The Glucose Never Lies® Podcast

Suggest guests or get in contactHost: John Pemberton, RD Guest: Anjanee Kohli, RD MNutr2025 was a formative year for The Glucose Never Lies Podcast. Not because everything went smoothly — but because repeated exposure to real-world problems forced clearer models, sharper questions, and fewer illusions.In this year-in-review episode, John Pemberton is joined by Anjanee Kohli — diabetes specialist dietitian, creative lead, and co-director at Glucose Never Lies — for an honest audit of what the podcast set out to do, what it actually delivered, where their thinking evolved, and where uncertainty remains.Together, they revisit the core themes that kept resurfacing across episodes in 2025: insulin timing and dose over tactics, the liver’s central role, exercise variability, device and algorithm trade-offs, accessibility, and the gap between theoretical optimisation and lived experience with type 1 diabetes.This conversation is not a highlights reel. It’s a reflective pause — stripping ideas back to what survived contact with reality, and clarifying what Glucose Never Lies is deliberately carrying forward into 2026.Read the full episode page, explore linked episodes, resources, and references: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/episode-28-2025-in-review/What this episode coversWhy 2025 required a shift from tactics to principlesWhat repeated real-world patterns taught us about insulin, exercise, and devicesWhere technology helps — and where trade-offs remain unavoidableEpisodes and resources worth revisiting depending on your current challengeWhat changed our minds, and what we’re still uncertain aboutWhat Glucose Never Lies is committing to — and leaving behind — in 2026The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design We do not accept sponsorships, advertising, affiliate partnerships, or commercial influence. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners like you who value independence. So, consider:Buying the GNL a Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2 Enquiries For collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected] For creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected] Follow The Glucose Never Lies® Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn — John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/ X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies Disclaimer This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. © The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved.

Suggest guests or get in contactHost: John Pemberton, RDGuests: Roger Moore & Robin LucciantonioRoger has lived with type 1 diabetes since age two and has been totally blind for more than 35 years. While automated insulin delivery (AID) has transformed safety and glucose stability for many people with type 1 diabetes, most systems remain inaccessible without sight.In this Inspiring Stories episode of The Glucose Never Lies Podcast, John Pemberton speaks with Roger Moore and diabetes educator Robin Lucciantonio about how they refused to accept that limitation. Using the open-source Loop system with iPhone VoiceOver, a careful stepwise rollout (simulator → saline → insulin), and a handcrafted tactile pod-filling station, Roger achieved full autonomy with AID.This conversation isn’t about technology alone. It’s about accessibility as a safety requirement, not a convenience feature — and what becomes possible when clinicians stay open-minded and systems are built around real people rather than default users.Read the full episode page and see the setup: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/looping-blind/What this episode coversLiving with type 1 diabetes without visual feedbackWhy most commercial AID systems are inaccessible without sightUsing Loop and VoiceOver for non-visual insulin deliverySimulator and saline trials to reduce risk before going liveDesigning a tactile pod-filling station for safe, repeatable insulin deliveryOutcomes that matter: reduced hypoglycaemia, autonomy, and dignityDisclaimer This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It does not create a therapeutic relationship. DIY automated insulin delivery systems carry real risks and require appropriate training, oversight, and contingency planning.The Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design We do not accept sponsorships, advertising, affiliate partnerships, or commercial influence. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners like you who value independence. So, consider:Buying the GNL a Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2 Enquiries For collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected] For creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected] Follow The Glucose Never Lies® Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn — John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/ X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies Disclaimer This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. © The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved.

Suggest guests or get in contactHost: John Pemberton, RD Guest: Diabetes with Milly (Milly)Episode page: Detailed show notesIn this episode, Milly joins John to explore how real community forms when people with type 1 diabetes feel safe enough to be vulnerable. Diagnosed during lockdown and thrown into DKA in the final year of her biology degree, Milly rebuilt her life through movement, self-experimenting with strength training, discovering yoga, and eventually travelling alone to India for formal practice in breathwork, mindset and nervous-system regulation.What began as a personal diary on Instagram became Diabetes with Milly — a space where 10,000+ people find honesty, humour and connection, and where the Glucose Gals WhatsApp community now supports hundreds of women navigating type 1 diabetes, menstrual cycles, trauma echoes, and real-life blood glucose chaos.This conversation sits firmly “Beyond the Numbers”: the human reality of diagnosis, burnout, highs that trigger old trauma, rebuilding confidence, and how movement and mindfulness can reshape the emotional experience of living with the condition.Your community is not optional — it is protective infrastructure.What This Episode CoversDiagnosis in lockdown: DKA, isolation, and learning to manage T1D without real-world supportSport to strength training: using exercise as both therapy and educationYoga, India, breathwork and regulating the panic response during hyposTrauma memory: why highs can trigger the emotional weight of diagnosisBuilding an online presence through vulnerability, not perfectionCreating the Glucose Gals WhatsApp community (250+ women)Women’s health, menstrual cycles and why female physiology in T1D is so understudiedMilly’s plans for a new master’s → PhD in women’s exercise physiologyThe future: UK meet-ups, movement spaces, and combining strength + yoga for holistic T1D supportKey InsightsVulnerability builds community. People don’t gather around perfect numbers — they gather around honesty.Movement changes glucose, but also mindset. Strength training, yoga and breathwork each shape the physiological and emotional responsThe Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design We do not accept sponsorships, advertising, affiliate partnerships, or commercial influence. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners like you who value independence. So, consider:Buying the GNL a Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2 Enquiries For collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected] For creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected] Follow The Glucose Never Lies® Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn — John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/ X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies Disclaimer This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. © The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved.

Suggest guests or get in contactIn this episode, John Pemberton and Dr Dessi Zaharieva open a transparent, evidence-based conversation about alcohol, nightlife, festivals, hypos, and harm-reduction for people living with Type 1 Diabetes.Full episode page FAQ: Alcohol & Type 1 DiabetesAlcohol suppresses hepatic glucose output, disrupts REM sleep, increases overnight hypo risk, and affects metabolism differently across single-night and multi-day events. This episode walks through the mechanisms, the patterns, and the practical adjustments that help people stay safer.What we cover: • Alcohol’s effects on the liver and glucose release • Why glucagon often fails • Why memory disappears after drinking • Night-one vs multi-night physiology • Basal adjustments, Activity Mode, manual mode and MDI • Festival strategies and hypo prevention • How parents and clinicians can talk about alcohol without shameThe Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design We do not accept sponsorships, advertising, affiliate partnerships, or commercial influence. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners like you who value independence. So, consider:Buying the GNL a Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2 Enquiries For collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected] For creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected] Follow The Glucose Never Lies® Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn — John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/ X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies Disclaimer This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. © The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved.

Suggest guests or get in contactHost: John Pemberton, RDGuest: Dr Laurel Messer, PhD, RN Epidose page - Detailed show notesEpisode FAQ - Dr Messer answers the FAQ's (free Downlaod)In this episode, Dr Laurel Messer joins John to break down the real science behind skin integrity, sensor performance, and the hidden link between skincare and safer automation. Drawing on leading research from the Barbara Davis Center, the Panther Program, and international AID consensus work, this conversation reframes device wear as both a biological and behavioural skillset.  Your skin is not decoration — it is life-critical infrastructure.What This Episode Covers Why device-related skin issues are common, predictable, and preventableMechanical vs chemical irritation, and how to distinguish both from allergic dermatitisThe “Soap–Water–Dry → Rotate → Low & Slow” skin-protection frameworkWhy skin damage leads to noisy CGM data and poor insulin absorptionHow to prepare skin for CGM and pump wear in children, teens, and adultsPractical barrier strategies: wipes, films, and hydrocolloidsUnderstanding Control-IQ: why the correction factor is the SUPERPOWERTime-block insulin tuning for evening surges, alcohol, illness, and real-lifeThe future of Tandem: Control-IQ+, Mobi, patch options, & Libre 3+ Key Insights Skincare is diabetes care. Healthy skin leads to better signal quality, fewer dropouts, more predictable insulin delivery, and improved algorithm stability. Rotation must be broader than most people think. Use 6–10 zones and give each at least a week off. Children need even more structure due to limited real estate. Removal is where most damage occurs. Dr Messer emphasises a wound-care approach: oil-based loosening, supporting the skin, and folding adhesives back on themselves — never pulling upward. Allergy and irritation are not the same problem. Irritation improves with barriers and technique; allergy is reproducible, blistering, intensely itchy, and requires dermatology support and sometimes device change. Control-IQ’s performance hinge is the correction factor. Across 20,000+ users, strengtheThe Glucose Never Lies® is independent by design We do not accept sponsorships, advertising, affiliate partnerships, or commercial influence. We operate via education grants and donations from listeners like you who value independence. So, consider:Buying the GNL a Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jspfree2 Enquiries For collaboration: John Pemberton — [email protected] For creatives: Anjanee Kohli — [email protected] Follow The Glucose Never Lies® Website: https://theglucoseneverlies.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theglucoseneverlies LinkedIn — John Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pemberton-587104361/ X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlucoseNLies Disclaimer This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. © The Glucose Never Lies Ltd. All rights reserved.