114. Danica the Diabetic: "I don't live waiting for a cure"

As today’s guest says “I don't need to be told what to do, I need to be empowered to make my own choices.” Danica Collins is a scientist, Board-Certified Health and Well-Being Coach, and public speaker with 18 years lived experience with T1D. The throughline of the conversation is self efficacy, advocating for yourself, and education. From doing your research, to the time her CGM went out in an African jungle and she had to get back to basics, Danica is about empowering YOU to know your diabetes best. In an ever evolving tech world, Danica speaks to the importance of bringing research to your doctor as well as what she’s excited about for the future of AI and diabetes. We talk about diversity in health equity and the lack of diabetes education in other countries. Finally, we speak life into a shared vision of the not so far future where health coaching is a crucial part of our health system.Time Stamps:  (03:48) Learning to advocate for yourself (06:28) The challenges of being diagnosed at 14(08:58) Self Efficacy (11:18) From dentist dreams to healthcare scientist coach(12:47) The challenge of doctors keeping up with the advancement of tech (14:07) Bringing research and new tech to your doctor(17:37) The exhaustion of self advocacy (18:42) Feeling your best despite diabetes(19:45) The constant evolution of fine-tuning your diabetes (21:30) The time her CGM stopped working in African jungle(23:55) Know your foundations without any tech(24:50) The confidence to travel with diabetes(25:05) Diversity in health equity(27:44) Diabetes education: the fear of insulin and cultural differences(29:45) The future of diabetes coaching in the health system(33:00) The meta of diabetes(34:59) The ADA Standards of Care (37:21) What Danica is most excited for (40:02) AI enhancing diabetes (44:11) Rapid fire questions What to do now: Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.The doors for the April Decide and Conquer Bootcamp - our signature group coaching program for women with T1D - are now open. Apply HERE. Learn more about our 1:1 coaching programs HERE. Find and Follow Danica on Instagram Youtube  Tik Tok