Just Talking Podcast

I’m joined this week by fellow diabetes advocate, Heather Gabel. We discuss Heather’s takeaways from Medtronic’s Diabetes Advocates Forum, her diabetes diagnosis and discovery of the diabetes community, as well as the evolution of her writing style on her diabetes blog. We also cover her work at the Diabetes Hands Foundation and something called Pug Life. Enjoy! Follow Heather on Twitter @HeatherGabel, her work at diabeteshandsfoundation.org, and her writing at unexpetedblues.com. Run Time - 55:46 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Ben Kuchera, Polygon’s Opinions Editor, is my guest this week. We discuss Ben’s family including the balance of work and five children, as well as finding a new appreciation for video games through his children’s experiences. We also cover his time at Penny Arcade and the expansion of his writing to topics beyond video games. Finally we cover Ben’s transition to Polygon and what we can expect in 2014. Enjoy! Follow Ben on Twitter @BenKuchera and his work at polygon.com. Run Time - 58:29 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign and releasing Episode 1 of Republique, Ryan Payton is my guest this week. We discuss the final hours of his team’s $500,000 Kickstarter, the development of Republique, and the reception to Episode 1. We also discuss the benefits of being featured on the App Store, dealing with development and distribution curveballs, and the notion of a gaming development legacy. Enjoy! Follow Ryan on Twitter @ryanpayton and be sure to check out Republique on the iTunes App Store. Run Time - 55:20 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Giant Bomb’s Patrick Klepek is back on the podcast this week talking about the adjustments he’s made now that he’s working from Chicago, his expanding role in producing video content for the site, the growth of the “Bombin’ the AM” and “Interview Dumptruck” podcasts, and we have a brief chat about the state of the current generation of consoles. Enjoy! Follow Patrick on Twitter @patrickkelpek and at giantbomb.com. Run Time - 39:30 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

This week I’m catching up with Parris Lilly, now of Gamertag Radio. We discuss the similarities in our moves to California and life in The Golden State. Parris also talks about the changes in his quality of life since he switched jobs. Finally, we discuss his “coming out of retirement” to join Gamertag Radio, impressions of the next generation of gaming consoles, and the possibilities of SteamOS. Enjoy! Run Time - 58:11 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

From the Westlake Village Four Seasons Hotel, a bunch of people with and associated with diabetes have gathered to discuss Medtronic's 2014 Diabetes Advocates Forum. We stay on topic for the most part, covering expectations and reactions to the first day of the gathering. We also tangent off into a bunch of random places, which isn't out of the ordinary for a group like this. Come for the laughter, stay for the Diet Coke and Twizzlers. Enjoy! Run Time - 53:20 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Hello faithful listeners. I moved to San Francisco last week. Dayle and I spend the next few minutes explaining what this means for us, and for you. I'll get back to a regular podcast next week. Here's to an exciting 2014! Run Time - 3:47 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Marc Washington joins me for the final podcast of 2013 to talk about Beyonce's latest album, life after coming out on my podcast, the next generation of consoles, new patient advocacy opportunities, and other year-end related topics. Thanks to all of you for listening and supporting this podcast. It's been a great year. Enjoy. You can follow Marc on Twitter at @King_Phoenix410. Run Time - 1:03:19 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Liza Bernstein, three-time breast cancer survivor and Medicine X ePatient Advisor is my guest this week. We discuss her bouts with breast cancer, why each diagnosis was an entirely unique experience, the value of online support groups, and the potential of offline support groups. We also discuss Liza's experiences with Medicine X, while not-so-subtly encouraging potential ePatient scholars to apply for the 2014 conference. Enjoy. You can follow Liza on Twitter at @itsthebunk and itsthebunk.blogspot.com. Run Time - 1:06:00 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Lindsey Wahowiak, Associate Editor for Diabetes Forecast, is my guest on the podcast this week. We cover Lindsey's entry into journalism, the growth within the journalism industry, and why (for now) she's comfortable writing instead of managing people. Lindsey also shares her reasons for writing about more sensitive topics for xojane.com, her work on Diabetes Forecast, and how she managed to get Lil' Jon to open up during an interview. Yes, I said Lil' Jon. Enjoy. You can follow Lindsey on Twitter at @lindseywoho for non-diabetes shenanigans, at @ADAMagLindsey for diabetes related shenanigans, and you can find her work at diabetesforecast.org. Run Time - 59:19 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

I welcome Stephen "Shanghai Six" Machuga, founder of Operation Supply Drop to the podcast this week. We discuss Stephen's initial motivations for joining the Army and he shares some of his experiences as an Airborne Ranger. We also cover his time as Editor in Chief at Sarcastic Gamer and the events that led to the forming of Front Towards Gamer. And, most importantly, we talk about the origins of Operation Supply Drop, its future, and the notion that video games can be a force for good. Enjoy. You can follow Stephen on Twitter at @ShanghaiSix and operationsupplydrop.org. Run Time - 1:01:16 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

C joins me this week to talk about her life as a Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietitian, how career has impacted her life with diabetes, and just as importantly how her career has not impacted her life with diabetes. We also talk about her dog's Facebook profile and why Des Moines is more than a fly-over city. Enjoy. Run Time - 38:43 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Diabetes blogger extraordinaire, Scott K. Johnson is back on the podcast this week. After spending some time catching up since his first podcast appearance over three years ago, we talk about his recent recognition and awards: the Friends for Life Award from Children With Diabetes, and the Athletic Achievement Award from Insulindepence. Scott shares the journeys that lead to each of those respective awards, life as a full-time blogger, and the excitement he gets out of working for MySugr. Enjoy. You can follow Scott on Twitter at @scottkjohnson and scottsdiabetes.com. Run Time - 54:20 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Dr. Ann Becker-Schutte is on the podcast this week to discuss her career as a Counseling Psychologist. We cover her education and volunteering experiences that helped guider her career path as well as early lessons learned from the early years of her private practice. We also discuss Medicine X and the importance of mental health with respect to patient advocacy. Enjoy. You can follow Ann on Twitter at @drbeckerschutte and drannbeckerschutte.com. Run Time - 1:00:10 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

This week I'm joined by the other half of UltraChenTV, David Graham. Naturally we talk about David's entry into the fighting game community, how he started commentating, and what goes in to preparing content for each episode of UltraChenTV. We also cover David's day job as an attorney at DGP Law, why he went to law school, and how his work as an attorney complements his work as a commentator. David also shares some predictions for the fighting game community as the video game industry prepares for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Enjoy. You can follow David on Twitter at @ultradavid, http://twitch.tv/ultrachentv and dpgatlaw.com. Run Time - 43:45 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

This week I'm joined by Thomas Lee, Managing Partner at The Fox Group and Partner at Symplur. We spend the hour discussing his decades of experience working in the health care industry, and what initially drew him to the work he's been doing for for past 22 years. We also discuss the origins of Symplur, and the growing health care conversations on social media. Finally we cover Medicine X, how Tom first heard about the conference, and the excitement that comes with monitoring the conversation in realtime. Enjoy. You can follow Tom on Twitter at @tmlfox. And for more information on Symplur, go to http://symplur.com and @symplur on Twitter. You can find the blog post we discussed at http://www.symplur.com/blog/medicine-x-patient-centric-conference/. Run Time - 55:06 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Mark Dunham and Andy Kutruff, co-founders of Reentry Games and developer of Little Legends are my guests this week. Andy and Mark have taken unique paths to game development. We discuss Mark's prior work on Wall Street and Andy's years at Microsoft before they decided to form an independent game studio. Andy elaborates on the underlying complexities of their game Little Legends. And I try to get Mark to commit to a release date on iOS and Android. Enjoy. For more information on Little Legends, go to reentrygames.com and check out the game on Kongregate. Run Time - 35:30 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Terri Wingham, Founder and Executive Director of the Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation is my guest this week. We discuss Terri's battle with breast cancer and her journey to understanding what it means to be a survivor. We also discuss Medicine X, why she applied to be a presenter, and she shares a memorable encounter from the conference. Most importantly, we discuss A Fresh Chapter, why Oprah unknowingly gets an assist for its origins, and what Terri has planned for the coming months. Enjoy. Follow Terri on Twitter at @terriwingham and @afreshchapter. And as mentioned, go to afreshchapter.com for more information on upcoming volunteer opportunities in Los Angeles and India. Run Time - 1:00:18 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

This week I'm joined by Drew Scanlon, Giant Bomb's Senior Video Producer. Drew shares stories from his time as a video game tester for Electronic Arts and some of the projects he contributed to at Backbone Entertainment. I try to wrap my head around the fact that Drew's career with Whiskey Media started with a Craigslist post. Drew describes the magic of a Giant Bomb live show. And I learn about the origins of Giant Bomb's Flight Club. Enjoy. Follow Drew on Twitter at @DrewScanlon and various Flight Club hijinks on giantbomb.com. And as mentioned, be sure to check out the Giant Bomb Extra Life team page for ways to contribute and participate in the 24-hour gaming marathon. Run Time - 1:07:12 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.

Recapping our time at Stanford for Medicine X, I'm joined by fellow diabetes advocate Sara Nicastro. We discuss Sara's expectations going into the conference and how they compare to my own having participated last year. Sara lists her some of her top panels and speakers from the weekend. I share the many contributing factors to my high stress level prior to moderating my panel. And we break down some of the controversial statements made by Sonny Vu and explain why a conference like Medicine X is the perfect place to have an open dialog about those types of topics. Oh, and we talk about cats. Enjoy. For more information about Medicine X, go to medicinex.stanford.edu. You can follow Sara on Twitter at @saraknic and read her Medicine X write ups at momentsofwonderful.com. And if that wasn't enough, I'm writing about Medicine X on my blog at tobesugarfree.com. Run Time - 59:31 Send your feedback to feedback@justtalkingpodcast.com.