92. For the love of working out and mental health as a newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetic with Katie Parsons

Reclaim Your Rise: Type 1 Diabetes with Lauren Bongiorno

If you have T1D and love running or staying active, this episode is for you. I sat down with Risely graduate Katie Parsons for an honest discussion on her diagnosis in her early twenties with T1D and her journey since then. We talk about her struggles with mental health, her fear after diagnosis, and how committing to mindset shifts, education, and therapy helped her get back to working out and even running a 10k.

Time Stamps:

• (03:00) Running a 10k, her prep, and when Dexcom stopped working
• (07:55) What success looks like her for with exercise
• (09:07) What her diagnosis was like and what her experience with diabetes was before that
• (13:00) How the “don’t die advice” made her terrified to workout for the first 6-9 months
• (14:40) On identity and how the diagnosis impacted her mental health with depression
• (16:11) The importance of educating yourself
• (18:19) The mental shift that helped drive her to get back into running
• (20:50) The isolation of being newly diagnosed, feeling left behind, and going to therapy
• (26:58) When the flip switched and she found Risely
• (29:48) Looking back at her goals in her diabetic health journal
• (31:44) Her switch from Omnipod to Tandem t-slim
• (34:02) Her piece of advice to the newly diagnosed

What to do now:

1. Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.
2. Learn more and apply for the January 2024 Decide and Conquer Bootcamp HERE.

Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan.