{Interview} Jen Grieves, Type 1 Diabetes Writer + Podcaster
The T1D Inspiring Interviews Series with Jen Grieves
Hey all, I’m super thrilled to welcome Jen Grieves, type 1 diabetes writer and podcaster, onto the blog.
I. Am. Excited.
Jen was one of the first people I found in the diabetes online community. I’d pore over her blog, gathering strength from every insight, experience or feeling she’d bravely share about living with a compromised pancreas.
Jen then began creating videos about a host of important topics (mental health and type 1, navigating hypos, travelling with type 1, lockdown + type 1).
I eagerly await for her newsletter notifying me of a new video!
In 2019, Jen launched her podcast Type 1 on 1 where she interviews people doing wonderful things in the type 1 diabetes space. I recently listened to the episode with Claire from Organising Chaos. It’s raw, open and a tonic for any weary type 1 soul.
[I interviewed Claire back in May - you can read that great blog post here]
Jen’s a true superstar in the diabetes community. If you want to follow her online [you should], check out her Instagram here, her website here.
Without further ado, on to the reason why you’re all here - the interview with Jen! [FYI I had a little cry at some of Jen’s answers. I felt so heard + seen. Have your tissues at the ready.]
Let’s dive into the diabetes questions
Hey Jen! Welcome. Please tell us your type 1 diabetes journey! What age were you when you were diagnosed / what symptoms did you have?
My diabetes journey is currently 24 years long, and it’s an ever-evolving process of learning, understanding and tuning into my body. I was diagnosed in 1996 at the age of 8 and embarked on a life laden with injections, finger picks and glucose tablets, but apart from this extra physical baggage I carried on doing all the things I was already doing - sports, school clubs, sleepovers - and I think that shaped my outlook around diabetes from the get go. I’m grateful to my parents for not being afraid to let me live my life.
What do you wish you'd known when you were newly diagnosed?
It’s hard to say as I’m sure if I’d been told much more when I was diagnosed it would have been overwhelming. I definitely shouldn’t have been told I could never eat sweets again - that was not fun for an 8-year-old to hear, nor was it true.
I wish I’d been told at some point how much type 1 diabetes is an emotional condition as much (If not more) than a physical one. I didn’t find that out for over a decade and I was very much scrambling in the dark with the toll my condition had taken on me at that point and had no idea why I was struggling so much.
What is the worst thing about type 1 diabetes?
For me I struggle with how it can’t be defined because each day is so different. Some days I feel like it’s absolutely fine, and others I just want to throw it out of the window. There’s a duality between how ‘manageable’ it can be and how huge and permanent it also is. I find that a difficult line to walk and figure out each day, and that’s also quite hard to articulate to others.
(Curveball) What is the best thing about type 1 diabetes?
I honestly believe it’s made me a better, kinder, more compassionate human being and I’m really thankful for that. Type 1 has given me an acute awareness of what other people might be going through without you realising. I am aware that I have a lot of amazing things in my life and I think the struggles of living with a chronic illness have also conversely made me much more positive and hopeful in general. I also can’t not mention the connections I’ve made with amazing people all over the world that I wouldn’t have otherwise had!
What are the main challenges of living with type 1?
‘Doing’ type 1 diabetes day in and day out really can get boring! The mundanity of waking up, checking your sugar, starting from scratch again each day, dosing, correcting, the admin of diabetes and most of all the space it takes up in my brain. It’s always in the back of my head and often it’s right at the front when I’d rather not have to think about it.
How do you deal with these challenges?
I focus on the fact that I’m doing the best I can and I don’t berate myself when my blood sugars go awry. One ‘bad’ day in a lifetime of trying to replicate a pancreas is not a big deal, even though it can make you feel rubbish. Making room for my diabetes has allowed me to live a much happier, healthier life and that means I can do more things that make me feel good and have nothing to do with type 1, which then makes the frustrations of type 1 seem less significant.
Where do you find support/how do you access support?
The type 1 online community has been an incredible source of support and knowledge over the past 10 or so years. We’re all dealing with this wild condition in our little packets of the Earth so it’s nice to connect and know that other people get it. My friends and family are also amazing; they’ve absorbed so much just by virtue of being in my life. I rely on my friends when I want to think about things that aren’t diabetes - chatting about life, going on adventures, just having fun. That’s a huge source of support in itself.
Can you recommend any great podcasts or blogs (as well as your own)?
The Talking Type 1 Podcast is great, by @t1d_dan. He is such a considered, calm interviewer and he’s had some really interesting guests.
Have you ever 'hidden' your type 1 diabetes?
There was definitely a period in my final year of university where I wasn’t engaged with my type 1, but it wasn’t necessarily a conscious thing; I wasn’t in a great place in general and I was struggling with various hormonal imbalances and so ability to manage my type 1 diabetes suffered.
I’ve never hidden it as such, but some days I feel more willing to open up a conversation about it than others. Dating is where I feel like I have to repeatedly ‘reveal’ it but it often comes up fairly quickly, either because I’m talking about my podcast or we’re eating/drinking and I need to check my blood sugars or take insulin. There was one date, years ago now, where I remember heading to the toilet to fix a hypo because it hadn’t come up in conversation yet and I was scoffing sweets in the cubicle - gross!
How do you think type 1 diabetes has affected your relationship with your body?
Oooofff that’s a big question! It’s been a long road for me - my diagnosis is definitely the reason I started to properly notice my body for the first time. I put on a fair bit of weight after diagnosis and my puberty seemed to be affected in the years after (I was 8 years old) so it definitely set the stall for a more complicated relationship with my body. Now I think my body is bloody incredible - it hasn’t failed me, it’s working so hard to keep me alive and we work together so that I can live my life and think and feel and love, which is such an amazing thing when you think about it. I’m so much more in tune with my body because of type 1.
How do you think type 1 diabetes has changed your approach to life and living?
I’ve touched on it a few times but it’s given me such an appreciation for the simple things, and I take nothing for granted. Getting through each day is an achievement because we work so hard to keep ourselves alive. At the other end, I definitely am an adventurous person who lives for experiences and I feel like every time I travel or do something that takes more planning because of my diabetes I’m showing myself what’s possible. Working in the TV industry is not a 9-5 and I’m proud that I’ve figured out a lot of diabetes hurdles and challenges to have some amazing work opportunities.
Type 1 diabetes is classified as a physical condition, but we all know there is an emotional burden too. Could you describe your experiences?
It’s just a constant low level consumption of my headspace and I didn’t realise this for years so I therefore didn’t understand that over time it had started to take its toll. I think the emotional side of things is often a greater load than the physical aspects like injecting or testing your blood sugar. It’s just so complex, so personal and so constant.
In the past couple of years I’ve set a lot more boundaries and stopped trying to do everything all the time - I have a tendency to spin a lot of plates and try to do too many things. I’m OK with telling people that I need a day to myself to reset, which is something I never would have done before. Exercise has also been key - I used to exercise for my body, but now I exercise for my mind. And it’s not about running marathons - I just do what makes me feel good that day.
When did you launch your blog and what was the reason behind that?
This is actually very much linked to the emotional burden of type 1 diabetes. Once I realised that my condition was having an emotional impact, it was like a lightbulb and I suddenly wanted to learn more about my condition outside of my bi-annual clinic appointments for the first time. This was about 14 years after my diagnosis and I’d just embarked on my career. I had a new life in a new city and I felt like I was coming back to life, and I didn’t want to jeopardise all of that by not taking care of my health - on reflection I maybe felt like I suddenly had something to lose.
I’ve always been a writer so I started a blog to try and make sense of all the information and as a form of catharsis after so many years of feeling quite sad and lost. It was the first time I realised there were hundreds of other people out there living through similar experiences, and here we are, 10 years later.
We love your vlogs! Do you have a favourite video?
Aw thank you! I honestly can’t believe anyone watches them, I ramble so much (as these answers are illustrating very well!). The ones that people find the most useful are the explainers around diabetes technology so it’s great to know that you’re helping people because that’s the whole point of the channel, but my favourites to make are the vlogs because they’re so creative. I really love the process of putting a story together through the filming, words, music and editing, even though it takes much longer! Hopefully it’s helpful for people to see someone living their life going through similar feelings, experiences and struggles because of type 1. Shameless plug - here’s a recent one!
You launched your podcast Type 1 on 1 last year. What have you learned from your guests along the way?
It’s something I’d wanted to do for so long because unlike on social media where there’s not much room, in a podcast you get an hour of really intimate, open conversation and I just felt like that could be really helpful to people who feel isolated with their condition, and for those that don’t interact with other people online. I feel so lucky to have spoken on that deep level to other people about their personal experiences - I’ve learned that this condition has SUCH a varied and huge impact on those living with it, and it’s not often people really get to reflect on that. I’ve also learnt that as unique as each person’s experience is, there are so many similarities in what we go through. It’s an ongoing process for each person who lives with type 1 - you can’t ‘complete’ diabetes. Ultimately, people are incredibly inspiring and resilient - at the risk of sounding cheesy there is just so much inner strength that people don’t realise they have. The podcast is definitely something special to me.
BONUS quick-fire round:
Pump or pens?
Pump now, but I was happily on pens for a long time
Finger pricks or CGM?
CGM! Gamechanger
Juice box or jelly babies?
Juice box
Balmy summer nights or crisp wintry mornings?
Ohhh, balmy summer nights
HIIT classes or running?
HIIT classes
Meditation or yoga?
Meditation (if only to get me to sleep!)
Porridge or eggs?
EGGS FOREVER
Diet Coke or Kombucha?
Neither
Novorapid or Fiasp?
I want to try Fiasp! But for now, Novorapid
Morning bird or night owl?
Night owl
Pip n Nut or Meridian?
Hahaha SO ON BRAND. Can I say Aldi own brand? It’s SO GOOD
Podcasts or vlogs?
ARGH I CAN’T CHOOSE. Podcasts because I get to chat to amazing people
Sorry, apparently I can’t even answer quick-fire questions quickly!