Best JoAnne Robb Podcasts (2025)

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How to let our teens have some independence 35:13

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4M ago35:13

35:13

It can be so hard to even think about how to let our T1D kids have more independence, but I really believe that it’s hardest for those of us who had kids diagnosed when they were really young. For that special category of T1D parent, we’ve been so closely knit into the diabetes management, so part of every T1D decision, that it’s harder for us to s…

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When you can’t stop being anxious about diabetes 46:06

4M ago46:06

46:06

When our kids are first diagnosed with T1D, our anxiety spikes. Normal for all of us — how could it not? But what happens when it stays so high that we can never get a break from it, when we’re feeling anxious all the time and aren’t able to step away from diabetes? That’s what I’m talking about on today’s podcast episode. Natalie, mom of four year…

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When Mom becomes a T1D activist 33:33

4M ago33:33

33:33

What is the anecdote to the terror we feel when our kids are diagnosed with diabetes? Today’s podcast guest, Brooke, has one compelling answer: Activism When Brooke’s six-year old daughter was diagnosed, she was in the ICU and had a 24-hour period when it was touch-and-go if she would live. Today, three years later, Brooke feels like the doctors sh…

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When your T1D teen stakes their turf 27:52

6M ago27:52

27:52

Teens and T1D! I remember that before my son hit his teens, I swore that our lives wouldn't be as hard as what I was hearing from parents in the trenches. I was so sure that we were going to do better than all those other parents. And now I can humbly say that there is no easy path forward with teen kids: There are so many challenges as our kids gr…

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Is it the wiggles or a high blood sugar? 23:30

7M ago23:30

23:30

One dilemma I’ve heard from parents again and again: If my T1D kid is acting out because of a high blood sugar, how do I parent that? Do I give my kid a pass because I know that their high affects their mood? Or do I parent the behavior as though diabetes isn’t operating in the background? In this week's episode, Julie comes on the show to talk abo…

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When we worry that diabetes makes social stuff harder 32:41

7M ago32:41

32:41

I often say that diabetes sits on the fault lines in our lives: If you're struggling with your relationship to food, diabetes makes it trickier to figure out how to eat. If you’re challenged in asking for what you need from friends, diabetes adds extra pressure. If you’re finding yourself in conflict with your spouse, diabetes sits right there. In …

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When T1D complicates transitions for our kids 14:48

8M ago14:48

14:48

We all know that transitions can be hard for kids — and adding diabetes to the mix often makes them even trickier. On today’s episode I spoke about this with Kaylor Glassman, the founder of Diabetes Support Partners and a fellow diabetes coach whose opinion I really trust. Together, we thought about what’s going on for the 5 year old son of a liste…

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When a kid who knows diabetes well starts dropping the ball 26:02

8M ago26:02

26:02

There are those shiny kids who know how to do diabetes and have been doing it for years, the kids who feel like diabetes actually makes them special. But even these kids have rough patches when they don’t want to do the job anymore, when they feel like they don’t want to really be “out” with their diabetes. That’s what I’m talking about this week w…

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When older siblings have trouble with the arrival of T1D 40:13

9M ago40:13

40:13

The oh-so-frequently forgotten siblings of our T1D kids! In this week’s podcast episode, a concerned mom and dad come on together to think through what’s been happening with their 6-year old, in the aftermath of their 3 year-old’s relatively recent diagnosis. The picture here is a bit complicated: At first, this older brother was accepting and help…

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What might be happening when your teen isn't dosing for lunch 33:56

9M ago33:56

33:56

If you’re looking at the data on diabetes management based on age, you see a big camel’s hump in the graph when you get to the teen and early 20s. At these ages, kids just don’t do as well with managing their T1D — and it shows in a1C outcomes. The average a1C in this age range pops up to the mid 8s. But even though that may be normal, it certainly…

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It's a balancing act: thinking about work when you have a newly diagnosed T1D kid 18:46

1y ago18:46

18:46

I loved the conversation I had for today’s podcast episode. It touched on a topic that no one has ever asked me about, even though I know it affects many of us: the difficult balance of managing work responsibilities while caring for a child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I’m talking with Nikki, a mother from the UK whose 6-year old daughter was d…

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Figuring out how to transition to preschool with T1D 30:37

1y ago30:37

30:37

In this week’s episode, I have a conversation with Mary, mother of a newly diagnosed little boy: Campbell was diagnosed about 6 months ago at two and a half. Mary and her husband are getting the hang of diabetes but it’s been such a big learning curve that they’re thinking of postponing sending Campbell to preschool in the fall: Mary just can’t pic…

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Validating the experience of your newly diagnosed T1D 26:40

1y ago26:40

26:40

In today’s episode, I talk with Tiffany, a mother whose 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes only a few months ago. Tiffany opened with her primary concern: the limitations her daughter might face in the future. Even though she couldn’t picture exactly what those limitations would be she fears diabetes will hold her daughter back.…

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To Test or Not to Test . . . (Your T1D's Siblings) 15:42

1y ago15:42

15:42

In today’s latest episode, I answer a listener question that will resonate with most parents of T1D kids: the emotional and practical considerations of testing siblings for diabetes markers. The decision to test siblings for diabetes markers is one that many families, including my own, approach with trepidation. The anxiety surrounding this decisio…

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Preparing for kindergarten and beyond with your T1D kid 25:15

1y ago25:15

25:15

Today’s show touches on a topic that’s close to many of our hearts—preparing our little ones for big life transitions. But as you know, when you’re the parent of a kiddo with type 1 diabetes, those transitions take on a whole new layer of planning and care. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel, a proactive mom who’s thinking …

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Centering your values with a T1D Kid 32:04

1y ago32:04

32:04

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Sveltana, a mother who’s navigating the bumps of diabetes management with her 9-year-old snowboarder and athlete. While we do spend some time strategizing management and I talk to this mom about questions she could put to her endo, we’re actually having an important conversation about the values that she might be c…

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Parenting the transition to T1D adulthood 37:20

1+ y ago37:20

37:20

I feel so lucky to have been part of the conversation that makes up this week’s episode. My guest is Stacey Simms, herself a big name in the diabetes world, and the host of the Diabetes Connections podcast. At one of her Mom’s Night Out events, she had told me that she had a question about her T1D son’s transition to college — and here she is to ta…

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What should our kids be responsible for in their diabetes care? 16:30

1+ y ago16:30

16:30

On today’s show, I welcome back Kaylor Glassman, founder of Diabetes Support Partners, to talk through a question from a listener. The question has to do with an 11 year old, who the parent feels isn’t being as responsible about diabetes management as mom thinks she should be. Mom is concerned that this kiddo isn’t tracking the insulin in her pump,…

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Working up to leaving your T1D kid with the grandparents for the weekend 18:10

1+ y ago18:10

18:10

Today’s mom has a wish to go away with her husband for a weekend — and leave her T1D son behind. The grandparents have offered to take him for that weekend — they are more than happy to help — but mom is nervous, worried not just about her son’s numbers, but also about how asking for what she needs might impact her relationship with her in-laws. As…

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When anxiety gets the better of your T1D kid 34:28

1+ y ago34:28

34:28

This week’s guest is a mom of a relatively newly diagnosed 10-year old girl. Mom describes her daughter Maisie as having always struggled with some anxiety — but now that diabetes is in the mix, Maisie's anxiety is higher and more dramatic — and mom is at her wit’s end. Together, this mom and I dig into what she’s seeing with her daughter and come …

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Sweet Talk Podcast Goes Off-Air This Month 4:13

1+ y ago4:13

4:13

Thanks for listening to Sweet Talk all year long! I’m closing 2023 with a recap of some of my top recommended episodes to tune into this holiday season. These episodes will serve you as you brace challenges with food, family, and friends during this season. 57: What To Do When People Have No Idea What Your Life is Like 37: When Family Doesn't Under…

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57: What To Do When People Have No Idea What Your Life is Like 29:21

1+ y ago29:21

29:21

The mom who joins me this week — Michelle — doesn’t have a specific question; instead, she wants to face off with the broad challenge of how lonely it can be to have diabetes, both for her and her T1D daughter. Ultimately, she’s bothered by the ways other people misunderstand what her daughter lives and struggles with. She’s frustrated that people …

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56: Nervousness About a New T1D Driver! 12:36

1+ y ago12:36

12:36

On today’s show, a mom joins me to talk about her nervousness about having a new driver — and to think through any issues that she should be on the lookout for because of diabetes. Mom is understandably anxious about her daughter starting to drive, but can also see that her daughter is pretty responsible about diabetes management. That said, we loo…

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55: When Your T1D Kid Has Violent Episodes When They’re High 32:45

1+ y ago32:45

32:45

This remarkable grandmother came onto the show to get some support for her newly diagnosed grandson. In the last few months, this 12-year-old boy — who was adopted by this family through the foster-care system — has been living with grandma. She’s observed that the higher his blood sugar, the more volatile his moods are. She notes that it’s hard to…

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54: When Your T1D Child Tries to Avoid Going to School 19:15

1+ y ago19:15

19:15

This week, I’m honored to have Kaylor Glassman back on the show. As a reminder, I know Kaylor from DYF, the organization that runs camp in my neck of the woods in Northern California. She used to work there as the Director of Programs. Now, she’s started her own business called Diabetes Support Partners, which provides support to people in the firs…

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53: When the Decisions are Fraught and it all Feels Like Life or Death 33:16

1+ y ago33:16

33:16

As T1D parents, most — if not all — of us grapple with some pretty significant anxiety about keeping our kids safe. The parent on the show this week shares with us about how she’s fighting with that anxiety in the quest to get things right with diabetes. Frankly, the parent has one of the hardest diabetes scenarios: Her daughter, now four, was diag…

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52: Meeting the Needs of Your T1D Sibling 19:15

1+ y ago19:15

19:15

This week a mom came on the show to talk about her son who was diagnosed a little less than a month ago — but, amazingly, she didn’t have a question about him! Instead, she wanted to think about her 5-year-old non-T1D daughter who had come to her, saying that she feels “left out” of the family since the diagnosis. I am so impressed that this mom no…

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51: What to do When Those Highs Make Your Kid Sassy (and Other Important Topics) 30:24

1+ y ago30:24

30:24

This week, a mom joins me in a wide-ranging conversation about the way her son can get sassy — and be difficult to parent — when his blood sugar is high. But before we ever got to that issue, we hit on a few other important topics. First of all, this brave mom talked about how dysregulated she gets when she is following diabetes all, all, all the t…

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50: When Your Teen Starts Rebelling Over T1D Care 19:59

1+ y ago19:59

19:59

This week, I’m talking to a mom with an all-too-familiar problem: Her teenager, diagnosed for years now and a conscientious diabetes manager until recently, has basically given up on bolusing. Mom is at her wit’s end, trying to figure out how to help her daughter pick this habit back up. She’s tried lots of strategies: motivational talk, discussion…

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49: Thinking about the Transition to College 34:29

1+ y ago34:29

34:29

This week, I talked with a mom whose T1D son recently left for college. It’s clear that mom trusts her son – and that they have a good relationship – but she’s also nervous about him being on his own. A lovely priority for her is to make sure that he knows that she’s there for him. We discuss how important it is for her to take a step back and make…

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48: When Your Kid Panics About Going High 29:55

1+ y ago29:55

29:55

For today’s episode, a mom came on to share how her 9-year-old son has become increasingly and newly worried anytime his CGM shows a high reading. We were able to trace this new anxiety to one particularly traumatic experience when he was over 400 for several hours and his parents (and grandparents) weren’t sure why he was high and were pretty anxi…

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47:When You Want Your T1D Child’s Sibling to Help with Management 21:56

1+ y ago21:56

21:56

I’m so lucky this week to have Kaylor Glassman on the show. I know Kaylor through DYF, the organization that runs a diabetes camp in Northern California; she used to be the program director there. Now she has a business called Diabetes Support Partners, which is specifically designed to help families with a newly diagnosed child. The question we’re…

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46: When You’re Far From Family and Diabetes is Lonely 37:04

1+ y ago37:04

37:04

What a dilemma! To stay or to go? In this episode, I talked to a lovely mother who is debating whether she should move to live near her family who she knows can and will support her and her newly diagnosed daughter. The sticking point is that she also loves her job, feeling like she won the “career lottery” – and she isn’t sure she wants to give th…

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45: When Your T1D Kid Wants to Feel “Normal” Again 19:55

1+ y ago19:55

19:55

This week, I had a wonderful conversation with my old T1D mom friend, Tamar. Tamar and I met at camp a million years ago and our children were diagnosed on the same day! She’s a veteran, so you’ll hear a robust conversation about the question. A parent wrote in, saying that her son wants to eat “normally.” Together, Tamar and I think about both how…

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44: When Your Child is Pulling Off Their Devices 31:03

2y ago31:03

31:03

What a complex issue! This week, a mom came on the show, talking about how her somewhat-newly diagnosed 7-year-old has been pulling off her pump. Mom has been working hard to stay calm in the face of all these pump “failures” but really wants to get at the root of the problem, so her daughter stops derailing her own treatment. She’s thinking about …

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43: How to Teach Your Toddler That Food=Insulin 39:31

2y ago39:31

39:31

I had an interesting conversation this week with a mom of a T1D pre-schooler. Because she’s managed to keep dosing pretty invisible and seamless for him thanks to tech, she’s worrying that he doesn’t understand that he needs insulin to eat. As we explored the issues of how she could introduce the idea to him about this, we also were able to better …

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42: When Your Kid is Eating Their Low Supplies 25:18

2y ago25:18

25:18

Sure, we want our kids to like their low supplies — after all, they sometimes need to eat them when they don’t want to eat a thing. But we don’t want them to like them so much that they eat them for fun. That would equal a blood sugar disaster. In this episode, T1D mom Julie comes to talk about just that: Her four-year-old was high for several days…

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41: Thinking About “Celebrating” a Diabetes Anniversary 13:41

2y ago13:41

13:41

Diabetes anniversaries! If you go onto Facebook, you’ll see a lot of photos of kids with cakes celebrating this milestone. But not everyone wants to take that on. In fact, some people just feel like diabetes is a bummer, and not something they want to celebrate in any way. In this episode, fellow T1D mom Annie and I discuss a question from a listen…

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40: Shouldn't They be Doing That on Their Own? (And More Questions about Food) 27:42

2y ago27:42

27:42

With diabetes, there’s the independence dance: Sometimes our kids want to learn and grow into new tasks and responsibilities with their own self-care — and sometimes they’d rather hand it back to us. What makes this particularly hard is the chatter in our own heads. We parents worry when our kids take a step backward, thinking that we need to hold …

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39: Whether it's Possible for a Newly Diagnosed Kid to Go to Camp 20:26

2y ago20:26

20:26

We all remember what it was like when our T1D child was first diagnosed: The shock and sadness — and the steep, steep learning curve to trying to get diabetes “right.” As we watched each reading and each bite of food, we worried about being away from our child, and we wanted that CGM as quickly as possible. In this episode, the mom of a newly diagn…

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38: More on the Nitty-Gritty of Drug Use for Our T1D Kids (Part 3) 28:34

2y ago28:34

28:34

Another listener wrote in with a question about drug use for their T1D kid so I asked Dr. Justin Altschuler, a T1D and addiction doc, back onto the show to provide answers. In this episode, we tackle issues that come up around experimenting with “harder” drugs, like cocaine, hallucinogens, and opiates. Dr. Justin leans into his experience as a subs…

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37: When Family Doesn't Understand What It's Like for You to Parent Type 1 10:49

2y ago10:49

10:49

Getting help and feeling misunderstood: the bane of a T1D parent’s existence. But what happens when we feel misunderstood by the people who are supposed to be closest to us, like our own family? Because I’ve heard these challenges from so many parents, I took this question from a listener who’s struggling with family misunderstanding about their ch…

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36: When Feeding Your T1D Kid Causes Conflict in Your Relationship 37:08

2y ago37:08

37:08

This episode surprised me — it’s the first time I’ve had a couple come on the show together to help them navigate the stress and challenges that come up because they have a type 1 child. It’s like a sneak-peak into a couples therapy session. In Colleen and Wesley’s case, their disagreement centers around food and eating. Since we know that diabetes…

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35: What to Do When You’re Too Nervous to Stop Sleeping With Your T1D Kid 19:13

2y ago19:13

19:13

One of the ways so many of us manage our nighttime anxiety after our kids’ initial diagnosis is by pulling them into bed with us. We have a magical belief that we will keep them safer if they are right next to us as they sleep. And while that’s a reasonable strategy for a time — until we can get our own anxiety and shock under control — it’s not an…

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34: More on the Nitty-Gritty of Alcohol Use for our T1D Kids 19:29

2y ago19:29

19:29

Parents know that mixing alcohol and type 1 brings extra challenges. Although we’ve tackled this topic before, Dr. Justin Altschuler is back to answer more listener questions about how to navigate the tricky territory of drinking with T1D. And just as a reminder: Not only does Dr. Justin have a private practice that specializes in addiction and T1D…

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32: When You’re Nervous to Send Your T1D on a Sleepover 14:19

2y ago14:19

14:19

Sending our T1D kids to school can be hard, but we know we have to find a way — after all, they need to be there and we know that the school needs to help us make that happen. It can feel really different, though, when we need to lean into our community to ask friends to take care of our type 1 kiddos for something like a sleepover. Sure, our kids …

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32: What to Do When Your Kid Doesn’t Want to Go to Camp 41:28

2y ago41:28

41:28

Camp! If you’ve come to almost any event I’ve hosted or been part of, you know that I’m a big proponent of diabetes camp. There are so many good reasons for this but the biggest is that our kids benefit from being in a community with other people who also have diabetes. So what to do when you tell your T1D child that you’re planning to send them to…

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31: Supporting a Family That’s Struggling With T1D 20:38

2y ago20:38

20:38

We all know that how we experience our kid’s type 1 is very different from how the rest of the world sees us. People on the outside might see us calmly dosing for a meal or picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy. They have no idea that we’re up nights, checking the Dexcom through the day, or on the phone with insurance for hours on end. That said…

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30: When You Fear Your Child May Develop an Eating Disorder 41:20

2y ago41:20

41:20

Another mother coming on the show, concerned because she’s finding food wrappers and feels like her child is “sneaking food”? Yes! But food and eating is such an important topic that I wanted to let you listen to lots of different ways you can think about and approach the issues if (and when) they come up with your T1D child. In this episode, we me…

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29: When Diabetes Makes You Too Angry 14:32

2y ago14:32

14:32

It’s so hard to stay level when you’re parenting – and adding type 1 to the mix can really turn up the temperature on feeling out of control. In this week’s podcast, Annie and I talk together about a question from “Feeling out of control in Albuquerque” who is struggling with the anger that can sweep over her when something goes sideways with diabe…