NBT People: Tim Harsch

Nov. 15, 2019

Tim Harsch is the CEO and Co-Founder of Owler, a business insights company based in San Mateo, California. He’s a lifelong athlete, having played soccer, lacrosse and rugby in his younger years and more recently competing in triathlons. He also has type 1 diabetes (T1D), diagnosed at the relatively late age of 17. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Tim over the past year as a member of our Elite Performance Program.

On this podcast, Tim talks about the tools he uses to manage his diabetes, including a low-carb diet and a continuous glucose monitor. He also discusses the benefits he’s found in working with the NBT team, including weight loss, strength gains, and improved sleep and stress management. He describes the dietary changes that have helped him the most over the last year and his best advice for others living with T1D.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Tim Harsch:

[00:00:32] Cal Newport; Book: Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World; Podcast: How to Live Well in a High Tech World.

[00:01:13] Owler.

[00:04:02] Y Combinator.

[00:07:31] Coping with stress; Stress audit.

[00:09:18] Sleep, exercise, eating, drinking, stress management (SEEDS) method; Podcast: Nudge Tactics for Performance and Health, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:10:31] SEEDS Journal.

[00:10:43] Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) at age 17.

[00:17:46] Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).

[00:19:44] Estimation of RBC lifespan from the reticulocyte count: RBC survival (days) = 100/[Reticulocytes (percent) / RLS (days)], where RLS = 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 days at hematocrits of 45, 35, 25, and 15 percent, respectively. 

[00:22:43] Previous podcasts featuring guests with T1D: 1. How to Achieve Near-Normal Blood Sugar with Type 1 Diabetes with Keith Runyan, MD; 2. NBT People: Will Catterson.

[00:23:46] Managing carbohydrates with T1D.

[00:24:59] Autoimmune Protocol (AIP).

[00:27:22] Reasons for rejecting the insulin pump.

[00:30:37] Dexcom G6 CGM.

[00:31:35] Factors affecting insulin sensitivity.

[00:32:56] NBT’s Head of Strength and Conditioning, Zach Moore, CSCS; Podcast: Overcoming Adversity and Strength Coaching, with Zach Moore.

[00:35:03] Building a strength-based exercise regimen.

[00:36:30] Bro Research Radio - podcast of Ben House, PhD. Ben’s appearances on NBT’s podcast: How to Manage Testosterone and Estrogen in Athletes, and Ben House, PhD on Strength Training: a Discussion at the Flō Retreat Center in Costa Rica.

[00:39:09] NBT Coach Clay Higgins; Podcast: NBT People: Clay Higgins.

[00:40:50] Fixing the gut: Ditching the bulletproof coffee, avoiding dairy.

[00:48:48] Type 1 Diabetes group on Facebook.

[00:48:49] Diabetes resources: diaTribe; Book: Bright Spots & Landmines: The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Handed Me, by Adam Brown.

[00:49:21] Find Tim on LinkedIn, at Owler, or contact him by email.