Bravest Podcast: Recent Episodes
Craig Kasper
Hosted by Craig Kasper, the Bravest Podcast is about the journey to becoming more resilient. A healthcare provider and a person who has lived with the daily challenges associated with type 1 diabetes, Craig explores the stories and insights that serve to empower us all to make a positive impact on our mindset, our health, and ultimately the world around us. www.TheBravestLife.com
This is our final episode in a week-long series highlighting some incredible athletes with type 1 diabetes. Today, I’m excited to share my conversation with Casey Boren. Casey is one of the co-founders of the Diabetes Sports Project, he has run with a team of type 1s across the United States, and he has competed in countless Ironman races including the world championships in Hawaii. Through this episode Casey guides us all to take our lives from the couch to competitor. So sit back, grab a notepad, and let’s tap into the deep knowledge of Casey Boren.
www.thebravestlife.com/060
So next up in our mini-season highlighting some incredible T1D athletes is Brandon Denson. Brandon is a super active figure in the diabetes world through his creative work and new non-profit called Bolus Maximus. But before he was the roller blading community builder he is today, Brandon was a kid from Michigan with big dreams of playing pro football. Supported by the massive love and confidence from his mother, Brandon carved his path from a high school diagnosis, through division one college ball, straight into the pros. But it’s his work shining a spotlight on inequalities in healthcare that makes Brandon a true force to be reckoned with.
www.thebravestlife.com/059
This is a special episode. If you’ve been watching the CBS reality show ‘Tough As Nails’ you are going to be very familiar with my guest on today’s show. Sarah Burkett is a former college track star, police officer, trainer, now pipe welder, who persevered to become one of the final three contestants on this season of the show. She also happens to be type 1. Sarah is a true force of nature and an inspiration to all of us to rise up despite what the world throws at us.
www.thebravestlife.com/058
On this episode, I sit down with mud runner, soon-to-be Ironman competitor, and Chief Operating Officer of the Diabetes Sports Project, Eric Dutcher. In this conversation we dive deep into Eric’s story, and he shares some critical concepts and stories that will help anyone out there, at any level, develop an unstoppable mindset.
Eric Dutcher Instagram - www.instagram.com/chronicsuperhuman
DSP - www.diabetessportsproject.com
Rebellion With Cause Gotham Ride 2021 for DSP - www.gf.me/u/zgzxij
Music credit - Random Thoughts by Audiobinger
On this season 3 finale of the podcast, I sit down with Evan Soroka. Simply put, Evan is a bright soul in the darkness that we are all experiencing right now. In this conversation, Evan shares details of her early childhood in NYC and how her family moved to Colorado so her dad can follow a passion for a creative life. She talks about the beginnings of her life with type 1 diabetes during a 24 hour wilderness survival experience, and how yoga ultimately entered the picture and changed her life. Evan is fascinated with exploration, internal and external, and we go deep in this conversation. We discuss the intricacies and interconnectedness of yoga therapy, the breath, and the mind. We talk about Evan’s definition of the meaning of life and the importance of not wasting our one beautiful opportunity to make the most of our time on this planet.
www.thebravestlife.com/056
www.evansoroka.com
On this episode of the podcast, I sit down with NFL fullback and Super Bowl Champion Derrick Coleman, Jr. If you’re not familiar with Derrick, he is the first deaf offensive player in the history of the National Football League. This conversation explores Derrick’s life growing up with significant hearing loss and the challenges he faced as a result. But one of the most impressive aspects of his story, is the fact that he never used those challenges as excuses. Derrick went on to play football at UCLA and then fought his way into the NFL, ultimately playing for Coach Pete Carroll and alongside Russell Wilson to bring the Super Bowl Championship to the Seattle Seahawks. Derrick and I talk about mindset, perseverance and the work he continues to do to encourage young people with hearing loss to reach for their goals despite what some might view as a disability.
www.thebravestlife.com/055
On this episode, I pick up my conversation with David Bidler. With the ongoing reality of COVID19 as well as everything that has happened in response to the murder of George Floyd, David believes we are at a powerful time in our existence. He sees this as an opportunity to ask better questions about what we want the future to look like, and an opportunity to make change a reality.
As critical as the conversation is about race, and human rights, and social activism, this episode with David is not directly about that. While, as we learn, David does have a significant history working in the civil rights activism trenches, I am admittedly not an expert. Because of that, I will take every opportunity presented to learn from people like David. That said, this conversation is undoubtedly related on an important level. This episode is a chance for David and I to continue to dive into his work with our youth, helping them develop the skills to become mindful leaders of tomorrow. It is David’s belief, and I wholeheartedly agree, that if we invest in our kids now, they will have a better chance of making positive global change for all of us in the future.
www.thebravestlife.com/054
https://physiologyfirst.org/
On this episode, I sit down with ultra-runner, coach, educator & author David Bidler. Among the many projects David is involved in, his recent work is focused on helping our youth develop tools to prepare them to become our leaders of tomorrow. Central to this mission is helping educate kids to utilize the breath as a tool to address mental health issues. In this discussion we go broad and deep, covering issues such as David’s untraditional path, what ultra-running is and is not, what we as parents can do to help our kids through this COVID19 situation, and some interesting neuroscience experiments exploring the breath and brain plasticity.
www.thebravestlife.com/053
https://physiologyfirst.org/
https://distanceathletics.com/
BRAVEST tshirts and hoodies - https://teespring.com/stores/bravest-store
On this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Chris Clark. If you don’t know his story, Chris is a two-time Ultraman competitor and advocate for those living with diabetes. As someone who was diagnosed with type 1 as a young adult, Chris faced a number of years literally teetering on the edge of life and death. He tells the story of how he was forced to ration his insulin simply because of changes in his work and financial situation. It was through a kind gesture of a neighbor that ultimately saved his life.
Fast forward in the story, and Chris went from unable to get out of bed, to competing in not one, but two Ultraman events. Keep in mind, Ultraman is a 321.6 mile event over three days, including a 6.2 mile open water swim, a 263 mile bike ride, and a 52.4 mile run. Also, keep in mind, Chris was the first person with type 1 who competed in the event ever.
Chris shares some very deep parts of his life and how he has used those experiences as fuel to advocate for all people living with diabetes. This includes his efforts to help our policymakers in Washington understand just how the exponential increase in the cost of insulin has been forcing those with diabetes to make life or death choices every day based solely on financial barriers.
This is a conversation of rising from the ashes and making a commitment to carry a burden to help millions of others along the way.
www.thebravestlife.com/052
www.chrisclarkathletics.com
www.t1international.org
Music credit - Random Thoughts by Audiobinger
On this episode of the podcast I sit down with Lance Radford. Lance serves in Air Force Special Operations and has participated in missions around the globe alongside Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, and other Special Ops service members. He also has a significant amount of time under his belt as an antiterrorism officer. In this conversation, we cover his thoughts on the current COVID-19 situation, and we go deep on the topic of fear. Through Lance’s lens, we find that we ultimately have the ability to work with our fear and even use it as a tool for transformation.
www.thebravestlife.com/051
https://www.instagram.com/thewarriormonkpodcast/
On this episode of the podcast I sit down with Emily Hightower. Emily is an incredible human who has taken a traumatic childhood and somehow figured out how to turn that trauma into pure light. We talk about her evolution through years of difficult inner alchemy, and how it all set the stage for her work with people who have experienced their own trauma, including wounded veterans around the world.
I wanted to speak with Emily during this time because of what we are all experiencing, collectively. With the significant uncertainty that is our current world, comes the resulting emotional and physiological response. Emily is expert in the stress response and recently released her educational course through Power Speed Endurance called the Skill of Stress.
What we learn from this conversation with Emily, is that looking outside of ourselves for the answers, is not the answer. Instead, she teaches us to dive into our animal nature and tap into those basic raw elements to address what ails us. The answers are already inside all of us. It starts with building awareness and it starts with the breath.
www.thebravestlife.com/050
www.intrinsicway.com
https://powerspeedendurance.com/skill-of-stress-online-course/
On this episode of the podcast I share my recent conversation with Lance Allred. For those of you who are not familiar with Lance’s story he is an accomplished author and speaker, and he also happens to be the first deaf player in the history of the National Basketball Association.
Leading up to the NBA, Lance played for many pro teams around the globe, and then he earned a spot playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside of LeBron James. While all of that is remarkable, it’s his inner work leading up to his NBA experience, as well as his metamorphosis and contributions since leaving the sport that are truly impactful.
This is an amazing conversation about perseverance, leadership, empathy, and gratitude. Ultimately, Lance shows us that becoming what he calls ‘the new alpha’ is critical to success in our rapidly evolving world.
www.thebravestlife.com/049
www.lanceallred41.com
There’s been a lot of craziness in our world as of late and most of us are going through some real pain. Some of us have experienced sickness, some of us have lost someone close, and some of us have felt the negative impacts of COVID-19 on our business or income. Ultimately, it all amounts to us feeling like we have zero control over our lives at this point in time.
One concept that keeps circling in my head is the importance of controlling what can be controlled. It’s that concept that plays heavily in this conversation with Nick Heath.
It’s not likely that the information we cover in this episode is going to cure our collective issues as a global society. But the concepts Nick shares represent a critical method to regain some control over our physiological and psychological state. At a minimum, this will serve as a launching point to a better world considering the weight of stress we are all currently under.
In this conversation, Nick and I discuss his early life with type 1 diabetes, his passion for the art and science of breathing, as well as his recent 100-mile ruck in support of the non-profit Health and Human Performance Foundation.
LINKS
Bravest Website – www.thebravestlife.com
Craig On Instagram - www.instagram.com/craigkasper
Nick’s Website – www.thebreathingdiabetic.com
Nick’s Instagram - @thebreathingdiabetic
Health & Human Performance Foundation – www.HHP-Foundation.org
Music credit - Friday, The Passion HiFi
On today’s show, we have Dr. Heather Lampert. Heather is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and she holds the William Randolph Hearst Fellowship in Clinical and Translational Research. She is not only super smart and insightful, she also happens to be someone living with type 1 diabetes. In this episode, we go deep into Heather’s background, and we talk about three key areas that are of critical importance to anyone living with type 1 diabetes. We talk about exciting research in the area of diagnosis and the gut microbiome as it relates to type 1, Heather then zeros in on new technologies in the world of treatment and management, and we wrap up with a conversation about the potential for a cure for type 1. This is a unique opportunity to dive into the clinical and research science as it relates to type 1 diabetes, and learn from someone who is not only directly impacted by type 1, but also someone who is embedded in cutting edge of science. www.thebravestlife.com/047 www.imgreaterthan.com www.doctordiabeatit.com
On today’s show we have my conversation with Annalisa van den Bergh. Annalisa was introduced to me through my good buddy Erik Douds who was featured on Episode 14 of the podcast. Annalisa was raised in NYC and had a very interesting upbringing as a city kid. Her mom and dad were creatives, and she spent her childhood embedded in that creative world as well as a significant amount of time traveling. It wasn’t until her mom passed away that a switch was flipped in her mind and she made a conscious effort to pursue a very specific path in life. In Annalisa’s words, ‘trauma made her rethink everything’ and she set out on an adventure to combine creativity, storytelling and long-distance bike travel. In our conversation we talk about her mindset, her travels, her diagnosis with type 1 diabetes, and her upcoming project called ‘Miles of Portraits’ where she will be setting off with Erik on a long-distance bike journey through Alaska, and capturing that trip in a documentary as well as a magazine. This is a touching conversation with a message for all of us. Through her story, Annalisa encourages all of us to consider taking the path less traveled, simply because, while life can be beautiful, it can also be short. www.thebravestlife.com/046 www.imgreaterthan.com www.workfrombike.com
Andy Zaremba is the founder of FloatHouse in Vancouver, British Columbia. He straddles the line between entrepreneur, podcaster, and insight seeker. There is one common thread that weaves its way through all of his work, and that is human development.
In this episode Andy and I talk about the premature birth of his daughter and how that served as a catalyst for him to journey down a path of self-exploration. We also discuss his growing business, and we go deep into the world of flotation tanks and the many benefits of sensory reduction.
If you’re not familiar with the concept of floating and sensory reduction, hold on for a super interesting conversation. I’ve been fascinated by the science behind floating for a couple of years, and this conversation really brings together the history, the research and the many benefits that we all can realize from floating.
As you’ll learn, the process of simply enveloping ourselves in a controlled environment allows us to minimize sensory information from all channels, to experience simply being. While there’s definitely meditative components at play here, the outcomes, as Andy describes, are quite remarkable from a physiological as well as a psychological perspective.
www.thebravestlife.com/045
www.imgreaterthan.com
www.floathouse.ca
This is round two with Jenn Fleischer. Jenn was on episode 038 of the show. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I encourage you to go back to that conversation where we go into Jenn’s story and her thoughts on why we’re at war with food. Just to give you a quick snapshot of Jenn, her background is super diverse, she holds a Bachelor’s of Science in nutrition and food science, a Master’s in exercise and nutrition science, she's a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, a Licensed Dietitian, a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and a Certified Diabetes Educator.
So we start by asking the question, 'why does mindset matter?'
Jenn and I then talk about the stories we tell ourselves, and how those stories ultimately determine if we limit ourselves or, alternatively, see the world as an opportunity. We discuss the importance of being OK with not being OK, and how comfort is often times not the best path. (I would argue that comfort is never the best path.) We cover the very real concept of burnout.
Jenn then dives into her four keys to unlock a healthy and balanced mindset. Which includes identifying and working with our inner critic, flipping the script on negative self talk, getting clear on what you want by creating a wellness vision, and incorporating some very simple habits.
This is a great roadmap for all of us to consider, especially those of us looking to take that next step on our path to living a more focused and driven life.
www.thebravestlife.com/044
www.imgreaterthan.com
On today’s show we have Dr. Greg Schreeuwer. Greg is a chiropractor by training, but he functions at the crossroads of kinesiology, human behavior, the mind/ body interaction, as well as our interaction with the world around us.
Greg was born in South Africa and was raised in Australia. He describes himself as a curious kid who always sought out new adventures. He characterizes himself as a sensitive kid, who was bullied throughout his childhood, all the way through young adulthood. We talk quite a bit about his specific situation with being bullied and how that served as a foundation for some of his work today.
As a result of his experiences being bullied, Greg has done a tremendous about of inner work on himself. What he has come to understand is that there is actual value in the opposing forces thrown at us in life. And that value is to help us come back to some sense of balance. This perspective surprised me, but as Greg went on to describe his thoughts, it started to make perfect sense me.
We cover a broad range of topics in this conversation, including the anti-hack mindset, how to work smarter towards our goals, and Greg’s belief that bullies are actually the change makers for humanity. At it’s core, this is a conversation about how we can recognize and find the power in opposing forces in our life and use that to our advantage.
www.thebravestlife.com/043
www.imgreaterthan.com
On today’s show with have William Pullen. William has an interesting story that has led him on a path of self-discovery, and ultimately on a path to help others. William is a London-based psychotherapist, and he’s also the author of the book 'Running With Mindfulness: Dynamic Running Therapy (DRT) To Improve Low-Mood, Anxiety, Stress, and Depression’.
William takes us on a journey through his early life, his influences, and his breakdown to breakthrough moment. Interesting enough, running played a significant role in his ability to move ahead, find his passion in life and help other in the process.
This is a conversation about psychological well-being, and the crossroads of the mind and physical activity.
During our time together, William goes deep into the philosophy behind his practice, and his book, and he also shares key elements we should all consider to help us move through any challenging point in our own lives.
www.thebravestlife.com/042
www.imgreaterthan.com
This week's episode is a short solo round. We ask: why do most of us allow ourselves to live only when we’re confronted with the prospect of tragedy or death?
If you’re not familiar with Maddie Maloney, she is a, now former, division 1 tennis star who has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was 13 years old. Maddie has functioned at such a high level of performance for much of her life, and today she shares her story, as well as taking a deep dive into the topic of mindset.
Maddie and I talk about the pressures of playing competitive tennis. We talk about injuries and the frustration of being hurt. We talk about how type 1 has made her more focused on proving that she has no limitations, and also how it has also made her more empathetic to other people’s situations. We also discuss the concepts of accountability, self-care, when its OK to relax, and her love of, none other than, Taylor Swift.
Amberly Lago is a Texas girl who found herself in Los Angeles pursuing her childhood dreams of being a dancer. Ultimately, she landed jobs as a fitness model, she was a Nike endorsed athlete, she was frequently seen on the Body By Jake fitness infomercials, and she had a super successful personal training business. Life looked amazing for Amberly, until, on one picture perfect Southern California day, she was struck by a pickup truck when riding her Harley Davidson. That accident left Amberly lying on the pavement fighting for her life. As she describes in our conversation, her leg was crushed, her femoral artery was severed, and her world was forever changed. Thirty-four surgeries and a lifetime of pain later, Amberly was able to save her leg and now she tells her story on today’s show and in her new book, which is called: ‘True Grit and Grace: Turning Tragedy Into Triumph’. That book is set for release this week. This is a conversation about gratitude, resilience and one person’s fight to not only survive, but truly thrive, despite life’s insane circumstances.
This is the first is a series of interviews with Jenn Fleischer. If you’re not familiar with Jenn, she has a laundry list of credentials in the world of nutrition, food science, and wellness coaching. She is also a certified diabetes educator. Jenn definitely has the credentials to make our conversation on today’s show truly meaningful. What are we going to focus on with Jenn? The purpose of this episode if to provide some perspective on her story and to set the stage for the upcoming episodes that she'll be featured on. Today, we talk about our relationship with food. Food is a complicated topic, whether it’s the basic nutrition questions we all have, what diet is best for us, the psychology associated with food, and the issues go on and on. What Jenn is hoping to do today is raise our internal awareness of these issues, and ultimately understand how we can make peace with our own food issues while fueling ourselves for our lifestyles. We talk disordered eating, restriction, food addiction, being honest with ourselves, finding peace with food, and mindful eating. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Jenn pulled back the curtains on some issues that I am having with food. I know there’s a ton of take-homes in our conversation for you to question your own potential issues with food and nutrition.
Coming straight off her first MMA fight, and her first win, BJ Garceau has had a long road to the octagon. When you listen to BJ, by the sound of her voice, you would never expect her to be a fighter. But the more you learn about her, the more you realize, being a fighter presents itself in many forms.
Diagnosed with spinal meningitis at 4 months old, BJ was left with complete hearing loss in one ear as a result. Growing up she was always known as the ‘sick kid’. At 4 years old she was diagnosed with asthma, then at 11 she was hit with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. But even at a young age, nothing slowed her down.
This conversation is a masterclass on the path to becoming a warrior, regardless who you are. BJ and I talk about how experiencing significant adversity early on in life, likely sets us up to have a fighter mindset. And we also discuss shaping our mentality with every experience to not look for the excuses or the easy path.
BJ and I also talk about growing up in the 1980s, binge watching Stranger Things. We also cover BJ's love of music, our common bond of playing bass guitar and her love of none other than Jean Claude Van Dam.
www.thebravestlife.com/037
www.imgreaterthan.com
One of the biggest sports on the planet, soccer (or football) has played a central role in the life of our guest on today’s show. Chris Bright was raised in a town just outside of Birmingham in the UK. A kid who never sat still, Chris spent much of his childhood kicking around a ball. A shy kid, Chris developed a bit of a chip on his shoulder after being diagnosed with T1D at the age of 8. We talk about a defining moment with a pediatric nurse at the time of his diagnosis, and the importance of having a person in our lives who pulls down any potential for barriers at the start of a challenging journey. We discuss the support of his family, we discuss the challenges associated with figuring out his body to enable him to perform at the highest levels on the field of play, and we talk about the importance of the continued focus on the quality of perseverance in any aspect of life. Chris also shares some details about the next stage of his journey including the formation of The Diabetes Football Community, and the first all type 1 futsal team. If you’re an athlete, or if you’re simply looking for inspiration and guidance to help you on your path in athletics, this is a ‘must listen to’ episode of the podcast. www.thebravestlife.com/036 www.imgreaterthan.com www.thediabetesfootballcommunity.com
What does it take to jump in a small boat and row across the Atlantic Ocean? For our guest today, it was a lifetime of preparation, but it was something he attacked without much hesitation.
A bit of an adventure seeker, Hugo Thompson has spent most of his recent life traveling the world, looking for his next big challenge. Ironically, he wasn't an adventurous kid. Its was a void he felt in his life during young adulthood that made him jumpstart a life of exploration.
In our conversation, Hugo and I talk about his diagnosis with type 1 diabetes just 6 months before he agreed to take on the Talisker Atlantic Challenge; which is a 3,000 mile trek across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Antigua. The journey, which took Hugo and his three boat mates, 2.5 years to prepare for and just over 55 days to complete, tested their resolve as they encountered storms and rough waters which eliminated a number of their fellow competitors.
This is a conversation of determination, exploring the limits if our mental and physical capabilities, and a call to all of us to live life to it’s fullest every day despite the rough waters we may encounter along our journey.
www.thebravestlife.com/035
www.imgreaterthan.com
www.oarstruck.com
The conversation you’re about to hear is with someone I have known for about 40 years. US Army Colonel Michael Sullivan and I became friends in pre-school. While life took us on different paths, I knew when I launched the podcast last year, he was a person I had to have on as a guest.
In our conversation, Colonel Sullivan (who prefers to be called ‘Sully’) shares his early childhood fascination with the US Military Academy at West Point, which ultimately solidified his path to service. We talk about internal vs. external motivation and we discuss the importance of lacrosse early in is life which led to him to play Division I lacrosse for West Point. He also talks about the most important lessons he learned during his time as a Cadet.
We discuss his military service which has had him deployed to some of the most challenging places on the planet. Sully shares insights he has gained by leading huge groups of soldiers, as well as the work he does to continuously improve himself.
If that’s not enough, Sully recently completed his PhD at Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
In our conversation we cover the topics of adversity, discomfort, leadership, stoicism, and the importance of hitting rock bottom.
(NOTE: I refer to Colonel Sullivan throughout this conversation as 'Lt Colonel’. As you’ll hear in the interview, despite his achievements, he is super humble, and does not correct me. But I just need to go on record, Sully is in fact a Colonel, so I apologize to Colonel Sullivan for my error during the show.)
www.thebravestlife.com/034
www.imgreaterthan.com
www.shootoutforsoldiers.com
On today’s show we have Chef Tommy Fields. Chef Tommy literally grew up in the kitchen. His story started in the challenging world of Detroit, Michigan, and we talk about the significant effort his mom and grandmother took to share the important lessons of hard work and good food to keep him on a straight and narrow path.
Ultimately Tommy took those lessons and became a Navy chef cooking for thousands of people and teaching young recruits how to prepare for the rigors of feeding the Navy.
This is a conversation about Chef Tommy’s unique journey, but we also spend a significant amount of time talking about his philosophy of changing our mindset as is relates to food, and he shares his tips on eating simple, accessible foods, without being restrictive. All of this in an effort for each of us to create healthy daily patterns.
Chef Tommy really operates at that transition point between unhealthy eating choices and those first steps to getting on the path to better food choices. He doesn’t promote a specific diet necessarily, he just provides real talk on real food.
www.thebravestlife.com/033
www.imgreaterthan.com
www.sweetsciencechef.com
One person truly has the ability to change the mindset of world.
Not too long ago, Elliot Gatt launched his company Good Glucos with the mission to provide affordable, basic diabetes management to everyone, regardless of their economic situation. In this conversation, we talk about the early experiences in Elliot’s life that served as the catalyst for his work with Good Glucos, as well as the challenges and triumphs of running a start-up in a very competitive space.
www.thebravestlife.com/032
www.imgreaterthan.com
www.diabetespodcastweek.com
On the show today we have a guy who has been a central figure in the world of type 1 diabetes for quite some time. Craig Stubing has injected his creativity into the T1 community through a number of projects including his very popular, Beta Cell Podcast. As I mention to Craig in our conversation, it was actually his podcast that served as one of the inspirations for me to pick up the mic and share my voice through this very show.
In today’s episode, we discuss the most important lesson Craig learned early on in his life with diabetes. We also talk about lessons we can all learn from the parents of T1D kids, and how, if we take a moment to tap into it, creativity can serve us when it comes to optimizing our own care.
Craig also shares the story and purpose behind the non-profit running organization he started with James Mansfield, called Type One Run. Craig shares his belief that taking that first step, while it might be the hardest for many people, it’s the most impressive and most important for our ultimate success in health, wellness and life. And he also explains how he is inspired by everyday people simply living their lives each day with type 1.
This is a special conversation with the intent to inspire and motivate anyone out there questioning their own ability to get out and create a better life with diabetes. What we learn in this interview with Craig, is that often, it's simply just putting one foot in front of the other.
www.thebravestlife.com/031
www.imgreaterthan.com
Sid Sharma grew up in India with a strong connection to family, academics, and how athletics provided him with a sense of team. In fact, his influences in sports ran pretty deep. His mom played basketball in college and his father was a competitive swimmer. Sid was actually a cricket player all the way through university, and it was on the field of play where Sid started to learn some deep life lessons.
Fast forward to 2013, Sid was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and short while later, with type 1 diabetes. He ultimately entered the world of T1D with a positive mental attitude and the mind of an engineer. He systematically figured out how to eat, dose and manage his diabetes. We talk quite a bit about that mindset throughout today’s episode.
We discuss the importance of controlling the controllable, minimizing the daily decision-making process, and setting ourselves up for success with diabetes without beating ourselves up every day.
We also talk about Sid’s re-entry into the world of athletics, where we discuss motivation, his life-changing journey with Beyond Type 1’s Bike Beyond team which took him across the US last summer. We finish up with some insight on how he is starting to train for his next big bicycle race. Sid is a humble guy and has some really impactful thoughts he shares about life and training for big physical challenges throughout our conversation.
www.thebravestlife.com/030
For most of us who lived in NYC on September 11, 2001 a serious cloud of anxiety, questioning, and mental turmoil lingered for many years following those unimaginable events. Today’s guest believes the events of that day had, not only an emotional impact, but truly impacted her on a cellular level which set her body up for a breakdown that she could never have expected.
Rachel Zinman is a child of the world who has lived in Australia for much of her adult life. She is a yogi, a meditation teacher, an Ayurveda practitioner and someone who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adult. Rachel and I were able to link up during her recent trip to the States on the east coast leg of her tour promoting her new book which is called “Yoga for Diabetes’.
Our conversation covers a huge amount of ground with topics ranging from how Ayurveda relates to maintaining blood sugar control, all the way through through yoga and breathing techniques. I had an great time sitting down with Rachel and I learned so much from her in the short time we spent together. I know you’ll get a lot from this conversation as well.
www.thebravestlife.com
Jiggy Yoon has been through a lot in life. A budding motivational speaker, Jiggy didn’t always have the positive mental attitude she demonstrates today. Born in South Korea, Jiggy immigrated to the US with her family when she was a little girl. In our conversation, she walks us through the challenges she faced as a child, a fire that left her homeless and bouncing from shelter to shelter, her battle with depression that resulted in attempts to take her own life, and she also talks about opening up about her sexuality to her conservative family. Throughout the conversation, Jiggy shares details about the constant conflict she found herself in with her mom. She also talks about forgiveness, and how their relationship was mended just before her mom succumbed to her battle with cancer. This is a conversation about vulnerability and mental health, and how to utilize your story as power to make an impact on the world.
www.thebravestlife.com/028
Lauren Bongiorno joins me today for this special bonus episode to help us all kick start a new year of health, wellness and creating a mindset that will help us all consistently get after what we desire in life. Lauren was on episode 007 of the podcast where we went deep into her story. But as a quick overview, Lauren is a health coach and a yogi who has thrived with type 1 diabetes since childhood. On today’s show, Lauren shares her top 5 keys to unlock the best version of ourselves in 2018, and we also talk about her upcoming book “The Diabetic Health Journal’.
www.thebravestlife.com/027
On the show today we have Natalie Balmain.
Natalie is based over in the UK and she’s an actress, a voice over artist, and she works in community health as well. Earlier this year she added the title Founder and CEO to her credits.
A couple of years ago Natalie had an idea to create clothing that was not only fashionable, but also functional, for women who are living with diabetes. Her company is named Type 1 Clothing and Natalie has been recognized by the BBC and people like Chelsea Clinton, for her practical, yet remarkable, contribution to the world.
In our conversation, Natalie and I get into her hard-headed personality traits and how this served her in her pursuit of her art and making an impact. We talk about losing her mom at a very young age. We discuss her battle with depression after being diagnosed at the age of 20, and how, over several years, she worked her way out of a very dark place.
Natalie then shares her inspiration and creative process for her expanding line of clothing geared toward those living with type 1 diabetes.
We uncover the stressors associated with running a start-up, and how Natalie supports herself to ensure she is taking care of her physical and mental well-being.
This is an interesting conversation on persistence and a desire to demonstrate to the world that anything is possible if we tap into our creativity and express it in a manner that is true to our own personal style and nature.
Natalie is a unique person who is not only using her platform of fashion to help raise awareness, but she’s also contributing funds from the profits of her company to support type 1 diabetes research around the world.
On the show today we have a gentleman known by the single name of Appleton. Now if you’re not familiar with his work, or who he is, Appleton is a photographer, a painter, and a street artist who, like many creative minds, uses his life experiences as motivation for much of his art. As the youngest of four brothers, Appleton grew up in Northern New Jersey, and was raised by his mom, in a single-parent household. At the age of 6, he suddenly fell into a coma and spent a number of days in the hospital falling in and out of consciousness. It was in the hospital that he was handed the diagnoses of type 1 diabetes. What he uncovers in our conversation, is that his parents actually lost their daughter (Appleton’s sister) when she was just 7 years old after she fell into a coma. Unfortunately, she was an undiagnosed type 1. Appleton points to the fact that there were no family pictures taken during those early years, and he believes that this void in the documentation of his childhood led him to start take pictures of anything and everything. He explains that this void served as a catalyst for him to start documenting his life. In fact, he has saved every vial of insulin and many of the syringes he has used, since childhood. That’s over 40 years of vials. We then dive deeper into the mind of an artist. Appleton talks about his inspiration, the evolution of his work, and who and what influences him. We talk about how his craft informs the way he views the world around him. At the tail end of our conversation, Appleton shares his personal thoughts on the global ecosystem of diabetes. This is a very direct conversation on how he believes the state of diabetes has not changed much in the 40 years since he was diagnosed. He is firm in his belief that, while technology is wonderful and helps those affected manage diabetes better, he is focused on why a cure is such an elusive thing. He gets pretty deep in his thoughts of cure versus maintenance and why, he believes, we’re not seeing that cure for type 1.
Sebastien Sasseville grew up in a small town in Quebec Canada. From an early age, he was raised with a solid work ethic. This key characteristic was developed through the day to day work on his family’s farm that Sebastien was responsible for. In our conversation, Sebastien explained that those early experiences taught him that anything is possible, but nothing comes easy. It wasn’t until he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 22, that he started to truly understand his potential. Sebastien initially ignored his symptoms, although he knew he was type 1 without the lab tests. A few years earlier his younger brother was diagnosed with type 1, so Sebastien had intimate knowledge of the disease. As a result of his diagnosis, Sebastien quickly started to view his new reality as an opportunity to live a better life. He saw type 1 as a deep motivator and a source of energy, which gave him purpose. In 2008, that purpose led him to realize a childhood dream, and took him to the peak of Mt. Everest. In 2012, that purpose empowered him to run The Sahara Race, a 5 day, multi-stage, self-sustaining, 250K race across the desert. And in 2014, he used his purpose and platform to spread more awareness about diabetes by running across Canada in 9 months. Sebastien is also a six time Ironman competitor. This is where I had a lightbulb moment with Sebastien. While all of those journeys are quite amazing, it’s not about the achievements. Its not about the task of summiting Everest, or running across the Sahara, or even running across the North American continent. It’s simply about what they mean. In this conversation, we talk about the importance of patience, and we talk about the importance of preparation, and the details of training and the actual expeditions. But the key message to pull is Sebastien’s message of motivation, of commitment, and the benefits of hard work so we can make our impact on this planet in some way. Ultimately, it’s not about the enormity of the challenges each of us takes on necessarily, but it is about what they mean to us, and how those challenges support our mission.
On this episode, we talk with Chris Pickering. Some of you might be familiar with the work Chris is doing with his new non-profit called The Betes Bros, and on this episode we cover his upbringing in rural Oklahoma and his unique family history with type 1. Chris and I then get into his dance with severe depression. In our conversation, Chris reveals how the highs and lows of diabetes started to impact his internal and external world. He describes how he simply started to give up, little by little each day, to the point where it was hard for him to simply motivate himself to get out of bed. It got so dark, that Chris took steps to quietly take his own life. Thankfully, his attempt was not successful. This is a conversation about the importance of community, it’s about finding our worth in the lowest of moments, and its about how one man's emotional journey has guided him to carve a path to service. Just a heads up, we go to some pretty dark places in this conversation, but this is real stuff. There are a number of studies in the peer-reviewed literature clearly demonstrating the increased incidence of depression in those living with diabetes. I personally believe these honest conversations and personal accounts are critical to share with the world.
This episode was recorded on World Diabetes Day, which is a day of global awareness launched by the International Diabetes Federation. I could not think of a more appropriate guest to interview that day than the one and only, Roddy Riddle.
Roddy was a competitive cyclist for Scotland and competed in the Commonwealth Games. He was ultimately diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 40. Roddy then took that new reality and set out to inspire the world by competing in some of the toughest foot races around.
In 2013, Roddy competed in the Marathon des Sables, which is a 250K race across the Sahara desert.
In 2016, he decided to go to the other extreme and competed in the 6633 Arctic Ultra, which is a 560K ultra marathon.
Unfortunately, Roddy was unable to complete that race, and he describes that in detail during our conversation, but he was determined to come back the following year and take care of unfinished business.
Earlier this year, Roddy not only completed the 6633 Arctic Ultra, he managed to finish the race in second place. He accomplished all of this while proving to the world that anything is possible with type 1 diabetes, or any other challenges we might face.
We dive in deep to talk about the challenges Roddy encountered during each race, how he maintained a positive mindset despite those challenges (including episodes of some insane hallucinations during the 6633 Arctic races), and what he’s hoping the world will gain from his story.
Roddy is one of those rare individuals who has been on my short list of people I was hoping to interview for the show. This is a special look into the mind of a tremendous athlete, but equally as important, a tremendous human being simply working hard to make a positive impact on the rest of the world.
On today’s show we have Karen Bone and Morgan Hodge.
Growing up in Western Canada, Karen was part of a super active family. She was a dancer and outdoors enthusiast, but when type 1 diabetes entered into her life as a young adult, she had a new challenge to deal with. While Karen was super strict with her health and making sure she was militant in keeping her health in check, she hid her type 1 diagnosis from the world. It wasn’t until a trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa that Karen truly accepted her reality and felt comfortable being public with that diagnosis.
We talk quite a bit about Karen’s hike up Mt Kilimanjaro with a team of other type 1s, and that segment we discuss preparation, the challenges associated with a week long hike up and down the tallest mountain in Africa, and the challenges she faced with insulin dosing and fluctuating blood sugars in the changing conditions Kilimanjaro is known for.
We then move on to discuss Karen's climb up the Tour de Mont Blanc, which is in the French, Italian and Swiss Alps. It was during that trek that she faced significant mental challenges including how to deal with dramatic temperature swings and difficult climbing conditions including narrow ice ridges, and her fear of being swept down the mountain by a river formed of melting snowpack.
Our conversation then shifts to Karen’s husband, Morgan, who is a kinesiologist and coach. Because of Karen’s day to day with type 1, Morgan has taken a keen interest in how different modes of training require varied preparation. Morgan, being a self-proclaimed 'geek' when it comes to stuff like this, shares what he has learned about Karen and type 1 when it comes to steady state training, high intensity interval training, and resistance training.
This is a unique look at how one type 1 athlete and her scientist husband have started to make sense of what can be a pretty fuzzy area for many of us with type 1.
We do get a bit deep in science at times, but if you’re an athlete or if you’re training for something, I think this offers us a great look into different types of training and a number of the variables we should all be considering to optimize our training.
This is a conversation of taking on challenge and expanding the boundaries of our comfort zone. It’s also a discussion on the importance of monitoring our bodies and recognizing patterns during training so we can take on those challenges.
On the show today we have Dr. Karin Hehenberger. Some of you might know Dr. Hehenberger from her amazing work with her venture LyfeBulb, but for those of you who are not familiar with her, Dr. Hehenberger is a type 1 who is no longer type 1.
Dr. Hehenberger has a list of credentials and professional accomplishments that make her the ultimate multi-hyphenate. She was on the Swedish National Tennis Team, she earned her Medical Doctorate and her PhD in molecular medicine, she was a post-doc fellow at Harvard, a consultant for McKinsey & Company, has worked in big pharma and start-up biotech companies, and the list goes on and on.
What's remarkable about her story is that she navigated all of those challenging environments, and succeeded on a large scale, with type 1 diabetes. But as the years went on, and she experienced a period of significant burnout and poor control of her health, all the complications anyone with diabetes fears, started to set in. Dr. Hehenberger ultimately found herself with significant damage to her vision, and her kidneys were failing. She was on the edge of complete physical breakdown.
Ultimately, it was her father who saved her live with an incredible gift, and then a few months later it was a donor, and a very talented transplant team in Minnesota who would provide Dr. Hehenberger with a chance to experience life without type 1 again.
Dr. Hehenberger is the ultimate patient-entrepreneur and you’ll learn through this interview that she is all in when it comes to finding and supporting the next generation of budding patient-entrepreneurs through her venture catalyst LyfeBulb. As I release this episode, Dr. Hehenberger and her team are over in Copenhagen Denmark for this year’s LyfeBulb/ Novo Nordisk Innovation Summit where they will be working with some of the best young innovators in the world of diabetes.
There's a lot to this story and our conversation is a deep look into denial, motivation, personal drive, an individual’s love of science, and a belief that those impacted by a chronic condition should be at the center of creating ventures that will help minimize the impact of that condition on the world.
Self-defined as ‘The only 7-fingered, diabetic speaker, adversity coach, and elite powerlifter you know’, Chris Ruden was born with his left arm being shorter than his right and having only two fingers on his left hand. Our conversation takes us through Chris’s childhood in Florida, the bullying he encountered, and a defining breakdown to breakthrough moment Chris experienced with his mother.
Chris then takes us through his diagnosis with type 1 diabetes at the age of 19, and how that shifted his mindset even further and led him down a path of bodybuilding and powerlifting.
Our conversation is a journey through disability to a demonstration of ultimate abilities. What we come to understand is that not only is Chris an adaptive athlete who has broken numerous state records for powerlifting competing against ‘able-bodied competitors’, but he is also passionate about creating a winning mindset, not only for lifting, but also across all spectrums of life.
We talk stoic philosophy, lifting heavy things, donuts, and how advanced prosthetics might soon be entering the picture for Chris.
The story we’re going to uncover today is an emotional one. The cuts are still fairly fresh, and the challenges are very real. If you’re a parent of a child with type 1, this will be an important episode for you. Also, if you or someone you know was recently diagnosed, you will certainly gain a lot of perspective from my conversation with Steven and Jenn Kramer.
Steven and Jenn were blindsided by the whirlwind diagnosis their five year old son Hayden was handed earlier this year. In our time together, we discuss the months leading up to Hayden’s diagnosis. We talk about the behavioral changes Steven and Jenn noticed, as well as Hayden’s non-stop trips to the bathroom and unquenchable thirst. Ultimately, a trip to the doctor confirmed that Hayden had type 1 diabetes, and the Kramer family was propelled into the next chapter of life.
Emotion plays a major role in any life change, and in our interview, Jenn openly shares shares her personal battle with depression following Hayden’s diagnosis. We also talk about how Steven played a major role in her finally getting professional help. We discuss the importance of family and community, as well as how critical it is for Steven and Jenn to find the energy and time to take care of themselves.
We wrap up this interview talking about their new venture, Greater Than, which is aimed at raising funds to support diabetes research and also creating awareness that we are all much greater than our challenges.
Let me preface this interview by saying, while I am a big fan of what they’re doing and I support them 100%, this is not an advertisement for their company. This conversation was actually prompted by an experience I recently had, which I talk about briefly in the first few minutes. I knew, in basic terms what Steven and Jenn went through with Hayden, and I believe their insights will be of huge value to other parents out there.
This is a conversation about family, about love, and how we can teach our kids to do anything in life they desire, despite any obstacles they might encounter along the way.
A while back I was connected to Rob Howe. If you guys don’t know who he is, Rob created this pretty amazing podcast called 'Diabetics Doing Things' and that's the show where he interviews remarkable people living with type 1 diabetes, all that in an attempt to spread awareness about type 1. I love to listen to his show, and when we were connected, I knew it would make a ton of sense to collaborate in some way, not only because our missions are so closely related, but I also loved his personal story.
What we decided to do to kick off this collaboration is to literally do a takeover of each other’s show. The idea behind all of that was that we spend so much energy sharing the stories of the remarkable people we interview, why not work with each other to really dig into our own respective stories, with a view on revealing some of the most important and foundational elements about our own lives that make us who we are and that also serve as the cornerstones for each of our podcasts.
What you’ll hear this week is my interview where we flip the host mic around and I let Rob take over the show to ask me pretty much anything. This was a crazy experience for me because I’m so used to being the one to ask the questions and guide us all down a path of exploration. But instead, this time I’m the one being asked the questions.
I loved talking wth Rob and it definitely gets deep at times. In our conversation we get into my childhood, we talk about the details of the intense month leading up to my diagnosis with type 1, and we get into overcoming challenges and the support system that I have in place to help me get over difficult times. We talk about my history with skate and music culture, and the concept of starting a movement, and we then come full circle to how that part of my childhood relates deeply to the podcast. That was something that Rob actually uncovered for me personally during the course of our interview.
Rob also gets me to open up about being a dad, developing my mindset, the concept of legacy, and ultimately setting an example for those around us through our actions.
This is a cool conversation and I’m grateful to Rob for taking the time to ask some difficult, yet super meaningful, questions that really made me dig deep into different parts of my mind. I think he does a great job of illustrating how my experiences in life have shaped and created the point at which I stand today. This conversation could not come at a better time, specifically as I’m now looking deeper into clarifying the bigger picture and how this venture will enable me to fulfill some highly personal dreams and goals.
My guest on today’s show is Peter Hagen. Peter’s history with diabetes is very similar to mine, in the fact that he was diagnosed with type 1 as an adult. In this conversation, he takes us through his chance diagnosis following a routine health insurance exam, which ultimately revealed an HbA1c of close to 13%. While it was a shock to Peter, he recalls being misdiagnosed with a list of illnesses and also experiencing some classic symptoms that he pushed aside leading up to that diagnosis.
In our conversation, Peter is also vocal when it comes to the landscape of health insurance, coverage for basic required supplies, and how pre-existing conditions come into play when it comes to the insurance world. We also discuss the challenges he has faced when it comes to getting diabetes testing supplies and insulin, as well as the super creative ways in which he was able to get what he needed to stay healthy.
We then transition to Peter’s experiences volunteering at a camp for kids living with diabetes, what the kids at camp have taught him about diabetes and life, and how that flipped a switch for him to start competing in triathlons. We discuss mindset as well as motivating factors when we hit a wall and we try to convince ourselves that we’re done.
Peter also describes meeting pro snowboarder Sean Busby, the founder of Riding On Insulin, and how that prompted him to start volunteering his time to help kids gain confidence through snowboarding and skiing. Peter shares his amazing experiences on the mountain as well as lessons learned that can help us all succeed in everyday life.
This is a conversation of giving back and contributing to the world, and how we can find life’s lessons in the most unusual of places.
This episode is a powerful one on so many different levels. The podcast was launched with a mission to help all of us live the healthiest version of ourselves possible despite the obstacles that may be associated with diabetes. While hearing inspirational stories and learning from those within the diabetes community is priceless, it’s important to not isolate or ignore the tremendous value that those on the periphery of the diabetes world can offer.
This is our first conversation with someone who, while she may not be directly touched by diabetes, she has an amazing story that will make you think, and help us all look at our own personal challenges and lives more closely.
Growing up in a town just north of NYC, Ann Marie Saccurato was raised in a violent environment. Her father was a part of organized crime and ultimately he abandoned Ann Marie, her brother, and their mom. Although life was tough, a mindset of self-motivation and inner drive guided Ann Marie to focus her energy and compete in basketball, softball and volleyball all the way through high school.
Life is filled with defining moments. And in this case, it was a car accident after a state volleyball championship that left Ann Marie at the doorstep of death. Despite massive physical trauma, she recounts that the accident not only served to strengthen her, but it really solidified her resolve to come back stronger.
Her physicians told her that she would never walk normally again, and definitely not play sports again, but she knew they were wrong. Just few short months later, after tireless dedication to physical therapy, Ann Marie was a dual sport athlete playing volleyball and basketball at a Division 1 university.
Ann Marie then took her natural spirit as a fighter into the boxing ring. And within two weeks of starting her formal training, she was toe to toe with the national champion in her weight class. That particular fight led to an invitation (the next day) for Ann Marie to be a member of the USA Boxing Team in the US Nationals. That chance invitation lead her down a path to fight in larger venues, and eventually to become a 3x WBC Lightweight World Champion. And, get this, just last year, Ann Marie was inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
This is a conversation of being humble, inner strength, perseverance, and grassroots effort to help others identify and head down their own path to overcoming challenges.
On this episode we have Erik Douds. Erik is a fascinating guy who has a degree in environmental studies and sustainability, and he’s even worked as a research assistant for NASA. His passion for the environment has fueled a number of adventures around the world in search of ways to make in impact. Erik has been involved in oceanography work and has even helped design a national park in Ethiopia. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16, Erik was raised in the suburbs of NYC. He recalls the many positive influences of big city life and what he describes as growing up with all the 'hope and possibilities that allows people to work towards all their dreams’. As we get into the conversation, Erik also shares his grandfather’s lifelong experiences with type 1. Amazingly, his grandfather was diagnosed in 1940, and he ultimately lived to the age of 83 years old. It was clear through our talk that his grandfather was a significant influence in Erik’s survivor and adventurer mindset. Erik then describes his own diagnosis as his calling card to take on challenges in life. In addition to venturing out on world travel adventures and marathons, Erik recently set out on a 4500 mile cross country bike trip on the Trans America Trail, he hiked the North Coast Trail with a team of type 1s, and is prepping to now bike down the west coast of the US, and then head back home to the east coast. If you put that all together, that’s biking the entire perimeter of the United States, all while documenting his journey and seeing how he can make an impact along the way. This is a really interesting conversation of travel, adventure, environmentalism, and making a positive impact on self as well as the world.
On this episode, we talk with Australian marathon runner and plant-based nutrition coach, Amy McKinnon. Amy grew up in Sydney Australia and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age. What's interesting about Amy’s story, is that her parents didn’t try to slow her down in any way after her diagnosis.
What they focused on was how to empower Amy and give her massive support as she took on the ultimate responsibility for managing her diabetes as a child. What you’ll learn from this conversation, is that those experiences early in life seemed to serve as Amy’s guideposts as she started to take on larger challenges including running and solo travel adventures.
During this conversation, Amy guides us through her experiences living with diabetes in Australia, as well as a rebellious stage that negatively impacted her diabetes control. Ultimately, a move half way around the world to New York City served as an escape as well as a rebirth of sorts when she decided to craft a new life for herself that included healthier habits, a lifestyle of wellbeing, and a new-found passion for running. Amy’s move to New York City also solidified her commitment to a plant-based diet.
Amy describes how she launched her running career, and what kept her motivated to run longer distances and races over time. She also shares how she was able to successfully test her blood sugars while keeping her running pace during the New York Marathon, as well as other lessons learned while training and running races.
We finish up by covering a very interesting project where Amy ran 40 half marathon distance runs in a year’s time, most of those runs were completed while backpacking for six months through Central and South America. Amy then shares the lessons she learned along the way and the challenges of managing type 1 diabetes while on the road.
This is a conversation of independence, inner strength, mindset and living life to the fullest.
This episode features former pro bodybuilder Phil Graham. What you’ll see through our conversation is that Phil is probably one of the most dialed in fitness professionals you’ll ever learn from. In this episode, Phil take us on a trip through his early years growing up in Northern Ireland where he led the life of an overweight teenager until he started to experience some of the tell-tale signs of diabetes, including significant visual disturbances.
He describes an appointment with his doctor where he was exposed to information that set him full of fear. Phil describes the conversations and visuals, like the belief that all people with diabetes will lose their eyesight or have amputations. That fear served as a motivator and a catalyst to take him from teenage video gamer to a newly diagnosed type 1 who devoured health and nutrition information to help him learn more about his condition and carve his physique in the gym.
One the years, Phil has filled his arsenal with various academic credentials including as a degree in nutrition from Queen’s University Belfast, a post grad diploma in public health promotion, and becoming a Certified Sports Nutritionist with the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Phil also competed in Junior Mr. Northern Ireland, Mr. Universe, and Mr Britain.
Since his competing days, Phil has focused his sights on coaching, training and counseling countless fitness professionals and competitors around the globe. All of these experiences and work culminated in the release of Phil's book 'The Diabetic Muscle and Fitness Guide'.
This conversation is deep in science and nutrition at times, but that is what is so amazing about Phil. While there are tons of wellness professionals out there trying to sell us on the 'latest and greatest products', Phil is only selling knowledge. Knowledge that he has gained from his many hours researching and studying peer reviewed papers, as well as his significant dedication to studying his own body through training for some of the most competitive bodybuilding events on the planet.
This episode features Southern California punk rocker, Poli van Dam. Poli is one-half of the founding duo of The Bombpops.
Poli grew up just north of San Diego and led the life of a typical SoCal beach kid. During this interview, she takes us on a journey through the early years where she learned to play piano and quickly started to develop her taste for playing punk rock. Poli also shares the fact that not only does her father manage type 1 diabetes, but her younger brother was also diagnosed at the age of four. Poli recalls taking care of her brother when they were younger and even giving him his insulin injections. So when she was diagnosed as a teenager, Poli already had a solid feel for what diabetes was and how she needed to care for herself.
Our conversation moves into topics like music influences, superpowers and how her bandmates help Poli keep her health in check when they’re out on tour. This is a super interesting conversation about life and music, as well as what it takes for a touring musician to stay healthy with all the rigors of travel and performing. Poli is now recognizing her ability to use her platform of being a musician to educate the world that nothing, including diabetes, should hold you back, ever.
This episode is a little different than the typical health and wellness conversations we’ve had so far on the show. That said, there are significant ties to our health, living well, and ultimately making a significant positive impact on the world.
Our guest for today, Laura Pavlakovich, is a creative at heart, but her true path was not presented to her until she, as she describes it, “escaped the bubble” of life in a comfortable Southern California town. And while Laura was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes around the age of 4, for many years she worked very hard to not allow it to define her. I think that most of us would agree that we should not be fully defined by something such as an autoimmune disease, but it’s interesting how the very thing she turned away from, would ultimately be her calling card that would allow her to empower others to share their own voices of strength, hope and inspiration.
The path to the non-profit organization she founded, started during a year-long educational trip that took her around the world to witness how children lived in areas like Africa and Southeast Asia. And what Laura experienced on that trip altered her mindset permanently and served as the foundation for her non-profit called “You’re Just My Type”.
Laura and I dive a little into the time after her diagnosis and the incredible support she had from family as well as the lasting relationships she developed in diabetes camp. Laura then take us on a journey of how photography entered her life and how she used it to travel to some of the most interesting places on the planet. She also talks about how those experiences completely shaped her mindset. We then zero in on how art can be used to create a healthier life through storytelling, connecting others from around the world with similar conditions, and helping to educate and motivate the world to make change for the better.
This is a super interesting conversation about the arts, about being human, and about being part of something greater than ourselves.
What does it truly take to stare a challenge in the face and push on no matter how deep you have to dig? According to today’s guest, it’s not only about physical strength, although he is arguably one of the strongest guys out there. It’s really about purpose, and it's about mindset.
My guest for today’s show is powerlifter and strongman, Rodney Miller. Rodney was born to a cattle rancher family in southern Oklahoma. Not to long into his life's journey, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and spent over two weeks in a coma as a result of dangerously high blood glucose levels and DKA, or diabetic ketoacidosis. Although Rodney was only 4 years old at the time, he believes his inherent stubbornness was the key factor that kept him alive.
A self-described “runt” standing 4 feet 9 inches tall, and weighing in at 90 pounds, Rodney was the smallest person in his class all through school. It was only after multiple hospitalizations as a young adult that Rodney started to gain significant weight. But that was only because he burned out and stopped taking care of himself.
During that time Rodney was less than consistent taking his required insulin, and his diet was massively out of control. He was on a dangerous roller coaster ride and it wasn’t until his wife shared the fact that she was pregnant that a switch flipped in Rodney’s head. It took the realization that he was soon to be responsible for another life to push him on a course to health and wellness.
Rodney’s story is one of inner strength, perseverance, and purpose. What you’ll learn in this conversation is that he has an unusual ability to push himself through pain and discomfort, which stemmed from a single discussion with his father when Rodney was a young boy. What he has turned himself into physically as a competitor, being someone who lifts truck axels, pulls fire engines and lifts cars, is nothing short of amazing.
We can all learn a lot from this interview and maybe even start to consider our own strengths, and how to overcome any real or perceived barriers life might present to us. So, from self-described "runt" to inspirational strong man, this is my conversation with Rodney Miller.
As I started to develop the foundation for the podcast, I wanted to make sure I was not just about talking about change and overcoming obstacles in our lives. While conversations can be inspiring, I wanted this to also be about giving you real world opportunities to challenge yourself, and to be uncomfortable. I’ve found that it’s only in those moments of challenge that we have a fighting chance to make positive changes to our mindset, our physiology, our health and wellbeing. That all rolls into our ability to make a dent in the world.
So, this week we’re going to experiment by launching the first episode of segments we'll call 'Your Bravest Life' which are dedicated to helping you take your game to the next level. This one will require that you find a quiet space, so if you listen to the podcast during your commute or during a run or workout, press pause and come back to this when you’re not required to be active in your world.
We had such an amazing response to last week’s podcast featuring Lauren Bongiorno. I hope you caught that interview, but if you haven't listened to that episode yet, do yourself a huge favor and check it out. Lauren was such a dynamic guest and we got pretty deep on topics including nutrition, exercise, yoga and the focus for today’s podcast, which is meditation.
I’ve spoken previously about my history with meditation and mindfulness. If you’re interested, check out the interview I did with Cyrus Khambatta on the Mastering Diabetes YouTube page. But, the reality is that meditation and mindfulness holds tremendous benefits for all of us.
There’s a growing body of scientific literature exploring the brain and how it actually has the ability to change for the better through the practice of meditation. And not only does the brain change, but a consistent meditation practice will also positively impact your blood pressure, your heart rate, and even lead to changes that will positively impact your blood glucose levels.
In this episode, and first installment of ‘Your Bravest Life’, Lauren Bongiorno leads us all on a guided meditation that will undoubtedly help you connect with yourself on a much deeper level.
Lauren Bongiorno is a meditation teacher, a yogi and a health coach who is contributing to the world in so many different ways. While she spends a good amount of her energy coaching clients with type 1 diabetes to healthier, happier lives, she is also a busy entrepreneur who is working on some next level projects that will allow her to make an impact on even more people than her day to day schedule allows.
In this episode, Lauren and I talk about her diagnosis with diabetes at the age of seven, and how her parents were instrumental in helping her develop a high level of confidence despite that diagnosis. We also talk about her Division 1 college soccer career and her decision to transition away from law school to follow her passion in the world of health and wellness. Lauren also shares, what she calls 'a difficult relationship with food and exercise', and how common eating disorders are in the diabetes community.
We then shift the conversation to her entry into the world of nutrition, yoga and meditation, and how they helped her transition from being unrealistic at times and very hard on herself, to following a path to a more balanced and healthy life. Lauren believes this has allowed her to become more comfortable in her own skin and that it has positively impacted her energy and clarified her mind so she can better connect with the people around her.
This is a conversation of digging in deep, doing the hard work, and learning as much about yourself as possible, so you can make your greatest impact on the world around you.
Lauren is a perfect example of how we can take the diagnosis of diabetes, fight through life’s speed bumps, and then turn the volume up our inner voice to allow our purpose to shine through. She’s super energetic and her mission is to help bring joy to the people around her. When you listen to Lauren, it’s obvious, she not only talks about how to live a better life, she truly walks the walk. I had a great time meeting Lauren and talking to her about her life story.
I recently had an opportunity to catch up with Adam Sud. Now, if you’re not familiar with Adam, he is currently a health coach based in Austin, Texas for Whole Foods Market. But he didn’t start out as the healthy lifestyle advocate you might see online or presenting at events like the Esselstyn’s famous gathering ‘Plantstock'. This discussion goes deep and wide, and we cover much more than just the topic of diabetes. We talk about reaching breaking points and learning what we as humans are truly capable of. It’s about hitting rock bottom so hard that the only choice you have is for your life to come to an end, or you make the decision to recreate yourself from the cellular level on up, rewriting your brain's operating system in the process. As you’ll see, most of our lives might not be as extreme as Adam’s; he’s had an unbelievable start to his life. But what we can take from this interview and learn from him will help us remove any power our own excuses and mental barriers may hold. We will also see that improving our situation, our health, and our relationships is a step by step, every day commitment. There is no easy fix at times, and the reality is that old habits are always lurking in the shadows, regardless how far we’ve put them in our rear view mirror. In this conversation, Adam takes us on a journey through his childhood in Texas and then how he rapidly slipped into an Adderall and fast food addiction. Those addictions resulted in Adam spending huge amounts of time on his couch, surrounded by fast food wrappers, devising his next plan to get cash to feed his prescription drug addiction. It was only after overdosing that he sought help from his family and entered rehab. Luckily for Adam, his family’s support was there when he needed it the most. Once in rehab, Adam (who was over 300 pounds at that time) was told that he was a type 2 diabetic, and he had dangerously elevated cholesterol and blood pressure. He was a ticking time bomb, he was massively sick, and he was emotionally broken. Despite his addiction to Adderall, it was actually the diagnosis of diabetes that helped Adam to flip the switch that led him to change his relationship with food and himself, and in turn, it changed his relationship with his family and his connection with the world around him. This is an emotional interview at times, but there is so much to learn from Adam’s story. He’s a remarkable guy and in listening to him speak, you can’t help but root for his continued success.
Is it possible for a 305 pound carnivore football player to reverse course on all of his chronic diseases and completely change the trajectory of his family’s life forever? Marc Ramirez grew up in southern Texas wth four brothers and three sisters. HIs father abandoned his family when Marc was eight years old and left his mother struggling to raise an army of children on her own. Marc ultimately rose up and earned a football scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he played right guard for the legendary coach Bo Schembechler. Marc and his teammates went on to play in three Rose Bowls and one Hall of Fame Bowl.
To fuel his 305 pound frame and the countless hours of training, Marc required a significant amount of food intake; he was quite fond of steak and potatoes; by his own account, usually more of the steak. But once the chapter closed on Marc’s football career, his dietary habits didn’t change, and his body started to fight against him. This came in the form of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and a host of other lifestyle diseases, all requiring enough medications to line a pharmacy shelf.
What Marc feared was that he was firmly on the same path as his mother and siblings. And just to give you an idea of what Marc’s family was experiencing…
His mom underwent kidney transplant, passed in 2002 after 33 years of fighting diabetes.
Sadly, his brother David passed from pancreatic cancer two months later.
Marc’s sister Carol struggled with type 2 diabetes for many years.
His twin brother Joe battles with type 2 diabetes, and already has suffered a heart attack.
Marc’s youngest sister Sandra, has type 2 diabetes.
And Martin, Marc’s youngest sibling, has type 2 diabetes, he’s had a pancreas and kidney transplant, he’s legally blind and had his right leg amputated. Martin undergoes dialysis 3 times per week, and is on a whopping 25 medications.
Marc was confronted with the very real possibility that he was predestined to suffer the same outcomes as other members of his family.
I’m not going to give away the entire story here, but conversation that follows with Marc and his wife, Kim (aka Chickpea and Bean), truly demonstrates what we are capable of as humans. We cover Marc’s slow decline into illness, and then how Kim’s support helped him work his way back to health, and ultimately his ability to thrive and help others get their own health back on track. I loved talking to these guys, not only because it’s clear they adore each other, but their story is a truly inspirational one. They changed their own lives and, in turn, changed the course of their family forever.
The psychology of diabetes is an important topic and support in this area may be difficult to come by; but we've found a tremendous resource. On today’s show we have Dr. Mark Heyman. Mark is a PhD in Clinical Psychology and he completed clinical training at UCSD School of Medicine. He is a Certified Diabetes Educator and the Director for the Center for Diabetes and Mental Health in San Diego, CA, which is a specialty center focused on the psychosocial, emotional and behavioral aspects of diabetes. Mark also sits on the Boards of a number of diabetes non-profit organizations. And while his background is definitely impressive, what I love about him is that he not only speaks from a standpoint of an academic, he's also been living with the realities of type 1 since 1999. So what you’ll hear from Mark is not only the words of a psychologist, but also his deep understanding and practical knowledge that’s derived from his personal experiences.
Our conversation begins with Mark’s entry into a world with type 1 when he was a student at UCLA. He talks about how the physician who initially handed him the diagnoses set the stage for Mark to develop a ‘no limitations’ mindset when it came to his diabetes. Mark shares how important that was in shaping his optimistic mindset. We then go on to talk about the very heavy topic of depression. Mark also shares a wealth of knowledge on other issues we might face including anxiety, burnout, and how to change health behaviors that simply don't work for us any longer.
We finish up the show with Mark’s thoughts on why he believes living with diabetes can actually be a positive in our lives, as well as why he thinks humor and laughter serve as a critical component in our ability to lead a healthy life.
On today’s show we have Dr. Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro. These guys are two significant forces in the world of diabetes nutrition. You might be familiar with Cyrus through his work under the Mangoman Nutrition moniker, and Robby, aka Mindful Diabetic Robby, is known for his super popular Instagram account and Youtube channel. Together they’ve created 'Mastering Diabetes', which is a philosophy and program designed to help anyone with diabetes reduce insulin resistance and improve their blood glucose levels through a whole foods, plant-based diet.
We start off our conversation covering both of their diagnosis stories, as well as Cyrus’s diagnosis with not just one, but three autoimmune conditions within a six month timeframe. Cyrus shares the emotional rollercoaster he was on during that time and how he transitioned to a plant-based diet. Robby also discusses his diagnosis as a pre-teen, and his transition to a 100% fruit-based diet.
When we think about how we’re encouraged to eat when we have diabetes, the most common suggestions center around a high protein/ low-carb diet. Based on what Cyrus and Robby tell us in this interview, that particular way of eating might in fact work against us if we’re trying to either reverse type 2 or better manage type 1. The core reason, they say, is insulin resistance from fat that builds in our bodies over time. Their answer equates to a higher carbohydrate/ low-fat, plant based diet, and throughout this interview, Cyrus and Robby address misconceptions associated with their approach
What’s important about Cyrus and Robby’s philosophy is that they not only present anecdotal evidence from their own experimenting, they also focus heavily on the scientific literature to formulate the recommendations they put out into the world. While they admit their approach to diabetes management through a plant-based diet may run counter to popular thinking, they point to the quantitative outcomes they achieve, as well as what their clients experience, including reduced blood-glucose levels and reduced injected insulin needs.
Hold tight because we take this conversation through a solid amount of science (Cyrus is a PhD from UC Berkeley) but both Cyrus and Robby keep the information completely understandable. Even if you are not ready to jump on the whole foods, plant-based diet train, I’m sure this conversation will open your mind a little more to consider the research and science behind it all.
Music Credits for BRAVEST Episode 003
Intro music - Poddington Bear, 'Sepia' & The Passion HiFi, 'Sweet Revenge'
Outtro music - Joakim Karud, 'That Day'
On this episode we talk with Eric Tozer. Eric is a remarkable person who, while he often gets the spotlight due to his work with his non-profit Diabetes Sports Project, is a super humble guy and really in it to shine a light on others. Eric is specifically interested in helping other type 1 diabetic athletes succeed in their athletic pursuits. But it goes much further than that. He’s also focused on how the success of competitive and endurance sports all translates from inspiration to action. What Eric learned early on is that it’s one thing to be inspirational, it’s another to actually help others take the steps necessary to become better versions of themselves despite having a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.
Our conversation goes on a journey from Eric’s childhood in Sacramento, CA as a competitive soccer player through an NCAA Championship run. We discuss his sudden loss of 20 pounds and the surprise diagnosis with type 1 diabetes at the age of 22. Since that diagnosis, Eric has run multiple Ironman triathlons and marathons. We also discuss the trials and victories he experienced through a 15 day 3,000 mile foot race from San Diego to NYC with nine other T1D runners.
You’ll learn that his athletic accomplishments are truly admirable but his work away from competing is even more special. Eric co-founded the Diabetes Sports Project to support type 1 athletes of all ages. Eric’s passion for using sport as a tool to lead a healthy and successful life is clear throughout our conversation, and we are grateful to be able to feature him on this episode of the BRAVEST podcast.
Music Credits for BRAVEST Episode 002
Intro music - Poddington Bear, 'Sepia' & The Passion HiFi, 'Sweet Revenge'
Bumper - Joakim Karud, 'Luvly'
Outtro music - Joakim Karud, 'That Day'
This is the very first episode of the BRAVEST podcast. This episode is a short one, but I thought it would make sense to start off by providing you with some personal background, and also spend some time sharing my hopes and my goals regarding the podcast as well as our new website.
Whether you’re an athlete or someone just getting started on the quest for health and well-being, BRAVEST is about living the healthiest life possible with diabetes, every day, despite any obstacles that might fall across our path. And there is no doubt obstacles WILL fall across our path. Ultimately, if you’re like me, you also want to figure out how to maximize the healthiest version of yourself to make your greatest contribution to the people around you.
In this episode I share details about my personal story of being diagnosed with type 1 almost 20 years ago. I found myself celebrating Thanksgiving in a NYC hospital bed that year after experiencing a sudden hearing loss, a leak under the retina of my left eye, losing 30 pounds in about a month, and hallucinating on the platform for the 6 train. I was admitted to the hospital that day severely dehydrated with a blood glucose level >800.
After almost two decades, I’m still one of those people who's always in search of relevant and credible information, motivation and insights to dial in my nutrition, fitness and mindset. But even before my diagnosis with type 1, I loved personal challenge, and I’ve always been obsessed with how I can do better today, than yesterday. Sometimes this mindset has worked against me, but I’m also a strong believer in learning through resistance and growing through the possibility of failure.
Over the years, my experience with type 1 has provided me with a never-ending stream of lessons about myself and the world around me. And as I’m sure some of you will understand, the amazing thing about type 1 is that, while there might be patterns in our health that we can observe in how nutrition and exercise interact with any number of other variables, it’s all really an ever-changing science experiment and just when you think you have it down, something jumps in your way and all of a sudden you feel as if you’re scrambling for control.
So the launch of BRAVEST has been inspired by questions that I think about constantly. I’m really curious about the ever-surfacing choices we have to either view the obstacles we face as actual opportunities to make ourselves better, stronger, faster versus seeing the world covered with insurmountable barriers. Do we view diabetes as something that limits us, or do we see the countless opportunities for growth and contribution the disease offers us? And to take that idea further, once we’ve shifted to more of a growth mode, how do we dive in consistently to optimize our health so we are the best version of ourselves possible?
Starting with our mindset, nutrition and movement, let's explore how we take the bravest version of ourselves and make our mark on the world in the most effective way possible.
Music Credits for BRAVEST Episode 001
Intro music - Poddington Bear, 'Sepia' & The Passion HiFi, 'Sweet Revenge'
Outtro music - Joakim Karud, 'That Day'