The Diabetic Therapist

03/03/2024

Mindful Diabetes Community is currently open for enrollment! Come join us for our March Workshop “How to Improve Your Relationship with Food.”

With your MDC membership, you get:
- an educational workshop from a CDE with T1D
- a group coaching call
- a private community
- monthly challenges
- handouts and worksheets

And more features coming soon!

Membership costs between $30-$35 depending on your subscription.

Come join us!

Monthly Workshop Each month we will discuss a behavior change or diabetes management topic using evidence-based research and real-world application. Group Coaching A group coaching call, to discuss that month's workshop or bring your own topic or questions! Online Community An online forum where you...

12/12/2023

ITS HERE!! Or it will be, in January 2024! I am so excited to announce the launch of my new coaching community, Mindful Diabetes.

Mindful Diabetes is a membership-style coaching community which means it is an ongoing program with no finite end point. The goal of the program is to enhance your practice of nonjudgmental awareness around your thoughts, feelings and behaviors in your diabetes management, so that you can manage your diabetes more successfully.

Although mindfulness is often thought of in terms of meditation, mindfulness is an important aspect of many different concepts that I teach clients with diabetes and skills I support them in developing, including self-compassion, radical acceptance, forming better habits, breaking unhelpful ones, overcoming limiting beliefs, setting boundaries, and so much more!

This is something I have wanted to do with our community since becoming a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist this past June.

Interested in joining? The waitlist is now open! Click this link https://greaterthancc.myflodesk.com/mindfuldiabetes or comment “Waitlist” and I’ll add ya! There will be some fun bonuses for those of you who join from the waitlist. 😉

I will be sharing more details about what you can expect from the program over the next few weeks until enrollment begins on December 18. But please let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to answer!

09/13/2023

As I’m gearing up for my T1D pregnancy class (Your T1D Pregnancy Roadmap - http://ancient-tree-943.myflodesk.com), I have found myself fielding more questions about the menstrual cycle lately. Despite the very obvious impact that hormones have on blood sugars, they don’t seem to be discussed much, except maybe growth hormones during adolescence.

Not only do adults still experience growth hormones, but those who menstruate also have a monthly rotation of hormones in addition to the daily.

There are four menstrual hormones:

Estrogen
Progesterone
Luteinizing hormone
Follicular stimulating hormone

The latter are two are most prominent during ovulation since they are how that whole process happens (and if you need more info than that, ask your OB 😂). But the first two, estrogen and progesterone are involved in the whole set up and take down of the baby-making process

Progesterone in particular has an effect of decreasing insulin sensitivity, which is why so many people experience high BGs just before their period. I jokingly call it diabetic PMS but it’s not too far from what’s happening.

Estrogen on the other hand is associated with increasing insulin sensitivity, so insulin needs tend to drop during the first half of your cycle (during your period and leading up to ovulation).

Part of managing this is tracking where you are in your cycle, especially if you aren’t on hormonal birth control. This can help you make adjustments to your insulin faster, if that’s what you need.

It will also help you anticipate your needs, such as cravings for sweets or salty snacks that might require a different dosing strategy because of the insulin resistance. You might feel more tired and run down, and need more gentle movement to support your BGs. It really depends on the person and how hormones affect you personally.

What helps you manage BGs during your menstrual cycle? Share your experience in the comments or send me a DM!

09/01/2023

My T1D Pregnancy class is back! We start on Sept 21. Get the recorded modules and weekly live discussions and coaching. Click here to learn more and register:

A 4 week live course covering preconception, pregnancy and postpartum while living with type 1 diabetes. Includes self-paced modules, live discussions and Q&A, and handouts.

12/28/2022

New diabetes management course launching 1/2/23. Start the new year off right with access to the beta round, only $48 during its 48-hour sale! Stay tuned.

06/07/2022

Thinking about coaching? Here are some signs it might be the right fit for you on your journey to a happier, healthier life with diabetes.

Apply for coaching today: https://form.jotform.com/221566171753053

06/06/2022

Just a reminder that my old Instagram account was hacked + the hacker changed my username. You need to REFOLLOW me at on Instagram and UNFOLLOW + REPORT . That account is NOT ME.

05/10/2022

10 more days until the Diabetes + Mental Health Conference! If you have diabetes, you should probably come to this. It's going to be ahhhhmazing and I don't just say that because I'm organizing it. Bill Polonsky, 9 educational sessions ALL about mental health, social networking, vendors...

If you haven't gotten your ticket, you can get one at: http://dmhconference.vfairs.com. There is a full access ticket and a replay-only ticket. Let me know if you have any questions!

04/21/2022

The A1C barrier: that seemingly insurmountable hurdle of crossing into the next A1C percentage range.

For me, going from 7.1%➡️6.9%is somehow sooo much harder than 7.6%➡️7.4%. I think it has a lot to do with my mindset around numbers and my own behaviors with responding when things happen. In order to make the shift down, you approach really needs to be taken a notch up. Check the slides to see some of my top tips!

This week I am launching a new kind of coaching program called Break the A1C Barrier and it’s for people who are sitting oh-so-close to the edge but just can’t seem to break through. It’s also one of the most affordable and most custom diabetes coaching programs out there.

I created this because in my 20s, I was in the same place. I was convinced my A1C would never be in the 6s. But really it’s because I never really pushed myself to live in a way that would reflect that A1C. My target BGs were too wide. I let myself sit at 160 because it was “in range.” I chased blood sugars after meals, which meant I spent a lot more time high than I needed. My mindset and strategies did not support my goal, so it’s no surprise it never worked!

Over 12 weeks, you’ll get:
- 4 60-minute live individual coaching sessions
- weekly email check-ins with detailed feedback and action items
- a 60-minute data analysis training (taken live or recorded)
- 12 weekly modules and handouts on mindset, support system, food analysis, testing and more!

During the program we will tackle:
- understanding YOUR data and where you are getting blocked from your goal
- sustainable strategies for YOU to manage diabetes, not feel managed by diabetes
- helping you eat, play and live the way YOU want (no restrictions, no diets, no fad cleanses)
- identify gaps in knowledge and support by creating action plans for getting more information and putting those insights into action!

I’m now accepting clients for May and June started dates! And I’m only accepting 10 clients total!

The cost of this program is just $599! Payment plans are totally available - 2, 3 or 4 month options.

Deadline for the May start is April 28! Head to the link in my bio to register!

04/13/2022

I am teaching my T1D & the 3Ps pregnancy class starting next week! If you are thinking about pregnancy in the next 3-6 months, I highly recommend taking this class. Sign up here:

Please click the link to complete this form.

03/24/2022

The One and ONLY Diabetes + Mental Health Conference! - https://mailchi.mp/ab457597a0a5/conference-15931787

03/15/2022

Registration for the first ever Diabetes + Mental Health Conference is OPEN! Early bird registration goes through April 3. Register now at http://dmhconference.vfairs.com.

Faculty include Dr. William Polonsky, Dr. Ann Goebel-Fabbri, Asha Brown, Cassady Kintner, Dr. Kersti Spjut, Alexis Skelley, Dr. Lesli Allen, Mallory Streisfeld, and more! Most of the faculty are either PWDs or mental health professionals (and nearly all are both!).

Thank you to sponsors Dexcom, Center for Change, Connected in Motion and Skin Grip.

The Diabetes + Mental Health Conference is a virtual event focused on the intersection of diabetes management and mental health. This event brings together a cross-section of patients living with all types of diabetes, caregivers, medical professionals working with PWDs, and mental health profession...