The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic hopes to encourage you to not let diabetes dim your holiday spirit with musical inspiration from Mariah Carey.
Mariah Carey’s lasting impact on holiday music, 30 years after the release of Merry Christmas. Her album is the best selling Christmas album of all-time. Merry Christmas boasts a variety of musical arrangements, sounds and genres. Mariah Carey’s goal during recording was to provide an album that would have a “Christmas feel”, providing a mixture of soulful tracks, as well as fun and joyous holiday treats.
In the years since its original release, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has become established as a Christmas standard; it was once called “one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon.
Having diabetes shouldn’t stop you from enjoying holiday celebrations and travel. With some planning and a little preparation, you can stay healthy on the road and at holiday gatherings with friends and family.
Preparation is the most important step in managing diabetes during holiday travel and festivities. Know what you’ll be eating, how to enjoy a few traditional favorites while sticking with a healthy meal plan, how to pack necessary supplies for a trip, and you’re ready to celebrate!
Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, ‘Unleash Your Inner Diabetes Dominator’ Author Daniele Hargenrader, CEO of Insulcloud Jose Luis and Mama Rose Marie.
Throughout the podcast we will be playing musical selections from Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas album courtesy of SONY Music.
Enjoy Divabetic’s animated 10th Annual Original Mystery podcast, “Murder Plain As Vanilla,” streaming on Spotify, iTunes, and BlogTalkRadio.
Our mystery podcast is not just for mystery lovers. It’s an engaging way to learn about diabetes and self-care. Amidst colorful characters, thrilling adventures, and delightful settings, we offer health and wellness tips to help you take charge of your diabetes self-care.
We also promote the idea of thinking like a detective when you experience unexpected blood sugar fluctuations. Look for clues, gather data, talk to witnesses (friends, co-workers, and family members ), and present your ideas to healthcare professionals for solutions.
A team approach to managing your diabetes is also a great idea.
Here is a summary of Divabetic’s 10th Annual Original Mystery podcast, “Murder Plan As Vanilla.” Mr. Divabetic, a baking enthusiast, is invited by his arch-nemesis, Renata Whisk, to participate in the Visions of Vanilla baking competition.
The competition will feature renowned culinary giants such as Best-Selling Cookbook Author Lily Frost, Green Thumb Gourmet, Hazel Honeywell, and the Cannoli Countess. Max, who owes his mother a debt, accepts the invitation.
However, before Max can start baking, he discovers the dead body of the Vanilla King of Madagascar. As luck would have it, Max was the last person to see the Vanilla King alive.
To prove his innocence, he seeks help from his team, USA Today’s best-selling author Tonya Kappes, health educator MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR, former FBI Agent Pauline, and his mother, Mama Rose Marie.
Things take a turn for the worse when another baker is found dead near Max’s station, raising suspicions about his involvement in the murders. Even Max’s mother is at risk.
Now, with only Renata Whisk’s Puffed Pastry recipe, a rolling pin, and his team’s expertise in solving murders and providing diabetes health information, Max must solve the mystery or die trying.
Divabetic Mysteries: “Murder Plain As Vanilla” features Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, Dave Jones, Seveda Williams, Leisa Chester Weir, and Amparo Peterkin. Written by Max Szadek and Wendy Radford. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Animated by Max Szadek.
After writing and producing ten mystery podcasts, I can say that our Suspect Boulevardpodcast is my favorite.
One reason is that the format loosely follows Billy Wilder’s iconic Sunset Boulevard film. Praised by many critics when first released, Sunset Boulevard was nominated for 11 Academy Awards.
I tell the story of mystery, diabetes, and intrigue from backward to forward, and the setting is a gilded mansion in Beverly Hills.
My main characters, two famous sisters, author Marjorie Melbourne Blaze and her actress sister Marjorie Melbourne, elude to Jackie and Joan Collins.
Diabetes alert dogs are one of the many diabetes health topics in this podcast. I interviewed my friend Debby Kay, a diabetes alert dog trainer, scent detection expert, and author, about them, their skills, and the training required.
Having a dog that reliably alerts to blood sugar levels can help individuals regain their independence in daily life. This degree of detection by your side gives many people with diabetes the confidence to return to activities they love.
Here’s a quick synopsis of Sunset Boulevard: 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.
One way to help prevent complications is to take a team approach to managing your diabetes and involve your friends, family, co-workers, and healthcare professionals in your self-care. Showing close friends where you keep your supplies and informing them of what you need when experiencing a low is a great way to safeguard against a health crisis. Remember, asking for help is not a sign of weakness.
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 education. Check out our free monthly podcasts (available on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio) and our Zoom outreach programs.
Enjoy our fully animated Mystery podcast, Murder Plain As Vanilla, packed with excellent diabetes information, a fun whodunnit, and many crazy characters.
Our mystery podcast is not just for mystery lovers. It’s an engaging way to learn about diabetes and self-care. Amidst colorful characters, thrilling adventures, and delightful settings, we offer health and wellness tips to help you take charge of your diabetes self-care.
We also promote the idea of thinking like a detective when you experience unexpected blood sugar fluctuations. Look for clues, gather data, talk to witnesses (friends, co-workers, and family members ), and present your ideas to healthcare professionals for solutions.
A team approach to managing your diabetes is also a great idea.
Here is a summary of Divabetic’s 10th Annual Original Mystery podcast, Murder Plan As Vanilla. Mr. Divabetic, a baking enthusiast, is invited by his arch-nemesis, Renata Whisk, to participate in the Visions of Vanilla baking competition.
The Visions of Vanilla competition will feature renowned culinary giants such as Lily Frost, Best-Selling Cookbook Author, Green Thumb Gourmet, Hazel Honeywell, and the Cannoli Countess. Max, who owes his mother a debt, accepts the invitation.
The competition will feature renowned culinary giants such as Lily Frost, Best-Selling Cookbook Author, Green Thumb Gourmet, Hazel Honeywell, and the Cannoli Countess. Max, who owes his mother a debt, accepts the invitation.
However, before Max can start baking, he discovers the dead body of the Vanilla King of Madagascar. As luck would have it, Max was the last person to see the Vanilla King alive.
To prove his innocence, he seeks help from his team, USA Today’s best-selling author Tonya Kappes, health educator MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR, former FBI Agent Pauline, and his mother, Mama Rose Marie.
Things take a turn for the worse when another baker is found dead near Max’s station, raising suspicions about his involvement in the murders. Even Max’s mother is at risk.
Now, with only Renata Whisk’s Puffed Pastry recipe, a rolling pin, and his team’s expertise in solving murders and providing diabetes health information, Max must solve the mystery or die trying.
Diabetic Mysteries: Murder Plain As Vanilla features Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, MaryAnn Nicolay, Catherine Schuller, Dave Jones, Seveda Williams, Leisa Chester Weir, and Amparo Peterkin. Written by Max Szadek and Wendy Radford. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Animated by Max Szadek
Coney Island hosts the world’s greatest art parade, the Mermaid Parade, on Saturday, June 22, 2024!
The Mermaid Parade is a unique, artistic celebration of ancient mythology and is considered the official start of the Coney Island summer season. The nation’s largest art parade attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Brooklyn’s amusement district.
World-renowned painter, performer, and sideshow historian Joe Coleman will reign as King and Queen with his wife and muse, artist/photographer Whitney Ward. For over 30 years, the couple has been frequent prize winners for costumes.
According to tradition, King Neptune and Queen Mermaid will be wheeled through the parade in an antique wicker Boardwalk Rolling Chair from 1923.
Immediately after the parade, at approximately 4 p.m., Mr. Rinn will lead the Queen and King procession to the beach at 19th Street and the Boardwalk, for the official Beach Ceremony and opening the ocean for the summer swimming season.
Diabetes advocate turned reluctant amateur sleuth, Mr. Divabetic finally takes the plunge and ventures into a new career as a healthy caterer. With the help of his co-workers and nosy Italian mother, he heads for Coney Island to cater his first party aboard a yacht for his former swim coach, Ted Rockow. But his nautical soiree quickly capsizes when the guest of honor is found swimming with the fishes. Was it an accident or foul play?
Now Mr. Divabetic’s grilling Burlesque dancers, a lifeguard lothario, a gypsy fortune teller, and some sequined mermaids, all intent on keeping their secrets buried deep within the sand.
Can Mr. Divabetic overcome his green pea phobia in time to prove Coach’s death was a murder, not an accident? Or will he end up floating out to sea? Will he sink or swim? Tune in to find out if he can solve the murder of his former swim coach with the help of his nosey Italian mother and friends. Along the way to revealing the murderer’s identity, he uncovers expert tips for diabetes self-care during the Summer months.
FEATURING Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, MaryAnn Horst-Nicolay MEd, NDRT, Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, We Are Diabetes Founder Asha Brown, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, Mama Rose Marie, and Seveda Williams. Produced by Leisa Chester-Weir.
She’s a famous Italian baker who has risen to fame with her delicious cannoli treats.
However, her romantic involvement with the victim, Conrad Rivera, also known as the Vanilla King of Madagascar, has caused her to become a prime suspect in our team’s ongoing murder investigation.
It’s all part of this year’s Divabetic Mysteries podcast titled “Murder Plain As Vanilla,” now available for streaming on popular platforms like Spotify, iTunes, and BlogTalkRadio.
If you’re a fan of true crime and love solving mysteries, you won’t want to miss this thrilling podcast series.
Our mystery podcast isn’t only for mystery lovers. It’s a fun way to learn about diabetes and self-care. In between colorful characters, crazy adventures, and mysterious surroundings, we pack health and wellness tips that can help you take charge of your diabetes. We also hope to encourage you to think like a detective the next time you experience unexpected blood sugar fluctuations. Search for clues, collect data, talk to witnesses, and bring your ideas to the authorities (healthcare collaborators) for solutions. A team approach to managing your diabetes isn’t a bad idea either.
Here’s a short synopsis of “Murder Plain As Vanilla”:
When Mr. Divabetic’s arch-nemesis baking sensation Renata Whisk calls, offering a chance to participate in the Visions of Vanilla baking competition, he can’t refuse. 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.
But before Max’s hands touch flour, he discovers the dead body of the Vanilla King of Madagascar. As luck has it, Max is the last person to see the Vanilla King alive.
To prove his innocence, he enlists his team, USA Today’s best-selling author Tonya Kappes, health educator MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR, and his mother, Mama Rose Marie. But when another baker’s dead body is found near Max’s station, even his mother tastes a recipe for disaster. 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.
Divabetic Mysteries: “Murder Plain As Vanilla” features Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, Dave Jones, Seveda Williams, Leisa Chester Weir, and Amparo Peterkin. Written by Max Szadek and Wendy Radford. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Animated by Max Szadek
Enjoy all of Divabetic Mysteries Podcasts streaming on Blog TalkRadio, iTunes and Spotify: Pink Panther Phantom of the Okra Suspect Boulevard Gypsies, Tramps & Peas Swan Wake Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes Kill Me Madam A Christmas Peril Tomorrow Is Not On the Menu Website: Divabetic.Org
Teena Marie was an R&B singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the stage name Teena Marie, and later, Rick James nicknamed her Lady T.
During her lifetime, she made music that shattered narrow-minded marketing categories and gender roles. Teena Marie was the rare woman in charge of her material. She wrote, produced, and performed her records for much of her career, which took off in 1979.
Early in her career, Teena Marie told Dick Clark on American Bandstand that from the time she was eight years old, she dreamed of being on Motown Records. She said, “I used to look at the blue label and say, Oh, God, it (Motown) must be the most fabulous place’.”
After several creative delays at Motown, she caught the attention of Rick James, who was establishing himself in 1970s soul funk music.
In his autobiography Memoirs Of A Super Freak, Rick James describes his first encounter with Teena Marie as, “Never in my life had I heard such a range with so much passion in a white voice.”
With Rick’s help, Teena’s first single, ‘I’m A Sucker For Your Love,’ conceived initially as a potential duet for Rick James and Diana Ross, exploded into the Top Ten of Billboard’s R&B charts. “We deliberately didn’t put her picture on the album cover,” said Rick James, “because we wanted to confuse people and make them wonder whether Teena was black or white.” The song spent six months on the charts.
Looking back at that time, Teena Marie said, “Black people would always say, “I didn’t know you were White.” But people like good music,” She added, “At the end of the day, you have to sing what’s in your own soul.”
After Rick James passed, Teena Marie became addicted to Vicodin, initially diagnosed for her physical pain from a series of accidents. “Once I realized that those pills not only took away my physical agony by masking my emotional pain, I really became addicted,” she told Essense Magazine.
For Teena, Losing Rick James meant losing her musical soulmate, and her grief was unbearable. “We were like an extension of each other. I miss all our talks. We were like family; only family can talk about family, not anyone else.”
I am grateful to Teena Marie for paving the way for people like me. I was one of a handful of white men working for R&B performers in the 1990s. I traveled my path by following Teena Marie’s footprints.
Living with diabetes can be tough, but you’re doing an amazing job so far! You’re taking care of yourself by watching what you eat, making time for physical activity, taking your medication, and checking your blood sugar levels regularly. However, sometimes it can be discouraging when you’re not seeing the results you were hoping for or when you develop health problems despite all your efforts.
Just remember that it’s okay to feel frustrated, discouraged, or burned out. It happens to many people with diabetes. You’re not alone!
It’s important to be kind to yourself and celebrate the progress you’re making every day. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a trusted friend or a therapist for support. Your healthcare team is also there to help you refocus on new ideas and strategies.
Instead of focusing on big goals, try taking small steps toward achieving them. For example, lowering your A1c by 1% can be a great start. Remember, every little step counts, and you’re still headed in the right direction.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, it’s important to tap into encouragement, insights, and support from people who’ve been there. Divabetic is partnering with Diabetes Sisters to offer in-person and online group support and webinars. Accessing the right kind of support is essential to avoid burnout and continue taking care of yourself and your health. Keep up the good work!
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.