Moms' Night Out Denver Conference Report
Thank you, Denver for an amazing Moms’ Night Out!
The entire event took place at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Denver ‑ Aurora
Our welcome toast began the event with a bubbly celebration as we opened the vendor fair. For the first time at an MNO event, some of the vendors allowed the women to demo the gear! We saw several moms checking out the Tandem Mobi and Omnipod 5 units (these were attached above the skin, not n inserted insulin pump trial).
Our check-ins were manned by two amazing educators. Attendees sign up in advance to meet with a diabetes expert and get a quick, 15 minutes check-in. Stacy Morse of Risely Health and Amy Malliett, MPH, CDCES from Integrated Diabetes Services joined us to help answer questions.
Friday’s speaker was Jennifer Walton – a storm chaser with T1D! Jen was diagnosed with type 1 as an adult and decided to change her life, following her dream to follow and photograph extreme weather. She’s also the founder of Girls Who Chase.
After Jen spoke, we had our raffles for Kendra Scott jewelry, a Risely Health coaching scholarship, and Stacey’s books. No one wanted to leave – we lingered in the room chatting and enjoying until they literally came in to kick us out an hour and half after our time limit!
Saturday morning, we were back at 9am with coffee and breakfast. Stacey led a panel sponsored by Gvoke for discussion about independence and T1D. We talked about sleepovers, making lots of mistakes (and letting our kids make them, too), and steps to balance safety, confidence and responsibility. Stacey was joined by Cami DiRoberto and her daughter Maci, who lives with type 1. They were super open about having to use emergency glucagon and what they’ve learned from the experience.
Our closing keynote speaker was Brandon Arbiter from Tidepool. Brandon is passionate about using data to live well with type 1. He gave us a history of the #WeAreNotWaiting movement and talked about what’s next in automation and other diabetes advances.
For the first time, we had an add-on focus group! About 20 moms elected to stay after the event to talk to the folks from Sequel Med Tech. They make the new twiist pump and wanted to hear from us. We enjoyed lunch and had a great conversation about the challenges of insulin pump management.
As always, it was very tough to leave. Thanks to all for a fantastic time in Denver!
Next stops: Philadelphia in October and Atlanta in January of 2025!
What To Expect
Full schedule below (see FAQs)
Exhibitor fair
learn about the latest in insulin pumps, CGM, and meter technology as well as diabetes management options.
Cocktails & Crafts: engage in a fun, hands-on activity while you get to know other moms. Enjoy signature cocktails and/or non-alcoholic drinks.
Dinner is included
Meet new friends and catch up with those you already know around a great meal you don’t have to cook (or carb-count)
Coffee and breakfast Saturday morning
Our speaker Saturday morning will send you home with practical advice to address the unique challenges we moms face.
All attendees will receive a swag bag full of freebies
Speakers
Jen Walton, Girls Who Chase
Jen is a Denver-based storm and volcano chaser, photographer and entrepreneur – and the owner of a very unproductive pancreas.
She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2015, at age 34. After that, she began to make different choices about what mattered – and in 2018, turned her focus to her real passion: storm chasing. Jen taught herself to forecast and chase on her own, and chasing led to an eye for photography. She picked up a camera for the first time in 2020, and her work has since been published in The Washington Post, Flaunt Magazine, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and more. Today, Jen fiercely believes in and advocates for gender equity and self-actualization as the proud founder and lead of the Girls Who Chase initiative, whose mission is to inspire, empower and equip girls and women globally to pursue storms, the sciences, and their passions.
Brandon Arbiter:
Brandon Arbiter is an innovator who is passionate about diabetes data. Mistakenly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 27, it took a dangerous and scary additional five months to get the correct diagnosis of T1D. Brandon is a founding team member at Tidepool and is now VP of business development and strategic partnerships. He was among the first people to adopt and advocate for leading DIY technologies including NightScout, OpenAPS, and Loop. Brandon has served the diabetes community with roles on local Bay Area Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) boards, the International Board of Directors for Breakthrough T1D, and on the ADCES technology advisory committee. Brandon lives in Ken Caryl Valley outside Denver with his wife and their 4 year old son.
Stacey & Cami – panel on T1D, kids & independence
Stacey Simms & Cami DiRoberto will talk about raising kids with type 1, the journey to diabetes independence, and educating around the use of emergency glucagon. Cami’s daughter, Maci, was diagnosed with type 1 at age 7 in 2017. Stacey’s son was diagnosed at 23 months back in 2006. They’ll talk about their personal experiences in helping their kids become confident and independent with T1D.
Check-In with our Experts
A check-in at Moms’ Night Out is your chance to sit down with an endocrinologist or diabetes educator and “check-in” with any questions you may have about T1D management. You should always bring any management changes to your child’s healthcare team, but these consultations will be reassuring and helpful.
When check-in signups open, an email will go out ONLY to those registered for that city. Slots are limited and will go quickly.
Stacy Morse, Risely Health
Stacy was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 37; by this time, she had already started a family and established a career path. She found that juggling a new diagnosis, advancing in her career, and raising her children was intensely difficult. Stacy is now a Certified Health Coach with a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas and an M.S. in Health and Nutrition Education from Hawthorn University and is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. Stacy is committed to the idea that we are better together than we are on our own.
Amy Malliett, MPH, MCHES, CDCES
Diagnosed at 5 years old, in 1983, Amy remembers those early years as “the stone ages of diabetes.” She is the first in her family to graduate college. Amy is thrilled to be part of many fundamental shifts in the ways technology is used to manage diabetes and to empower PWD. At least once a week, she tells someone, “I am wearing technology that I once thought I would never live to see.” She adamantly believes every person with diabetes should be able to choose their method of management and have access to the most cutting edge technology on the market, if they want it.”
The Venue
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Denver – Aurora is located between I-25 and I-70 and 10 minutes from the Denver Tech Center. Free airport shuttle
About Your Host
Stacey Simms is the host of the long-running and award-winning podcast, Diabetes Connections. She is the author of “The World’s Worst Diabetes Mom, Real-Life Stories of Parenting a Child with Type 1 Diabetes,” and the upcoming “STILL The World’s Worst Diabetes Mom.”
Stacey’s son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just before he turned two, back in 2006; she’s been sharing her family’s experience with T1D ever since.
She has been featured in almost every diabetes publication and outlet including: Diabetes Self-Management and Diabetes Forecast magazines, Beyond Type 1, JDRF, Diabetes Daily, Healthline, DiaTribe, T1D Everyday Magic and more.
Contact Us
FAQs
This is a conference designed for mothers of children with diabetes, with a focus on type 1. We will not turn any adult in the diabetes community away, but all of our programming is geared to moms. Please, no children in the conference space, this is meant to be a relaxing kid-free respite.
Friday:
3:30pm Doors open, get your swag bag!
3:30-6pm Vendor Fair
3:30-6pm Check-Ins with educators (advance signups)
5-6:30pm Cocktails & Crafts
6:30pm Dinner & Opening keynote
8pm – Socialize and hang out!
Saturday:
9am Coffee & Breakfast
9:30am Panel
10:30 Closing keynote
11:30 Photos & goodbye!
Relax & socialize before you head back home
No, but we urge you to do so! Part of the fun (and learning) at this conference is about being away from your children with diabetes, something we moms rarely get to do. Staying at the hotel is not required, but there will be informal socializing there after dinner and in the morning that you won’t want to miss.
No. The only groups that are allowed to hand out literature and/or demonstrate products are those with an agreement with us. There are lots of lower-cost options. Please let us know if you’re interested.
We will adhere to all local and state laws, rules, and regulations to reduce the risk of spreading COVID. We encourage everyone who is eligible to be fully vaccinated. We strongly encourage everyone to self-test with a rapid antigen test before coming to the conference.
We’d love to take this show on the road! Reach out at info@diabetes-connections.com and let us know where we should go next!
