I didn’t exactly go into my interview with Stacey Simms brimming with confidence. There’s so much I could have talked about, living with diabetes, being a diabetes educator, parenting a child with diabetes, etc. My head was full of stories, stats, and the occasional attempt at humor. Rehearsing how to sound spontaneous never works the way you hope.
But the thing about being interviewed on a diabetes podcast like Diabetes Connections is that Stacey gets it, not just professionally, but personally. She’s lived it, seen it, and probably has a flashlight story or two about middle-of-the-night blood sugar checks.
When I joined her podcast, it didn’t feel like an interview. It felt like chatting with a friend who happened to be recording, and also happened to be one of the most trusted voices in the diabetes community. I wasn’t sure if we’d end up talking about my work, sticky adhesives, or the fine art of arguing with insurance companies. Either way, Stacey made it easy.
Stacey Simms: A Trusted Voice in the Diabetes Podcast Community
If you haven’t yet discovered Diabetes Connections (and if not, I’d suggest fixing that immediately), Stacey launched the show back in 2015, long before podcasts were a daily habit. At the time, there were only a handful of diabetes podcasts out there. Stacey was ahead of the curve, creating a space for smart, real, and hopeful stories about life with diabetes.
She wasn’t new to broadcasting either. Stacey spent years as a journalist and radio host, and it shows. Her episodes are professional without being overproduced, the kind you can listen to while driving, cooking, or changing a pump site without missing a beat.
What really sets her apart is her intentionality. She built Diabetes Connections as more than a podcast. It’s a gathering place, a safe corner of the diabetes world where people can share experiences without judgment.
The Power of Sharing Diabetes Stories
Before our interview, Stacey asked if we could talk about fear, about the feelings I had prior to Owen getting diagnosed, and those now that I’m parenting a child with diabetes, and two without diabetes. I wasn’t sure I was ready to put all that into words.
But that’s Stacey’s gift. She creates space where you end up saying things you didn’t know you needed to say. Her questions are thoughtful, sometimes quietly disarming in the best way. She’s interviewed everyone from device company CEOs to parents still figuring out “glucagon,” but she gives each guest the same attention and care.
Her podcast cuts through the noise. The online diabetes space can be loud — like a group text that never ends. Stacey listens first, speaks second, and makes every listener feel like the conversation is just for them.
Being a Guest on a Diabetes Podcast
I’ll admit it, I overprepared for the show. I had notes, statistics, and maybe even a “clever line” or two (well, clever for me). Within minutes of talking with Stacey, I abandoned all of it. Not because I forgot, but because the conversation felt so natural, like swapping stories in the exhibit hall at a diabetes conference.
Her questions made me think, laugh, and reflect in real time. It wasn’t about sound bites or perfectly polished answers. It was about being real. By the end, I understood what so many of her guests say: Stacey has a way of making you forget the mic is even there.
A Well-Earned Thank You to Stacey Simms
Nearly a decade in, Diabetes Connections has become more than a diabetes podcast. It’s a living archive of our collective story, the breakthroughs, debates, and daily moments that define life with diabetes today.
What Stacey does might sound simple; she talks with people about diabetes, but the effect is anything but that. Storytelling is how our community remembers who we are and why we keep showing up. For parents of kids with diabetes, it offers hope grounded in reality. For those newly diagnosed, it offers guidance. For longtime advocates, perspective.
It’s easy to underestimate how much work goes into doing what Stacey does: preparing, recording, editing, promoting, and doing it all with consistency and care. She makes it sound effortless, but it’s the product of real dedication.
So consider this a small thank you, Stacey. Not just for having me on the show, but for creating something that continues to connect, inform, and inspire the diabetes community.
If diabetes is a lifelong learning curve, Stacey Simms is one of the guides who helps make the climb a little easier — and a lot more fun along the way.
To hear my story, click here.
To go directly to Diabetes Connections, click here.