Relationships: A Do Better Podcast · dobetterjonathan

Break the Stigma with Diabetes: A Journey of Support and Understanding Loved Ones with Diabetes [Ep. 9]

·1 hr·3 clips

Aubrey says 10 consecutive minutes of movement can improve insulin use for 72 hours.

1. Relationships: A Do Better Podcast centers this episode on diabetes, with Jonathan and Justin framing it around love, shame, and support for partners. 2. Aubrey Neal, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist, joins as the guest because she works directly with people living with diabetes. 3. The episode asks what diabetes actually is and how couples can respond without adding guilt or micromanagement. 4. Aubrey says her interest started in high school and college, when her grandparents drove to Kansas City to watch her cheer at UMKC. 5. She recalls her grandfather calling to say he had diabetes, feared blindness, and thought he was going to die. 6. Aubrey taught him to read a nutrition label and test his blood sugar, and she says his A1C dropped from 10.4 to 5.5 in six months. 7. She explains that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that attacks beta cells in the pancreas. 8. She contrasts that with type 2 diabetes, which she describes as a progressive condition where the body does not use insulin well and does not make enough insulin well. 9. She says gestational diabetes is a separate category and notes that her wife’s pregnancy involved the one-hour glucose screen and the three-hour diagnostic test. 10. Aubrey pushes back on the stereotype that type 2 diabetes only affects people with poor diets or low activity, saying she has type 2 diabetes herself. 11. She says 25% of people who develop type 2 diabetes are at a normal or underweight BMI. 12. She also says about 60% of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed after age 30. 13. Aubrey says symptoms like thirst, fatigue, irritability, and moodiness can look like stress, work, or poor sleep. 14. She explains the A1C test as a three-month average and says 5.6% or less is normal, 5.7% to 6.4% is prediabetes, and 6.5% or above is diabetes. 15. She describes diabetes as a “silent disease” because no one can tell by looking at someone whether they have it. 16. Aubrey says the mental side of diabetes often includes denial, grief, and stigma, especially when people feel they have failed by needing medication. 17. She explains the GLP-1 class by saying Ozempic, Trulicity, and Zepbound reconnect a “wire” between the stomach and brain. 18. The conversation stays conversational and educational, with Jonathan and Justin asking follow-up questions and using their own pregnancy and relationship experiences. 19. Listeners managing diabetes with a partner will likely get practical communication advice. 20. People wanting a celebrity-style health story or heavy medical detail may skip it.

As heard by us

A compassionate discussion of diabetes, shame, and how support can help without becoming pressure.

Jonathan and Justin open on a personal pregnancy story, which gives the diabetes discussion an immediate human weight. From there, the episode settles into a clear talk about shame, support, and the mental load of living with the condition, with Aubrey Neal, a registered…

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Why you'd press play

If diabetes feels like a private burden in the house, this gives you a way into support.

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