Reclaim Your Rise: Type 1 Diabetes with Lauren Bongiorno

Coach Lindsey has lived with Type 1 Diabetes for 19 years and has been coaching with Risely for over two years. Lindsay was already a health coach in her primary role when she came to Risely as a client. She came through our group coaching program, found her footing with her own diabetes management, and knew she wanted to bring that same support to others. After completing the program, she went on to earn her National Board Certification in coaching and trained under the Risely team before officially joining as a coach. She now works with clients through the exact challenges she once navigated herself, which makes her one of the most grounded voices on what it actually takes to move from reactive management to intentional decision-making with T1D.
In this episode, Lauren and Lindsey dig into the Tandem pump features that many T1D’s either don't know exist or don't know how to use to their full advantage. They cover the features most people are only using at surface level (Control IQ, sleep mode, exercise mode, temp basal, and extended bolus) and share the real-life context behind when and why to use each one. The conversation is honest about the fact that none of these are one-size-fits-all, and that getting to a place where these tools feel second nature takes time, pattern recognition, and a willingness to test and learn.

WHAT WE COVER:
The biggest gaps we see when people are using pumps but not actually optimizing them
How to think about your pump as a tool you can adjust, not something that controls you
The difference between reacting to your numbers and making intentional decisions
What Control IQ is actually doing in the background, including correction limits most Tandem users aren’t aware of
How to use exercise mode and sleep mode beyond their intended use to help prevent highs and lows

WHAT’S NEXT:

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D.
📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.
💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.
📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 
Email us at: [email protected]   
IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If this episode gave you one tip you can take back and test this week, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.

Many challenges with your blood sugars can be grouped into one of the two categories: habit or infrastructure. Until you know which one you're dealing with, you're likely doing patchwork (making changes that don't move the needle) and getting frustrated by nothing really changing.
In this solo episode, Lauren breaks down the foundational framework she uses with every coaching client to identify exactly where the leaks are coming from. She walks through what falls under each category, why most people are unknowingly mixing the two up, and why that's one of the most common reasons people struggle to improve their blood sugars. She also covers the three most important things to understand about how habits and infrastructure interact, why 98% of people who come into coaching are convinced their settings are fine until they actually test them, and the specific order Lauren recommends starting with, so you can build momentum and start making changes that actually move your numbers.

WHAT WE COVER:
The ship leaks analogy…. why patching what you can see on the surface never works if you haven't found where the water is actually draining
What falls under the habit category What falls under the infrastructure category Why the most common mistake is treating a habit issue with an infrastructure change (and vice versa) and the real-life examples that show why this keeps people stuck
Why 98% of people who come into coaching are convinced their settings are fine and what they find when they actually test them
How to tell whether what you're experiencing is situational or a broader sign that your foundation needs to be strengthened 

WHAT’S NEXT:

🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D.
🧡Ready to work through this framework on your own? Check out the A1C Shift Method and Insulin Sensitivity Course and get started today. 
💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.
📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 
Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If this episode made you stop and ask "is this a habit issue or an infrastructure issue?" for the first time, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.

Megan O'Neill is a physician associate who spent years in clinical practice before finding her calling at the intersection of diabetes care and psychology. While working at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Megan discovered the work of leading diabetes psychology researchers and it changed her entire practice, her perspective, and her passion. That foundation eventually led her to Abbott Diabetes Care, where she has spent the last eight years advocating for the emotional and psychological side of living with diabetes to be treated with the same seriousness as the clinical data.
In this conversation, Lauren and Megan dig into what diabetes distress actually looks like day to day — the exhaustion, the isolation, the feeling of doing everything right and still not getting the results you hoped for. They talk about why it often goes unrecognized in clinical care, how it differs from depression, and why a good A1C doesn't always mean you're okay. They also explore how CGMs can both reduce and sometimes complicate our emotional relationship with diabetes and what it actually takes to move the needle when distress is high.

WHAT WE COVER:
What diabetes distress really is, how it differs from depression, and why it is still significantly underutilized as a screening tool in clinical care
Why people with an A1C under 7 can still score in the moderate to high range on the diabetes distress scale and what that actually means
The unequal energy exchange of T1D: putting in the effort but not getting the results, and why that cycle is so defeating
How CGMs have overwhelmingly helped reduce distress and the honest acknowledgment that alarms and constant data can also add to it for some people
What the research actually says about what helps most when someone is not reaching their diabetes goals: it is not just education or medication management alone
The one tangible step you can take in the next 24 hours if any of this conversation resonated with you

WHAT’S NEXT:
🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D.
📊 Diabetes burnout is real, and it can show up in ways you don’t always expect. Take the Diabetes Distress assessment and see where you score.
💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 
Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If this conversation helped you put language to something you have been quietly carrying, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.

After coaching 2,500+ adults with T1D, Lauren discovered the T1D Archetypes. She notices there could be two people with the same A1C, and completely different remission experiences. The difference was never the numbers, it was the pattern underneath them.
In this episode, Lauren and Abby Cooper (Risely's Director of Coaching) unveil something 10 years in the making: the Risely T1D Archetype framework. If you've ever followed every prescription and still felt trapped by your diabetes, this episode will finally show you why.

WHAT WE COVER:
Why people stay stuck with T1D (it’s never a discipline problem)
The 5 T1D Archetypes: The Refiner, The Protector, The Reflector, The Devoted, and The Strategist
How unconscious coping patterns quietly shape your relationship with diabetes
Why you don't have to become someone you’re not to manage T1D well - you just need to understand your archetype

WHAT’S NEXT:

💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 
Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If this episode helped you feel seen - especially if you've been doing everything "right" and still feel stuck - subscribe and leave a review so more T1Ds can find their archetype.

Dylan Leonard is a filmmaker, lifelong athlete, and person with type 1 diabetes who has spent the last decade traveling the world, often in remote and high-stakes environments, while navigating the day-to-day reality of blood sugars, supplies, and unpredictability. In this conversation, Dylan shares how his early diagnosis at 15, shaped a mindset that became his anchor: “I’ll figure it out.” That belief carried him through near-miss travel moments, years on MDI without community, and the often invisible shame of managing diabetes while trying to feel “normal.”
What shifted for Dylan was not just upgrading tech. It was discovering community, finding the right support, and realizing he was uniquely positioned to serve the version of himself who once felt alone and uninformed. That is what led to Breaking Limits, a multi-year documentary project highlighting athletes with type 1 diabetes and the experts who support them. This episode is a powerful reminder that education, tools, and community can change everything, and that your next chapter with T1D can be bigger than your fears. 

WHAT WE COVER:
Running out of low snacks in a foreign country, tech failing mid-trip, and insulin chaos abroad — Dylan shares the scariest travel moments he’s faced with Type 1.
Diagnosed at 15 and convinced his basketball dreams were over — the moment Dylan had to decide if diabetes would stop him or fuel him.
For 10 years Dylan managed Type 1 with finger sticks, MDI, and zero diabetes community — until one turning point changed everything.
From hiding his diabetes on dates and during college recruiting… to publicly sharing his story with the world.
The untold story behind the Breaking Limits documentary — the setbacks, funding struggles, and why Dylan is determined to release it free on YouTube.

WHAT’S NEXT:

🎥Help Support Dylan’s Film. Donate and share to spread the word.

📸Follow Dylan on Instagram
✍️Sign up for our Live Challenging Foods Workshop
💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.

📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with us: 
Email us at: [email protected]   

IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If Dylan’s story helped you rethink what is possible with T1D, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.