Need a dose of diva inspiration to help you gain some confidence to overcome an obstacle in your diabetes self-care rountine?
Let singer, songwriter Ledisi’s journey to success inspire you to stay strong and go on!
Just before Ledisi recorded her ‘Lost & Found” album, which has earned her a nomination for Best New Artist as well as Best R&B album, she felt she was floundering.
“When you don’t know how beautiful you are, you will always be in search of happiness.” – Ledisi
Although Ledisi had released two critically acclaimed albums independently and worked on Broadway, she still was unable to garner much mainstream attention.
She recalls being told consistently that she didn’t have the “look” necessary to be a star. In addition, while her music could be classified as R&B, she also sang with jazz inflections that left some industry people confused about how to categorize her, or to market her.
“Be careful of who and what you let into your space.Not everyone is worthy of your presence.” – Ledisi
Fed up, Ledisi was about to quit the business until she met a friend and producer who encouraged her to give her recording career one more try. So she took a leap of faith and was rewarded.
“Tell me I can’t so I can show you I CAN!” – Ledisi
I had a great time working with my Luther Vandrossfamily on this remake of Luther’s hit song, Take You Out, to encourage others to take the necessary precautions.
The concept popped into my head when Keith Anthony Fluitt mentioned that one of his favorite Luther songs is Take You Out. My immediate reply was, “we should update the lyrics to reflect what was happening with the pandemic.”
A few days later, I was hosting our weekly FANDROSS zoom call. At the end of the session, we took turns pitching project ideas. When it was my turn, I pitched the idea of remaking Take You Out. I shared how I wanted to change some of the lyrics to emphasize COVID precautions. Keith jumped in and said he would do it, and shortly after, everyone agreed to participate.
The next thing I knew, Ivan Hampden Jr. had created a track for us to work with. Then, to my complete surprise, I was gifted the fantastic experience of songwriting with Lisa Fischer!! We collaborated over the phone. I texted Lisa my initial lyric ideas, she sang them back, and then we tweaked and altered them as needed.
Lisa, Ivan, and I played the track and shared new lyrics with everyone in the next zoom session.
From there, Keith, Kevin Owens, and Clayton Bryant took turns singing the lead, and Lisa Fischer, Alfa Anderson, Tawatha Agee, and Cindy Mizelle sang the backgrounds.
Once the song was finished, we were challenged with how to share it. Everyone wanted to do a video, but New York City’s health protocols prevented us from getting together. I decided to take a stab at producing a video by myself. I ran around the streets of New York shooting videos on my i-Phone. FANDROSS producer and longtime Divabetic collaborator Leisa Chester Weir provided me with royalty-free videos I altered in iMovie.
Of course, none of it would have happened with the love and support of Luther’s niece, FANDROSS CEO, Seveda Williams. Seveda heard my initial idea and loved it. She fully supported the project from the jump. You can’t ask for a better friend!
It will always be an honor and privilege to support and continue Luther’s musical legacy. I feel so fortunate to have known and worked for such a musical genius. Luther Vandross was SO AMAZING.
Enjoy our chic FANDROSS twist on one of Luther’s iconic songs, Take You Out as we urge you and your loved ones to take the necessary precautions to stay safe.
Take You Out written by Warryn Campbell, Harold Lilly, and John Smith
Lead Vocals: Keith Anthony Fluitt, Kevin Owens, Clayton Bryant
Backing Vocals: Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Tawatha Agee, Alfa Anderson Music Remix: Ivan Hampden, Jr.
Vocal Arrangements: Lisa Fischer
Mixer: Aaron Whitby
Luther Vandross Archival Footage: Thornworld
Hats & Masks Images: Harlem Heaven’s Hats
Revised Lyrics: Max Szadek, Lisa Fischer
Video Compilation: Leisa Chester Weir, LGK Marketing
Adele’s weight loss journey is inspiring because her goal isn’t a number on the scale. Instead, it is embracing a healthier way of life.
“It was because of my anxiety,” she told British Vogue. “Working out, I would just feel better.” The singer also said that “it was never about losing weight. It was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone. I got quite addicted to it.”
Adele started making headlines with her weight loss at the end of 2019.
Adele said that during quarantine, she worked out three times a day: “So I do my weights in the morning, then I normally hike, or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night,” reports Vogue.
“I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body.”
Adele told British Vogue when asked why she didn’t share her weight loss journey on social media.
Adele also confirmed that any rumors suggesting she lost weight by dieting are false. “No intermittent fasting. Nothing. If anything, I eat more than I used to because I work out so hard,” she told British Vogue.
She feels confident enough about herself and her new lifestyle to joke about it.
In 2020, she joked about her weight loss in her opening SNL monologue. “I know I look really, really different since you last saw me,” Adele said. “But actually, because of all the Covid restrictions…I had to travel light, and I could only bring half of me, and this is the half I chose.”
he 15-time Grammy winner released her first single off her fourth studio album, Easy On Me, this past week.
Adele’s album, “25” has sold six million copies in the US and become the 20th album to sell at least a million copies in a single week in the Nielsen era. It is the largest selling album of 2015 in total, surpassing the sales of Taylor Swift’s 1989.
Divabetic podcast guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES and MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR), Jennifer Jacobs, Dana Collins Carr and Cindy Lou, who is living with type 2 diabetes from Kentucky.
Throughout the podcast we will be playing selected cuts from “25” courtesy of SONY Music.
Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.”
Plus-size Fashion and Travel Blogger, LGBTQ+ Influencer Alysse Dalessandro Santiago shares how seeking out a weight-neutral doctor’s approach helped her improve her diabetes self-care on October’s Divabetic Podcast with music fromCarly Simon.
Alysse says, “It’s taken me a long time to be my own healthcare advocate and challenge the pervasive narrative around plus-size or larger-bodied people living with type 2 diabetes.”
Alysse told her doctor, “I am here for diabetes management. I understand that you have been trained to look at my weight as an indicator of my health. But I look at my A1C as an indicator of my health, so can we focus on that?”
She encourages other plus-size and larger-bodied people to advocate for their diabetes health. “Doctors are there to help and care for you. Their job is to care for you as an individual. When a doctor looks at you as a number on a chart or on the scale, they’re not looking at you as an individual. So if you don’t feel like they are listening to you, then you need to leave and find someone else.”
Alysse’s proactive approach to finding a weight-neutral doctor paid off! Finally, she can focus on the tools she needs to have tighter blood sugar management than the scale numbers. One self-care tool that she loves is the FreeStyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) System. Alysse says the FreeStyle Libre has helped her to lower her A1C from 11 to a 7. But that’s not all! An added bonus of using the FreeStyle Libre for Alysse has been avoiding triggers related to her binge eating disorder.
“The FreeStyle Libre holds me accountable and tunes me in.” She adds, “The FreeStyle Libre’s alarms make me say, Hey, I emotionally feel like I want to eat, but physically I’m not actually hungry. My blood glucose levels are high, and I should not be eating right now. I’m emotionally hungry. What else can I do to self-soothe?“
The “weight-neutral” movement: a therapeutic approach to improving the health of individuals by focusing less on BMI and more on lifestyle behaviors. Studies suggest weight cycling is more strongly linked with specific adverse health outcomes than having an obese BMI. If your doctor’s appointments start and end with a phrase like: “You need to lose weight,” maybe it’s time to find a new doctor.
*The A1C test—also known as the hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c test—is a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months.
Plus-Size Fashion and Tavel Blogger, LGBTQ+ Influencer, Alysse Dalessandro Santiago guests on Divabetic’s October podcast with musical inspiration from Carly Simon. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.
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?
In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic presents its Once In a Blue Moon program. This free, fun-filled, informative hour of diabetes outreach is intended to rejuvenate and reignite your attitude. The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, Maryann Nicolay MEd, NDTR, Wendy Satin Rapaport LCSW, PsyD, and Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller share expert ways to expand food choices, add sparkle, and boost spirits.
So have some fun spending time with us during our Once in A Blue Moon program on Thursday, November 11, 2021, 7 – 8 PM EST on Zoom.
Do you feel like the whole world is judging you for being plus-size and living with type 2 diabetes?
Alysse Dalessandro Santiagois brimming with confidence. She is a fierce diabetes advocate who is outspoken about her experience living with type 2 diabetes and depression.
Alysee joins us on Divabetic’s October podcast to talk about how the Freestyle Libre 2 helps her to keep confident about managing her diabetes on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at 6 PM, EST.
Alysse Dalessandro Santiago may be one of Instagram’s hottest influencers as a lifestyle and travel expert but that doesn’t mean she has it made in the shade. “Every day I wake up and take my medication and try to walk into the day with a new positive outlook. Having depression definitely makes that a challenge some days. And having diabetes makes me want to check out from everything. I’m not going to let diabetes or depression steal my shine!”, says Alysse.
We’re talking about how to get over the fear and anxiety about speaking publically about your diabetes and related health issues (including depression and sleep apnea) with musical inspiration from Carly Simon.
Grammy winner Carly Simon has recorded over 30 albums, won two Grammies, and an Academy Award. Carly Simon managed to accomplish her dreams by overcoming severe stuttering and painful migraines to achieve her success. When I was a young child,” Carly Simon has revealed, “I had a stammer. And the only time it went away was when I sang. One day, my mother said to me, ‘Don’t speak it, sing it.’ And that’s what I did.”
Leading advocates share their journeys and tools that help them: FreeStyle Libre 2 App, CPAP machines, and a new line of baked good mixes, TruEats.
The FreeStyle Libre system measures glucose levels through a small sensor applied to the back of your upper arm. It provides real-time glucose readings for up to 10 days, both day and night.
Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. A CPAP machine uses a hose and mask or nosepiece to deliver constant and steady air pressure.
TruEats Baking Mixes have 1g of Sugar or Less + Complex (Good) Carbs for great-tasting, steady energy that’s diabetic friendly. Guests include Marten Carlson, Alysse Dalessandro Santiago, Surinder and Daven Kumar, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES.
October’s Divabetic podcast features music from Carly Simon’s Coming Around Again album courtesy of SONY Music.
Several years ago, I met Chef Robert Lewis, aka the Happy Diabetic, at a Taking Control Of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) Expo. His upbeat attitude and friendly demeanor drew me to him immediately as he showed a captive audience how to make healthy meals at home. He has appeared on numerous Divabetic podcasts, including this year’s Divabetic Mysteries: A Christmas Peril.
Chef Robert was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after a vacation in Colorado in 1998. When he was traveling back home, he felt super tired and sluggish, very thirsty, and had to urinate at almost every rest stop. Chef Robert knew something was wrong. He just wasn’t sure exactly what it was. So a few weeks later, he visited his doctor, and that’s when he was diagnosed with diabetes.
” I was in denial for at least six months, and things were not going well for me,” he said in an interview with Beyond Type 2 diabetes. “Once I took ownership in it, really, then some amazing things started to happen – I started to focus. I was able to seek out people with the right information. And I just slowly started making some lifestyle changes.”
From there, Chef Robert started attending diabetes education classes and putting his culinary degree to work, creating recipes that tasted good and were actually healthy.
He adds, “I started creating some recipes and worked with some really good dietitians who helped me with some of the nutritional components.”
1/s cup of whole dried apricots and or apples peeled and sliced
1/2 cup of sliced white or yellow onions
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
pinch of rosemary
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the sauté pan. Place 1 T olive oil in the pan and heat to medium. Place the seasoned pork chops (seasoned with salt and pepper) and cook for 2-3 min. Add the garlic, onions and the whole dried apricots and or apples peeled and sliced. cook of 4-6 minutes covered. spoon the apples and or apricots and onions over the pork chops. Cook covered until the internal temp is between 155-165 degrees.
Serves 4
Nutrition Information: Cal: 290, Total fat:12.67g, Total Carbs: 29.83, Protein: 17.29
We’re talking about how to get over the fear and anxiety about speaking publically about your diabetes and related health issues (including depression and sleep apnea) with musical inspiration from Carly Simon.
Grammy winner Carly Simon has recorded over 30 albums, won two Grammies, and an Academy Award. Carly Simon managed to accomplish her dreams by overcoming severe stuttering and painful migraines to achieve her success. When I was a young child,” Carly Simon has revealed, “I had a stammer. And the only time it went away was when I sang. One day, my mother said to me, ‘Don’t speak it, sing it.’ And that’s what I did.”
Leading advocates share their journeys and tools that help them: FreeStyle Libre 2 App, CPAP machines, and a new line of baked good mixes, TruEats.
The FreeStyle Libre system measures glucose levels through a small sensor applied to the back of your upper arm. It provides real-time glucose readings for up to 10 days, both day and night.
Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. A CPAP machine uses a hose and mask or nosepiece to deliver constant and steady air pressure.
TruEats Baking Mixes have 1g of Sugar or Less + Complex (Good) Carbs for great-tasting, steady energy that’s diabetic friendly. Guests include Marten Carlson, Alysse Dalessandro Santiago, Surinder and Daven Kumar, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES.
October’s Divabetic podcast features music from Carly Simon’s Coming Around Againalbum courtesy of SONY Music.
Thank you to our special guest Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ for joining us for last night’s Divabetic Zoom program. It was our largest virtual program to date! Over 50 people enjoyed watching Stacey demonstrate her popular Sugar-Free Pumpkin Muffin Recipe, share expert baking tips, and answer questions about making over traditional dessert recipes with less sugar and carbohydrate but still packed with great flavor!
One lucky guest, Fran C. from New York City, won a fantastic Splenda Gift Basket.
Don’t miss Divabetic’s Annual Mystery Podcast, ‘A Christmas Peril’, on Thursday, September 30, 2021, 6 PM, EST.
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 along with our team of amateur sleuths and his overly protective mother — set out to find the real culprit in the hopes that 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 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.
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.
Win a Splenda Gift Basket at Divabetic’s free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka “The Diabetic Pastry Chef”on Thursday, September 23, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom. No purchase is necessary.
Splenda Sugar Blend and Brown Sugar Blend Sweeteners each contain pure sugar (sucrose) and Splenda Original Sweetener (sucralose). These products provide functional properties for your baked goods (such as browning, volume, texture, and moisture retention) with only half the calories and carbohydrates of sugar.
Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener can be used for baking and cooking. It measures and pours just 1-to-1 like sugar. 1 cup of Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener is equal in sweetness to 1 cup of sugar.
Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry’ plans to demonstrate one of her favorite sugar-free recipes, answers your questions, and provide tips for baking with popular sugar substitutes, and other sugar alternatives including Splenda.
After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Stacey Harris (The Diabetic Pastry Chef) taught herself how to make pound cake, pecan rolls, pies, muffins, cupcakes, and other baked goods with about half the carbs you’d get from a traditional bakery item.
“I started experimenting by using almond milk or whole milk mixed with water to cut down on carbs, then tried different flours, incorporating white whole wheat flour, soy flour, oat flour, black bean flour, and other alternatives into my brownies, cakes, and cookies,” she said in a How 2 Type 2 article.
She adds, ”To cut back on sugar, I started using all-natural substitutes, like agave nectar, and trying erythritol. I also bake with a store-bought blend of sugars that tastes delicious.”
Enjoy our exclusive interview with Angela Bofill on this episode of Divabetic’s monthly podcast.With her strong, distinctive alto, Angela Bofill carved a niche as an outstanding interpreter of soul ballads and became a mainstay on the Quiet Storm radio format. Angela Bofill suffered two strokes but neither stroke could take away her positive, humorous personality and her fighter spirit. Podcast guests: Angela Bofill, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, San Francisco & Palm Springs drag performer Mutha Chucka, and Evetta Petty from Harlem’s Heaven Hats.
90+ People have already registered, how about you? Join us for Divabetic’s largest diabetes outreach of 2021.
Register now for our free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka “The Diabetic Pastry Chef”on Thursday, September 23, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.
Stacey plans to demonstrate one of her favorite sugar-free recipes, answers your questions, and provide tips for baking with popular sugar substitutes, and other sugar alternatives including Splenda.
After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Stacey Harris (The Diabetic Pastry Chef) taught herself how to make pound cake, pecan rolls, pies, muffins, cupcakes, and other baked goods with about half the carbs you’d get from a traditional bakery item.
“I started experimenting by using almond milk or whole milk mixed with water to cut down on carbs, then tried different flours, incorporating white whole wheat flour, soy flour, oat flour, black bean flour, and other alternatives into my brownies, cakes, and cookies,” she said in a How 2 Type 2 article.
She adds, ”To cut back on sugar, I started using all-natural substitutes, like agave nectar, and trying erythritol. I also bake with a store-bought blend of sugars that tastes delicious.”
These famous Pie Crust Cookies are insanely good! They’re perfectly proportioned bites of pie in a cookie! Each bite delivers a flaky crust, a heavenly layer of pie filling ( I tried blueberry lemon and strawberry rhubarb), and buttery caramelized streusel. I discovered them on the Upper Westside after a power walk across Central Park.
I read on their website that Pie Crust Cookie owner, Janie, spent years struggling with addiction and homelessness in her early 20’s. At a time when Janie had no self-love, seeing the looks on people’s faces when they devoured her treats slowly filled her with pride that she had never before felt. Janie says “I never intended to be a small business owner, had no idea what being an entrepreneur meant but this path chose me and it’s the most amazing ride”.
The website also mentions that Janie is a Food Network Chopped Sweets Champion, the recipient of Pepsi’s “Stacy’s Rise Project” grant and scholarship to the International Culinary Center’s Culinary Entrepreneurship Program, and she was also a finalist on the 2018 Culinary Voice Scholarship Contest.
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 Virtual Baking Party with Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, September 23, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.
During this virtual Baking Party on Zoom, The Diabetic Pastry Chef will prepare a Sugar-Free Dessert recipe and share expert baking tips for using sugar substitutes in your favorite recipes.
After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Stacey Harris (The Diabetic Pastry Chef) taught herself how to make pound cake, pecan rolls, pies, muffins, cupcakes, and other baked goods with about half the carbs you’d get from a traditional bakery item.
Divabetic® (divabetic.org) is a national nonprofit diabetes outreach organization committed to changing attitudes in people at risk, affected by and living with diabetes. We strive to encourage prevention, early action, and above all, education. Check out our free monthly podcasts and our free Zoom outreach programs.
