We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Larson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, how do you think about risk?
Risk seems to be the route I typically take. I think about risk not so much as the word ‘risk’ but as a trial. Something I am willing to attempt and if that attempt does not work, I will need to try again or find another way. In my life, risk has always been there. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on October 31st, 2000, at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and this has played a huge part in my life which and what sparked ‘Trials on the Trail.’ Trials on the Trails mission is to empower more people, especially those living with Type 1 Diabetes, to step confidently into the outdoors. When I was diagnosed there became another aspect of management and risk taking-, or as I would call it ‘trialing’, to see what works best and what does not.

*Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body can no longer produce insulin. Insulin helps get fuel into cells to be used for energy. Those living with Type 1 Diabetes must manually take insulin, calculate how much to give, and take in many other factors into consideration when caring for themselves.
There is no cure for Type 1 Diabetes.
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/what-is-type-1-diabetes.html

The most evident role risk has played for me in my career started in college. I picked a classic healthcare major to start. Once the year was halfway over, I remained curious of what other careers in healthcare may encompass more community and behavioral health. This is when I found public health. At the time, public health was still a newer concept as a major and switched both schools and careers. As I dove into the classes I began taking, I could see the impact of quality of life and how, for me, this related to being in the outdoors.

Growing up I always found myself wanting to be outdoors. Whether that was climbing out on my roof to journal to finding a quiet spot on the agricultural part of my universities campus to string a hammock and do homework in between classes. Outdoors has always been where I love to be.

Outdoors- I spend most, if not all my time, outside. I came to Colorado for a job (which I blindly emailed a clinic and showed up with suitcases not knowing a single soul here) and found myself in the outdoors. I started snowshoeing, backpacking, hiking, and trail running because they did not require much more than a car and basic gear. Coming from Ohio, from a family who took us camping and outdoors as much as possible, I was not exposed to many of the more mountainous sports such as mountain biking, climbing, and skiing. Yet, I knew I wanted to get to these activities one day. Starting in the late fall of 2019 to spring of 2020 I learned – with the help of many others- how to mountain bike, rock climb, and ski all in a matter of months from one another.

Learning all these activities taught me to not compare myself to anyone else. Focusing in on the task at hand and not anything else around me allowed me to see how I responded to different situations I was not comfortable in at first. Showing that you can grow into new mindsets and activities always if you are willing to take the risk.

This also translated to my type 1 diabetes management. I was giving more space and time to learn and giving myself the ability to trial- in essence, to take risks. I went in knowing I would not get it right the first, or second, or even third time but knew I would learn something each time along the way. There are still times which are more difficult than others, like living with Type 1 Diabetes, though each step counts. Often, when diagnosed, there becomes a stigma or feeling of fault in the beginning. There is nothing you or anyone else did wrong. Then, there can be the feeling of having to know it all at once when it is a constant process. Feelings of ‘should have done this’ or ‘should have done that’ all tie into how hard we are on ourselves.
Every time a decision of made for your Type 1 Diabetes management it often feels like a risk. Will it work how you want it to or not? How did you experience it last time? How do you want to experience it differently this time? These questions stem off the risks you have taken with it before and the result. There are many different trials we all go through in life depending on the trail we are on at any given time.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Lived experience backed by education. Currently living with T1D for 22 years and feeling stronger every year. I am most proud that I have spent years of time into seeing multiple sectors of the diabetes world and different agencies. Working in these different sectors, I have been able to gain a wider and deeper perspective on diabetes care and management. There will always be more to see and learn as this journey progresses. Though I am most excited to see people’s overall health changing for the better. Reaching a place that they define as their healthiest and happiest.
Which has led to starting Trials on the Trail.
Trials on the Trail is meant of all living with type 1 diabetes to become confident in the outdoor space. The outdoors can be anything from the local park to the top of a mountain.
Having type 1 diabetes always made prepping and packing for outdoor adventures a bit more complex and my packs heavier yet, I choose to see this on how to be prepared for any situation. When I started, I focused and found a lot of resources on how to become more skilled in these sports. What didn’t I find? There never seemed to be any accessible information on how to prepare or do these kinds of activities in the outdoors with Type 1 Diabetes. So, I decided I should show my trials on the trails process. Being the person, I needed when I started recreating more in the outdoors.

This has all impacted me by creating a deep feeling of community, what it means to lead, give back, teach by example, and want to become the healthiest & happiest version of myself. I want these aspects to reflect in ‘Trials on the Trail’. There are many different trials we all go through in life depending on the trail we are on at any given time.

My entire career thus far has been dedicated to working in Type 1 Diabetes. First, in one of the nation’s largest clinics dedicated to Type 1 Diabetes and then scaling up to the nation’s largest national association. I have worked in a clinic with clinical research for continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps to in the clinic starting a patient navigation program. I was also involved in a multitude of program coordination and education. I then grew to re-starting national health care and community programs.

What continued to be the #1 barrier to patients’ care? Education. Though the current health care system gives the education they can with the time constraints placed, there needs to be more tailored approaches care. There is a gap in care for those living with Type 1 Diabetes. Life transitions and interruptions will cause a high stressor (positive or negative) and there needs to be additional support from the medical providers during these times by trained professionals such as health coaches. I believe in touch points and refreshed education at integral life phases, transitions. Most of the time, it can take months to get in to see a physician. Seeing coaches in between appointments can give those real-life problem-solving techniques and guidance. Coaches bring a larger picture to health. Type 1 Diabetes is a condition which is lived outside of the four walls of a hospital or clinic. It is lived in the outdoors, in the home, and every other place the person is at in every given time. There must be support in those realms. I am passionate about giving that support.

Lessons learned along the way; be your own advocate. Know that people will say no and that is okay! What is important is to find the ones which believe in you. Stick to your ethics and values, you know what is right and wrong. If you go with right, even if it is painful at first, the intention will always come through.

What I want the world to know: there are choices. You can have ethical choices that are yours that fit the resources you have access to and your vision for your personal health.
If you are living or caretaking for someone with Type 1 Diabetes or any chronic condition, you are doing a lot. You are taking on life learning curves with additional learning curves for each new endeavor you trial. See these situations as just that, a trial. If you keep trialing, you will get to the place you want to be at and even greater as you go. You can and will get to a place where your experiences are front and center, not type 1 diabetes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Anywhere in the mountains! I love watching family and friends’ faces change when we start making the drive out of the foothills into the mountains. I would ask what is most important to them and go from there. Colorado has such vast terrain and many options for any kind of trip you want it to be.
Some of my personal favorite trails are in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
More local everyday activities would include; paddleboard at Evergreen Lake and getting coffee from Muddy Buck Cafe.
Swing by Golden to float on the river and enjoy a mountain bike ride followed by the Miners Saloon.
Have a bonfire at our home (*depending on fire bans*) with our best friends here. My husband and I are fortunate to have some of the best support systems because of our friends and core group. They are the most exciting people to me here in Colorado.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Nels Larson; the love of my life and the person who has and continues to teach me to trust the process, go easier on myself, and go after my dreams. It is hard to put into words what Nels has done for me. He has allowed me to trial again, again, and again. Each time with the ability to let me know I never failed, I simply learned something. He keeps me calm when I feel I am in a storm. He has been my top emotional support and biggest cheerleader. He has learned about type 1 diabetes in a way I never knew was possible and never makes me feel alone.

Nels is the most selfless and humble human. It would be most appropriate to do his shout-out from the top of a mountain 

Lissie Poyner – Needles & Spoons Health; catalyst in getting Trials on the Trail started! Lissie is the head coach and founder of Needles & Spoons. She has started an incredible and ethical coaching certification, which is recognized by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching, to ensure the coaching industry can be a trustworthy space. Lissie gave me the trust and tools to start ‘Trials on the Trail’. Working in highly regulated industries, I wanted to ensure coaching is something that would also be held accountable to a standard when working with others. Lissie has created this space and accountability. She encourages you in a way in which fits your energy, passion, and ability. Thanks to Lissie Poyner- Needles & Spoons Health ‘Trials on the Trail’ took off.

Website: trialsonthetrail.com

Instagram: @trialsonthetrail_

Image Credits
I have taken or own the right to all photos @katie.thiv and/or @trialsonthetrail_

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