving, that's exactly how it felt. Every Friday my brother and I would go to the other house and so Thursday night we'd be packing up, you know, our like cell phone chargers and video game systems and all of that to carry to the other parents house, by the way.

[A]

So the other house. What a humble brag. Two houses, huh?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Look at you guys.

[B]

Yeah, like living in two houses. It, it was. I remember being a teenager though, and it would just be confusing to me because I remember making friends in middle school and high school and when I would go hang out with them at their parents house, they'd say, yeah, I live at this address. But on the other hand, whenever I would invite my friends over, I would have to specify, okay, this week I'm at my mom's house, or this week I'm at my dad's house. So it never really felt like I had a true address, like a true home.

[A]

Yeah, you're not settled exactly.

[B]

Yeah am.

[A]

I mean where the house is very close to each other or you spend a whole week with friends and then be like, hey, we should hang out on Saturday, but you're going across town or somewhere else.

[B]

Fortunately, the good news is that they lived only about 10 minutes away and I was going to the same high school in the midst of all of this, too, so that was another point of stability in the midst of this chaotic sea.

[A]

So they tried to keep it. I mean, it is a good try from them, 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. That's all I'm saying.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, it. So I remember during those.

[A]

Sorry. Sorry. Olivia. I'm characterizing being married as tough it out.

[B]

Well, I mean, like, marriage isn't all, you know, rainbows and kittens all the time. Like, it's great if it's that way most of the time, but.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, marriages are, you know, like any other relationship. You'll run into times where there's a bit more friction and you have to work it out.

[A]

But you ever feel like that? You know, I don't get to talk to a lot of adults who come from divorce. Like, it doesn't come up as much as you would think. You ever mad at them? Did you have a parent that you blamed as a child? Did that hold true as an adult?

[B]

Yeah, I. So from what I understand, it was my mom who initiated the divorce, so I don't think it was mutual. Well, it ended up being a mutual decision on both of their parts because they went through with it, but my mom was the one who initiated it. I don't think my dad wanted the divorce to happen.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I remember.

[A]

Olivia, I don't think you get to stay if you want to. And the other one tells you to go, though, so it's. You know what I mean? Like, if she. If she says, I don't want to be married anymore, and he goes, well, I do. That's not. She doesn't have. You know, she doesn't get to go, oh, well, then never mind. Like, so maybe. Yeah, maybe it wasn't. It also reminds me of that great scene in the. The Santa Claus movie. Gosh. With Vince Vaughn. Do you know this. This movie?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Where his brother is Santa Claus.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And he's. He's dating this girl and she breaks up with him from. I know I've talked about this before. It is a. It is an incredibly funny scene and not a very good movie. But. But she's yelling down to him from the apartment. She's like, I'm done. He's like, I'm not done. I'm not done. And it's. I. I can't do it justice. But go watch it. It's hilarious.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, I totally gotta watch that. Just as Christmas season is coming up too.

[A]

You know what? While you're talking, I'll find the actual name of it for you. Oh, it's Fred Claus. I know what it's called. It's called Fred Claus.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, Fred Claus. Yeah, 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. So I'll have to add that one to my list.

[A]

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.

[B]

I'll totally have to give that a listen in a watch.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry, Go ahead. So continue. I apologize.

[B]

Yeah, so I remember. So during these six years of living under split custody between both of my parents, I remember so there was that feeling of feeling very, very unsettled and not having a true place to call home. And my, my mom and dad are very, very different people with different expectations. And so over time, I. So during these six years, there was also pretty regular conflict between my mom and dad. So there wasn't really even much peace between them after the divorce. And so like, I'm sitting there thinking, like, okay, like I want some kind of peace. What can I do to achieve that peace? I'm going to be the person my mom wants to be when I'm with her. And then when I'm with my dad, I'm going to be the person that he wants me to be. So. So I was a massive people pleaser with both my mom and dad. 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.

[A]

Did you consciously turn them on and off?

[B]

I. That's a good question.

[A]

Yeah, like, did it become a mental health issue or was it conscious?

[B]

I don't know if it ever truly became a mental health issue per se. 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, like, since my dad is, you know, quieter and more stoic, I'm going to be quieter and more stoic with him. And then whenever I would go to my mom's house, that she's a lot more expressive. Yeah, like a lot more expressive.

[A]

Kind of light up than around her.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Was your dad quiet or was your dad beaten down?

[B]

That's a good question. So.

[A]

You don't know. You're so young, you know.

[B]

Yeah, 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. And I think generally speaking, he is a quiet person. He's more introverted. But I. I think my dad was just beaten down by my mom's barrages when they would happen.

[A]

It's tough. Is she. Is she a physically opposing person?

[B]

What do you mean by that?

[A]

She. Is she tall? Is she strong? Or is she small and slight? Or like, what's her build?

[B]

She's pretty small. She's strong. She's less than five feet tall.

[A]

Okay. Because it's a little.

[B]

Pretty small.

[A]

Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, it's a little less scary for a lady who's 411 to be yelling at you than if she was 5, 9 and, you know.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, honestly, like somebody's raining and raving at you like that. Like, it's. There's a physical component to it as well.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

Are you a smaller person? Are you built like her?

[B]

I'm built more like her. I'm a few inches taller than her, which isn't really saying much. I'm barely, you know, just scraping above five feet.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know. Do you ever see yourself in her or vice versa? Does that worry you?

[B]

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.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So my mom, I would say, is very extroverted. I'm definitely more of an introverted person. More of a quiet soul, I would say.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When it comes to expressing emotions, she's a lot more expressive. Me, on the other hand, I'm not quite as expressive, though. I feel things deeply, if that makes any sense.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

So personality wise, I don't see a whole lot of her in myself.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Appearance wise, though, I take after her quite a lot.

[A]

Gotcha. 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? Do you know what I mean? Like, because if you. Because I imagine when you were with your dad, you didn't become another person. You probably just Leaned harder into the quiet part of yourself. And when you were with your mom, you know what I mean, you leaned harder into that part. But then it sounds like you chose one, but I won't. But I don't know. This is just me. Like, I would wonder. I'm not trying to mess you up. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I would. I would. I would wonder, like, is this who I am or is this who I settled on? Does that make sense?

[B]

I see what you mean.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I think that's a good question, too. 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, I don't want to be like them in these different ways. 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. I think the way that I was at school gave me some hints as to who my true self was. And at school, I was generally a pretty, quiet girl, a bookworm, a band geek, all of those types of things. I never really was super bubbly or going up to random people, striking up conversations.

[A]

Clarinet. What'd you play?

[B]

Yeah, I played clarinet.

[A]

I get it. Yeah. God damn. Hold on, Olivia. Take a second. Hold on. Just take one second. Everybody just give me some credit. Like, virtually through the airwaves right now. I. How do I do these things? This is not a great skill, Olivia, but it is my skill, and I'm going to celebrate it for a second. How did I do that? What do you think I knew about you? That I came up with clarinet? Well, we'll never know.

[B]

That was amazing.

[A]

Thank you. I'm basically a genius at things that don't matter.

[B]

Seriously, that was really. And I can't wait to tell my husband about this later.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you. So I wish there was an audience here right now. I would take a curtain call on that. Really lovely. Okay. Wow. All right, I'm sorry. Let me refocus. I was about to ask you something really serious, and it just hit me. I'm like, I know for sure this was a clarinet. Let me say it out loud. But then there was a lot of risk because I could have been wrong. You know, you said you didn't want to be like either of them, but, like, so far in this story, your dad's a good guy. Does that change?

[B]

It does. So, like, there's nothing in my story that I would say is completely black and white, 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. It ended when I came to a decision to live at my mom's house all the time because of a variety of factors, but one of the primary factors was that I just needed stability. I couldn't take it anymore. 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. But I felt very lonely, 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. So it. I remember back during those days thinking that my bedroom was like a prison cell and I was starving of love.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. That's crazy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did they have kids of their own, the two of them?

[B]

Yeah, they. So when I was 13, they started having kids of their own. They have four daughters together.

[A]

Geez.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow. That's like. That's. I mean, you're already 13, and they're having. They have four other kids.

[B]

Yep. My. For context, my. It's kind of weird. My stepmom is 14 years younger than my dad, and she's also 14 years older than me, so she's, like, right in the middle.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Between my dad and I. But, yeah, they popped out four girls. I suspect they were probably trying for a boy, but then gave up after the fourth daughter was born. Not really sure.

[A]

I have so many theories in here about your dad being domineered by your mom and then him probably going after a younger person who was more amenable the next time. But am I right?

[B]

Maybe, to an extent. I think. I think. And again, based on what I remember back during my adolescence, I think my stepmom definitely wore the pants between the two of them. I think he was being domineered by her.

[A]

Wow. Your dad's. He's got a type, huh?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Just. I don't know, like, compliant. I'm not really sure if compliance the right word.

[A]

See, I was. I was 100 as right as I was about the clarinet thing. I was very wrong about that. 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? 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, so.

[B]

No, no, 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.

[A]

In that. I'm sorry. In that.

[B]

In that my. Both my mom and my stepmom are more domineering types, and my dad is more of the passive type.

[A]

What do the kids call that? A simp? Is that what they call it? I. I don't know the Internet that well.

[B]

I'm not really familiar with a lot of the common lingo these days. Like, simp sounds right, but I. I could be totally wrong, too.

[A]

I love that you said common lingo. I love you, Olivia. You're. Aw. I don't know. Listen, I don't know why. Oh, thank you. I don't know why your parents are ignoring you. You seem cool, so I appreciate that.

[B]

Seriously, I do.

[A]

Seriously. Also, I want to take a half a sidebar here for a second before we. Because I have a question about why you picked your mom. 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? Because this is such a complicated, you know, rich, sad, you know, story that you're telling, and that's a thing you carry around with you every day. Like, your building blocks are this story, right? 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, you know, and. And everyone has one. 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. And she's a. 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. But. And I really think if people got to know each other better, they'd work better together, you know, 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.

[B]

So anyway, yeah, definitely. I agree with that. Because every person is unique. Every person has a unique story that they are carrying around. They have different sets of circumstances that have led them to the point where they are now in the present moment. And I think that it's so easy to just kind of go along our own way and not really give a second thought to what other people are going through.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. You've overcome a lot. Lot. Like, I would, like, if you were on my team at work, I would think, like, hey, let's get Olivia involved in this. Like, she doesn't give up. You know, like, she gets stuff done. She follows through. She doesn't, you know, she doesn't just put up her hands and go, no. You know, well, my dad stuck me in the, in the love prison and my mom's screaming. I mean, like, this is my next question. It's like, how do you choose her? Like, that's like, that's. That's all. I mean, that's really, like. That's like a reverse Sophie's Choice, isn't it? This episode was too good to cut anything out of, but too long to make just one episode. So this is part one. Make sure you go find part two right now. It's going to be the next episode in your feed. Touched by type 1. Sponsored this episode of the Juice Box podcast. Check them [e-mail] on Instagram and Facebook. Give them a follow. Go check out what they're doing. They are helping people with type 1 diabetes in ways you just can't imagine. Today's episode of the Juicebox podcast was sponsored by the new Tandem MOBI system and control IQ technology. Learn more and get started today at tandomdiabetes.com Juicebox check it out. The podcast episode that you just enjoyed was sponsored by Eversense CGM. They make the Eversense 365. That thing lasts a whole year. One insertion every year? Come on. You probably feel like I'm messing with you, but I'm not. Eversensecgm.com juicebox thank you so much for listening. I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Juicebox Podcast. If you're not already subscribed or following the podcast in your favorite audio app like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Please do that now. Seriously, just to hit, follow or subscribe will really help the show. 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. And if you leave a five Star review. Ooh, I'll probably send you a Christmas card. Would you like a Christmas card? Hey, kids, listen up. You've made it to the end of the podcast. You must have enjoyed it. You know what else you might enjoy? The private Facebook group for the Juice Box Podcast. I know you're thinking, oh, Facebook, Scott, please. But no. Beautiful group, wonderful people, a fantastic community. Juice box podcast. Type 1 diabetes on Facebook. Of course, if you have type 2, are you touched by diabetes in any way? You're absolutely welcome. It's a private group, so you'll have to answer a couple of questions before you come in. We make sure you're not a bot or an evildoer, then you're on your way. You'll be part of the family. Oh, my, did I get lucky. 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? I said, thank you. So that's where I might be right now. If it's December, let me actually find the date for you. I'm not 100% sure. I think I'm going in December, right before Christmas. Like, you know, like, I don't know, like the third or fourth week of December. I'm sorry, I know this isn't much of an ad, but if you want to see video from me on the cruise ship, my wife and I are going to head out and really check it out to see what it's all about, to grab some great video for you, 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 June 21, 2026. We're going to be going to Cococay in the Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis. Do not miss it. It's a great opportunity to meet other people living with type 1 diabetes, to form friendships, to learn things and just swap stories. It's a relaxing vacation with a bunch of people who get what your life is like. And trust me, there's a lot of value in that. Juiceboxpodcast.com Juice Cruise. Come check it out and go find my socials to see what that ship looks like. There's also a video at my link that's a kind of a ship tour for the Celebrity Beyond. And let me tell you something, if this ship is a tenth as nice as this video is. I am in for a great time. And so are you. Juiceboxpodcast.com JuiceCruise Come along. If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. Listen, truth be told, I'm like, 20% smarter. When Rob edits me, he takes out all the, like, gaps of time. And when I go and stuff like that, and it just. I don't know, man. Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? And then I remember because I did one smart thing. I hired [e-mail].