How did the lady in red wind up dead at the bottom of the pool on the lush estate of one of the world’s most famous writers? To solve this mystery, we have to step back in time.
SYNOPSIS
On a bright sunny morning, our happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, arrives at the resplendent Beverly Hills estate of NYT Best-Selling Author and Socialite Marjorie Melbourne Blaze. He’s here to deliver the keynote address at the Annual Heart of the Diva Gala on diabetes and women. But he soon learns that a roomful of rich and famous faces is full of way more drama than he had ever expected . . . and now murder. So can Max and our team find the killer before this red carpet event is covered in blood? Divabetic’s story of diabetes mystery and intrigue stresses why it can be deadly to blame others for your heart’s misfortunes.
FEATURING
Max “Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, Lorraine Brooks, We Are Diabetes Founder Asha Brown, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP, Susan Weiner MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic,’ USA Today Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES and Mama Rose Marie. Produced by Leisa Chester-Weir.
Questlove won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) on Sunday, but his weight loss journey is also an impressive accomplishment.
Questlove and I were motivated to change our lifestyles after seeing friends experience debilitating strokes.
Luther Vandross‘s stroke, at the age of 52 related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes, motivated me to stay active and eat and drink in moderation. For the past nineteen years, his stroke and untimely death inspired me to start Divabetic and encourage others to keep their house a home by learning to prevent diabetes health-related complications.
Questlove’s motivation came from seeing many of his friends die from strokes in their 40s.
‘I was starting to hear the word ‘stroke’ just a little too much,’ Questlove said, as per Black American Web.
‘Friends of mine have died of strokes at 40, and peers of mine have died of strokes in their 40s, and it was disturbing me.’
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in America. Stroke is a “brain attack” that occurs when blood that brings oxygen to your brain stops flowing and brain cells die.
High blood pressure and obesity are two of the biggest risk factors for stroke, and the number of African-Americans with these medical conditions is on the rise.
Questlove used to eat everything without consideration for his health and was not very active before his weight-loss journey. He admitted it was easy for him to fall into bad habits by drinking and partying all night on regular occasions. He gained weight as time passed, and at his heaviest, he reached 488 pounds of body weight.
Questlove’s own weight and the death of his friends were a warning to him. So he made up his mind to change his lifestyle. He began by completely changing his diet. Next, he started consuming a healthy and balanced diet, primarily vegan foods. He also avoided those items high in carbohydrate content, such as gluten, wheat, and most dairy products.
He focused more on eating green vegetables and fresh fruits.
‘That’s another thing I’ve learned relaxin’, sleep, yoga,’ Questlove says. ‘I didn’t know that that’s as crucial as going hard, as working’ hard, as exercising hard…And what my yoga instructor, what my trainer, what they’re trying to teach me is that, ‘No, it’s sleep.’
That’s important. That’s just as important as working’ out.’
And that has helped him both lose and maintain his weight effectively.
Summer of Soul, directed by Questlove, tells the unjustly forgotten story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which included performances from Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson and more iconic artists operating in the ’60s, making the case that had this not been a primarily Black festival, it would have been as well-remembered and celebrated as Woodstock, which took place in New York that same year.
“It’s not lost on me that the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother and my dad should have taken me to when I was five years old,” Questlove said, saluting his late father while his mother watched from the audience in tears. “This is such a stunning moment for me right now. But it’s not about me. It’s about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain.”
Entertaining with diabetes doesn’t have to be bland. Learn to entertain like a Divabetic and turn your everyday meals into occasions.
Make your next gathering more memorable by focusing on ‘fun’ rather than the ‘food’ aspect of entertaining.
One way to host a fun night is by serving celebrity-inspired Charcuterie Boards.
The word “charcuterie” is a French term for a line of cooking devoted to prepared meat products. But today, charcuterie has become synonymous with wooden boards filled with meats, cheese, produce, crackers, artisan bread, and dips.
The key to making a healthy charcuterie board is to use all kinds of fresh produce for your bite-sized goodies. Choose meats that are preferably free of nitrates and minimally processed. Celery and carrots are always a great stand-by option. So are cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, roasted peppers, hot peppers, cucumber slices, cauliflower, and broccoli. Try to use a variety of textures, colors, and flavors that everyone will enjoy.
Recently, I made five different Celebrity-inspired Charcuterie Plates. My guests had to correctly identify my celebrity inspirations by the items on my Charcuterie Plates. When they needed extra help, I also allowed them to ask me ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions about each celebrity inspiration.
Here’s how I created my Sophia Loren-inspired Charcuterie Plate.
I purchased five mini-brownie tin pans at a nearby Dollar Store. Each tin was $1.99. Then, I lined each tin with waxed paper before placing various food items on them.
My Sophia Loren-inspired Charcuterie plate featured black olives, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto-wrapped sundried tomatoes, and Italian bread. Seconds after putting the Charcuterie Plate down in front of them, my friends correctly guessed Sophia Loren!
We had a lot of fun talking about Sophia Loren’s career, other Italian celebrities, and additional food items.
My celebrity inspiration, Sophia Loren, was born on September 20, 1934, in Rome, Italy. She rose above her poverty-stricken origins in postwar Naples to become one of Italy’s most famous movie stars. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Cesira in the film Two Women (1961), directed by Vittorio De Sica.
Sophia Loren was the first actor to win an Oscar for a non-English-language performance.
Later she earned an Academy Honorary Award in 1991.
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, hosts this free, fun Virtual Mother’s Day-themed Baking Party with special guests, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef and Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.
Win gifts courtesy of Arthel Neville Design FABULOUS East/West Tote, Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail Care gift set, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes‘s Camper Cozy Mystery, Walden Farms Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs Salad Dressings, and Peak 10Skin’s Save My Sole Foot Rescue Cream during Mr. Divabetic’s random drawings. You must be present at our Baking Party to enter our gift drawings to win.
Over 150 people registered for our last Divabetic Baking Party on Zoom, so don’t miss out!
You can now enjoy our latest Divabetic Mysteries podcast, A Christmas Peril in its entirety (Episodes 1-11), on Facebook, YouTube, and BlogTalkRadio. We pack our annual mystery podcasts with diabetes and diabetes self-care information, a suspenseful mystery, and a few laughs.
Our main character, Mr. Divabetic is perfectly flawed to help us illustrate some of Divabetic’s cornerstone messages.
1. He’s resilient. Minor obstacles like a disastrous recipe or big problems like getting mixed up in murder investigations don’t deter his dreams of becoming the Next Food Network Star.
2. Healthy food doesn’t taste terrible. Unfortunately, Mr. Divabetic hasn’t figured out how to make one of his culinary creations taste good yet, but he has learned from his mistakes.
3. He doesn’t have all the answers, and that’s okay. Instead, he solves problems with the help of a team of friendly, upbeat certified diabetes care and education specialists, friends, and family members.
4. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. Instead, he rolls with the punches and punchlines and keeps his eye on the prize.
Divabetic Mysteries are a team effort that takes almost a year to produce. Each podcast is performed live on-air without interruption.
We have a blast from the initial story outline and first read-through to endless scriptwriting and fact-checking sessions and the final live broadcast! Of course, performing a 60-minute play without interruption is a bit nerve-racking and stressful for our cast of diabetes advocates, educators, authors, musicians, and poets.
Everyone’s afraid to make a mistake or even cough! But it’s also exhilarating to challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. We might not be trained actors, but we sure do like pretending to them for an hour!
Our story was inspired by Kevin Houdeshell’s tragic true-life story. Thanks to the Houdeshell family for their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Emergency Insulin Act of 2019 and the emergency prescription refill legislation. Known as Kevin’s or Howdy’s Law, it allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency supply of a chronic maintenance medication if the doctor cannot be reached – a common-sense act that could save a life.
Starring Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie Gentle, Terri Seidman, MaryAnn Nicolay, Trisha Artman, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, and Wendy Radford. Special thanks to the Houdeshell family, and Pharmacist Mandy Reece. Original music by Ivan Hampden Jr., Celine Dion’s vocals courtesy of SONY Music. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Video by Joe Hackney from Pixabay.
In the spirit of Scrooge’s awakening at the end of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we encourage you to honor Christmas in your heart by living in the Past, The Present, and the Future. Try to embrace the Spirits of all Three and the lessons that they teach.
Join other Quiet Storm Fans for this fun, free listening party on Zoom featuring music from Luther Vandross. Our DJ, Luther historian, Leon Petrossian plays tracks from the group Luther’s second album, This Close To You, released on Cotillion Records in 1977.
Cotillion, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, signed Luther Vandrossas part of the group, including fellow vocalists Anthony Hinton, and Diane Sumler.
Luther Vandross performs the lead vocals on the majority of the album. He also wrote and produced all of the songs. This Close to You was the Luther group’s final album, and by 1980 Luther Vandross signed a solo deal with Epic Records, leading to the release of his debut album Never Too Much in 1981
Quiet Storm is a radio format and genre of contemporary R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style.
Quiet Storm Fans is part of diabetes nonprofit, Divabetic’s ongoing outreach efforts. Our aim is to help music fans at risk, living with, and affected by diabetes prevent diabetes health-related complications such as stroke. We want you to ‘Keep Your House A Home’ by staying healthy and on track with your diabetes self-care.
Hear for yourself how the Luther album serves as the blueprint for establishing Luther Vandross as the premier balladeer of his generation.
The happy healthcare host, Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek, who worked with Vandross for more than 14 years, hosts this tribute podcast featuring Luther’s vocalists Paulette McWilliams, Pat Lacy, Tawatha Agee, Cindy Mizelle and Kevin Owens, band member Bryon Miller, Luther’s niece Seveda Williams, friends Darren Margo and David Jones, the Luther Vandross historian, Leon Petrossian and Luther super fan, JaneGoodman from Great Britain.
Keep Your House A Home!
Since Luther’s sudden and unexpected stroke in 2003, I have been committed to helping Luther fans at risk, affected by and living with diabetes to stay healthy and upbeat about their health. Help me to honor Luther’s legacy by learning how to prevent diabetes health-related complications from occurring. Stay well, speak up, and get the help you need to take care of yourself and your diabetes health.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing this special performance by our friend pianist Rohan DeSilva of Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune.
We’d like to encourage you to make time for yourself and your diabetes health. You cannot do everything for everyone else and nothing for yourself. Making time for yourself and your diabetes health is an act of self-love. Learning to accept a diabetes diagnosis isn’t easy either. It takes time, patience, and support. For many people, acceptance starts with loving themselves enough to treat themselves with tending loving care. How do you practice self-love as someone living with diabetes? Do you tell yourself I love you? Do you smile when you look in the mirror?
People high in self-love nourish themselves daily through healthy activities, like walks, meditation, sleep, intimacy, and healthy social interactions. When you genuinely love yourself, you create a mindset of acceptance.
Claude Debussy started writing the piano piece Clair de Lune in 1890 when he was just 28, but it wasn’t published for another 15 years! The title means ‘Moonlight’ and the piece is actually part of the four-movement work Suite Bergamasque.
Among Rohan De Silva’s awards is the best accompanist special prize at the ninth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He performed at the White House in 2007 for President George W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth, and in 2012 with Itzhak Perlman for President Barak Obama and Shimon Peres. He has also appeared on television on The Tonight Show with Midori; and on radio stations WQXR, WNYC, and WNCN, as well as the Berlin Radio, Japan’s NHK, and CNN’s Showbiz Today, Millenium Grammy’s 2000. De Silva has recorded on the DGG, CBS/Sony Classical, Collins Classics, and BMG labels. Rohan De Silva holds BM and MM degrees from Juilliard where he studied piano with Martin Canin and chamber music with Felix Galimir.
We hope you had a fabulous time at Divabetic’s Baking Party on Zoom. If you couldn’t join us, here’s what you missed:
During the program, Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, demonstrated how to make Sugarfree Cake Truffles (recipe coming soon). Stacey also shared her favorite sugar substitutes for pies, cakes, and cookies. Surprisingly, Stacey prefers to use different sugar substitutes for pies, cakes, and cookies. For example, Splenda is her ‘go-to’ sweetener for fruit pies.
Diabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller shared “50 Shades of Red, Okay 5 Shades of Red” for Valentine’s Day. Since there seems to be a new shade of red coming out every day, Catherine created these tips for you to find the perfect shade of red for your skin tone:
If you have fair skin with cool undertones, mid-tone reds likecherry, ruby, scarlet, and apple would add some warmth and won’t appear harsh against your skin.
If you’re fair skin with naturally red hair, cool, brighter colors like candy red will showcase your beautiful red hair in the best way!
A deeper, luscious, darker hue is perfect for warmer skin tones if you have a medium-light skin tone. Think the shade of blood. That rich hue will compliment your skin tone the best.
If you have a golden skin tone, you can really rock various shades from a deep, vivid red such as ruby to a vampy red like a jam.
Suppose you’re a woman with medium skin and have yellow undertones and tan skin with warm undertones. In that case, the orange-ish reds like candy red or other hues with a tiny bit of tangerine will look dynamic on you. If you’re a brunette, don’t be afraid to wear this shade of red. Some women think that brown and orange don’t look good together, but this color pairs amazingly well with brown hair.
If you have darkskin with warm undertones, then reds likeruby cherry and lipstick will provide a gorgeous contrast to your darker skin.
If you have dark skin with cool undertones, you can pretty much wear any color. Still, a berry would look incredibly flattering against the skin.
The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosted a Cake Pop Quiz testing people’s Baking IQs throughout the night. Our Peak 10 Skin Save My Soles Rescue Cream winners included Sandra T. from Las Vegas, NV, Geneva P. from Brooklyn, NY, Elizabeth R from Guelph, Canada, Nancy S. from Marlboro, NJ, and Chandra S. from Blacklick, OH.
This year, the ‘V’ in Divabetic stands for ‘VIRTUAL’!! We’ve got more fabulous outreach programs and podcasts to help boost your ability to manage your self-care available than ever before! Also, stay tuned for details about our next Divabetic Baking Party to celebrate Mother’s Day.
We’re talking about 50 years of living well with type 1 diabetes, alcohol’s effects on blood sugars, sexual wellness, and the Spare A Rose, Save A Child campaign with musical inspiration from Dean Martin.
Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti and was later nicknamed “The King of Cool.” His big break while performing as a duo with comedian Jerry Lewis, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes later in life at the age of 71.
Guests: Fran Carpentier, Mama Rose Marie, Lynne Steger, and Sex Therapist Janis Roszler PhD, CDCES. Throughout this podcast, we will be featuring music from The Essential Dean Martin album courtesy of SONY Music.
Join other Quiet Storm Fans for this fun listening party on Zoom featuring some of your favorite artists on Saturday, January 22, 2022, 3- 4:30 PM, EST
. Leon Petrossian plays favorites from his immense vinyl record collection with industry music insiders and historian’s commentary.
We will be featuring music from the first record by the group, Luther, on Cotillion records.
Cotillion, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, signed Luther Vandrossas part of the group, including fellow vocalists Anthony Hinton, Christine Wiltshire, G. Diane Sumler, and Theresa V. Reed. It’s interesting that Luther Vandross wrote and produced every track on the album. Songs include “I’ll Get Along Fine,” “Second Time Around,” “Everybody Rejoice,” and “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me).”
Hear for yourself how the Luther album serves as the blueprint for establishing Luther Vandross as the premier balladeer of his generation.
Quiet Storm is a radio format and genre of contemporary R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style.
Quiet Storm Fans is part of diabetes nonprofit, Divabetic’s ongoing outreach efforts. Our aim is to help music fans at risk, living with, and affected by diabetes prevent diabetes health-related complications such as stroke.
The classic heartwrenching song “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” has many musical renditions that have run the gamut from country and pop to rhythm and blues and jazz.
The song tells the tale of a man who finally decides to leave his lover once and for all, after leaving her so many times before.
The song, written by a young writer for Motown, Jimmy Webb, was inspired by Jimmy’s real-life breakup with his high school sweetheart, Susan Horton. Susan caused Jimmy considerable heartache when she beat a hasty retreat to Lake Tahoe and later married another man.
Webb did not intend the song to be geographically literal. “A guy approached me one night after a concert […], and he showed me how it was impossible for me to drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix and then how far it was to Albuquerque,” Jimmy Webb said. “In short, he told me, ‘This song is impossible.’ And so it is. It’s a kind of fantasy about something I wish I would have done, and it sort of takes place in a twilight zone of reality.”
Jimmy Webb’s Motown bosses were puzzled because there wasn’t a chorus. So the song lingered without being recorded until singer-songwriter Johnny Rivers recorded it on his own label in 1965. Unfortunately, Johnny didn’t release it as a single. Instead, he recommended it to a producer friend working with a young singer-guitarist named Glen Campell. Glen Campbell released “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” in 1967 and made it a hit. The song reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart and topped RPM’s Canada Country Tracks. It also won two awards at the 10th Annual Grammys: Best Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance.
Isaac Hayes’s iconic version of the song, included on the album Hot Buttered Soul, runs for 18 minutes and 40 seconds and recounts the events before the actual road trip. His radical reinvention of a country-pop hit opened the door for Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield’s expanded musical approaches.
Isaac Hayes said his introduction came about when he first performed the song in front of an audience. ” I figured I’d better do something,” he told writer Gerri Hirshey as reported by the Financial Times. “They knew they were going to think I was crazy to be doing a song by a white pop singer, so I figured I’d explain. And started talking …”
Between 1970 and 1990, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” was named the third-most performed song.
Over three decades later, Campbell’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” was inducted into the Hall of Fame during the 2004 Grammy Awards.
Join us for Divabetic’s first podcast of the year featuring Rachel Zinman, Arthur Aston, and Patricia Addie Gentle RN, CDCES on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 6 PM, EST.
Our musical inspiration, R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, who was not living with diabetes, overcame many obstacles and continued to sing after a car crash in 1982 that left him in a wheelchair.
Before the crash, Mr. Pendergrass’s explosive, raw voice earned turned him into an international star and sex symbol. His masculinity, passion, and the joys and sorrow of romance were featured in songs such as Close the Door, Love T.K.O, and other hits that have since become classics.
Teddy’s longtime collaborator Kenny Gamble said, “He had a tremendous career ahead of him, and the accident sort of got in the way of many of those plans.”
Mr. Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down – still able to sing but without his signature power. The image of the masculine, virile lover was replaced with one that drew sympathy.
But instead of becoming bitter or depressed, Teddy Pendergrass created a new identity – that as a role model, Mr. Gamble said.
“He never showed me that he was angry at all about his accident,” Mr. Gamble said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “In fact, he was very courageous.”
After extensive physical therapy, he resumed his recording career. He had Top 10 rhythm and blues hits and gold albums into the ’90s.
We hope Teddy Pendergrass helps inspire you to focus on the positive in the face of challenges related to managing your diabetes.
Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music by Teddy Pendergrass courtesy of SONY Music.
Barry White gave us romantic moments with a unique music score with his deep booming bass. Unfortunately, he lost his long battle with kidney disease brought on by high blood pressure at age 58.
Our kidneys play a key role in keeping our blood pressure in a healthy range. The kidneys help filter wastes and extra fluids from blood, and they use a lot of blood vessels to do so. When the blood vessels become damaged, the nephrons that filter your blood don’t receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function well. This is why high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) is the second leading cause of kidney failure.
Diseased kidneys are less able to help regulate blood pressure. As a result, blood pressure increases. If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD), high blood pressure makes it more likely that your kidney disease will get worse and you will have heart problems.
Still, the music Barry White created over 30 years will permanently set the stage for lovers of all ages in many parts of the world.
Barry White had his first number one on the music charts in 1974 with Love’s Theme by The Love Unlimited Orchestra. Love’s Theme was initially intended to be an overture for the girl group, also named Love Unlimited’s’ debut album titled Under the Influence of Love Unlimited. But as it turned out, the Orchestra became more popular than the singers.
As the Love Unlimited album producer, Barry White subsequently made his debut as a performer. He introduced his “pillow talk” vocals in Walkin’ in the Rain with the One I Love with Love Unlimited.
The success of the song led to his solo album as a singer. So after being a songwriter, producer, arranger since he was 17 and a singer since he was eight, Barry finally had his own hit. The song was I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More Baby. He would alternate crooning and speaking seductive, yearning lyrics in his distinctive bass against the lush background melodies set to disco beats.
Barry White won two Grammys in 2000 as Best Male and Best Traditional R&B Performance for Staying Power in the album of the same title.
Don’t miss Divabetic’s first podcast of the year featuring Rachel Zinman, Arthur Aston, and Patricia Addie Gentle RN, CDCES on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 6 PM, EST.
Our musical inspiration, R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, who was not living with diabetes, overcame many obstacles and continued to sing after a car crash in 1982 that left him in a wheelchair.
Before the crash, Mr. Pendergrass’s explosive, raw voice earned turned him into an international star and sex symbol. His masculinity, passion, and the joys and sorrow of romance were featured in songs such as Close the Door, Love T.K.O, and other hits that have since become classics.
Teddy’s longtime collaborator Kenny Gamble said, “He had a tremendous career ahead of him, and the accident sort of got in the way of many of those plans.”
Mr. Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down – still able to sing but without his signature power. The image of the masculine, virile lover was replaced with one that drew sympathy.
But instead of becoming bitter or depressed, Teddy Pendergrass created a new identity – that as a role model, Mr. Gamble said.
“He never showed me that he was angry at all about his accident,” Mr. Gamble said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “In fact, he was very courageous.”
After extensive physical therapy, he resumed his recording career. He had Top 10 rhythm and blues hits and gold albums into the ’90s.
We hope Teddy Pendergrass helps inspire you to focus on the positive in the face of challenges related to managing your diabetes.
Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music by Teddy Pendergrass courtesy of SONY Music.
