Rose Hall is the founder of Tessie’s Teas, a company that pays homage to the wisdom passed down from her mother and celebrates her love of tea. She was our guest on October’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Q: You worked for 20-years as a mental health therapist and social worker. Tell us about that experience: 

RH: I always felt that helping others in life’s most difficult situations is my calling. I worked in the department of psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, the Bronx, with dual diagnosis clients, who had mental health diagnosis and drug dependency. Through the years, I also worked with teens and children with behavior issues and situations of neglect. I found out that is heartbreaking gut-wrenching work.

Q: What inspired you to start a new career as an entrepreneur after you retired? 

RH: The positions I have held over 25 years have been overwhelmingly stressful, I was burnt out, I know my life’s purpose is to help people, but I needed to do it in a different way. I am an avid tea drinker who learned at an early age the benefits that can be derived from drinking herbs, spices, and roots. 

Q: Tell about your mother, growing up in Jamaica, and the Caribbean tradition of tea drinking that inspired you to start Tessie’s Teas. 

RH: We lived with my great grandmother who drank tea every day, all day it seemed. Any ailment, she had a tea for that. She would go out and pick some bushes and boil them and tell you to drink it down and you would be better that day or the next day depending on the symptoms. I watched her live a productive life well into her 90’s, and my grandfather drinking different teas daily lived to be 107. So, these personal experiences are the reason why I believe in drinking tea.

Q: Describe your teas – flavors, etc. and your two flagship all-natural teas with no additives, no preservatives, and no caffeine.

RH: We provide ginger rolled in honey with a little cane sugar to help with the crystallization process and have mint infused with raw cane sugar. Ginger and mint have many medicinal health benefits. They have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory, digestive, and anti-viral aids while helping to boost the immune system. Mint helps with weight loss because it’s a natural appetite suppressant. I find if I drink a cup of mint tea before I eat, I eat less and feel full faster. We have customers who report losing weight from drinking our mint tea. The teas are instant – just add water, stir and enjoy. There are no additives, no preservatives, and no caffeine and they are healthy, delicious, and convenient.

Q: You traveled to over 10 countries sourcing tea and gaining an understanding of the tea business. Tell us about your experience.

RH: My best adventure was in Sri Lanka, which border’s India. My driver came to pick me up around 5:00 am because it’s a long trip up the mountain to the tea gardens. On the way up we passed an elephant orphanage in a rock quarry and experienced a remarkable scene when one of the elephants tripped on a rock and fell. The other elephants walked over to the fallen one and got done on their knees, used their shoulders as a team to push him up until he was standing again. It was amazing, I thought to myself imagine if all humans did that for each other, what would this world be like?

Q: How can people purchase your teas? 

RH: We have a website: www.tessiestea.com We’re also, on Etsy and Amazon.  

We’re talking about the symptoms, causes and prevention of stroke with musical inspiration from Angela Bofill  on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the US. As many as 5 to 14 percent of stroke survivors have a second stroke within one year.

Angela Bofill suffered two strokes but neither stroke could take away her positive, humorous personality and her fighter spirit. After she lost the ability to sing, she returned to the stage for “The Angela Bofill Experience” in which she skillfully narrated her life story, while her band and other singers .

Podcast guests include Angela Bofill, Catherine Schuller, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Neva White DNP, CRNP- BC, CDE, and Rose Hall from Tessie’s Teas.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Tea Party with special guests, Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, Tessie’s Teas’ owner Rose Hall and Harlem Heaven’s Hats owner Evetta Petty on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.

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