We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Raquel Baron. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Raquel below.

Raquel, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) when I was 5 year old. It was tough but even at a young age, I really didn’t want anything to do with the type 1 community. It wasn’t until I was in college at the University of Texas at Austin and a friend of a friend told me about this group called The Diabetes Link. I was so reluctant to go to a meeting but went anyways for the free food. I was surprised to have such a feeling of relief to be surrounded by so many others who understood the physical & mental toll T1D has on me. It was like I almost felt normal in that moment…

From that moment on, I dove headfirst into the community and ended up interning at the Juvinille Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in Austin. I was soon connected to so many T1D families who needed babysitters. These parents never got a night to themselves and didn’t feel like they could watch anyone to watch their kids safely when dosing insulin and checking blood sugars were involved. As a broke college student, I began taking these jobs and before I knew it, I could not keep up with the amount of requests I was receiving. I eventually started connecting my Diabetes Link friends to these families and became known as the T1D babysitter connector in Austin, Texas.

Although I was a dance major and had studied to be a dancer seriously from a young age, this newfound passion took over. By the end of my senior year I had realized how much of a need T1D babysitters were and knew I had to do something about it for the rest of the world.

I started Type One Together originally as a babysitter connection service for T1D families and we now have over 1,700 T1D sitters on our list nationwide. The more I worked with families, the more I realized how many other resources were lacking for them. Many of the same resources my parents wished they had when I was first diagnosed. Doctors give you very simple scientific explanations of diabetes, but in reality, there is nothing simple about it. Over 42 factors can impact your blood sugar in addition to the main ones (food, insulin & activity). You have to take into account your stress levels, hormones, the weather, altitude and so much more. This is a 24/7 disease that is constantly changing and families need more than just one endocrinology appointment every 3-6 months.

Because of this realization, I started to build out Type One Together to what it is today. We now offer a T1D Grandparents Course, The 108 Podcast, parent self paced & live video courses, tons of free educational & relatable social media content, free printable resources and so much more! We even have “Diabuddy” stuffed animals available that you can customize to wear the same T1D devices as you.

I am excited every single day to wake up and help families realize that their child is going to be just fine! You can live a beautiful, healthy life with T1D just like anyone else… it just takes a lot of preparation and giving yourself grace on the hard days.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 5. I realized while babysitting for T1D families in college how badly T1D parents needed resources for the challenging journey ahead.

Type One Together helps T1D kids and their super parents through products, resources, T1D babysitters and community support. This includes our T1D babysitter list, The 108 Podcast, Diabuddy Stuffed Animals, T1D Coloring Books, T1D Grandparents Course, Parent Courses, weekly newsletters and relatable social media content.

I am most proud of the way that we paint a true picture of what life with type 1 diabetes looks like and we show others that it is ok if they are experiencing ups and downs too! We share it how it really is! Not only do we value great blood sugar management, but also the mental health of the entire T1D family. This disease absolutely impacts every person in the family and not just the T1D child.

Regardless of if you are a newly diagnosed family or if your child has been T1D for many years, we have resources for you! Our community is highly engaged and wants to help each other out. It’s beautiful to see!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

It is crazy to look back and see how someone so special came into my life! Amanda Berg is my business partner, Director Of Parent support for TOT, a former nurse and a T1D mama.

We met through a simple Instagram DM that came at the perfect moment. I was doing my best to help T1D parents even though I wasn’t a parent myself. I knew that my information was helpful in some ways, but that these families needed to hear from another T1D parents.

Turns out, Amanda broke her 10 year social media hiatus in search of support months after her daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She knew that our community needed a parent voice to share openly & vulnerably.

After a coffee date that I didn’t expect much from, she dove in head first. Amanda is now my business partner and TOT’s Director Of Parent Support.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started the Type One Together instagram account before I knew exactly what the business was going to be. I started before I was ready and have always focused on educational, relatable content. Here are my biggest tips –

1. Consistency! We now post 2x/day on Instagram
2. Make sure there is a face (or a few faces) for your brand. People want to follow people!
3. Ditch the graphics!! For the most part, people find these boring and will just keep scrolling.
4. Highlight others in the community! We often ask permission to repost other’s content to showcase what others are already doing. We are all about collaboration and lifting other accounts up.
5. Don’t overthink it. Typically the most random, simple content does the best.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.typeonetogether.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/typeonetogether
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/typeonetogether
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/type-one-together/
• Other: tiktok: https://tiktok.com/typeonetogether