Kate Beaulieu was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 11 after two months of misdiagnoses. Now 20, the T1D advocate and founder of Sugardrop Sweetwear Co. joins Jack and Kevin to share how she learned to live openly and independently with the condition.

Kate takes us from competitive dance and school stigma to diabetes camp, moving away for university, navigating parties and alcohol, advocating for herself at work, and finding friends who genuinely understand. The conversation also explores the invisible work of T1D parents, diabetes burnout, the power of community, and why Kate now sees diabetes as a source of empathy, resilience, and purpose.

Follow Kate and Sugardrop:

Instagram: @sugardrop_co

TikTok: @sugardrop.co

Website: https://sugardrop.ca

Rare Humans explores how we learn to thrive with complex biology in today's world.

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Kate Beaulieu

02:20 Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 11

04:55 Returning to competitive dance

10:13 The invisible work of a T1D parent

12:02 Diabetes camp and finding community

16:30 Moving away for university

21:07 Independence and parental boundaries

24:48 Teaching friends how to help

25:33 Shame, visibility, and owning diabetes

28:59 A frightening experience with alcohol

31:42 Alcohol, sleep, and overnight lows

35:51 Finding the right friends

36:30 Advocating for yourself at work

38:17 Why failure can be a privilege

43:39 Diabetes as a superpower

45:05 The power of community and Sugardrop

45:59 Trusting yourself with blood sugar

Meet Betsy, a candid and deeply human voice in the diabetes community.

In this episode of Rare Humans, Betsy joins Jack and Kevin for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really means to live with diabetes. They talk about why well-meaning advice can miss the mark, why treatment is never one size fits all, and how diabetes technology has transformed daily management.

Betsy also explores the power of representation, from Barbie wearing diabetes technology to young diabetic models proudly owning the runway. The conversation turns to insulin access, the invisible effort behind daily care, and the advocates and friends who make the diabetes community feel less isolating.

Above all, this episode is a reminder to ask instead of assume, stay curious about other people's experiences, and find the people who make you feel understood.

In this episode:

- Why diabetes is never one size fits all

- The limits of unsolicited advice

- How CGMs and pumps changed diabetes management

- Why insulin access is a basic human right

- Representation in toys, fashion, and media

- The hidden mental and physical load of daily care

- How to find your diabetes community

Registered dietitian Ali Chernoff joins Jack and Kevin to unpack the gut-body connection—and why what we eat can affect far more than digestion.

They discuss the microbiome, inflammation, insulin resistance, food quality in North America, organic vs. conventional produce, dairy, alcohol, coffee, refined sugar, ultra-processed foods, food allergies, autoimmune conditions, and supplement quality. Ali also gives listeners a practical seven-day challenge: track the variety of high-fiber plant foods you eat in a week.

Ali Chernoff, RD, is the founder of Nutrition At Its Best and works across private nutrition counselling, sports nutrition, and women’s health.

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Ali Chernoff

01:49 Food additives and the North American gut

04:17 Why food variety matters

05:47 The gut-body connection

15:20 Organic vs. conventional

20:19 Foods that may drive inflammation

24:17 What Ali eats and why she avoids restrictive diets

26:11 Food allergies and autoimmune conditions

30:42 Greens powders and supplement quality

34:19 Ali’s work in private practice, sports, and women’s health

36:41 The seven-day food-variety challenge

Rare Humans is a podcast about how to thrive with complex biology in today’s world.

Connect with Ali: https://nutritionatitsbest.com/