Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (00:01.366)
Okay, so the year's wrapping up and I have been doing a ton of reflecting. This past year has been a year. It's been a big one. And if I'm honest, there's many lessons, but there's one that really changed everything for me this year. One thing that shifted how I manage diabetes, how I show up for my clients and how I live my life. And so today, if you're okay with it, I'm gonna get personal. I'm gonna share what that lesson was, how I learned it, sometimes the hard way.
and how you can apply this going into 2026. So here's the thing, by the way, I didn't just teach this stuff, I lived it, okay? So every single day, I think it's important that I'm speaking from what I actually know instead of what I think I know. So here's what 2025 looked like for me, just so you know. This year was the biggest, most expansive, wonderful year I think I've ever had.
I am so privileged and fortunate and to get to express my gratitude is the very least I can do. If you've been listening, thank you. If you are new, thank you. I'm glad to have you here and I am so excited for all that's to come. But in this past year, first of all, my diabetes became a teenager. That happened a few weeks ago, if you're watching nowadays. But I finally have 13 years of type 1 diabetes. We'll see if my diabetes gets sassy. I don't know. I hope not. But...
I was diagnosed when I was 14, so I'm really hoping that it doesn't get too sassy, but I know I was sassy back in the day, so we'll see what happens over this next year. Number two, I launched a book. That's pretty cool. Here it is. In case you don't have one, I'll make sure you have a free copy. Link is down below. It is meant to help people with their mindset, their understanding of diabetes, their, I guess, literally how we think about diabetes and how people think we should think about diabetes. There's some of my stories and stuff in there too, but like,
If you don't already have this book, please download a free copy. Link is below. It has been one of the biggest works I've done this year. And then in the back is a lot of diabetes education. So if you need help with your blood sugar or making things make sense, it's in there for you for free. Link below. If you want to buy a copy, can too. It's on Amazon. People have been asking me that a lot. I'm sorry I don't say it that much. I just believe diabetes education should be accessible. So that's why it's free.
Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (02:24.514)
Number three, I have worked with so many incredible clients. Over the past few years, I've worked with hundreds, but especially this year, I mean, it has just been even better than ever, and I'm excited to carry that energy into this next year. Also traveled and spoke at tons of events. I should have done my Spotify wrapped for my travel, but I was on flights every month except for one or two, I think. I travel usually one to two weeks out of
most months, sometimes more than that. And I think it's really, it's quite a privilege to get to do in general, but to feel that confidence with diabetes is something I never thought I would have. So I got to travel, some of it was fun, personal. One of my best friends got married, one of my other best friends got married, got to pick out a dress, did some matchless parties, that was cool.
Got to see my family and friends for things, went to several conferences, had several speaking opportunities. If you don't already know, I have a podcast I like to talk, okay? And so getting to go to those speaking events was incredible. One to highlight was TCOYD's one conference in San Diego, which was just, that was a dream of mine for the last decade. So to get to have done that this year was, I don't know, it was just so.
incredible. That group of people is wonderful. If you don't already know them, check them out. I'll link it below. Also, hello, we started a podcast and have grown a community. The Instagram, the podcast, the YouTube, they're all kind of connected, but it has been growing and I've been so grateful for that. Those are all of the things that I think like the really big highlights. Those are the really big highlights. And that sounds great, right?
It was like diabetes multiple diabetes camps and having diabetes for my diapersary Celebrating World Diabetes Day like this year was so diabetes and that is totally a bragging point. It was great And it sounds great, but it wasn't all just highlight reels social media is a highlight reel So you should know that and I try to share some of the real real But like yesterday had to replace the battery in the truck which stranded in the cold for a little while
Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (04:40.973)
My CGM stopped working twice yesterday, right? Like things happen still and I post about those too. I also experienced a lot of burnout this year. Like yeah, I'm, you know, I'm a professional diabetic. I actually have a diabetes coach myself because I think everyone should have support and people always ask me, they're like, oh, well why? And I'm like, well, it's like through my endocrinologist, they have a program, which is wonderful. I have, I'm so lucky to be a part of this group, but.
the girlies that always call me on the phone, you they have my personal information. They're like, we see that you do type one diabetes education. Why do you do this? I'm like, look, I take care of so many people I want to be taken care of too. And that's great. Okay. So that's something that I, it's a burnout piece, but it's also something that helped me learn like, it's okay to ask for help. And if you feel embarrassed about it, keep asking yourself why until you get to the root cause. And usually it's
Really not that embarrassing. Again, I'm a professional diabetic and I still have diabetes support. It's okay. I also had days where my blood sugar made literally zero sense. Now, let me say too, I think sometimes there's things that are out of our control and some things that are in our control. There were definitely days that were in my control where I was just not making the greatest choices. Okay, I try to practice what I preach, but you know, I'm a human too. I get lazy, I forgetful, things happen, that's okay.
but my blood sugar wasn't always making sense. I had highs, okay? I was in the 100s, 200s, 300s, 400s, it happens, okay? The 400s happened once. I'm grateful to say that because one, it helped me remember all of the things that I feel when I'm that high and I do not like it. Number two, I was able to refresh my super high blood sugar strategy and that actually helped two people. So I guess maybe this is a lesson.
There's a lot of blessings in disguise if you may not see them immediately, but they will come. So yes, I had a 400 blood sugar, but I was also able to help people and gain some more perspective for myself. I'd call it a win. It was maybe not the best, but it was a win. I also felt incredibly overwhelmed trying to do it all. I'm running a business. I wrote a book. I started a podcast. What the freaking heck? People always ask me, how do you do it all? I don't know. I'm just some girl. I'm just, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm doing it. But if that's not a lesson, you can do it too.
Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (07:04.435)
You can do it too, whatever it is. We can't do everything, but whatever it is you want, you can do. Also questioning, I was questioning it a lot myself and what I do and what I want, all these things. I have a wonderful life, right? But I think because I have a wonderful life, I get to ask these questions. And that's a cool privilege I didn't realize too. Sometimes when I'm spiraling in my head, I have to remind myself, Maddie, it's because you have the space for this. What?
I used to not have the space for this. Of course I didn't use this better at all, right? Of course I didn't have these thoughts. So perspective, take notes. I tell you this not because I'm not on a pedestal, right? Hopefully you've seen quite a few of my flaws throughout this conversation so far and some of the wins, but I'm a professional diabetic, but I'm also an imperfect human and diabetes is imperfect and that's okay. This disease does not care about your credentials no matter how many.
years and experience you have, it humbles all of us, I believe. okay, so that's a lot about my year, but You're here for a reason, right? You want to know the one thing that changed everything. And here is that lesson. Number one, the lesson is you have permission. And number two, it's progress over perfection, right? It's not just a cute little phase. It is a survival strategy. And I know you've heard it before. If you've read this, you've heard it before, but
Hear me out for just a sec. This year I taught myself that falling into the perfection trap, getting frustrated when my CGM wasn't, or sorry, when my blood sugar wasn't showing up well on my CGM, when I felt like a fraud, when I had a bad diabetes day, when I pushed myself to do more instead of doing what was sustainable, I'm gonna say that again, pushing myself to do more instead of what was sustainable. Fill your plate, don't overfill it, okay? But I remember,
what I tell my clients all the time. Like, you are not failing, you're learning, and your learning is not linear, okay? Just like blood sugar, your learning is gonna do that too. Learning is a roller coaster. So, pretty much like the biggest lesson that I learned was to stop expecting myself to be perfect and to start celebrating when I was better. What do mean? When I was better than yesterday. When I was better than last month. When I was better than where I started, right? That's it. That's the whole thing.
Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (09:29.075)
And when I let go of that perfection, which is hard, I'm totally a type A tryhard, okay, you guys? Like, I have these big ideas, big feelings, and I love doing what I do, and I wanna do it well, but nothing's perfect. So when you let go of perfection, when I did, I actually got better results. It wasn't perfect, and I think that my stress went down, my blood sugar, I held my blood sugar, because when I stress, my blood sugar's out of whack. I enjoyed my life more, and...
Yes, I've made mistakes. I definitely made mistakes. can think of so many in my head, but it's kind of funny how it actually turned into the best year I've ever had, right? So what do I see when this comes to my clients? I see this pattern everywhere, right? So a client will come to me, which I'm very fortunate. My clients are smart, motivated, trying hard, and maybe sometimes completely burned out, but it's because they're often chasing perfect.
or because they just haven't been given information, right? It's A1C, it's time and range, it's food choices, it's insulin strategy for exercise, it's everything. And when we don't hit it, because no one does anyways, but also we weren't taught, then we feel like failures. And so what I've helped clients with, which I'm very privileged to have done, is redefine success on your own terms. Break the rules, rewrite.
your story and your systems, okay? And celebrate your progress. It's not just about outcomes. It's not just about, you know, okay, I made a goal or I hit a goal check moving on. Like build systems that are sustainable and that you enjoy, not just things that are impressive, not just things that you're going to see on paper. And give yourself permission, please, if you haven't already, you're human, give yourself permission to be a human, right? My clients that thrive.
are not the ones who do everything perfectly. In fact, I don't think I have a client like that at all. They're the ones though who keep going, even when it's messy, even when it doesn't make sense, even when it's frustrating. We give ourselves kindness and rest in those moments too, but eventually we pick up and keep going. And that's the secret. It's really a mindset piece. So how do we apply this, right? What do we do with this information going into the new year? What do you actually do with this?
Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (11:49.206)
Number one, think redefine what success means and looks like to you. Not what your endo says, not what Instagram says, not what your A1C says, because all of those things can give you a little warped perspective, but what does success feel like in your body and in your life? Number two, celebrate small wins. Have you all seen the super cute thing that people were doing last year where they wrote their goals on champagne bottles and then like popped them whenever they hit the goals?
I'm not much of a drinker so I didn't do it, but I want to find something like that. So if you happen to have a strategy that would be kind of same, same, but different, please comment or like reach out to me somehow because I would love to know what a great alternative that feels just as special would be. But celebrate. Like, did you remember to, I don't know, did you remember to pre-bolis today? Maybe it's not a champagne bottle worthy, but like that's a win, right? Did you check your blood sugar before you got?
behind the driver's wheel, right, the steering wheel. That's a win. Did you not rage bolus when you rage and needed to bolus? Win. Did you ask for help or find a friend or get honest with yourself? Huge win. Write it down. Seriously, I didn't, that's something I used to not do. I didn't write things down and I wrote things down this year. Y'all, let me tell you, looking back on this year,
I did so much more than I realized and I also did the things that I said I was gonna do. How cool is that? And how did I know? Because they were written down. Your brain needs evidence, okay? Like you can't just remember all the things in your head. I have so many goals this year. This is actually, this next year I've decided it's gonna be the biggest year ever. And I'm not gonna remember that by myself and I don't trust myself too anyways. Write it down, okay? Number three, I think. Are we on number three? Stop comparing your chapter three to someone else's chapter 20.
so to speak, right, give or take. But everyone's diabetes journey, everyone's life journey, so different. Different bodies, different lives, different challenges, different backgrounds, right? Even if someone has had diabetes for the exact same amount of time as you, that could be a very different thing. Comparison, I think in diabetes in general, it's apples and oranges. The only comparison that matters, which we shouldn't even compare, but it's you yesterday to you today.
Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (14:12.683)
Okay, that's it. Not last week to this week, not last month to this month, not last year to this year, unless it's positive. If it's a positive thing, then like, yeah, give yourself a pat on the back. I know this year, Maddie is very impressed compared to last year, Maddie. But we also, if last year was a better year than this year, you know what? You survived. Do not use comparison to be the thief of joy, okay? Number four, number four, right? Okay, yeah, you guys are with me, right? Get that support. This one is huge. Find your people.
You need people who get it, who won't judge you, who celebrate your progress, who call you with love, who call you out when you're being too hard on yourself with kindness, all the things. progress over perfection, it sounds simple, but living with it takes practice. And sometimes having someone in your corner reminding you makes a huge difference. When I think about my circle this past year, I think of, well, first of all, my sister-in-law, Chloe.
One of my best friends, if you're listening, I love you. She has helped me to be one of the best versions of myself. And even without meaning to, I give her more credit than I think she would probably give herself for the impact she's had in my life. But find your Chloe, okay? And I have diabuddies, right? I have in-person diabuddies, so cool. I didn't have that my entire life, 13 years with diabetes. I didn't have that until last year when I started volunteering at diabetes camps. I've only been doing this for two years, okay? It's not been that long.
the volunteering part, but now I have these wonderful diabuddies who show up for me, who support me, who give me kindness, who help me without judging me in ways I've never experienced. Y'all, I'm a professional diabetic and diabetes camp changed my life. How cool is that? I know that's a last year thing, but find your people, okay? So ask yourself too, what do you want for yourself in 2026 and what are you going for in the next year?
I want you to stop beating yourself up. I want you to start celebrating how far you've come. I want you to find people who support you. I want you to ask for help when you need it. Live your life first and manage diabetes second, okay? In a podcast that you may also be able to see, I heard this quote from Dr. Deave and it was wonderful. An incredible man who has been in diabetes education and support for so many years.
Madi Cheever MPH RD LDN CHES (16:38.613)
a former president of the ADA, just the coolest, such a sweet human being as well. And he said, live with diabetes. We're not living for diabetes, we're living with it. Take that and run with it, okay? It gave me goosebumps, it still does, I love it. Learn and live by it. And if you need help getting there, that's literally what so many of us do, myself included, okay? Now,
I know I've already told you several things. I've got a book, I've got a podcast, I've got a blog, I've got free resources online, I've got some paid resources too. If you need community, if you need a group, if you need one-on-ones, I got you and I want you to be supported in the way that makes sense for you. And I can't decide that for you though. You have to decide that for you. And if I'm a person that is meant to help you, heck yeah, let's make it happen. If I'm not though,
I hope that this has been so helpful. I hope this has been supportive. I hope I can continue to be a part of your journey, but find the people who are going to help you. Find the people that align. Find the people that make sense to you. Okay, quick recap, and then I will set you free. Number one, progress over perfection. Rewrite the rules. This isn't about lowering our standards. It's about raising our compassion for ourselves, okay? For ourselves, for yourself, your body, your journey.
It's okay. You're doing hard things every day and harder things than most people will ever understand. So give yourself credit for that, okay? And I think this past year taught me that lesson and I'm carrying it into this next year with everything that I've got. And I hope you will too. And if this episode resonated, I know I talk fast and I know I say a lot of things. Hopefully this was helpful.
If it was though, share it with someone who needs to hear it. This is type one focus, but it doesn't have to just be for someone with type one. If you wanna keep the conversation going to find me on Instagram, email me something, let's finish the year and start the next one strong together. And for now, that's all I've got for you. So I hope you have a wonderful rest of or start to your year depending on when you listen to this and I will see you again next time.
