Erika Szumel has lived with type 1 diabetes for 25 years, works on the Blue Circle Health community engagement team, and is currently training for another marathon. But this episode isn’t really about running. It’s about doing hard things with type 1 diabetes.

Scott and Erika explore what confidence actually looks like when you live with T1D, and why it’s often not something you have before you begin. Through stories from marathon training, diabetes management, setbacks, and self-doubt, Erika shares how confidence is built through experience, experimentation, adaptation, and simply taking the next step.

Along the way, they discuss the fear of failure, learning from mistakes, the value of community, and why waiting until you feel completely ready may keep you from doing things that matter most. Whether your challenge is athletic, professional, personal, or diabetes-related, this conversation offers encouragement and practical perspective for moving forward even when the outcome feels uncertain.

What You'll Learn

• Why confidence is something you build, not something you need before you start
• How marathon training helped Erika rethink challenges both inside and outside of diabetes
• The role experimentation, adaptability, and self-trust play in living well with T1D
• Why setbacks and frustrating diabetes days don’t mean you’re failing
• How community and shared experience can make difficult goals feel more achievable
• Practical ways to approach intimidating goals one step at a time
• Why perfection isn’t required before pursuing something meaningful
• How lessons learned from doing hard things can carry into every area of life

Key Quotes

• “Living with diabetes is already an incredible challenge that you take on every single day... Anything else is nowhere near as challenging as diabetes is.” – Erika Szumel
• “You don't need to climb the whole staircase, you just need to take the first step and that's it.” – Erika Szumel
• “The more you go on, the more you trust yourself and feel that confidence.” – Erika Szumel

Resources & Links

• Diabetes Nerd podcast episode - https://youtu.be/4WKjILgEtVM
• Type One Run on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/typeoneruncommunity
• Breakthrough T1D Teams - https://www2.breakthrought1d.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=run_homepage
• American Diabetes Association Teams - https://diabetes.org/event/2026-team-diabetes-chicago-marathon
• TeamCWD - https://childrenwithdiabetes.com/events/teamcwd/
• Beyond Type 1 - https://beyondtype1.org/marathon-team/
• Blue Circle Health (learn more / sign up) - https://bluecirclehealth.org

What is Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D?

The US healthcare system makes it difficult, expensive, and often impossible for people with T1D to access the care, education, and support they need to live. Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D brings together voices from across the type 1 diabetes community to share real stories, expert insight, and practical support for living well with T1D.

Hosted by the team at Blue Circle Health, a U.S.-based program transforming type 1 care, this podcast helps people go from just surviving to truly living well with type 1 diabetes. https://bluecirclehealth.org/.

Kathryn Ward, a licensed clinical social worker at Blue Circle Health, joins Scott to talk about emotional resilience: something many people living with type 1 diabetes feel but don’t always have words for.

Kathryn works closely with people navigating the emotional side of diabetes every day. In this conversation, she and Scott explore what emotional resilience really means, what it doesn’t, and how to navigate burnout, self-criticism, and tough diabetes days with more self-compassion.

They talk about burnout, shame, and the pressure to “do diabetes perfectly,” along with simple, realistic ways to nurture emotional resilience in everyday life with diabetes to find a more realistic, compassionate approach that helps you keep going, even when things feel heavy.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted by diabetes or wondered how to keep showing up for yourself without burning out, this episode is for you.

What You'll Learn

• What emotional resilience actually means in the context of type 1 diabetes
• Why “pushing through” isn’t always the answer
• How small mindset shifts can reduce burnout and self-judgment
• Practical ways to respond to tough diabetes days
• How support (from yourself and others) can change everything

Key Quotes

• “Remember that this is a moment in time. How do you slow down, nurture yourself in this moment, and take care of your blood sugar in a way that's going to keep you safe?” – Kathryn Ward
• “Acceptance is a repetitive process I have to go through. I’m accepting of it right now, but as soon as something happens that throws me off track, or if I’m having a hard time, I have to go through that process of reaching acceptance again. It doesn’t feel like a one-time thing for me.” – Scott K. Johnson
• “Being able to allow painful emotions… that’s where we start to take our power back.” – Kathryn Ward
• “Burnout is normal, overwhelm is normal… it’s actually an expected response to this full-time job of being a pancreas.” – Kathryn Ward

Resources & Links

• Beyond Type 1’s Mental Health + Type 1 Diabetes Resources - https://beyondtype1.org/mental-health-type-1/
• Behavioral Diabetes Institute’s Diabetes Distress Assessment & Resource Center - https://diabetesdistress.org/
• Blue Circle Health (learn more / sign up) - https://bluecirclehealth.org

What is Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D?

The US healthcare system makes it difficult, expensive, and often impossible for people with T1D to access the care, education, and support they need to live. Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D brings together voices from across the type 1 diabetes community to share real stories, expert insight, and practical support for living well with T1D.

Hosted by the team at Blue Circle Health, a U.S.-based program transforming type 1 care, this podcast helps people go from just surviving to truly living well with type 1 diabetes. https://bluecirclehealth.org/.

Matthew Garza, Director of dStigmatize at diaTribe, joins us to unpack a topic that so many people living with type 1 diabetes feel—but don’t always have words for: diabetes stigma. From subtle judgment to systemic bias, stigma can shape how people see themselves, how they interact with healthcare, and even the outcomes they experience over time.

Matthew shares what diabetes stigma really is, why it’s more than just “a bad joke,” and how it shows up everywhere: from doctor visits to media portrayals to policy decisions. But this conversation isn’t just about naming the problem—it’s about what we can do to address it.

We talk about the real impact stigma has on mental health, self-care, and engagement with the healthcare system. We discuss how small shifts in language, community, and confidence can start to change the story. This is a powerful, validating conversation for anyone who’s ever felt blamed, judged, or misunderstood while living with diabetes, and an important reminder that none of this is your fault.

What You'll Learn

• How stigma goes beyond hurtful comments to influence healthcare, research, and policy decisions
• The connection between stigma, shame, burnout, and disengagement from care
• Why negative healthcare experiences can create a cycle that’s hard to break
• How language choices (like “control” or “compliance”) can unintentionally reinforce stigma
• Simple ways friends, family, and providers can be more supportive
• Practical ways to push back against stigma in your own life
• Why your lived experience with diabetes is real expertise—and deserves to be respected

Key Quotes

• “Diabetes stigma is everywhere, and as soon as you start to notice it, you see just how insidious it is.” – Matthew Garza
• “It can feel really dismissive and make people want to disengage.” – Matthew Garza
• “When you find those allies, that helps it feel a lot less lonely and a lot less isolating.” – Matthew Garza

Resources & Links

• End Diabetes Stigma Pledge – https://enddiabetesstigma.org
• dStigmatize – https://dstigmatize.org
• diaTribe – https://diatribe.org
• Blue Circle Health (learn more / sign up) - https://bluecirclehealth.org

What is Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D?

The US healthcare system makes it difficult, expensive, and often impossible for people with T1D to access the care, education, and support they need to live. Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D brings together voices from across the type 1 diabetes community to share real stories, expert insight, and practical support for living well with T1D.

Hosted by the team at Blue Circle Health, a U.S.-based program transforming type 1 care, this podcast helps people go from just surviving to truly living well with type 1 diabetes. https://bluecirclehealth.org/.