231. The T1D Endo Crisis: ADA 2026 Insights with Audrey DeGuerrera

Audrey DeGuerrera was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2022 while working as a management consultant at McKinsey, averaging 80-hour weeks and traveling four days a week. The physical demands were a lot, but it was the mental load of suddenly living with a chronic condition that hit hardest. When she turned to her endocrinologist for support, they offered antidepressants. That's when she started questioning whether the healthcare system was built to actually support people with T1D, or just manage them.Now pursuing her MBA at Stanford's Graduate School of Business and a former Risely coaching client, Audrey attended this year's American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions and left with a lot of insights and questions she brought to the conversation. In this episode, she and Lauren dig into why 70% of US counties have no endocrinologist, why only 1 in 4 people with diabetes are meeting their care targets, and why insurance companies aren't incentivized to fix any of it. Audrey also shares what's giving her genuine hope, and why she believes team-based care could be the most important shift the diabetes world makes in the next decade.WHAT WE COVER:Being diagnosed with T1D in the middle of 80-hour weeks at McKinsey, and what happened to her insulin needs when she finally leftThe statistics from ADA 2026 that stopped Audrey in her tracksWhy the endocrinologist shortage isn't just a rural problem, and who it's actually affectingThe reason insurance companies aren't built to care about your long-term T1D outcomesThe single change Audrey believes could shift the entire diabetes care ecosystemWhere AI fits- and where it doesn't-in the future of T1D careWHAT’S NEXT:📱 The Risely App is here! Get support for the 180+ decisions you make every day, so you can build confidence with T1D without your life revolving around it. 🧠 Discover Your T1D Archetype! Take the free quiz to understand the pattern behind how you think, respond, and make decisions with T1D. 💻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 | @riselyhealthTikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealthYT: Reclaim Your Rise SUBSCRIBE & REVIEWIf this conversation made you feel less alone in your frustration with a medical system that wasn't built for you, subscribe and leave a review so more people with T1D can find it.