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In this episode of Reclaim Your Rise, Lauren sits down with Kelsey Lynn Stokes and Francesca Spinello, co-founders of Calycanthus Lingerie, a company creating feminine, functional insulin pump holders for women who wear tubed pumps.
Kelsey’s story with Risely started years before Calycanthus existed. After living with T1D since age 13, she came to Risely at one of her lowest points with diabetes. Through 1:1 coaching, she brought her A1C from 8.1% to 6.3% and began changing her relationship with T1D.
Now, she’s taking an insecurity she remembers having as a 22-year-old woman starting on an insulin pump and turning it into something that gives other women more choice in how they dress, date, celebrate, and express themselves.
Plus, Kelsey takes us behind the scenes of her career in film and television as a script supervisor, and how living with T1D has given her a unique perspective on diabetes representation on screen.
WHAT WE COVER:
- How Kelsey went from an 8.1 A1C and nearly in tears asking for help to a 6.3 and building a company for the T1D community
- The heartbreaking question Kelsey asked the night before getting her first insulin pump at 22
- How losing a dress on a train in Italy eventually led to a patented product for women with T1D
- Why Kelsey once wondered, “Who’s going to love me if I have this on?” and the emotional side of wearing an insulin pump while dating and being intimate
- The difference between hiding your diabetes and simply not wanting it to be the first thing people see
- What TV gets painfully wrong about T1D, from someone who works behind the scenes
- Why Kelsey says her 13-year-old self would have been “less scared” if she could see her life now
CONNECT WITH KELSEY + CALYCANTHUS:
Kelsey Lynn Stokes(founder): @thewanderingdiabetic
Calicanthus Lingerie: @calycanthuslingerie
WHAT’S NEXT:
💻Apply for coaching and talk to our team so you can reclaim the life you deserve with T1D.
🛒Use code RiselyHealth15 for 15% off discount at Lakanto!
📧Join thousands of T1Ds reading our newsletter every Tuesday: T1D tips and encouragement, straight to your inbox.
Stay connected with us:
Email us at: hello@riseyhealth.com
IG: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
TikTok: @lauren_bongiorno | @riselyhealth
YT: Reclaim Your Rise
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If Kelsey’s story made you want to stop letting T1D call the shots, subscribe and leave a review so more people living with T1D can find it.
