We’re excited to announce Luther: Never Too Much, the feature-length documentary on Luther Vandross’s life and career, will premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter follows the iconic artist as he charted his course in becoming one of the most influential pop artists of all time.
“Like so many, I have always loved Luther’s music, but I had no idea of the breadth and scope of his artistry. I think people will be surprised at how much he accomplished in his tragically short life. It is a joy to be able to share his true story,” Dawn Porter told reporters at the time.
The eight-time Grammy award winner and our Divabetic inspiration, started his career as a backup singer for artists like Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, and David Bowie. By the 1970s, Vandross had catapulted into stardom with his chart-topping album, Never Too Much, the title single becoming a No.1 hit on the Billboard R&B charts.
Sadly, in 2003, at the age of 52, Luther Vandross suffered a stroke from mismanaged type 2 diabetes. Since that time, the nonprofit Divabetic has gone on to help thousands of people living with, at risk, and affected by diabetes stay on top of their self-care through podcasts, live events, and virtual programs.
For the first time, fans of the icon will gain access to never-before-seen footage that chronicles his rise to global stardom, his passion for the craft of music, and the personal struggles underlying it all.
We’re talking about ‘PRE-DIABETES, PCOS & REGAINING YOUR POWER’ with musical inspiration from Angie Stone.
Angie Stone is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer living with type 2 diabetes. She rose to prominence in the late 1970s after joining the hip-hop ensemble The Sequence.
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1999. “I was always on the go, and thought I was too busy to develop something like this,” Stone said. “I thought at the time that diabetes went along with bad habits, but I was the last one in my family to eat junk food.”
Angie Stone didn’t realize her family history of diabetes and ongoing weight issues made her more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
“I came to accept my diabetes when I realized just how many people around me, even in my own family, were living with diabetes,” she says. “It gave me back a lot of courage to see all these people just like me, going places, involved in normal things, and I became determined to learn what I needed to better manage my diabetes.”
Today, Angie Stone’s diabetes health seems to be seeing brighter days.
According to reports, she lost one hundred pounds after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery.
Still, she’s alienated me with the lyrics to her song, 2 Bad Habits.
“You’re like sweet, brown sugar to a diabetic Got me overdosing, I’ma need a paramedic Yeah I said it If I can’t see you at all, I’m going through withdraws, I Just can’t get enough of you, baby”
Making light of mismanaged diabetes in a love song isn’t my cup of tea. I’m certain anyone with a friend, co-worker, or loved one who experienced a diabetes-related complication would agree with my opinion.
Pre-diabetes means blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Prediabetes makes you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a condition that causes an imbalance of female sex hormones. As a result, women with PCOS often don’t have menstrual periods or only have periods on occasion. It is the number one cause of female infertility. PCOS causes insulin resistance, the hallmark of type 2 diabetes.
More than half of women with PCOS develop type 2 diabetes by age 40.
Although PCOS is not curable, the condition can be treated. Insulin resistance in PCOS may be treated to help improve symptoms of PCOS and to prevent diabetes.
Like many women, Angie Stone put off taking care of her health to take care of others and manage her career. “I was always on the go, and thought I was too busy to develop something like this,” she said. “I thought at the time that diabetes went along with bad habits, but I was the last one in my family to eat junk food.”
Podcast guests: Poet Lorraine Brooks, PCOS Diva founder Amy Medling, Dr. Beverly S. AdlerPhD, CDE, Dr. Sara (Mandy) Reece PharmD, CDE, BC-ADM- PCOM, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Jeff James, and Mama Rose Marie.
Angie Stone has released her anticipated 10th studio album Love Language on all music platforms. The 11-track album features contributions from songwriters/producers Walter Milsap, Candice Nelson, and Balewa Muhammad and includes guest appearances from Musiq Soulchild and, for the first time, her son, Swayvo Twain.
Catherine Schuller moderates a panel featuring Dr. Julianne Arena, MD, FACOG, ABAARM, Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide to Love And Intimacy With Diabetes co-author, COO for Diabetes Sisters Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, and photographer, Amparo. Amparo discovered, quite unexpectedly, in the ER that she has diabetes after doctors told her her glucose level was over 800! Over the past six months, she’s been taking charge of managing her diabetes while facing hormonal changes during menopause – it’s a true Divabetic Victory story.
After our panel, Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, demonstrates how to make her famous Sugar-Free Rum Cake Recipe and shares baking tips using popular sugar substitutes in your favorite recipes.
Stacey was attending culinary school when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She thought her career was over, not to mention her lifetime love affair with desserts. Her devastation gave way to innovation, resulting in the inventive and simple substitution system presented in her book. Stacey Harris, a caterer specializing in pastries, has been baking and collecting recipes since she was a teenager. She is a member of The American Diabetes Association, and her baking techniques have been featured in their magazine, Diabetes Forecast. Her book, Sugar-Free Sweets, is available now.
The purpose of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness of menopause and the support options = for improving health and wellness.
In “The Golden Bachelor,” 72-year-old Gerry Turner isn’t afraid to be seen wearing hearing aids in both ears. He said he is “happy to display them” and not hide his hearing loss for appearance’s sake.
The World Health Organization reports nearly 50 million people in the US suffer from hearing loss-related issues, and more than 4 million people rely on hearing aids.
Many people suffering from hearing loss claim to feel a sense of exclusion, loneliness, embarrassment, and even depression. Recent studies have revealed that out of 10 people, 7 of them reported an improvement in their relationships thanks to using hearing aids.
Research conducted by Johns Hopkins shows a clear connection between mental health and hearing loss. Also, the minor stages of untreated hearing issues are linked to a higher risk of developing dementia and cognitive decline.
Did you know that diabetes can also cause nerve damage in your ears?
Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage small blood vessels and nerves in the inner ear. Low blood sugar over time can damage how the nerve signals travel from the inner ear to your brain. Both types of nerve damage can lead to hearing loss.
What should I do if I suspect a hearing loss?
Talk to your primary care doctor. You may then want to seek help from a hearing specialist like an audiologist, a licensed hearing aid dispenser, or a doctor specializing in hearing problems. You’ll learn more about your hearing loss from a complete hearing exam. You will also be told what can be done to treat it.
Diabetes and menopause can team up to have various effects on your body. Knowing what to expect and how to manage it is what we will be discussing in Divabetic’s Menopause & Diabetes Panel Discussion & Sugar-Free Baking Demonstration on Zoom in honor of World Menopause Day on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, from 7 – 8:30 PM.
Catherine Schuller moderates a panel featuring Dr. Julianne Arena, MD, FACOG, ABAARM, Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide to Love And Intimacy With Diabetesco-author, COO for Diabetes Sisters Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, and photographer, Amparo. Amparo discovered, quite unexpectedly, in the ER, that she has diabetes after doctors told her her glucose level was over 800! Over the past six months, she’s been taking charge of managing her diabetes while facing hormonal changes during menopause – it’s a true Divabetic Victory story.
After our panel, Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, demonstrates how to make her popular Sugar-Free Rum Cake Recipe.
One lucky winner will win a Divabetic Prize at the end of the program.
The purpose of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness of menopause and the support options = for improving health and wellness.
Earlier this week, I saw the new documentary, Invisible Beauty, spotlighting Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison.
Co-directed by Frédéric Tcheng (DIOR AND I, HALSTON), the film explores the life and career of the legendary model, entrepreneur, and activist.
It’s equal parts memoir, with Bethann musing about her life choices in her various beautiful homes and historical testimony of the prolific racism in the fashion industry.
Bethann Hardison is uniquely qualified to take on racism in the fashion industry as a 70’s top black model. She admits she was the first “black, black” model who shared the catwalk with many women of color. When she stopped modeling to start her modeling agency, she prioritized hiring a diverse talent pool. She succeeded in creating supermodels that didn’t fit the prominent blonde and white cookie-cutter image. Two of her biggest finds were Veronica Webb and Tyson Beckford. Sadly, after she closed her agency, the whitewashing of the runways and advertising campaigns began.
The documentary argues that the trend of heroin-chic, white female models proliferating the runways and advertising campaigns was due to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The tidal wave of Russian beauties erased everything Bethann strived for – more inclusion.
The actual footage from runways during this time is alarming. There is no way anyone can deny the suppression of models of color after watching a parade of lookalike young, x-ray-thin white women on every runway.
How did Bethann address Racism?
She organized. Her brilliance is displayed as she gathers thought leaders and stakeholders in the fashion industry to start a dialogue. She smartly deflects anger, frustration, and short tempers to keep people focused on the goal. She provokes conversations in every sector of the industry. She expertly switches from being a nurturing, motherly presence in the lives of young models to a powerful activist on talk shows and media outlets.
The documentary makes a point to show that racism is cyclical. Every time Bethann succeeds, a few short years later, her work is virtually erased—two steps forward and three steps back. But somehow, she knows this and can calm the others as she seeks to unify and move forward again. It’s fascinating to watch her turn her thoughts and words into action. She is so clear in her message that her various supporters, including Naomi Campbell and Iman, never waiver in describing her purpose.
The documentary is too long. The last thirty minutes are painful. I kept wanting it to end repeatedly, but Bethann rattled on and on about death. Afterward, I told my friend I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see her cough; I stopped listening. The good news is she’s still alive and kicking.
The bad news is when it comes to motherhood, she’s right up there with Joan Crawford on the Wall of Fame. She’s elusive when discussing her strained relationship with her son. But clearly, her son bears the scars from his upbringing.
Whether or not she finishes her memoir is never addressed either. Repeatedly, she is seen on screen staring at a blank page, talking to her therapist and psychic about her writer’s block, and meeting with her editor. But we never find out what happens is a misstep.
New York Fashion Icon Evetta Petty, the owner and designer of the New York City Hat Boutique Harlem’s Heaven, shares how she stays on track with type 2 diabetes while running a successful small fashion business.
We’re talking about movie characters with diabetes, including Steel Magnolias, Soul Food, Mad Money, The Baby-Sitter Club, and Nothing In Common on this Divabetic podcast.
How realistic are portrayals of living with diabetes on screen?
How accurate is information about diabetes and diabetes self-care? And how do we feel after viewing them? With all the emotional and physical complications comes drama, making characters with the condition a good plot point on the silver screen.
Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Glucose SOS founder Pamela Heyward, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, Kent Gash, Jessica Clark and Muniq Gut Health Shakes Founder Marc Washington.
This podcast features music from the album ‘Score’ by 2Celloscourtesy of SONY Music.
Divabetic’s monthly podcasts are dedicated to Music Lovers living with, at risk and/or affected by diabetes. We aim to be the epicenter of the circle of care, a link between patients and their healthcare providers, a translator of clinical speak, and a bridge between denial and acceptance, fear and confidence.
Divabetic was inspired by the late music legend Luther Vandross and created in 2005 by Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, who, as Vandross’ assistant of 14 years, witnessed his boss, mentor, and friend struggle in silence and solitude with diabetes and its related complications.
Experience more of our GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS philosophy at divabetic.org
Last night, I saw Karyn White at City Winery in New York.
For those too young to remember, there was a moment in the late 80s when Karyn White was right up there with the best of Janet Jackson, Jody Watley, and Miki Howard. She became the first female artist to have her first three solo releases hit #1.
Her iconic R&B singles: “Superwoman,” “Secret Rendezvous,” “The Way You Love Me,” and the Billboard Hot 100 number one single “Romantic” are part of the soundtrack of my life.
I was looking forward to the concert, but I was a bit hesitant. Karyn White disappeared from the music industry as quickly as she arrived.
Her career took off like a rocket after signing to Warner Bros. Records, where she was paired with Babyface and LA Reid on her debut album. Karyn White hit the jackpot.
Her platinum-selling debut made her a star right out of the gate, quickly becoming recognized as one of the best releases of the New Jack Swing era.
She worked with Jimmy Jam and future husband Terry Lewis on her sophomore album, Ritual of Love.
Sadly, lOL reports her absence from the industry was partly due to a terrible divorce from the love of her life and icon, Terry Lewis, and her mother’s death. On the upside, she started an acting career.
Back to seeing the show. I arrived at City Winery feeling a bit apprehensive. Recent lackluster Miki Howard and Regina Belle performances will do that to you.
However, I’m happy to say that from the moment Karyn White stepped on stage, she had me. She was so exuberant and enthusiastic about being in New York and performing. I couldn’t help but feel her joy even though I was sitting in the back row. Her voice was strong, vibrant, and full of emotion, And at 60, “The Queen of New Jack Swing” held her own with two much younger backup vocalists. New Jack music isn’t kind to the knees of people over 50, but she turned it out.
I yelled, “YASS, QUEEN!”
I’d love to restructure her setlist, add a few cover songs, let go of her dancers and dress her in a fabulous gown.
If Karyn. White’s in town, I recommend going to see her!
We’re celebrating Divabetic’s 12th Year Anniversary of Podcasting with musical inspiration from Babyface and music from his A Closer Lookalbum courtesy of SONY Music. Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks,Susan WeinerMS, RDN, CDCES,FADCES, Ivan Hampden Jr., and Collage Artist Tom Cocotos. Hosted by Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek.
Our musical inspiration, Kenneth Edmonds, known professionally as Babyface, has written over 250 top-10 R&B and pop hits, working with Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston.
“The blessing of being able to write music and let the music speak for itself is you let the melodies and the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people,” says Babyface.
What makes Babyface so great? His ability to craft a song that touches our emotions captivates our ears and perfectly harmonizes every word. It’s a rare gift that not many people have in music.
“I would say that I’ve been lucky. Being blessed and not really ever giving up,” says Babyface.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your diabetes wellness journey! We’re looking forward to sharing more insight and advice on diabetes self-care from experts and peers, along with more great music in the next year!
Evetta Petty, the owner and designer of New York City’s Harlem’s Heaven Hats, shares how she stays on track with type 2 diabetes while running a successful small fashion business.
She is known for her big and bold hat pins, and her hats have humor, whimsy, rhythm, and fantasy. Evetta’s motto is, “I’ll make a hat out of anything.” Her hats have captured worldwide attention and have been worn to the Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot in England.
Evetta designs an extensive line of hats and accessories. She travels to cities like Tokyo, Rome, Hong Kong, and New Delhi, looking for unusual textiles to create a more global headwear experience.
Her hats have been worn by many celebrities such as Patti LaBelle and Star Jones, and featured on TV shows like Anderson Cooper Live and The View. She has created hats for movies, fashion magazine covers, and editorials such as Essence, Jet, and Italian Vogue, it, Mujer Unica, Vibe, Fashion Affair, and The New York Times.
Get a sneak peek at Evetta Petty’s 30th Year Retrospective Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week and hear how she’s living with type 2 diabetes in style in this video.
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) provides leading designers worldwide with an unrivaled global platform to showcase their collections bi-annually every February and September.
For several years, Harlem’s Heaven and Divabetic partnered on a successful faith-based diabetes outreach program, Hat Boxing. Participants enjoyed a Diva Hat Fashion Show, Guest Speakers and a Hat Boxing Decorating Contest. Competitors entered their decorated hat boxes with messages about diabetes and diabetes self-care to win a crown from Harlem’s Heaven Hat.
Help Us Light the Way During National Diabetes Awareness Month (November)
Approximately 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes. Did you know that over 80% don’t know they have it? Prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Join Divabetic’s Blue Candle initiative and encourage your friends, co-workers, and family members to be screened for pre-diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a quick, easy online Pre-Diabetes risk test.
Be by their side when they check, and share your successes and struggles of living with diabetes so they can see that living well with diabetes is possible.
Coming Soon! Divabetic’s first e-book, Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide to Love and Intimacy with Diabetes, by co-authors Dr. Janis Roszler PhD, LMFT, RDN, CDCES, FAND, and Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, available on Kindle.
My New York Fashion Week festivities began with the 92Y’s Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis and Gabriela Hearst. Coming directly from New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ fashion event at Gracie Mansion appeared to knock Fern off her game, but Gabriella Hearst sparkled when she hit the stage.
Gabriela Hearst wears multiple hats. She is the founder and creative director of her namesake fashion brand, creative director of Chloé, and is a wife and mother. She’s also the leading advocate for sustainability in fashion. Her website states her line is committed to making the highest quality possible product with the lowest impact on our environment.
But she works in a luxury business where clothes and handbags pay bills and salaries. Balancing the books between the environmental and business bottom lines can be challenging.
One of the keys to her success, she admitted to Fern, is that she rarely listens to advice from men. She feels women will find the solutions for climate change.
Gabriela believes less is more. Galvanizing metal, like silver and gold, to produce the hardware on Chloe’s luxury bags creates a lot of toxic waste. Her solution? Cut back on the amount of different metals being used. She and Chloe use only one gold and one silver to produce their handbags.
Additionally, 60% of fabrics used are “lower impact” materials, and Under Chloé no longer sells cotton T-shirts, to avoid the water-intensive production of that fabric.
Cashmere has been replaced by recycled cashmere, and denim by circular denim, made of a mix of recycled cotton and hemp or linen.
Gabriela Hearst was born in Uruguay, where she learned a commitment to sustainability working on her family’s ranch. She applied what she learned to fashion. She started her signature clothing line with an environmentalist approach. However, she doesn’t believe “vegan” leather is an environmentally friendly choice. “For as long as we are eating meat, leather is a byproduct of that,” she told the Guardian. “So it is a good fabric to use. When I go home to my ranch in Uruguay, they ask me – what’s happening in the north? They are having to burn leather, because people want to wear polyester instead. The idea that vegan shoes are helping the environment is just good marketing.”
Earlier this week, the Museum of FIT honored Gabriela Hearst with the 2023 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.
Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT, said, “The industry is moving toward collections with a conscience. Gabriela is a role model for designers who are embracing their responsibility to reduce and prevent climate change. She leads by example using deadstock fabric, eliminating plastic in her work, and she even created the first carbon-neutral runway show.”
Over the next two weeks, she will present her Gabriela Hearst collection in New York and show her final Chloé collection on Sept. 28 during Paris Fashion Week. As reported, Gabriela Hearst is stepping down as creative director of Chloé this fall after a three-year collaboration.
Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller is a passionate advocate for sustainably in fashion. Catherine shares how ‘Cloth Swaps’ are helping fashionistas get their fix without harming our environment on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.
With a few simple swaps, you can help live your best life while managing your diabetes. Our experts offer straightforward, simple, and fun swap ideas for drinks, medications, self-care, and fashion. Plus, we share style tips and words of inspiration to help you maintain a healthy habit.
Developing these habits isn’t always easy. Adapting to a new routine can be tricky, and it’s often tempting to want to return to old ways if we don’t see immediate results. One of the biggest mistakes people make when forming a new habit is taking on too much too quickly. Focus on what’s working in your diabetes self-care plan before overhauling diabetes management. Instead of decluttering the entire house, why not focus on one room or closet? Why not focus on the calories you drink rather than everything you eat? If you want to eat healthier, try replacing one dessert daily with a piece of fruit rather than cutting out sugar completely. If you’re going to get into hiking, start with a walk at lunchtime. Setting small goals you can achieve will help keep you motivated along the way.
Guests include Catherine Schuller, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RD, CDCES, MaryAnn Horst Nicolay, MEd, NDTR, and MamaRose Marie. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.
The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic presents a diva-style approach to diabetes empowerment on this podcast for fashion lovers. We’re playing our Buy, Borrow, or Burn! fashion game features plus-size swimwear and iconic swimsuits worn by Halle Berry, Farrah Fawcett, and Annette Funicello.
Plus, get the scoop on what Hemoglobin A1 C is on ‘Sexy Little Numbers’ with Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES.
Guest include Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Kendra Charisse Porter body expert, style architect, and founder of Honor You ( image consulting agency), Dalia Strum, consumer and business strategic digital media expert and fashion-related social media shopping consultant and special guest, Alexis living with type 1 diabetes from New York City.
Divabetic will present its 10th Annual Divabetic Mysteries podcast, Murder Plain As Vanilla, this fall. The cozy mystery podcast features a Murder She Wrote-style whodunit with loads of diabetes and self-care information.
Murder Plain As Vanilla Synopsis
When Max’s arch-nemesis baking sensation Renata Whisk calls late at night, offering a chance to participate in the Visions of Vanilla baking competition, he can’t refuse. After all, it’s an invitation to compete against culinary giants Best-Selling Cookbook Author Lily Frost, Green Thumb Gourment, Hazel Honeywell, and the Cannoli Countess and, most importantly, a chance to pay back his debt owed to his mother for using her credit card at the Jersey Shore to buy kitchen equipment.
He arrives bright and early at the historic Hedge’s Inn in East Hampton, New York, with nothing to lose. But before his hands touch a flour canister, he discovers the dead body of the competition’s sponsor, Conrad Rivera, the Vanilla King of Madagascar, lying in the Hedges Inn’s bed of roses. As luck has it, Max is the last person to see the Vanilla King alive. Soon, rumors are swirling about Max’s involvement in legendary TV Chef Sweet Sally Buttercup’s untimely demise at Central Park’s Gingerbread Man competition. To prove his innocence, he enlists his team, USA Today Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, health educators MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, and his mother, Mama Rose Marie. But when another baker’s dead body is found near Max’s baking station, even his mother refuses to taste his newest recipe. Could it be as lethal as a cup of kale hot cocoa?
Now, armed with only Renata Whisk’s Puffed Pastry recipe, a rolling pin, and his team’s expertise in solving murders and dispersing diabetes health information, Max has no choice but to solve the mystery or at least die trying. To win the Visions Of Vanilla grand prize, it will be a fight to the death.
This popular podcast will be available for free on all streaming platforms. Stay tuned for more details!
Tune in to Divabetic’s 9th Annual Mystery podcast, Tomorrow Is Not on The Menu.
The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything seems low pressure and low calorie until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation!
Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Or will he be trading his fruit suit for coveralls with stripes?
Weight loss murder never tasted so good.
Starring Mr. Divabetic, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Dave Jones, Catherine Schuller and Lorraine Brooks. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Special thanks to our colleague, the multi-talented Wendy Radford.
The Holidays are full of surprises— especially after Mr. Divabetic gets a new job as the pastry chef at the St. Nicholas Nursing Home nestled in a cozy Christmas Village.
But adjusting to life in a Christmas Village is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous resident, a real-life Ebenezer Scrooge, named Mr. Pincher almost dies——shortly after eating one of Max’s peanut butter swirl brownies. Despite all of the ingredients for danger, Mr. Divabetic, our team of amateur sleuths and his overly protective mother — set out to find the real culprit hoping his name isn’t on a lethal naughty list.
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 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.
There’s a good indication that murder might be part of the recipe when Nantucket’s ten-time reigning Baking Champion’s last name is ‘Coffin’.
But resentment, greed, and Britannia’s own bad dealings turn everyone into a suspect when she’s found dead in the parking lot just before the Annual Decadents on Deck! Bake Off competition is about to kick off.
Delusional baker and amateur sleuth Mr. Divabetic is even shocked to find himself being treated as a suspect in the case by the local police after meeting her just once!
As if his life wasn’t crazy enough before, escaping a murderous mishap in New York and attempting a fresh start in Nantucket has turned into a complete and utter baking disaster, now Max, along with his friends and nosy mother, have to add tracking down a murderer to his To-Do list, as well.
Can our team hunt down the real murderer before they strike again? Will he become the next victim? Can Max ever manage to bake a cake that’s actually edible?
Divabetic’s Mystery podcast cast includes USA Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, MaryAnn Horst-Nicolay MEd, NDRT, Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, Wendy Radford, Coach The Cure‘s Trisha Artman, Mama Rose Marie, Seveda Williams, and Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek. Produced by Leisa Chester-Weir.
Artist Heidi Hankaniemi creates one-of-a-kind artworks by collecting and compiling numerous pieces of laces. Her mission is to give discarded handiworks and the creators a new existence.
While heading to the subway, I stumbled upon her work on display at Chashama Work/ Display Space in Chelsea, New York. Heidi came out to talk to me when she saw Joe and I discussing her artwork outside on the sidewalk in front of Chashama Work.
Heidi patiently answered my battery of questions with an upbeat and friendly demeanor. She explained that many works feature lace and embroidery from different centuries and places worldwide. When I asked her how she decides which pieces and how many to put together, she said her process is organic. As she talked us through the exhibit, she mentioned that her earlier works are large tapestries of all-white lace, but her latest works incorporate different colored lace and flower embroidery.
In an interview the Finnish Cultural Institutein New York for their Creative Conversations series, Heidi said, “I love the handmade and tactile aspects of textiles and appreciate the process of working by hand. I find damaged and discarded handiworks at flea markets, and people send me things they don’t know what to do with. I mend them and construct them into larger pieces in my “Mending Tapestries” series.”
Ten years ago, she underwent surgery for a brain tumor. During her recovery, she continued to hand-sew lace and embroidery into art. While the doctors were stitching her up, she said, she stitched together fabrics. She found the practice of mending to be meditative and therapeutic. Heidi gained the strength to persevere through her health crisis from the generations of women before her who created vintage pieces of handwork. Her website states that her work “draws from domestic activities: habits, objects, and intimacy, and looks for ways to create paths between the private and the public, between the inside and the outside.”
Her fascination with lace began at an early age. She admits, “I handmade objects have a physical memory and absorb the essence of their makers. The sewing process is essential to Heidi. Piercing the fibers, she says, allows her to create both a physical and an emotional bond with the material.
Through her art, she’s found a beautiful way to give old pieces of lace and embroidery new life. People hire Heidi to create works of art to memorialize past generations from their family’s lace and embroidery. As she put it, the sewer’s essence is embedded in the fabric each time the cloth is hand-pierced with thread. I immediately thought of my grandmother’s Hummel collection displayed on dollies when she said no one puts lace dollies under the TVs today. These commissions are wonderful and sustainable keepsakes.
Heidi’s work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions in Europe and the United States, including at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, St. Petersburg Metro Museum, and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. It has also been featured in publications ranging from Artnet, Vogue UK, FJORDS magazine, Elle Deco ES, Elle Decoration UK, Elle UK, Architectural Digest, Frame, I.D. magazine, Interview magazine, Crystallized, Dazed and Confused, Marie Claire to Hello and Hola!.
Divabetic Image &. Style Advisor Catherine Schuller shares how the newest trend in shopping, Fashion Swaps, is a sustainable way to express your sense of style on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.
With a few simple swaps, you can help live your best life while managing your diabetes. Our experts offer straightforward, simple, and fun swap ideas for drinks, medications, self-care, and fashion. Plus, we share style tips and words of inspiration to help you maintain a healthy habit.
Developing these habits isn’t always easy. Adapting to a new routine can be tricky, and it’s often tempting to want to return to old ways if we don’t see immediate results. One of the biggest mistakes people make when forming a new habit is taking on too much too quickly. Focus on what’s working in your diabetes self-care plan before overhauling diabetes management. Instead of decluttering the entire house, why not focus on one room or closet? Why not focus on the calories you drink rather than everything you eat? If you want to eat healthier, try replacing one dessert daily with a piece of fruit rather than cutting out sugar completely. If you’re going to get into hiking, start with a walk at lunchtime. Setting small goals you can achieve will help keep you motivated along the way.
Guests include Catherine Schuller, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RD, CDCES, MaryAnn Horst Nicolay, MEd, NDTR, and MamaRose Marie. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.
Vesta Williams was a rhythm and blues singer and later an actress who had hits in the 1980s with Bitten Twice Shy and Sweet, Sweet Love. From upbeat songs to passionate ballads, her music is part of the soundtrack of our lives.
The 80’s diva known for her powerful voice was found dead in her California hotel room in 2011. She was 53.
Our favorite is the torch song Congratulations, in which she emotionally bids goodbye to her former lover, who is about to marry someone else, on his wedding day. (“I thought it would have been me/Standin’ here with you.”) The video is pure camp, but we love it anyway.
Vesta Williams’s initial success in the music industry came as a background singer for Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, and Sting. She released her first album, Vesta, in 1986.
“There’s some good swinging energy from side to side, and strong melodies brought by the enjoyable vocals,” states an album review on Rate Your Music website.
Her album, Vesta 4 U, received outstanding reviews. One Amazon fan wrote, “this is the best and most popular CD from one of the most underrated vocalists of our time, the late great Vesta Williams. Her voice is so commanding, and the songs like the soulful Sweet Sweet Love and her signature Congratulations are classic! It was so great to have a big talent grace us on Earth.”
In the 1990s, Williams made headlines for her dramatic weight loss. She started to gain weight when her singing career began to falter rapidly. Williams, who was 5-foot-3, eventually reached a size 26.
She blamed her size for losing her recording contract in the mid-90s. “When I lost my record deal, and my phone wasn’t ringing, I realized that I had to reassess who Vesta was and figure out what was going wrong,” she said. “I knew it wasn’t my singing ability. So it had to be that I was expendable because I didn’t have the right look.”
Vesta began her weight loss journey with a gym session with her trainer. Rumor has it that they were romantically involved. Love can do many things, including inspire someone to become more active. Vesta did sit-ups, treadmill runs, calisthenics, and Stair Master for two and a half hours daily. Furthermore, she ran down a steep set of steps at a beach in Santa Monica, regulating her meal intake and eating healthy while working out. The singer lost 100 pounds, armored with a new attitude, she started a second career as a songwriter and session singer.
Vesta Williams also became an advocate for the prevention of childhood obesity and diabetes.
Family friend and singer Norwood Young confirmed with the family that she passed away due to complications of an enlarged heart.
Young said, “Although it’s a sad situation overall, we learn from Vesta’s death. Vesta did indeed die from an enlarged heart. As we know, an enlarged heart can remain undetected in the body for many years.”
An enlarged heart can be caused by conditions that cause your heart to pump harder than usual or that damage your heart muscle. Sometimes, the heart enlarges and weakens for unknown reasons (idiopathic). A heart condition you’re born with (congenital), damage from a heart attack, or an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia) can cause your heart to enlarge. Other conditions associated with an enlarged heart include:
High blood pressure. ‘Your heart is working overtime all the time’ is how Patricia Addie-Gentle CDCES describes high blood pressure. Unmanaged high blood pressure can lead to a poor quality of life or even a deadly heart attack or stroke. Treatment and lifestyle changes can help control high blood pressure to reduce the risk of life-threatening complications.
Divabetic remembers Luther Vandross (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) with this special podcast, Tribute to Luther Vandross, celebrating his career during the 1990’s. Luther Vandross was a musical master whose style has influenced an entire generation of today’s vocalists. His distinctive brand of satin-smooth vocal magic moved international audiences and continues to touch people today.
The happy healthcare host, Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek, who worked with Vandross for more than 14 years, hosts this tribute podcast featuring Luther’s former 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 Dave Jones, the Luther Vandross historian, Leon Petrossian and Luther super fan, Jane Goodman from Great Britain.
Throughout the podcast, we will play selected Luther Vandross songs that he recorded during the 1990’s courtesy of SONY Music.
Divabetic, inspired by Luther’s diabetes journey, revisits the singer’s career in the decade of hair scrunchies, boy bands, grunge, and rave parties. This Luther tribute remembers the moments, the music, the man, and the motivation to ensure that no one struggles with diabetes alone or in silence. Keep ‘your house a home’ and learn how to prevent diabetes health-related complications from occurring. Visit: www.divabetic.org
