#1724 Emma's Dad - Part 2
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Chris returns to redeem himself after episode 1600, discussing resilience, family health improvements, AI in diabetes care, and an unbelievable story about inheriting land and a battleship.
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DISCLAIMER: This text is the output of AI based transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors and should not be treated as an authoritative record. Nothing that you read here constitutes advice medical or otherwise. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making changes to a healthcare plan.
Scott Benner (0:00) Hello, friends, and welcome to the Juice Box podcast. (0:03) Another year down, another year of helping each other through the highs, lows, and everything in between. (0:39) This is part two of a two part episode. (0:41) Go look at the title. (0:42) If you don't recognize it, you haven't heard part one yet.
Scott Benner (0:45) It's probably the episode right before this in your podcast player.
Chris (0:50) My name is Chris. (0:52) I'm Emma's dad from episode 1,600 Into the Woods, and I'm here to sort of follow-up and redeem myself for all the nasty things she said about me in that episode.
Scott Benner (1:06) If you're looking for community around type one diabetes, check out the Juice Box Podcast private Facebook group. (1:12) Juice Box Podcast, type one diabetes. (1:15) But everybody is welcome. (1:16) Type one, type two, gestational, loved ones, it doesn't matter to me. (1:21) If you're impacted by diabetes and you're looking for support, comfort, or community, check out Juice Box podcast, type one diabetes on Facebook.
Scott Benner (1:32) While you're listening, please remember that nothing you hear on the Juice Box podcast should be considered advice, medical or otherwise. (1:40) Always consult a physician before making any changes to your health care plan or becoming bold with insulin. (1:53) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. (1:58) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what'd I just say? (2:05) A free Omnipod five starter kit.
Scott Benner (2:08) Free? (2:09) Get out of here. (2:10) Go click on that link. (2:11) Omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:13) Check it out.
Scott Benner (2:14) Terms and conditions apply. (2:15) Eligibility may vary.
Chris (2:17) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (2:22) Links in
Scott Benner (2:23) the show notes. (2:23) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (2:26) Today's episode is also sponsored by the Dexcom g seven, the same CGM that my daughter wears. (2:32) Check it out now at dexcom.com/juicebox. (2:37) I saw somebody online the other day asking a question, and they were clearly just trying to get other people's opinions.
Scott Benner (2:43) But they had gone to chat GPT and had a, a conversation about something about diabetes that they did, they didn't understand. (2:52) And I browsed it really quickly, I thought, I think this thing gave her a rock solid answer. (2:57) And, you know, she was able to ask follow-up questions, which I think is maybe where that separates you from Google a little bit. (3:03) Like, you ask the first question, you get an answer back, and you might have more questions, but it's hard to know then where to go from there. (3:09) And then people came in, they were like, this seems reasonable to me.
Scott Benner (3:12) And people were interested in it too. (3:14) So it's gotta be coming a little bit. (3:17) But I don't know how long till regular people who aren't, you know what I mean, digging into stuff like this figure it out. (3:23) Because if you're online, you think everybody's doing this, but that's certainly not the case. (3:27) Yeah.
Scott Benner (3:28) How do you use it at work where the translator helps again?
Chris (3:31) So where the translator helps, like, we're doing an effort with Japan. (3:35) So, you know, we don't speak Japanese. (3:37) So there was there are translators involved, like actual human translators today. (3:42) And then they released this feature into Microsoft Teams, and we all tried it out first by hopping in there and having it translate our voice in real time to Japanese, which none of us could understand. (3:53) But then later, they joined a meeting with the translator, and it was pretty close.
Chris (3:57) And the fascinating thing is it's faster than the actual translator
Scott Benner (4:01) Okay.
Chris (4:01) Because it takes the real translator a fair amount, and the translator is going to to change things. (4:08) You know? (4:08) When it when because when you convert from one language to another, a lot of times, it's not a direct word for word translation. (4:13) Mhmm. (4:14) You have to you have to assume emphasis or whatever.
Chris (4:17) And, know, that that's something that the human is adding and modifying where the AI will be more, more universal and more standardized in in its approach and its responses.
Scott Benner (4:27) Yeah. (4:28) I am right now, while you're talking, I started the agent mode because my transcripts are behind a drop down on each page. (4:36) So you have to click on it to to to make the text appear. (4:39) I put it in agent mode, I told it to go get the transcript for 1,600. (4:43) And I just I'm watching it navigate the the website by itself right now.
Chris (4:48) Oh, that's so cool.
Scott Benner (4:49) Yeah. (4:49) I'm trying to see. (4:50) I don't know if it's gonna figure it knows that the the click box is there. (4:53) It's it's it's trying. (4:54) The cursor's on the screen.
Scott Benner (4:56) It says it's doing it. (4:57) If it hits that drop down and then pulls out that transcript, I have to tell you, I see that as a that's gonna be a pretty big leap. (5:06) You know? (5:07) Oh. (5:07) Oh, it just did it.
Chris (5:08) No. (5:08) No.
Scott Benner (5:08) It just hit the it just it just clicked the
Chris (5:10) That's so cool.
Scott Benner (5:10) It just clicked the box, clicking to expand the transcript. (5:17) Yeah. (5:17) It's gonna copy that transcript out. (5:20) And then I'm and now I may you know, imagine, I'm obviously, I can ask it, you know, what Emma talked about. (5:25) I can ask it about, like, you know, what what were some of the big topics.
Scott Benner (5:29) But if she and I actually spoke about, you know, something technical, like, it could pull it right out. (5:35) Accessing transcripts and preparing to share. (5:37) It is just scrolling through the website by itself. (5:40) The way OpenAI tell is trying to get people excited about it is if you have, like, an online shopping setup where you have your groceries delivered as an example. (5:49) Like, this is an example.
Scott Benner (5:50) In their video where they tried to explain how this might work, they had the guy go on and, like, he's like, know, I pulled up a recipe, and he's like, you know, these recipes, like, they put so much stuff on the page. (6:00) It's always hard to find. (6:01) I was like, that's true. (6:02) And then he just said, like, tell me the ingredients I need to to feed eight people. (6:06) And it told him, and then he looked at it, he's like, well, I need this and this, these two things.
Scott Benner (6:11) And he just said, order the beef and the chicken or something like that. (6:14) And the agent just went through his browser, opened up his account, ordered the food, paid for it. (6:19) It was insane. (6:20) Oh. (6:21) Yeah.
Scott Benner (6:21) Yeah.
Chris (6:21) That that's gonna make that's gonna make things like my job so much easier. (6:25) The things that I have to either delegate or do manually today to be able to just tell an agent like, hey. (6:30) Go do that thing I I had to do last week. (6:32) Right.
Scott Benner (6:32) And in real simple language too. (6:34) Right. (6:35) Not, you know, not specific. (6:36) Well, now the transcript is over in the in the window. (6:39) It pulled the transcript out.
Scott Benner (6:41) Let's do something strange, like, say, translate it to Korean. (6:49) Korean. (6:49) We'll do that. (6:51) Okay. (6:52) Y'all gotta find something to do with your time.
Chris (6:55) I'm sure the government will give you food and money. (6:58) Absolutely.
Scott Benner (6:59) You know, listen. (6:59) I don't this isn't gonna, you know, this isn't gonna stop my hairdresser from cutting my hair, but there is definitely gonna I mean, it's in Korean now. (7:06) I can't speak Korean, but there it is.
Chris (7:09) Yeah. (7:09) I've I've I've got a couple of little topics that she wanted to make sure that I covered. (7:12) She wrote me a note.
Scott Benner (7:13) Go to it. (7:14) Start start up while it pulls out all the crap she said about you.
Chris (7:17) So she wanted me to mention that she's no longer doing gymnastics and that she's she's transitioned almost full time to jujitsu Mhmm. (7:24) And that she's doing cross country. (7:26) So she wanted me to give little give a little update on that. (7:28) She's actually loving loving jujitsu, which I love because it means that as she gets more involved with boys, that she's just going to be able to choke them out if they they give her a hard time. (7:38) It's awesome from a dad's perspective.
Scott Benner (7:41) She told Scott that she loves gymnastics and believes she's way better than her dad at it. (7:45) She joked that her dad tries to copy her routines, watches her closely, and thinks he's this is in quotes, thinks he's so much better than me now. (7:53) And Scott asks what she thinks in her head, but doesn't say out loud. (7:56) Emma replied, I think he's so bad that he will never get it.
Chris (8:02) Oh, that that so the fact that it put it in quotes is awesome because I I just listened to the episode within the last few days. (8:08) And the way she says it is, like, oh, he thinks he's so much better than me. (8:12) Like, it picked up the that sentiment in there.
Scott Benner (8:15) Yeah. (8:15) No. (8:15) This
Chris (8:15) is That's really cool.
Scott Benner (8:16) This is fascinating. (8:17) It really is. (8:18) I I can't wait to pick around with it a little more and see. (8:20) But my point was is that, you know, if I jumped in too quickly with you know, a year ago, it was you're gonna have to finance your own large language model and find a server to put it on, and you're gonna pay tokens for people to use it, and it's gonna cost you tens of thousands of dollars a year to offer this to people. (8:39) And I thought, oh, I can't do that.
Scott Benner (8:40) And then more recently, a few months ago, I talked to somebody who's in the space and they said, oh, you know, in a couple of years, you'll be able to build your own model for a couple thousand dollars. (8:49) It won't be as hard, like, blah blah blah, like, you know, on and on. (8:52) And and and now today, they're like, you know, they're like, hey. (8:55) Here's a browser. (8:56) And I'm like, what's gonna happen in six months?
Scott Benner (8:59) When's it gonna look at my, kid's blood sugar and go, hey. (9:03) Why don't you make the insulin sensitivity a little stronger?
Chris (9:06) Have you seen the Will Smith video? (9:08) Wait. (9:08) Will Smith eating spaghetti?
Scott Benner (9:09) Not the catcher for the Dodgers?
Chris (9:11) No. (9:12) I haven't seen that one.
Scott Benner (9:13) Okay. (9:13) Well, Will Smith is the catcher for the Dodgers.
Chris (9:15) Every time
Scott Benner (9:15) Oh, okay. (9:16) Every time he popped up on television last week, Arden was like, that throws me off every time. (9:20) No. (9:20) Wait. (9:20) There's a video of Will Smith eating spaghetti?
Chris (9:23) Yeah. (9:23) The, you know, the artist formerly known as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
Scott Benner (9:26) Mhmm.
Chris (9:26) He, there was early AI. (9:29) And I I mean, what, two years ago? (9:31) I think maybe when Sora first came out. (9:33) There was a video it was sort of a benchmark of this is what AI video can do. (9:38) And it was Will Smith eating spaghetti, but it kinda looked like Will Smith at the beginning and then turned into something that might have looked like like Shrek.
Scott Benner (9:46) Okay.
Chris (9:46) And then it just got really weird, you know, multiple fingers and then the fingers became the spaghetti. (9:51) It was wild. (9:53) Then there was a version two about a year later where it was better, but he still had too many fingers and, you know, sometimes his he'd move and his ear would stay, and it was still a little funky. (10:02) Yeah. (10:02) Spaghetti didn't really look like spaghetti.
Chris (10:04) The one that just dropped last week looks like Will Smith's eating spaghetti and even has him say something like, damn, that is some good spaghetti, and it sounds just like Will Smith. (10:15) Wow. (10:16) So it just shows in two years, this is what we've been able to do. (10:20) Yeah. (10:21) It's really gonna be something to see where it goes.
Scott Benner (10:22) Super excited about it. (10:23) I also I can understand that we've all become more socially conscious, and I think that's great. (10:27) I honestly genuinely think that's great. (10:30) But I just think back to when I was younger, and this stuff didn't exist. (10:34) Like, you're, what, you're probably thirteen years younger than me.
Scott Benner (10:38) Right? (10:38) So but I grew up in a world where none of this existed, and we'd sit around and dream about this stuff. (10:44) Even if I told you that my mom used to sit around and say, one day, they're gonna come out with a pill and people aren't gonna be fat anymore. (10:52) That's my mom's Mhmm. (10:53) Her words.
Scott Benner (10:54) And I'll be damned. (10:56) I live long enough for that to happen. (10:57) Right. (10:58) I swear to you, I I sat down on that stage yesterday and I saw myself in a monitor and I was like, goddamn. (11:03) I look like a person.
Scott Benner (11:04) Look at that. (11:04) Like, it was really like, I was excited. (11:07) You know? (11:07) Like, I was like, this is this is awesome. (11:10) Not I wasn't embarrassed to be up there.
Scott Benner (11:11) I didn't have to kinda think about it. (11:13) And I'll I'll tell you too. (11:14) I don't know if
Chris (11:14) this is right or wrong.
Scott Benner (11:15) I think it's wrong, but I think people took me more seriously because of it too. (11:19) Because I've spoken in the past at things heavier, and I don't know. (11:23) You know? (11:23) I just people just don't take it as seriously for some reason.
Chris (11:26) And I bet. (11:27) Same experience. (11:28) Yep.
Scott Benner (11:29) Really, a terror like, listen. (11:30) That's terrible. (11:31) People shouldn't do that. (11:32) But I also don't think they were doing it consciously. (11:34) Like, I don't think they were giving me more credit yesterday because I'm leaner than before, and I don't think they were consciously taking away from me.
Scott Benner (11:42) I just I don't know, man. (11:43) I just think it's how it's how people's minds work sometimes. (11:45) You know? (11:46) Yeah. (11:46) But with this technology stuff, I swear to you, I've told this story probably too many times in this podcast, but when I was a little kid, I saved up money.
Scott Benner (11:54) I went to Radio Shack, and I bought a computer. (11:57) And it took me two years to save up that money. (12:00) And I brought that computer home, and I had a book with me. (12:03) And I typed code for a day into that damn thing and hit execute, nothing happened. (12:09) And then I went back and went back through the book and back through the code.
Scott Benner (12:12) I found, like, three typos, fixed them. (12:16) I was like, I did it. (12:17) I hit execute and a stick figure did one jumping jack. (12:21) And I took that computer, put it back in the box and I returned it.
Chris (12:25) Yep. (12:25) See, I was the kid who took that computer and then said, okay. (12:29) How how can I make him do more than the jumping jack? (12:31) And I just continued to expand it. (12:33) I would take all those little pre canned games, and I would I would modify them and
Scott Benner (12:38) yep. (12:38) Yeah. (12:39) Not me. (12:39) I was like, this ain't ready for prime time. (12:41) You know, the next one comes out, and honestly, well, was the Commodore 64 was maybe the next, like, leap there, and it really just played games.
Scott Benner (12:49) But at least it was games, and it kept us into the computer a little bit. (12:52) And then there was they tried to do, like, a a desktop thing where you could open drawers and put files in it. (12:58) It was very visual and not very usable, but it still gave you the idea of, like, oh, something's coming. (13:04) I bought my first iPhone. (13:06) I had no use for it.
Scott Benner (13:08) I literally thought, oh, this is a better way to keep my contacts at that time. (13:13) Like, that's how it felt to buy it, but it also felt like possibility. (13:16) People don't realize till if you took all the apps off your phone, it's a cell phone that text. (13:20) And, like, you know, it's the apps that make your phone. (13:22) Right?
Scott Benner (13:23) And so when they first came out, there were no apps. (13:26) Getting the weather was a big deal on your phone.
Chris (13:29) Right.
Scott Benner (13:29) But still, like, you sit there and think, what's coming? (13:32) There's something. (13:32) I can see where this is going. (13:34) Now a lot of it's problem and crap and, you know, is not adding to your life at all. (13:40) But in that phone somewhere is a great tool.
Scott Benner (13:42) This specifically when I see people struggling to get their basal right or to not even know that the their basal insulin is their problem. (13:52) They don't understand settings. (13:53) They don't understand timing. (13:55) They don't understand diabetes in general. (13:57) Right?
Scott Benner (13:58) They can suffer for weeks, months, years, and a lifetime sometimes. (14:02) Like, you have no idea how quickly it can turn into hopelessness. (14:08) And to say to something one day, hey. (14:11) Look. (14:11) Here's my settings.
Scott Benner (14:13) Here's my graph. (14:14) Like, you probably won't even have to tell it what's happening. (14:16) You'll probably just show it your graph and your settings, and it's gonna make suggestions that'll be better than you would be able to figure out on your own. (14:23) Absolutely. (14:23) I don't know if I'm not seeing people doing that already online, by the way.
Chris (14:26) Yeah. (14:27) Right. (14:28) Abs Yeah. (14:28) There's no question about it. (14:29) That that's where it's gonna be insanely helpful is to consolidate all that information, make it really consumable.
Scott Benner (14:36) I don't tell you that it's gonna be right all the time. (14:40) But even that, even the, what's the rallying cry of people who hated ChatGPT a year ago? (14:46) It hallucinates. (14:47) Right? (14:47) And now we're a year later, and I don't hear people saying that as much anymore.
Chris (14:52) Yep.
Scott Benner (14:52) Right? (14:53) Obviously, you wanna hold the feet to the fire when people are doing stuff. (14:56) You want stuff to be safe and effective and valuable. (14:58) Right? (14:58) And I appreciate the voices that yell, hey.
Scott Benner (15:01) It hallucinates. (15:01) Don't use it right now. (15:02) But I think sometimes those people then plant their flag there, and then it moves forward. (15:08) Anything. (15:08) It doesn't have to be this.
Scott Benner (15:10) And it gets a little better, but they still say, no. (15:12) No. (15:12) It hallucinates. (15:13) I know not that that's been decided already. (15:15) I'm not gonna look at it again.
Scott Benner (15:17) Man, this thing is changing so quickly to make a static decision about it is foolish.
Chris (15:22) Absolutely.
Scott Benner (15:23) Yeah. (15:24) Because it's it's coming hard, man. (15:26) I can't wait to see what you guys can do with this for yourselves. (15:30) You put me out of business. (15:31) Man, my podcast will just turn into, like you know, it'll just be a community thing and probably won't talk much about management in the future for for if you're lucky.
Scott Benner (15:40) You know? (15:40) And and then can't they they I sound like my mom. (15:44) My program's on. (15:45) But can't they, whoever they is, think about, like like, why not put, a tiny little specific part of this into your pump, right, that looks at your graph and looks at your insulin and looks at your outcomes and is making suggestions for you. (16:03) And may and then you can change if you want to.
Scott Benner (16:05) But, you know, then we'll see how long till that works so well that the thing can just be like, hey. (16:09) Here we go. (16:09) Can you imagine if your pump asked you if your phone you had an app on your phone that controls your insulin pump, and you told it, like, look. (16:19) I work Monday through Friday at a desk job, but I'm pretty active on the weekends. (16:24) So keep that in mind when you're adjusting my insulin.
Scott Benner (16:27) And then Friday afternoon ran rolled around and your pump looked at you and said, hey. (16:31) Are you planning on playing pickleball tomorrow like usual or no? (16:34) Because I'm gonna make some adjustments if we're going to.
Chris (16:37) Wow. (16:37) Yeah.
Scott Benner (16:38) How would that be crazy?
Chris (16:40) Yeah. (16:40) Awesome.
Scott Benner (16:40) I don't see that as not being possible at all. (16:43) And the one that I brought up from years ago, three pizza places in your town, three different kinds of pizzas, three different kinds of outcomes. (16:51) Why can't your pump remember geographically? (16:55) Your phone knows where you are. (16:56) When I'm at this location and I tell you I'm having forty five grams, this is my insulin need.
Scott Benner (17:01) And when I'm at that location, I tell you I'm having 45. (17:04) That's my need. (17:05) You don't that that doesn't sound reasonable to you? (17:07) It sounds incredibly reasonable to I just watched my goddamn browser browse my own website and click on stuff.
Chris (17:13) Yep. (17:13) Yeah. (17:14) Yeah. (17:14) We're almost there.
Scott Benner (17:16) Yeah. (17:16) Put me out of business.
Chris (17:18) I don't know, but it's the people. (17:20) I mean, I'll I'll be totally honest. (17:22) I listen to very, very few of the management episodes these days. (17:25) Once in a while, I get through the end of the episode, one rolls on, I'll listen to it. (17:29) But for the most part, I'm here for the people.
Scott Benner (17:32) For the conversation, Sam. (17:33) Yeah. (17:33) I love Well, then I'm good. (17:34) Get to keep my job.
Chris (17:35) That's right. (17:36) That's right.
Scott Benner (17:36) I was gonna have to pivot to, motivational speaking, if not. (17:39) And I have to tell you, I I don't wanna be flying all over the place constantly, so it doesn't sound I mean, although may I tell you something? (17:45) Chris, that's all we're doing is talking to each other. (17:47) Right? (17:48) Yeah.
Scott Benner (17:49) Thinking about how we talked earlier about how different people react to things. (17:54) And you were talking about, like, being, like, either super focused or, you know, whatnot and being overwhelmed. (18:00) And what I clung to in that part of the conversation is, like, coming from chaos and knowing how to deal with it. (18:06) I was in a room yesterday, 600 people in the audience, you know, people on stage. (18:11) It was a big production.
Scott Benner (18:12) There was a lot going on. (18:14) And I really was looking around at everybody, and some people were wide eyed. (18:18) You know? (18:18) Like, just being in the room with so many people made them wide eyed. (18:21) Some of the people that were going up on the stage looked pensive.
Scott Benner (18:24) Some of them looked a little worried. (18:26) You know, they some of them looked like you could see them talking through what they wanted to say in their head before they went up. (18:32) Was really interesting. (18:33) And I sat there like a lion in a cage. (18:36) I was like, come on.
Scott Benner (18:37) Let's go. (18:38) And I did think for a minute, like, what is wrong with me? (18:42) Why am I not, like, reasonably nervous or frightened to do this? (18:47) Like, why I'm just like, get to me. (18:49) I I I'm gonna like, let's let's do it.
Scott Benner (18:52) Let's tell stories. (18:53) Let's try to get people thinking about ways to do better stuff for themselves. (18:56) Like like, I sat in that chair. (18:58) I was like, get me up there. (19:00) Yeah.
Scott Benner (19:00) And I do wonder as you were talking, it made me wonder, like, I grew up with chaos. (19:04) Like, I wonder if I'm not, like like, if that's not a comfortable place for me.
Chris (19:09) Yep.
Scott Benner (19:09) You know?
Chris (19:10) I think that's what we do. (19:11) We find those those things that do make us feel comfortable.
Scott Benner (19:15) Yeah. (19:15) I could not have been more at ease.
Chris (19:17) That's that's amazing. (19:19) Well, I don't know. (19:19) Don't know. (19:20) Like, I
Scott Benner (19:20) was worried for myself. (19:21) Like, it it everyone else seemed to be having what I thought was a more normal reaction to to the experience. (19:27) And I was just like, even when they were like, you know, we have this much time. (19:30) Everyone says that whenever I go to something, they're like, you know, we we have an hour. (19:34) Can you fill it?
Scott Benner (19:35) I'm like, an hour? (19:36) Stop. (19:38) I could sit up there all day if you wanted me to. (19:39) I know if anybody would be interested or not, but I'd be okay with it. (19:42) It it really is something.
Scott Benner (19:43) So alright. (19:44) Well, what else did, did your dear Emma want you to tell you? (19:47) She's not doing gymnastics anymore. (19:48) She's rolling full this episode of the juice box podcast, and it features a lightning fast thirty minute warm up time. (19:59) That's right.
Scott Benner (20:00) From the time you put on the Dexcom g seven till the time you're getting readings, thirty minutes. (20:06) That's pretty great. (20:07) It also has a twelve hour grace period, so you can swap your sensor when it's convenient for you. (20:13) All that on top of it being small, accurate, incredibly wearable, and light, these things, in my opinion, make the Dexcom g seven a no brainer. (20:22) The Dexcom g seven comes with way more than just this.
Scott Benner (20:26) Up to 10 people can follow you. (20:27) You can use it with type one, type two, or gestational diabetes. (20:30) It's covered by all sorts of insurances. (20:34) And, this might be the best part. (20:36) It might be the best part.
Scott Benner (20:38) Alerts and alarms that are customizable so that you can be alerted at the levels that make sense to you. (20:45) Dexcom.com/juicebox. (20:47) Links in the show notes. (20:48) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com to Dexcom and all the sponsors. (20:53) When you use my links, you're supporting the production of the podcast and helping to keep it free and plentiful.
Scott Benner (21:00) Today's episode is brought to you by Omnipod. (21:03) Did you know that the majority of Omnipod five users pay less than $30 per month at the pharmacy? (21:09) That's less than $1 a day for tube free automated insulin delivery. (21:14) And a third of Omnipod five users pay $0 per month. (21:17) You heard that right.
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Chris (21:57) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (22:02) Yep. (22:03) Yep. (22:03) She's rolling full time and she's in cross country, which is awesome. (22:06) I mean, we've we've got to experience the, having hot lunch and then running for six or seven miles
Scott Benner (22:12) Oh.
Chris (22:13) Within an hour or two later, it's it was, it was interesting adjusting her settings and everything when she first started cross country. (22:19) But she's handled it so unbelievably well. (22:22) She's received a medal. (22:23) She's placed in every single meet this year, and she has her big championship tomorrow.
Scott Benner (22:27) So awesome. (22:27) Hey. (22:28) Well, good luck to her. (22:29) But where were the adjustments that were made?
Chris (22:31) I mean, for the most part, it was getting something in her system after lunch. (22:36) Because what would happen, of course, is she would have a pretty heavy lunch, and then she'd start it would give her a bunch of insulin. (22:43) She would start drifting down, and it Luke just couldn't couldn't catch it. (22:46) She had a little bit too much insulin on board, especially when she's running around like crazy. (22:51) So it was we just started throwing a little protein snack, like an uncovered protein snack in there, and a little bit of drop to the to the basil right after after lunch.
Chris (23:00) And Nice. (23:01) We got her there the last couple. (23:03) She's been totally totally oh, this one this one was actually good, though. (23:06) She was doing her time travel thing, which is at the beginning of cross country, you run a mile and you time it. (23:13) And then at the end of cross country, you do the same thing to see how much you've improved.
Chris (23:17) And I had been watching her graph. (23:19) I'm like, oh, she's going to need something. (23:22) So I'm like, I call her. (23:23) She doesn't answer. (23:24) I'm like, oh, I'll call her again.
Chris (23:25) Then about two minutes later, I I get a text saying I'm all set. (23:29) Then she comes home and she's like, dad, I did it. (23:31) I shaved a minute off my time. (23:33) She ran a mile in seven minutes and forty eight seconds, which is insane at 10 years old.
Scott Benner (23:39) Goodness.
Chris (23:39) Then she's like, oh, by the way, thanks for calling me right in the middle of it. (23:44) And I was like, really? (23:45) I called you right in the middle of it? (23:46) And she's like, yeah. (23:47) But she's like, it's okay.
Chris (23:48) I just I shut it off, and I I grabbed my Smarties, and, you know, I just kept going. (23:52) And I'm like, so you ignored my call and treated it low and shaved a minute off your mile.
Scott Benner (23:59) Yeah.
Chris (23:59) Like, that's
Scott Benner (24:00) How old?
Chris (24:01) That's mind blowing.
Scott Benner (24:02) How old is she now?
Chris (24:03) She's she's still 10. (24:04) She'll be 11 in a month and a half. (24:06) Yep.
Scott Benner (24:06) That's awesome. (24:07) She's got your way about her. (24:09) Does that make sense?
Chris (24:10) Yeah. (24:11) No. (24:11) I know exactly what you mean.
Scott Benner (24:12) Yeah. (24:12) Yeah. (24:12) No. (24:13) She's real chill and kind, and she was funny and sarcastic and smart. (24:19) Oh.
Scott Benner (24:19) She's a really great mix.
Chris (24:20) I I I I gotta be honest with you. (24:23) When she first of all, she told you that joke. (24:25) I don't know if you remember it, the long one with the all the animals and the brick hitting the girl in the head.
Scott Benner (24:29) Yes. (24:30) And the joke was that she made me listen to it. (24:32) Am I right?
Chris (24:33) Essentially, right. (24:34) Because you, you know, it like, you missed the whole thing a lot. (24:36) When she's between that and then when she gave the whole fake disease, do you remember when she mentioned that?
Scott Benner (24:41) That I remember. (24:42) She made up a disease that she had. (24:44) Yeah. (24:44) It strung me along.
Chris (24:46) I literally I fell to the floor laughing when I heard that. (24:49) I'm like and she she nailed it so effortlessly. (24:52) Like, when when she said when you responded and said that she was gonna be on the podcast, I'm like, Emma, you gotta come up with something good. (24:57) You know, I was just trying to make her be more comfortable.
Scott Benner (24:59) Sure.
Chris (25:00) And I was like, come up with a good joke to tell. (25:03) And she's like, what if I tell them that I have pneumonology microscopic silico volcaniconiosis? (25:08) And I was like, you're gonna be able to do that? (25:09) And I said, you gotta do it, but at the end of it, you gotta you gotta really drop it. (25:13) You gotta be like, oh, no.
Chris (25:14) No. (25:15) No. (25:15) I'm just messing with you. (25:16) And the way she just flawlessly dropped the f bomb right there. (25:20) I'm like, how?
Chris (25:21) This kid needs to be a stand up comedian. (25:23) I
Scott Benner (25:23) mean Oh, she's she's really lovely. (25:26) Now if you've raised her on this homestead in Maine, I don't know if she's gonna talk to enough people or not. (25:30) Do you live on that property now or do you is it just a property you own?
Chris (25:33) No. (25:33) We we live about an hour away. (25:35) About a half an hour away. (25:36) We live in in Brewer, which actually, she mentioned that she lived on on a river. (25:40) We live in, we live right on the Penobscot River, which is the big river in Maine.
Scott Benner (25:44) Okay.
Chris (25:45) So, yeah, we we but we live close to people. (25:48) So we're kind of in the woods. (25:49) Like, we've got, a couple acres of property and, like I said, woods and goes down to the river, and we have chickens. (25:54) But we're also, like, ten minutes from the airport.
Scott Benner (25:58) Wait. (25:59) Did you say the Penobscot River?
Chris (26:01) Yeah. (26:01) The Penobscot River.
Scott Benner (26:02) What seventies TV character had that last name?
Chris (26:06) Penobscot?
Scott Benner (26:08) Hold on a second. (26:09) People are like, oh, great. (26:10) Another reference I don't know. (26:12) It's Happy Days or? (26:14) Oh god, what's it gonna be?
Scott Benner (26:16) A Lauren and Shirley mash. (26:19) Was Okay.
Chris (26:20) Mash. (26:20) Damn. (26:20) Mash.
Scott Benner (26:21) Yes. (26:21) Yes. (26:22) Margaret marries a guy named, Donald Panopscott. (26:27) Wow.
Chris (26:28) No way. (26:29) There's gotta
Scott Benner (26:29) be somebody had to have grown up near that river road on that TV show.
Chris (26:32) Well, it it I mean, Penobscot is the one of the the Indian tribes here in Maine. (26:36) Is it? (26:36) I didn't realize. (26:37) Oh, okay.
Scott Benner (26:38) Yeah. (26:38) Alright. (26:38) Well, now we're learning stuff finally.
Chris (26:39) The Penobscot Indians. (26:41) Yeah.
Scott Benner (26:42) Well, now we're learning stuff. (26:43) The people are like, I always learn something new. (26:45) Now you know that. (26:46) I don't know what you're gonna do with it, but God bless you. (26:47) Good.
Scott Benner (26:48) Great. (26:48) What else you got on your list there?
Chris (26:51) So things that I can oh, oh, oh, she mentioned that she had her crush coming over. (26:55) You were asking her about boys and Yeah. (26:57) And and she told you her her sneaky plan to get her her friend to break up with her crush. (27:05) Mhmm. (27:05) And that way that she could slide in and have her chance.
Chris (27:07) Well, I just wanna say that that was that was successful. (27:10) She waited her time. (27:11) She didn't intervene, and it all worked out. (27:14) The crush is now is now her, you know, 10 year old boyfriend, and he's a great kid.
Scott Benner (27:18) She she's a home wrecker?
Chris (27:20) She is well, but but she did she's not because she waited her time. (27:23) She didn't say anything until after they broke up, and then then she went in for her chance.
Scott Benner (27:27) Yeah. (27:28) No kidding.
Chris (27:28) Look at her.
Scott Benner (27:29) Yeah. (27:30) Is that awesome?
Chris (27:30) Yeah. (27:31) She said I could share that. (27:33) And then let's see. (27:36) Oh, she mentioned she mentioned PPODS, which was it's a local, like, diabetes organization in the area.
Scott Benner (27:42) Okay.
Chris (27:43) That's something that she does with with a bunch of her friends, and it's really cool around here. (27:46) So her endocrinologist and the CDE, they're all involved in it, and they they do, like, summer camp events. (27:53) They we had a Brett Michaels concert. (27:55) Didn't know Brett Michaels had type one.
Scott Benner (27:56) Oh, no kidding. (27:57) You didn't know that?
Chris (27:58) No. (27:59) I had no idea.
Scott Benner (27:59) Oh, okay.
Chris (28:00) I I no. (28:01) I I didn't even know he was the lead singer of Poison, though I like Poison. (28:04) I had no idea. (28:05) I I don't follow I didn't follow it that closely. (28:07) But we went there and went to the concert, and right up toward the front of the stage, there was a a group of, you know, a group of us there that were from it was like a type one fundraiser.
Chris (28:17) And he saw her CGM, drag her up on stage, and had a whole thing about type one diabetes. (28:23) And it was so awesome for all of those kids to see this, like, totally normalized and to be able to to to rock out with with all it it was fantastic.
Scott Benner (28:32) Oh, that's nice.
Chris (28:33) I just wanted to throw a shout out for the the PPODS organization here in Maine. (28:37) Absolutely fantastic.
Scott Benner (28:38) Yeah. (28:38) Oh, that's lovely. (28:39) Good for them. (28:39) It's a a local org.
Chris (28:41) Yeah. (28:42) Yeah. (28:42) Yep. (28:42) That's right. (28:43) Isn't that nice?
Scott Benner (28:44) People see, there's plenty of people doing nice stuff.
Chris (28:47) Absolutely.
Scott Benner (28:48) There's a few people who aren't, but that's fine. (28:50) We can overcome that, maybe.
Chris (28:52) For sure.
Scott Benner (28:53) How do you expect her to progress through this? (28:56) Do you imagine there's gonna be a time of rebellion, or what do you think?
Chris (29:00) Well, I don't know. (29:02) I mean, she she does she's really good at caring about taking care of herself. (29:07) She doesn't let it get her down very often, but I imagine there's definitely gonna be times that she struggles. (29:12) You know, sometimes, like, there's the food struggles where she'll she really wants something. (29:18) She'll be like, oh, I'm so hungry.
Chris (29:19) I want, you know, I want a doughnut. (29:20) Let's go get some ice cream. (29:21) And she'll look at her blood sugar, she'll be like, oh, it's too high. (29:25) We can't do it. (29:26) And so one of the things we work on a lot is, like, showing her, like, we know how to use insulin and helping her get through that type of stuff.
Chris (29:34) But I'm sure that at some point, that that's something I I think she'll probably struggle with is, like, that balance of having to do this extra thing that most people don't have to deal with, which is hopefully, as the technology goes grows, that that won't even be an issue.
Scott Benner (29:47) Yeah. (29:48) You know, I talked to a gentleman recently talking about his college aged son, and he said the saddest thing. (29:53) His his son told him, dad, I'm here for a good time, not a long time.
Chris (29:58) Oh. (29:58) It
Scott Benner (29:59) made me sad. (30:00) Oh. (30:00) Yeah. (30:00) It made him I I he looked sad as well. (30:03) Yeah.
Scott Benner (30:04) And I he's like, do you have anything to offer me? (30:06) And I said, I I would maybe try to get him to listen to the Small Stips episodes. (30:10) I was like, they're really short. (30:11) They're like, it's a packed one thing, one idea. (30:15) It should be short enough for a, you know, a teenager to listen to.
Scott Benner (30:19) And I was like, and you're probably paying for college. (30:20) So and just tell him if he wants to keep going to college, you could just listen to these real quick and see if, you know, you can take something from him. (30:25) Because how do you change someone's mindset who just thinks, I'm not gonna live very long because of this?
Chris (30:32) We we know people somewhat close to us that are that are in that kind of boat where they just they grow up in a different time with different technology and a different support structure, and that's that's their general attitude. (30:42) I mean, e even Emma sees it, and she's like, that that's really sad. (30:46) She's like, because I'm gonna live a normal life. (30:48) And I love that she has that perspective of you know, she knows, hey. (30:50) If I take care of myself, hopefully, it's gonna just be something other than diabetes against me.
Scott Benner (30:54) I don't understand the not fighting to be here thing.
Chris (30:58) Yeah.
Scott Benner (30:58) That that that to me is strange. (31:00) I'm I'm doing everything I can to, you know, stay here longer. (31:05) That would seem like job one to me, but I guess not for everybody or maybe there's a little I don't know if there's depression. (31:10) I don't know the kid, obviously, if there's depression mixed in or maybe just had a bad time and just doesn't see the way out. (31:15) You know, I I there's been plenty of episodes.
Scott Benner (31:18) I don't even remember the episode number anymore, but this guy came on one time and talked about how he's great. (31:24) I still I keep in contact with him still, but he was looking for help online and somebody pointed him to me, and we talked privately on the phone. (31:32) And then, you know, things just started getting better for him and, you know, he changed his life and and, you know, back to school to do something else. (31:40) He does something really kind for people now as his as, you know, as his profession. (31:44) But, you know, he comes to the podcast a long time after we actually spoke privately and confided in me, I guess, in everybody listening that he'd had a plan to end his life.
Scott Benner (31:56) He was getting ready to enact a plan to end his life. (31:59) It's not a thing he wanted to do. (32:00) He just had he was hopeless about his diabetes and and everything. (32:05) You know, I just I make the point that I don't you just don't know what people are going through. (32:09) You know?
Scott Benner (32:09) So it's it's easy to say, like, you know, the kids said I'm here for, you know, a good time, not a long time. (32:15) Is he joking? (32:16) Does he feel that way? (32:17) Is he scared? (32:18) Is there something that's going on that the the parents don't know about?
Scott Benner (32:21) Maybe there's something happened to him he's not even aware of. (32:24) You know? (32:24) Right. (32:25) But and try not to judge anybody, but I I do still tell you that I, from my personal perspective, I can't understand not holding on with every last fingertip and searching. (32:37) But I don't know.
Scott Benner (32:37) You know, people's minds all work differently.
Chris (32:39) With you. (32:40) For sure.
Scott Benner (32:41) Tell Emma, I'm gonna try to keep this podcast going for a decade longer so that I can interview her when she's in college.
Chris (32:49) She wanted me to make sure that that she had an invite back again even though you told her very clearly before she had a great time. (32:55) So, yeah, keep keep doing that.
Scott Benner (32:57) Let's wait until she starts to, become a lady and I know what she means. (33:01) Stops talking to you as much. (33:03) And then, like, right in there, when she gets super sure of herself but has no actual content to back up her ideas, that's when I'd like to talk to her next and then in college after that.
Chris (33:12) Fantastic.
Scott Benner (33:13) Absolutely. (33:14) Yeah. (33:14) No. (33:15) It's well, I I there's a couple of people who come on at, like, intervals in their life, and I think it's, it's super interesting to visit back with them sometimes and see where they've gotten to and what's happened.
Chris (33:27) Actually, you know, this girl that was on one
Scott Benner (33:29) of the after darks, she was a an exotic dancer. (33:32) I'd like to have her back on too.
Chris (33:34) Oh, yeah. (33:34) I've heard that one.
Scott Benner (33:35) Wish she'll hear this. (33:37) Anyway, am I leaving anything out? (33:39) How am I doing?
Chris (33:40) Awesome. (33:41) A couple of the things that I wanted to mention is that you guys talked a little bit about the books I have in my toilet. (33:46) And then one of them she said a bunch of them are yours, but, of course, one of them is yours. (33:49) And I just wanted to say that,
Scott Benner (33:51) I love that book.
Chris (33:52) Like, for real, that that's one of that book, in my mind, helped me set the stage for how I am as a dad. (33:59) It's given me a lot of great ideas. (34:01) And the story you tell in there about you and Cole heading to Obama's inauguration, oh, man.
Scott Benner (34:06) Oh.
Chris (34:07) That is I recall that story all the time.
Scott Benner (34:09) No kidding.
Chris (34:09) I just wanted to say thank yeah. (34:10) Thank you a ton for writing that book and talking about it on the podcast because it it it it really is. (34:16) I keep it there on my toilet because, you know, that's that's actually probably what I read the most.
Scott Benner (34:20) Don't sit too long. (34:21) They say it's not good.
Chris (34:22) Oh, yeah. (34:23) No. (34:23) That's that's true. (34:24) Well, it's
Scott Benner (34:24) a You only sit down when you have to go. (34:25) Okay?
Chris (34:26) It's it's a short book. (34:28) Big font. (34:28) So I get through it pretty quickly.
Scott Benner (34:29) There's no deep thoughts in there that, that needed extra words. (34:32) But, personally, that's lovely of you to say, and and I feel honored that that you that you said that genuinely. (34:37) And and you reminded me of something that happened to me yesterday up on that stage when I finally got up there. (34:43) So for the biggest game that I talk and I'm not certainly, I'm not overblowing it, I really was sitting there like, let me up there. (34:50) I know I'm good at this.
Scott Benner (34:51) Like, let me get going. (34:52) Once I get up there and they start laying out my, you know, I don't know what you would even call it, like, you know, describing, you know, the podcast and and things that it's done and people it's reached and everything, I get very I've, the humility hits me really quickly. (35:09) Like, I don't know if it's because I you know, the way I grew up, if I don't feel like I belong in that situation. (35:13) Like, I I you know, I don't don't have a therapist to tell me what it is, but I I'm guessing it's one of these things. (35:19) Right?
Scott Benner (35:19) But, you know, they introduced me and then they asked me to tell him you know, talk about how I got to this spot. (35:27) Like, you know, like, what's the pathway that this whole thing took? (35:30) And I got all done and the one of the gentlemen that was interviewing me said, you know, like, he looked out in the audience. (35:36) He goes, Scott is is being very, very humble right now. (35:39) And I thought, no.
Scott Benner (35:40) I'm not. (35:41) Like, I'm not. (35:42) I I am not doing that. (35:44) I'm not up there, like, consciously trying to be like, oh, no. (35:46) No.
Scott Benner (35:47) No. (35:47) No. (35:47) Like, you know what I mean? (35:48) Like like, or or trying to come off as I wasn't trying to come off as humble. (35:52) I wasn't trying to give them a feeling that it was something that I'm not I know what this podcast does.
Scott Benner (35:58) Right? (35:58) I see what happens in the community. (36:00) I'm really grateful that it worked out that way. (36:04) Don't I feel like I can take credit for it. (36:06) Like, I just think I'm being myself and this sort of happened.
Chris (36:11) And You call that impostor syndrome. (36:12) Right?
Scott Benner (36:12) I guess so. (36:13) Right? (36:14) Yeah. (36:14) Yeah. (36:14) Or but I mean, is that important really?
Scott Benner (36:16) Like, do I is it important for me for you to say that and then I tell you, oh, yeah. (36:21) Yeah. (36:22) I did that's what I did. (36:23) I did that on purpose. (36:24) Like, know what I mean?
Scott Benner (36:24) I wrote that book like that so you'd have that feeling like, I by the way, I did, but I don't feel that way Right. (36:31) If that makes any sense. (36:32) And I know it doesn't. (36:34) Like, it to hear you go go ahead. (36:37) Say respond.
Scott Benner (36:37) I'm sorry.
Chris (36:38) No. (36:38) I was just gonna say, like, I get you, and I I feel the same way, like, in in what I do for a career. (36:44) Like, many days, I don't believe, like, that I do something and I get congratulated for what I did or thanked for it. (36:50) I'm just like, I was either just doing my job or sometimes I'm like, I don't even I don't believe I even really did that. (36:55) Like, how did I do that?
Chris (36:56) Like, I I kind of I think I relate to a similar feeling.
Scott Benner (37:00) Yeah. (37:00) It it's funny because in my heart, like, I'm I'm fully capable of giving myself credit. (37:07) Like, it's in front of other people where I don't want that. (37:10) Yeah. (37:10) Here here's the other side of it.
Scott Benner (37:12) And I have a podcast, so I have to talk. (37:14) Right? (37:14) So everything is happening right now. (37:16) If you're being helped by the Facebook group or the thing I'm trying in the circle group or this podcast or something else that I've done, I want you to know I did it all very intentionally and on purpose. (37:28) I didn't have a plan when I started, but I am really good at seeing where the road is going and running up ahead.
Scott Benner (37:33) And in any time I've done something that's been a failure or not worked out, I just pivot. (37:38) I stay flexible and I go, okay. (37:39) That didn't work or it didn't resonate with them or whatnot. (37:42) Like, I still think the grand round series is awesome, and it doesn't get listened to as much as it should. (37:47) You know?
Scott Benner (37:47) That's not what a mass of people want. (37:49) It downloaded well, but it didn't download the way I think it should. (37:52) Then I pivoted off to something else. (37:53) I said, okay. (37:54) If they don't want that information this way, I'll find another way to get it to them.
Scott Benner (37:58) I'm making a compilation now, and I've been at this for two years, compiling people's struggles. (38:05) Right? (38:06) I'm right now in the middle of just imagining how to conversate around their struggles that will be most valuable back to them. (38:14) Like like, do I break them down into mental health, management, you know, other ideas and then find a partner to talk about each one of those things with and deliver them back like that? (38:26) It would it be better if I mixed it into conversation and just hope that they found it?
Scott Benner (38:30) And I'm gonna figure out what the best way to go is. (38:33) But what I figured out was, is it between talking to people and then watching them online and then outright asking them, I was able to build a comprehensive list of things that people with type one diabetes struggle with. (38:46) And once you have that list, there's a way to help them with it. (38:50) And now I gotta find a way to deliver it in a way that they'll receive better than they receive their grand rounds. (38:55) Maybe even the grand rounds, maybe it was just the name.
Scott Benner (38:57) Like, I don't even know. (38:58) Like, maybe people don't know what that means or or care or maybe it seemed overly medical before they dove in. (39:05) Like, I don't know. (39:06) But that series, it's a how to for doctors and a what to ask for for patients. (39:10) It's for both people, and I think it's really valuable.
Scott Benner (39:13) And I've heard back from people that it's valuable. (39:15) It just didn't catch on the way it should have. (39:17) The small sips scared me too. (39:19) Like, everybody's like, people need shorter form content. (39:22) I was like, alright.
Scott Benner (39:23) You put a ton of effort into distilling the pro tips and the bold beginning series into the small sip series, and I don't see people sharing it the way I expected them to. (39:32) So maybe they are and I can't see it. (39:33) I don't know. (39:34) But, like, I'm constantly, like, working towards that on purpose. (39:39) Oh.
Scott Benner (39:40) But I but if you sat down in front of a group, like, I can say it to you because you can consciously forget for a second that other people are gonna hear it. (39:47) But if you put me in front of those 600 people again and told me to say this, I'd be like, oh, I'm just doing my best. (39:52) Like, that's how it would come out. (39:54) You know?
Chris (39:55) Yeah. (39:55) I mean, it's been great to see where you started and and where you've taken it. (39:59) It's awesome. (40:00) I I hope you keep making it for however many more years because it's, I'll I'll definitely keep listening, and it's it's been very valuable to us and lots of people that we know. (40:09) I mean, I I share it as much as possible.
Chris (40:10) Some people just don't like podcasts.
Scott Benner (40:12) Yeah. (40:13) But By the way, they think they don't.
Chris (40:15) Yeah. (40:16) You're right.
Scott Benner (40:17) I hear two things. (40:17) Right? (40:18) I hear my brain doesn't work that way. (40:21) And I would tell you, I get it, but just listen passively and you'll pick things up you don't even realize, but that's a hard thing to explain to people. (40:29) I did pass an entire psychology class in high school by sleeping through it.
Scott Benner (40:33) I must have heard something while I was asleep. (40:35) That's a great story. (40:36) I feel like I've told it before, but I got the best score on the final and I slept through that class every day.
Chris (40:42) That's amazing.
Scott Benner (40:42) And now I look back and think it's possible I was anemic then too and I didn't realize it. (40:47) But Wow. (40:47) Nevertheless, I think listen passively. (40:50) Don't put your I think some people's brains tell them that they're supposed to sit down, listen, and know a thing when it's over. (40:56) Right.
Scott Benner (40:56) And I just don't think that that needs to be the way. (40:59) So just listen in the background. (41:01) You'll pick stuff up eventually. (41:02) It'll start making sense. (41:03) I teach myself I'm looking at this little tiny lizard I have over here in this little tiny cage.
Scott Benner (41:08) Okay? (41:09) And I know you're like, oh, it's chameleons. (41:10) No. (41:10) There's a couple others. (41:11) It's called a a Sri Lankan pygmy lizard.
Scott Benner (41:15) There's a pair of them in there. (41:17) Not many people breed them. (41:18) And as a matter of fact, I believe they're on a SIDES list now. (41:21) You can't get them out of Sri Lanka anymore. (41:22) So the ones that are here are the ones that are.
Scott Benner (41:25) They breed. (41:26) So I don't have any desire to be in the reptile breeding business. (41:30) I guess unless you guys want my Sri Lankan pygmy lizards, then hit me up, I guess, and I'll I'll ship it to you. (41:35) It would be easier than driving them back to the brooder, which is what I do is I take them back to the guy that made mine. (41:40) And I'm like, look.
Scott Benner (41:41) You know, I know you're gonna sell these and make some money, but right on, like, just take them. (41:44) You know? (41:44) Mhmm. (41:45) I just want them to go out and have other people, you know, enjoy them and hopefully, you know, maybe there'll be more of them one day. (41:51) But there's the guy's got, like, a twenty minute care video about them.
Scott Benner (41:58) So I listen to it once, and then I don't know what I'm doing. (42:02) And I listen to it twice, and I don't know what I'm doing. (42:04) I listen to it three times. (42:05) I don't know what I'm doing. (42:05) If you ask me right now to give you the parameters for keeping this thing, I don't know that I could rattle them back to you, but I am taking great care of them.
Scott Benner (42:14) Right. (42:14) And and I kind I know that sounds strange, but I think that diabetes can be like that to some degree. (42:19) You know? (42:20) Just hear stuff over and over and over again, and maybe just in the moment, you'll do the right thing.
Chris (42:26) Absolutely.
Scott Benner (42:26) If that sounds hocus pocus y to people, I would understand. (42:29) But I think that's real. (42:31) And I think I've interviewed enough people who've said things like, I listen to the podcast. (42:35) I'm not really good with numbers, but I'm doing really well. (42:38) And they don't know why.
Scott Benner (42:39) Or people have said, like, I already knew how to do all this, but listening to the podcast keeps me background focused without being front brain focused. (42:48) I don't know how to explain all of it. (42:50) I just see it works.
Chris (42:52) So that that's actually a really good point. (42:54) So I have an engineering background even though, as Emma would say, I'm terrible at math and I'm a big college dropout. (43:00) The way you broke it down helped me so much because I was so focused on I remember the first time that I'm like, I gave 1.4 units last time, and it worked out perfect. (43:09) And I gave it today, and it didn't work. (43:11) And or, you know, this plate of food is supposed to be this much.
Chris (43:15) Like, I was so tied to rules that hearing the, like, you know, I just look at it, I'm like, it's a unit or it's four units. (43:23) Like, just that sort of swag, that loose way of doing it, that mixed with my wife is much more that way of just, like, laid back when it comes to the stuff. (43:32) Like, let's just try it and see how it works.
Scott Benner (43:34) Yeah.
Chris (43:35) That's so powerful for me. (43:38) Like, that that helped me so much to be able to just not have to adhere to the rules that that, you know, computers and and everything else have to adhere to. (43:47) That it's just be flexible and and figure it out as you go. (43:51) Isn't it
Scott Benner (43:51) funny that's the first time somebody's used the word swag more like swagger? (43:55) And, it made a lot of sense to me when you said it that way.
Chris (43:58) Oh, swag is is scientific wild ass guess in the IT community.
Scott Benner (44:02) I know it is. (44:03) Yeah. (44:03) Actually Okay. (44:03) But that's not my point. (44:04) My point is is that, like, that's how it's always used.
Scott Benner (44:07) And that one time when you said it, I thought it was more like I imagined myself being like, yeah. (44:11) I don't know. (44:12) It's, like, about this much. (44:13) And that almost felt like swagger. (44:15) And I thought yeah.
Scott Benner (44:16) Yeah. (44:16) Yeah. (44:17) And, that's interesting, really, to me. (44:20) I don't know if it's interesting to anybody else listening.
Chris (44:21) Yeah. (44:22) Well well, as as you grow that, it that's kinda what it becomes. (44:25) Right? (44:25) Like, you almost have, like, a swagger of, oh, yeah. (44:27) It's just this much.
Chris (44:28) Just just do this. (44:29) I mean, that's the relationship we have with it now. (44:32) It's just sort of like, we look at it and we're like, I don't know. (44:35) It's somewhere around that. (44:36) And I mean, obviously, a well tuned algorithm helps with that a significant amount.
Chris (44:41) Mhmm. (44:41) But, yeah, that that's kind of how we approach it.
Scott Benner (44:44) A lot of people are gonna know, you I was having this conversation yesterday with somebody kinda off to the side, and I was like, you know, you can't raise a person on this technology and then make it hard for them to get to it sometimes. (44:57) Like, you either give it to them and they can always have it or it's not always available. (45:01) But, like, there are people coming up in diabetes right now, and the extent of their understanding of diabetes is that I put that thing on and that thing on, and the thing does the thing and I'm okay.
Chris (45:11) Right.
Scott Benner (45:11) Right? (45:11) And so going back almost full circle here, you know, your care team telling you it needs to be a year, I think that's what they're talking about. (45:19) We want people to understand it, you know, sticks and stones, nuts and bolts in case it all, like, you know, reverts back that way. (45:26) I just don't think it's actually gonna revert back that way. (45:28) But you could lose your insurance.
Scott Benner (45:30) You could I guess that's how it could end up reverting back, and then you're not gonna know what to do. (45:35) I do think it's possible to teach people what to do when they have the tools, But then maybe you run into a a human limitation where they're gonna say, I don't really need to know this now because the thing does the thing. (45:48) So there's a lot of arguments. (45:49) I find myself somewhere between worried like Jenny is. (45:53) Jenny's like, I'm afraid that people aren't gonna understand what they're doing and hopeful about the technology the way I am.
Scott Benner (46:00) Like, I'm trying to draw myself more to the center on that. (46:03) And I've been doing I've been working on that for a couple of years actually not to just, like, say, no. (46:06) The thing works. (46:07) Like, it'll be great Because I mean, look at me. (46:09) You saw me with the GitHub.
Scott Benner (46:10) I don't know what I'm doing with that.
Chris (46:12) And it works.
Scott Benner (46:13) Yeah. (46:13) Yeah. (46:13) But it works. (46:14) So good. (46:14) And if I really get stuck, you know, I'm lucky enough to be able to reach out to find people who do understand it.
Scott Benner (46:19) But that's not a real answer because if all those people disappear, what am I supposed to do all of a sudden? (46:25) You know what I mean? (46:26) I won't know what to do. (46:27) Now could I figure it out? (46:29) This to me is the last step of that.
Scott Benner (46:31) I think I could. (46:33) Right. (46:33) Could everybody? (46:34) I don't think that's the case. (46:35) I don't think I'm special, but I think you're dealing with all levels of financial support, emotional support, intellectual backing.
Scott Benner (46:43) Like, there's a lot of different kinds of people. (46:46) So I don't know I don't think there's an answer answer. (46:49) I just think these are things that we have to keep in mind while we're trying to help people and while they're trying to help themselves.
Chris (46:55) Definitely.
Scott Benner (46:55) Okay.
Chris (46:57) So one one last thing.
Scott Benner (46:58) Yeah. (46:58) What do you got?
Chris (46:59) So Emma called me a big college dropout.
Scott Benner (47:02) Must have been lovely to hear.
Chris (47:04) It was. (47:05) It was. (47:05) It was absolutely fantastic. (47:06) And, which which I am, and I boasted. (47:09) I and not only did I drop off from college once, but I dropped off from college three different times, so it's really drives the point home.
Chris (47:16) But didn't slow me down. (47:18) Whatever. (47:19) So and then she called me skinny and weak. (47:21) I think you would ask something about, like, is your dad a big strong guy because he's out in the woods? (47:25) And she's like, no.
Chris (47:26) He's actually really skinny and weak. (47:28) So I just had to give my rebuttal. (47:30) So what I have to say to Emma is that, Emma, I'm very, very proud of you. (47:36) You're an amazing young young lady, and I am so excited to see what you're gonna do as you move forward. (47:42) And I'll I'll save the actual ribbing and and and whatnot for the next time we fight.
Scott Benner (47:46) Very nice. (47:47) No. (47:48) You're lovely. (47:48) You're a good dad, man.
Chris (47:50) Thanks. (47:51) I really appreciate it. (47:52) And and and so so are you. (47:53) I've been hearing your stories forever, and they they definitely influence my my dad decisions on a daily basis.
Scott Benner (47:58) I can't tell you how much that means to me. (48:00) It really does. (48:01) Good. (48:02) I'll try to break through the feeling for a second one more time and tell you that I've never been able to kinda quantify it more than to say that things occur to me when crisis comes up, when there's problems, when there's something to get accomplished. (48:15) More often than not, the thing that I think to do works out.
Scott Benner (48:19) I don't know another way to put that because I can't take credit for any of it. (48:22) I don't think things through the way you imagine thinking things through. (48:26) I just look at things and something pops into my head. (48:29) And more often than not, that thing works. (48:33) And even as a younger person, people would come to me for all kinds of advice and I never understood why.
Scott Benner (48:40) I genuinely never understood why. (48:41) I was not a I didn't have money. (48:43) I didn't have any kind of, you know, position in the world, anything at all. (48:47) And yet people around me would always ask what I thought about stuff. (48:51) And they'd come back and say, hey.
Scott Benner (48:53) That really worked out for me. (48:55) I remember one time, my wife was managing a movie theater and there were kids working there that were, like, 16, 18. (49:01) We were probably in our, like, early twenties. (49:03) And this kid was like, I'm I'm always spending all of my money. (49:07) He's like, I just he's like, I I and these ATM machines were a little newer back then.
Scott Benner (49:11) He's like, I'm always going to the ATM machine, getting out a couple of bucks, and spending it before I know it all my money is gone. (49:16) Would you have any advice about that? (49:17) Now advice, well, I didn't have any money. (49:19) I didn't know anything about anything. (49:20) You know?
Scott Benner (49:21) And I said, yeah. (49:22) Only take out $20 when you go to the ATM. (49:25) And he's like, wait. (49:26) Your advice is to spend more money? (49:28) I said, no.
Scott Benner (49:28) My advice is when you go to the ATM, only take out a 20. (49:31) Never take out less than 20 because this wasn't a kid who had a ton of money, $20 was a big chunk of it. (49:36) You know? (49:37) A couple months later, he comes back to me. (49:39) He goes, hey.
Scott Benner (49:39) I've been saving money. (49:40) I'm doing great. (49:41) I was like, oh, yeah. (49:41) I said, how how's it going? (49:43) Like, what what'd you do?
Scott Benner (49:43) And he goes, I just did a thing where, you know, I only take out a 20. (49:48) And I was like, oh, cool. (49:49) And I just walked I was like, that's great. (49:51) Like, I don't really know what to do after that. (49:53) Was like, alright.
Scott Benner (49:53) Right on, man. (49:54) I'm like, go clean up the popcorn, you know, to, like, relationship stuff and, like, everything in between. (50:00) Like, I don't know. (50:01) Like, when something goes wrong, I seem to know what to do and it translated into parenthood for me somehow. (50:08) And then as I try to be reflective about it, the only thing I can kinda come up with is that it just all seems like common sense stuff to me.
Scott Benner (50:16) I don't really feel like it's anything special. (50:19) I read the meditations from Marcus Aurelius recently. (50:23) It it just seems like common sense to me, but, you know, a long time ago. (50:28) Or or, you know, you read a collection. (50:30) There's this collection of Ben Franklin quotes that he he wrote under a pen name and read them.
Scott Benner (50:35) I think they're called poor rich it's like poor Richard's almanac.
Chris (50:38) I've read those. (50:38) Yeah.
Scott Benner (50:38) Yeah. (50:39) It's common sense.
Chris (50:40) A 100%.
Scott Benner (50:41) Yeah. (50:41) It is. (50:42) Now I don't know why some people have it and some people don't. (50:44) I that I couldn't begin to explain to you, but it's not some deep secret. (50:48) Like, like I said to somebody yesterday, they said, well, how come so many people have good outcomes after listening to the podcast?
Scott Benner (50:53) Like, what are you telling them that other people aren't telling them? (50:55) I'm like, nothing special.
Chris (50:56) It feels that way. (50:57) Right? (50:57) Like, it feels like common sense. (50:59) I feel the same way. (51:00) Like, I I don't know how I do most of what I do, but I'm also a person that people often come to for advice, and I'm always confused.
Chris (51:07) Like, why me? (51:09) But like you said, most of the things I've done, like, they just kinda seem to work out. (51:14) Actually, that common sense topic, one of the other books on my toilet is Robert I think it's Robert Fulgum. (51:20) It's Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Mhmm. (51:23) Which is common sense.
Chris (51:24) The whole thing is literally him talking about how like, all the difficult things in life, it's just use common sense.
Scott Benner (51:29) Yeah.
Chris (51:30) But most people, common sense isn't common as it seems.
Scott Benner (51:33) Yeah. (51:33) I guess that's a saying for a reason, but I would wonder why. (51:37) Yeah. (51:38) Everyone has the intellect and the brainpower to run those their basic ideas. (51:42) Right.
Scott Benner (51:42) You don't even have to remember them. (51:44) You just have to have a a decision making tree that lends that leads you to that spot. (51:49) Right? (51:50) Like, this is happening. (51:51) What do I do?
Scott Benner (51:51) How do I do it spending the least amount of effort, the least amount of time, the least amount of money? (51:56) That's probably the best way to get through it. (51:57) If it's not, then why not? (51:58) Like, what did removing time out of it? (52:01) Is that maybe I should have thought about it longer?
Scott Benner (52:03) Taking money out of it? (52:04) It would have been easier with better materials. (52:06) Like, but that doesn't happen in front of me. (52:09) Right. (52:09) Like, in front of my eyes.
Scott Benner (52:10) I don't see the decision tree. (52:11) I don't hear the words. (52:13) I just I get to the end, and that's the answer. (52:15) And and if it's not right, then you reapply it, and it seems to work the next time. (52:20) Yeah.
Scott Benner (52:21) It is almost like watching that chat GPT go through the the website. (52:25) Like, I don't know exactly what it was doing, but it was taking the steps that it should have and it got to the end and it did the thing it said it was gonna do. (52:31) And I couldn't figure out what it was doing. (52:33) And maybe that's how it feels to people when they listen to You or Me sometimes or why that dumb book I wrote seems so important to you.
Chris (52:40) That dumb book you wrote.
Scott Benner (52:42) Chris, you have no idea. (52:43) I was approached by a publisher to write a diabetes book, and I immediately said, I should not be writing a diabetes book. (52:51) That's ridiculous. (52:52) I was like, I talk about it, and I give people, this is what I think, and they tell me what they think, and it's conversational. (52:59) It's meant to build a community, and then I you know, for people to draw out of it what they want.
Scott Benner (53:02) I'm like, I don't know how to sit down a to b and tell you how to do it. (53:05) You don't want me. (53:07) But I wanted to write a book. (53:08) So I said, could write a book about being a stay at home dad. (53:11) I said, I think that would be really interesting.
Scott Benner (53:13) I've thought about that before. (53:14) And they said, yeah. (53:15) Sure. (53:15) Like, get us a you know, get us an outline. (53:18) And I got off the phone, called my wife.
Scott Benner (53:21) You know? (53:21) I was like, hey. (53:22) This is what they want. (53:23) And she's like, are you gonna do it? (53:24) I said, yeah.
Scott Benner (53:25) I think so. (53:25) And then I just turned to my computer and I sat down and I just every one of those chapters is a thing that I wrote down in five seconds. (53:34) I just was like, this is important to know. (53:36) This is important to know. (53:37) This, this, this, this, this.
Scott Benner (53:38) I don't know if I put, like, 15 or 20 ideas together. (53:41) And then I've said this before on the podcast, but I was done ten minutes after I got off the phone with him. (53:47) I sat on it, like, for the rest of the week through the weekend because I wanted to think I was truly thinking about it. (53:52) And then I just sent it off and they said, this looks good. (53:55) You know?
Scott Benner (53:55) We'll give you a half the money upfront and the other half when you're done. (53:59) And I was like, okay. (54:01) And then I just sat down and wrote out how I felt about being a parent. (54:04) That's pretty much it. (54:06) I don't think I'm a particularly good writer.
Scott Benner (54:08) I'm if it reads even half decent, I'm I'm grateful.
Chris (54:12) Yeah. (54:12) It it does. (54:14) I listen to a fair amount of books. (54:15) Not a not a whole lot of similar topic books to that, but, I mean, it it reads, I think, similar to the way that your podcast listens. (54:22) I mean, you well spoken, and and the ideas are thought out.
Chris (54:26) It's I thought it was excellent.
Scott Benner (54:28) Thank you.
Chris (54:29) I've shared it with non you know, other people that I know, other dads, and I've had similar feedback where they're like, wow. (54:35) This is I've had people actually listen to a few episodes of the podcast with no context about type one diabetes. (54:40) Some of your podcast episodes are great, they're really not all that much about diabetes. (54:44) Yeah. (54:44) They're just about life.
Scott Benner (54:46) I told somebody the other day, I don't think I make a diabetes podcast. (54:49) I think I make a podcast where I only talk to people who are affected by diabetes.
Chris (54:53) Yeah. (54:54) That that's a great way to put it. (54:55) Yeah. (54:56) I and I'd agree.
Scott Benner (54:56) We came out of that that session yesterday, and, there was a lot of people lined up to say hi. (55:01) And one lady just came up to me and she said, you were so well spoken. (55:04) That was such a pleasure to listen to. (55:06) And I thought, no. (55:07) I'm not.
Scott Benner (55:08) I am not well spoken. (55:10) Then you just use the same words. (55:12) Like, I I don't know how to think about that. (55:14) I think I speak like you're watching Pulp Fiction. (55:18) I think you're here and then you're in the future and then you're in the past and then you're in your future and then somehow at the end it all ties together.
Scott Benner (55:24) Yeah. (55:25) Yeah. (55:25) But is that
Chris (55:26) That's good.
Scott Benner (55:27) That's good, though? (55:27) Like, I I mean I
Chris (55:29) it it works for you.
Scott Benner (55:30) Yeah. (55:30) It seems wrong to me.
Chris (55:31) It seems wrong to Like you said, you're not you're not planning it. (55:34) You're not trying to do this. (55:35) It just is who you are. (55:37) Yeah. (55:37) You're
Scott Benner (55:38) just I guess so.
Chris (55:39) Being your genuine self, which is, I think, why why it works so well for you because you're not trying to be something you're not.
Scott Benner (55:45) I'm gonna I'm gonna do something that I think a therapist would tell me is good, I'm gonna say thank you, and I appreciate that, and I'm taking it in. (55:52) And I'm gonna tell you I agree with you. (55:54) So there. (55:55) I'm gonna Awesome. (55:55) I'm gonna take the compliment.
Chris (55:57) Good.
Scott Benner (55:57) Awesome. (55:58) Alright. (55:58) Hold on one second for me. (55:59) This is a real pleasure. (56:00) By the way, you get a two parter out of that because we chatted so long.
Scott Benner (56:02) Congratulations.
Chris (56:03) Awesome. (56:04) Well, thank you for for talking to me and and to Emma. (56:06) It it's it's been excellent.
Scott Benner (56:08) Alright. (56:09) I really do appreciate it. (56:10) Hold on one second for me. (56:18) This episode of the Juice Box podcast is sponsored by the Omnipod five. (56:22) And at my link, omnipod.com/juicebox, you can get yourself a free what'd I just say?
Scott Benner (56:29) A free Omnipod five starter kit. (56:32) Free? (56:34) Get out of here. (56:34) Go click on that link, omnipod.com/juicebox. (56:38) Check it out.
Scott Benner (56:39) Terms and conditions apply. (56:40) Eligibility may vary.
Chris (56:42) Full terms and conditions can be found at omnipod.com/juicebox. (56:47) Links in
Scott Benner (56:47) the show notes. (56:48) Links at juiceboxpodcast.com. (56:52) Dexcom sponsored this episode of the juice box podcast. (56:55) Learn more about the Dexcom g seven at my link, dexcom.com/juicebox. (57:04) Says to forget old acquaintances, but honestly, I'm grateful for every one of you that keeps showing up.
Scott Benner (57:10) Thank you so much for listening. (57:12) Here's to a fantastic 2026. (57:17) Hey. (57:17) I'm dropping in to tell you about a small change being made to the Juice Cruise twenty twenty six schedule. (57:22) This adjustment was made by Celebrity Cruise Lines, not by me.
Scott Benner (57:25) Anyway, we're still going out on the Celebrity Beyond cruise ship, which is awesome. (57:30) Check out the walkthrough video at juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise. (57:34) The ship is awesome. (57:36) Still a seven night cruise. (57:38) It still leaves out of Miami on June 21.
Scott Benner (57:41) Actually, most of this is the same. (57:43) We leave Miami June 21, head to Coco Cay in The Bahamas, but then we're going to San Juan, Puerto Rico instead of Saint Thomas. (57:50) After that, Bastille, I think I'm saying that wrong, Saint Kitts And Nevis. (57:54) This place is gorgeous. (57:56) Google it.
Scott Benner (57:57) I mean, you're probably gonna have to go to my link to get the correct spelling because my pronunciation is so bad. (58:01) But once you get the Saint Kitts and you Google it, you're gonna look and see a photo that says to you, oh, I wanna go there. (58:08) Come meet other people living with type one diabetes from caregivers to children to adults. (58:14) Last year, we had a 100 people on our cruise, and it was fabulous. (58:19) You can see pictures to get at my link juiceboxpodcast.com/juicecruise.
Scott Benner (58:24) You can see those pictures from last year there. (58:27) The link also gives you an opportunity to register for the cruise or to contact Suzanne from Cruise Planners. (58:32) She takes care of all the logistics. (58:34) I'm just excited that I might see you there. (58:37) It's a beautiful event for families, for singles, a wonderful opportunity to meet people, swap stories, make friendships, and learn.
Scott Benner (58:49) If you're new to type one diabetes, begin with the bold beginnings series from the podcast. (58:53) Don't take my word for it. (58:55) Listen to what reviewers have said. (58:57) Bold beginnings is the best first step. (58:59) I learned more in those episodes than anywhere else.
Scott Benner (59:02) This is when everything finally clicked. (59:04) People say it takes the stress out of the early days and replaces it with clarity. (59:08) They tell me this should come with the diagnosis packet that I got at the hospital. (59:12) And after they listened, they recommend it to everyone who's struggling. (59:16) It's straightforward, practical, and easy to listen to.
Scott Benner (59:19) Bold Beginnings gives you the basics in a way that actually makes sense. (59:26) If you have a podcast and you need a fantastic editor, you want Rob from Wrong Way Recording. (59:32) Listen, truth be told, I'm like 20% smarter when Rob edits me. (59:37) He takes out all the, like, gaps of time and when I go, and stuff like that. (59:42) And it just I don't know, man.
Scott Benner (59:44) Like, I listen back and I'm like, why do I sound smarter? (59:46) And then I remember because I did one smart thing. (59:49) I hired Rob at wrongwayrecording.com.
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