Reclaim Your Rise: Type 1 Diabetes with Lauren Bongiorno

Loren was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 18, right as she was starting college. What followed were 15 years of highs and lows, not just in her blood sugars, but in her relationship with herself. From struggling with diabulimia in her early 20s to feeling anxious, burnt out, and alone, Loren shares what it was like to look “fine” on the outside while silently fighting her diabetes behind the scenes.
In this episode, she opens up about the moment she realized she couldn’t keep living that way, when travel, friendships, and even future motherhood felt overshadowed by diabetes. Through coaching, she stopped dieting, shifted her focus from calories to patterns, lowered her A1C from 7.4 to 6.8 in three months, lost 10 pounds as a byproduct (not the goal), and rebuilt her relationship with food and insulin. Most importantly, she stopped seeing diabetes as the enemy and started seeing it as something she could navigate with confidence.
This conversation is about more than numbers. It’s about healing your relationship with diabetes so you can stop fighting yourself and start reclaiming your rise.

WHAT WE COVER:
Loren’s 15-year journey with T1D, including diabulimia and hidden burnout
The emotional toll of masking diabetes while feeling anxious and alone
Why traditional therapy didn’t fully address the root issue
How shifting from calorie counting to carb awareness changed everything
The specific tools that helped her lower her A1C from 7.4 to 6.8 in 3 months
Letting go of diet culture and rebuilding a peaceful relationship with food
Traveling with confidence (and no blood sugar chaos)
Preparing for pregnancy from a place of empowerment, not fear

WHAT’S NEXT:
‼️Finally eat pizza and ice cream without the blood sugar roller coaster: Join our free live 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 Loren’s story helped you feel less alone, especially if you’ve been trying to “figure it out” for years but still feel stuck, subscribe and leave a review so more people with T1D can find conversations like this.

For decades, people living with Type 1 diabetes have asked the same question: what would life look like if my body made insulin again? In today’s episode, Lauren sits down with Katie Beth Hand (13 years with T1D) and Chris (diagnosed at 10 months old, living 35 years with T1D), two of only ten participants selected for the first cohort of the Eledon clinical trial at the University of Chicago. As Patients 9 and 10, they received an islet cell transplant alongside the investigational therapy Tegoprubart, designed to prevent the immune system from attacking transplanted cells. Now, for the first time in decades, they’re watching their blood sugars rise and come back down on their own, coming off basal insulin, dramatically reducing boluses, and navigating what it means to trust a body that suddenly responds differently. This is not hype or a guaranteed cure, but it may represent one of the most significant shifts in Type 1 diabetes research in over 30 years.

WHAT WE COVER:
What daily life looked like before the trial
How they found the Eledon trial and what screening week in Chicago involved
What actually happens during an islet cell transplant
Why Tegoprubart may change the future of islet transplantation
Mixed Meal Tolerance Tests, C-peptide, and what their data shows
The transition off basal insulin and how they are “protecting” the new islets
The emotional side: “Do I still say I have Type 1?”
Current Blocks to Scalability and what the Islet Act Is

Support Links:

💻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.
🧑‍🧒‍🧒Our 8-week family group coaching program starts on March 25th. Enroll now to get the early bird discount that ends 2/28
Stay connected with us: 
Email us at: [email protected]   
IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
Watch the full episode on our Youtube: Reclaim Your Rise 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If Katie Beth and Chris’s story helped you feel seen, especially if you’ve been doing the work but still feel stuck in fear, burnout, or unpredictable lows, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.

In this episode, Abby Cooper (Risely’s Director of Coaching and a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes) sits down with Jessie Bennett, a mom of two in California whose 13-year-old son, Samuel, was diagnosed with T1D two years ago. Jessie opens up about what the first year really felt like: survival mode, numbness, and the constant, invisible fear of low blood sugar that can hijack your body and your mind.
Together, Abby and Jessie talk about why this episode is intentionally different, because the goal is not to wait until everything feels “fixed” before you get support. Jessie shares what shifted through coaching: building a simple “order of operations” toolkit, learning to slow down the spiral, and redefining progress as being able to live even when fear still shows up.

WHAT WE COVER:
What the first 6 to 12 months after a child’s diagnosis can feel like, and why it’s normal
How fear of low blood sugar shows up physically, emotionally, and in decision-making
The “invisible” anxiety parents carry, even when they look calm on the outside
Why coaching is not about erasing fear, but changing how you live alongside it
A practical toolkit for making decisions: insulin on board, trend, and “I have what I need to handle this”
Redefining progress when you’re still in the middle, without rushing yourself to a finish line

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
1️⃣ Fear is protective, but it comes with a cost. The goal is not to shame it away. It is to stop letting it run the whole day (or night).
2️⃣ Real change comes from experience, not explanation. Tools, repetition, and safety-building moments are what rewire confidence.
3️⃣ Progress you can’t measure still matters. Letting your child go play at 110, trusting the plan, and staying regulated, those wins change your whole family.

WHAT’S NEXT:
💻Learn more about our T1D parent coaching.
📧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 Jessie’s story helped you feel seen, especially if you’re making progress but still feel fear hanging around, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.

Dating with Type 1 Diabetes can stir up questions about worth, vulnerability, and whether you are asking for too much or are too much. In this solo episode, Lauren shows up as your T1D older sister, sharing real-life insight, personal stories from her own relationship, and the conversations most people avoid when it comes to dating with diabetes.
You will hear why Type 1 Diabetes does not actually make dating harder. It simply reveals compatibility faster. Lauren explains how your relationship with yourself and your diabetes shapes what you tolerate, attract, and believe you deserve. This episode breaks down the red flags to pay attention to, the green flags that truly matter, and how releasing shame can completely change your dating experience.

WHAT WE COVER:
Why Type 1 Diabetes acts as a stress test for emotional maturity
Red flags in dating that often show up early when you live with T1D
How shame around diabetes quietly impacts relationships
The difference between concern, control, and true partnership
Green flags that signal emotional safety and long-term compatibility
Why your relationship with diabetes sets the tone for how others show up

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
1️⃣ Type 1 Diabetes does not make you “too much.” It filters out the wrong people faster.
 It brings clarity to compatibility and emotional readiness early on.
2️⃣ The way someone responds to your diabetes often reflects how you relate to it.
 Confidence and self-trust naturally attract healthier dynamics.
3️⃣ Healthy relationships are built on communication, respect, and safety, not perfection.
 You do not need a caretaker. You deserve a partner who can meet you with empathy and maturity.

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.
🧴Check out Healthy Sites: Post-site recovery patches designed to calm irritation, reduce visible marks, and support site recovery after pump and CGM removal.

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 have ever worried about being “too much” while dating with T1D, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these conversations and stop struggling alone.

Rachel Smith is an OB-GYN, lifelong mountain-lover, and person with type 1 diabetes who set out to summit Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s tallest peak, in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. After climbs like Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua, she realized the biggest curiosity was not just the summit itself, but the diabetes strategy behind it: insulin safety, altitude, tech failures, and what it takes to navigate unpredictable blood sugars when you are far from help.
In this episode, Rachel takes us into a 13-day Antarctica expedition (8 days on the mountain), where the sun never sets, the cold hits -50°C, and even treating a low can become complicated. You will hear what surprised her most, what she would do differently next time, and the message she wants every person with diabetes to carry with them: progress over perfection, and your goals do not have to shrink because you have T1D.

WHAT WE COVER:
Why Rachel chose Mount Vinson and why she decided to share the diabetes side publicly this time
The realities of climbing in Antarctica: 24-hour daylight, extreme cold, and carrying everything yourself
Managing T1D on Kilimanjaro (manual testing) vs. Aconcagua and Vinson (pump + CGM)
What happens when diabetes tech fails at altitude and in the cold (pump alarms, sensors cutting out)
How Rachel kept insulin from freezing and built in backups (including guide support)
Fueling strategy on long climb days: lower-carb mornings, steady carbs during breaks, and why it mattered
Safety conversations with guides: how hypoglycemia symptoms can mimic altitude sickness

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
1️⃣ Your plan needs redundancy. Remote climbs demand extra supplies, backup delivery methods, and contingency plans for freezing, loss, and tech failure.
2️⃣ The environment changes everything. Altitude, cold, disrupted routine, stress hormones, and long-duration exertion can make blood sugars feel unlike your norm. That is not failure, it is data.
3️⃣ Zoom out to rebuild trust. Rachel’s CGM graphs looked more stable in hindsight than they felt in the moment, which is a reminder not to let one chaotic window define your confidence.

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 Rachel’s story helped you feel more capable, especially if you have been telling yourself “I cannot” because of diabetes, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these conversations.