neil Greathouse

Neil would like the record to show that this page exists against his wishes.

Which is why—one of his colleagues volunteered to write it on his behalf.

Living with Type 1 diabetes can hijack your best-laid plans. Neil knows exactly how it feels when that diagnosis hits and all you can see are needles, alarms, pump alerts, and CGM tape all over your body — not to mention all the doctor’s appointments.

That’s why he created Your Best T1D Year — to turn the relentless into small wins you can actually accomplish. With Ted Lasso–quirky mentor energy, he turns honesty about the struggle into locker-room T1D pep talks, complete with practical tools, T-shirt-worthy sound bites, and one clear next step.

  • Neil was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on February 14, 1992, while in flight training with the Air Force. His dad took him to a diabetes conference soon after, where everyone on stage talked about a cure “in the next five years.” Neil grumbled, complained and violently folded his arms. He sat in the back row, watching people talk about pumps and carb counting, wondering if these were really “his people.” That’s when his dad leaned over and whispered, “You can do this one day.”

    He didn’t know what that meant - but his dad was right.

    A few years later, tired of explaining his “pager” and glucometer to coworkers, Neil made a short YouTube video explaining what T1D actually was. The response blew him away. That one video led to hundreds more, thousands of messages, and eventually, the realization that storytelling could change how people saw diabetes - and themselves.

    His biggest shift came when he stopped managing diabetes because he had to and started because he wanted to. He fell in love with the process: the data, the patterns, the people, and the small, smart moves that make a hard thing livable.

  • Neil can be quoted as saying that his pancreas “got picked last in dodgeball.” He’s been running with that joke ever since his diagnosis back in 1992. In fact, he put it on T-shirts to raise funds for type one diabetes missions efforts in Peru.

    In addition to T1D mission work, Neil is the creator of Your Best T1D Year, a movement built around one idea: small, simple habits build confidence over time. It’s not about fixing everything overnight. It’s about learning the repeatable moves that make the daily grind feel a little less relentless.

    Neil helps people stop swinging for home runs with diabetes and start focusing on base hits. Because champions don’t win by doing great things once in a while - they win by doing the small things consistently. As he says often, “Consistency beats intensity every day of the week.”

    He coaches, teaches, and encourages people who are overwhelmed by T1D to take back a sense of control - not with fear, but with humor and practical steps they can actually live out.

    “You’re not doing a bad job. You’re doing a difficult job…and there’s a difference.”

  • Before the podcast mic, there was a camera. Neil has produced and directed hundreds of short-form educational videos for the diabetes community - including one ambitious stretch where he posted a new T1D teaching video every single day for a year. (It nearly broke him. But he finished. And learned a lot.)

    He directed the award-winning feature-length documentary Bike Beyond, produced by Nick Jonas and narrated by Victor Garber (whose has the voice of Zeus himself). He also created Type 1 Day 1, a short film inspired by watching people panic-Google their diagnosis. The film was designed to be the thing newly diagnosed people could watch to understand what T1D is, why it happens, and - most importantly - that they’re not alone.

    Neil has also collaborated with brands and organizations including Tandem Diabetes Care, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Quest, Liquid Death, American Red Cross, and Breakthrough T1D. He’s currently producing two new films, writing his third book, and still helping Blue Circle Health get their story out into the world.

  • Neil listens hard, laughs way too much, talks too fast, and runs often. After finishing the New York City Marathon with the Beyond Type Run team, he kept running - three or four times a week - and never looked back.

    He’s happy behind a camera, reading something thought-provoking, or spending time with his family. He’s allergic to jargon, skeptical of anything labeled “motivational,” and believes the best way to help people living with T1D is his life motto: Show, don’t tell.

    Neil doesn’t tell people what they should be doing - he invites them to go together. The thought of being an influence grosses him out. Influencers build their own…he’s trying to build yours.

    A little about the professional stuff

    Neil is a storyteller and speaker known for making complex things click. When he talks, people don’t just feel inspired - they want to take action.

    He’s the creator and host of Your Best T1D Year, a podcast and resource hub helping people build sustainable confidence with diabetes through humor, clarity, and small steps that add up. The podcast releases episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, plus long-form interviews twice a month with some of the most influential people in the T1D space.

    He’s worked with organizations including Blue Circle Health, Risely Health, Beyond Type 1 (where he served eight years on the Leadership Council), and Studio 8E8, helping teams and individuals tell stories that actually move people.