“I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It!”

Divabetic Mangos And Magnolias Stage Show

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” is what several attendees said about the Divabetic Zone at the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) Conference & Health Fair in Savannah, GA.

The Divabetic Zone was packed with smiling faces, upbeat attitudes and laughter all day long.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic kicked off his newest diabetes outreach stage show called “Mangos & Magnolias” at 8 AM on Saturday, May 18, 2013 and never seemed to stop.

“It was my first time to Savannah so I really wanted to put on a show. I wasn’t looking at the clock,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek.”Everyone was so friendly. We were having such a good time that I just didn’t want to stop! I love it when we get the crowds to laugh a little and learn a lot. That’s my goal and it blows me away each and everytime it happens.”

This high-energy interactive stage show stretched eight hours with it’s fruity combination of nutrition advice, fun workouts, games and prizes with a dash of Southern charm. Popular show segments like ‘Dancing In Cars’ Chair Cardio Routines have been revved up with hits from One Direction and Nicki Minaj.  ‘Single Ladies/Single Servings’ Portion Games and Carb Kitty, are now featured in between new games such as ‘Mangos & Magnolias’ Diabetes IQ and a Cowboy-inspired fitness demonstration called ‘Rawhide Workouts.’ 

Mr Divabetic’s Rawhide Workout

“The Rawhide workout just came to me out of the blue!,”says Szadek. “I was just playing around with the idea of creating a new chair cardio routine to a country music when it hit me! We need the Wild, Wild West!!”

Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE presented the ‘Queen of Hearts’ Advice on Blood Pressure Monitoring at Home.

Special Guests: Mama Rose Marie, Stan ‘The Announcer Man’ and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE.

Prize giveaways compliments of Werther’s Original Sugar Free, CVS Pharmacy, dLife, Crystal Light, Extend Nutrition, GlucoLift, Cabot Cheese and Dr. Scholl’s.

“I just hope the divas and dudes in Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA and New York, NY have as much fun as our new friends in Savannah, GA did — then I will be happy!, said Szadek.

Divabetic’s “Mango & Magnolias” tour continues to the end of the year. For more details visit: www.divabetic.org 

LISTEN NOW:  ”Blood Sugars, Babies & Belly Bumps” hosted by Mr. Divabetic http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/05/14/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-kate-middleton

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s

Divabetic

The new documentary, Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s takes its title from one of Victoria Roberts’ ladies-who-lunch cartoons for the New Yorker.  This fashion documentary by Matthew Miele is an unabashed valentine to a Manhattan specialty store.

A film that really looks at the inner mechanics of a major retail establishment could be engrossing, but Miele is more interested in the sales-floor fabulous than the nuts and bolts. He jumps past the basics of the family enterprise’s history, offering little about the people who built the store except the Goodmans’ longtime occupancy of a penthouse apartment above the store, which itself occupies the former site of the Cornelius Vanderbilt mansion.

The documentary features more than a hundred interviewees, all gushing — designers, journalists and a whole slew of famous shoppers like Joan Rivers, Susan Lucci and the Olsen twins.

The film’s three main characters are high-level Bergdorf employees: fashion director Linda Fargo; personal shopper to the rich and famous Betty Halbreich, all but stealing the show with her withering looks and dry remarks; and David Hoey, who oversees the store’s elaborately set-designed windows, with their hallucinatory fantasy scenes.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Diabetes

Divabetic

Who wants a margarita?

Drinking alcohol like our two favorite daytime divas, Hoda and Kathie Lee,  can cause blood sugars to rise for people living with diabetes because alcohol is processed in the body very similarly to the way fat is processed, and alcohol provides almost as many calories.

Of course its hard to imagine a Cinco de Mayo celebration without a margarita. But did you know a frozen Strawberry margarita from Red Lobster contains over 350 calories! Yikes! Why not opt for your refreshing margaritas to be made on the rocks instead of frozen? The frozen margaritas are a veritable sugar bomb, providing upwards of 500-700 calories for the jumbo versions. Stick with a 3.3 ounce cocktail glass of margarita over ice, which clocks in at a much more reasonable 150 calories. Most people sipping on margaritas can’t snack on a few chips and then stop–we’re more likely to keep reaching for those warm, crunchy, salty tortilla chips until the basket is completely empty. And then the server brings another basket, and the mindless munching continues until your main meal arrives. To avoid this dilemma altogether, ask your server not to refill your chips and salsa. .

If you choose to drink alcohol, try to follow a calorie-controlled meal plan, one drink of alcohol should be counted as two fat exchanges.

It is a good idea to check with your doctor if you are overweight or have high blood pressure or high triglyceride levels before drinking alcohol. If you are in doubt about whether drinking alcohol is safe for you, check with your doctor.

Here are some other ways that alcohol can affect diabetes:

• While moderate amounts of alcohol can cause blood sugar to rise, excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level — sometimes causing it to drop into dangerous levels.
• Beer and sweet wine contain carbohydrates and may raise blood sugar.
• Alcohol stimulates your appetite, which can cause you to overeat and may affect your blood sugar control.
• Alcohol can interfere with the positive effects of oral diabetes medicines or insulin.
• Alcohol may increase triglyceride levels.
• Alcohol may increase blood pressure.

Get more advice on drinking and diabetes tune in to Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Kathie Lee And Hoda http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/04/09/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-kathie-lee-and-hoda

Bonnie Sher: Broadway, Blood Sugars and the Brat Pack!

Bonnie Sher sings, dances, lights up the stage and is living with type 1 diabetes. She’s a truly a ‘DIVA-betic.’  She will grace the stage at Stage 72 at Triad on Sunday, April 14, 2013 peforming her new show,  MOMENTS.

On stage Bonnie celebrates over four decades of a career which spans TV, film, stage & recording. Her band is pretty magical, too, with Musical Director Mario Sprouse on piano, Marshal Rosenberg on percussion & Grammy Award-winner, Wayne Cobham on trumpet.

Bonnie was diagnosed with diabetes at age at 16 and started working with the late Sammy Davis, Jr. when she was 17. Bonnie had the good fortune to be the protégé of the late Sammy Davis, Jr., which provided her with the incredible opportunity of working clubs & engagements around the world for over twenty years, until his death.

Bonnie Sher is no stranger to the stage, starting her career as a child touring in The Sound of Music with Theodore Bikel & Florence Henderson. The old Cotton Club was the venue for High Tea, an acclaimed Off-Broadway musical in which she starred opposite of legendary Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer, LaVern Baker. Bonnie made her television debut as a teen on “The Barbara McNair Show” & continued to work on several TV shows including a role opposite Billy Crystal on “Soap,” while training with comedy legend Phil Foster.

In addition to her work as a singer, actress & recording artist, Bonnie has always found time to work for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as a spokesperson & has served on the Board of Directors of Calvary Hospital Golf & Tennis Classic Benefit for their cancer hospice. She was also the Program Director for Hearts & Voices, a volunteer organization that provided musical entertainment for AIDS patients in seven New York City Hospitals.

On Sunday, April 14th at 3pm, Bonnie Sher will grace the stage at Stage 72 at Triad, sharing her magical voice. MOMENTS is Bonnie’s celebration of four decades in TV, film, stage & recording. Her band is pretty magical, too, with Musical Director Mario Sprouse on piano, Ratzo Harris on bass, Marshal Rosenberg on percussion & Grammy Award-winner, Wayne Cobham on trumpet.

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Roundtable podcast Inspired by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb featuring news on divas, drinking and diabetes http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/04/09/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-kathie-lee-and-hoda

Serve, Taste or Trash! Food Game at NYC’s Easter Parade

Meet the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic at the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Conference & Health Fair in Savannah, GA on Saturday, May 18, 2013. For more details visit: www.divabetic.org 

Diva-Style Diabetes Awareness Bracelets For Sale

Divabetic Charm Bracelets

If you enjoyed the ‘razzle dazzle’ of last night’s Hoda & Kathie poem by Lorraine Brooks’ on Diabetes Roundtable’s April podcast then you’re in for a treat! Because Lorraine also designs one of kind diabetes awareness bracelets to help encourage women to ‘GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS’ about their diabetes.

Show your support for the millions of women who live with diabetes. Raise hope and awareness with your Personalized Diabetes Awareness Charm Bracelet. It’s a great way to symbolize your support for Diabetes while giving encouragement to people and families battling with this condition.

A portion of all sales will be donated to  Divabetic (divabetic.org), the national nonprofit organization with a mission to help empower women to manage their diabetes with confidence, knowledge and inspiration. “GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS”!

All bracelets are one-of-a-kind, created by hand, and all feature the signature GREY RIBBON charm, which signifies diabetes support and awareness.

$25 plus $4 shipping and handling

In your choice of colors – silvertone, goldtone, or gunmetal

Please allow 2 weeks for delivery, as all bracelets are made to order

ORDER NOW: http://www.ear-gear.biz/diabetes-awareness-bracelets/

Diabetes Roundtable podcast inspired by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb featuring Lorraine Brooks http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/04/09/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-kathie-lee-and-hoda

Serve, Taste or Trash! Food Game at NYC’s Easter Parade

Meet the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic at the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Conference & Health Fair in Savannah, GA on Saturday, May 18, 2013. For more details visit: www.divabetic.org 

Does Drinking Alcohol Make Your Skin Look Older?

Whether it’s a night on the town with friends or a glass of wine with dinner, alcohol plays a role in the lives of many people living with diabetes.

Alcohol, along with caffeinated drinks like coffee and soda, will dehydrate you and deplete vital skin nutrients, making your skin appear dull. Doctors have also found that those who drink heavily tend to have less healthy diets, which can deprive the skin of necessary nutrients that keep it looking healthy and young

Drinking alcohol also causes facial blood vessels to dilate, and repeated overindulgence can cause the vessels to dilate permanently, causing red, spidery veins

And if you have a pre-existing skin condition, excessive alcohol use can worsen it.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic talks with skin expert, Sue Perez on tomorrow night’s Diabetes Roundtable podcast inspired by Kathie Lee and Hoda with our featured topic, ‘Drinking Divas & Diabetes.’

Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb always seem to have a drink in hand for the fourth hour of The Today Show.  If you’re around a TV at 10 AM with nothing to do, you should be watching the fourth hour of Today filled with Hoda and Kathie Lee’s theater reviews, occasional dancing, wine reviews and women issues. It’s eclipsed The View as Divabetic’s favorite hour of mid-morning television.

RAISE YOUR GLASS: Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Kathie Lee and Hoda on 4/9/2013 6:00 PMEDT #BlogTalkRadio  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/04/09/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-kathie-lee-and-hoda

LISTEN NOW:  Serve Taste or Trash! Food Game podcast featuring Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’, author Ginger Vieira, Central Farm Market Co-founders, Deb Moser and Mitchell Berliner, ‘The Queen of Green’ Ms. Aida Romaine and Laura from Chattanooga, TN: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/04/02/serve-taste-or-trash-game-2

Easter Parade in NYC with Mr. Divabetic:

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Melba Moore http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/03/12/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-melba-moore

Serve, Taste or Trash! Food Game at Easter Parade in New York, NY

Experience Mr. Divabetic‘s “wellness with a wow” programming in New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Savannah, GA, Bethesda, MD and Pittsburgh, PA in 2013. Get more details at www.divabetic.org

Dionne Warwick Files for Bankruptcy

Divabetic

If you’re filling out your taxes ‘say a little prayer’ because Dionne Warwick has just filed for bankruptcy after discovering she owes more than $10.2 million in taxes.

I guess those trips to San Jose really do add up!

Warwick’s publicist announced that the  singer and Celebrity Apprentice star cites fiscal mismanagement as the reason she owes so much, according to Reuters.

Warwick filed the bankruptcy papers March 21 in New Jersey. Most of the alleged “negligent and gross financial mismanagement” Warwick referenced occurred in the late ’80s through the ’90s.

Warwick listed her average monthly income as $20,950, with expenses totaling $20,940. Her publicist, Kevin Sasaki, says it is interest that Warwick is left to pay, as most of her back taxes were reportedly paid off.

“In light of the magnitude of her tax liabilities, Warwick has repeatedly attempted to offer re-payment plans and proposals to the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board for taxes owed,” Sasaki said. “These plans were not accepted, resulting in escalating interest and penalties.”

READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/26/dionne-warwick-bankrupt_n_2955615.html

TUNE IN: Serve Taste or Trash Game! podcast: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/04/02/serve-taste-or-trash-game-2

Easter Parade 2012 with Mr. Divabetic:

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Melba Moore http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/03/12/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-melba-moore

Basics In Diabetes Pattern Management – Divabetic

Experience Mr. Divabetic’s wellness with a wow programming in New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Savannah, GA, Bethesda, MD and Pittsburgh, PA in 2013. Get more details at www.divabetic.org

Mr. Divabetic Guest Stars on Lady & The Gent Podcast Tonight

WEGO Health Activist Award Nominee

From Gotham Volleyball, to chatting with R & B Icon and Tony Award winning actress, Melba Moore, to being kind to your thighs, TheUrbanGent and LadyHope spend an hour with Blog Talk Radio’s own:  the happy healthcare host and WEGO Health Activist Nominee, “Mr. Divabetic”.

Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek is the founder of Divabetic, a nonprofit organization to empower women to manage their diabetes self-care with confidence, inspiration and knowledge.

Divabetic was inspired by the late music legend, Luther Vandross and created in 2005 by Max, who, as Vandross’ assistant of 14 years, witnessed his boss, mentor, and friend struggle in silence and solitude with the diabetes and its related complications. Divabetic has grown from a grassroots movement to help empower Luther fans affected by diabetes to a burgeoning and significant presence in the diabetes social media community. President Barak Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter have acknowledged Divabetic for it’s dedication and determination on behalf of the diabetes community.

Don’t miss an hour with a true pioneer in ending #BODYBRUTALITY.

TUNE IN: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authenticyouradio/2013/03/29/lady-thegent-standing-right-here-with-mr-divabetic

Easter Parade 2012 with Mr. Divabetic:

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Melba Moore http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/03/12/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-melba-moore

Basics In Diabetes Pattern Management – Divabetic

Experience Mr. Divabetic’s wellness with a wow programming in New York, NY, Santa Clara, CA, Philadelphia, PA, Savannah, GA and Bethesda, MD in 2013. Get more details at www.divabetic.org

Bette Midler’s Back On Broadway

Divabetic on Broadway

Bette Midler stars as the legendary Hollywood agent Sue Mengers (1932-2011) in  John Logan‘s new one-woman play I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers in previews beginnning  April 5 prior to an official opening April 24, 2013

“Sue Mengers was an American original,” according to press notes. “She was the first female ‘superagent’ at a time when women talent agents of any kind were almost unheard of. She came from near poverty, a refugee from Hitler’s Germany, and worked her way up through pluck, charm, and a legendary wit. In that uniquely American way, she invented herself; and when the career she wanted didn’t exist, she invented that as well: ‘Superagent.’ It was a term Hollywood all but coined for her. By the 1970s, she represented almost every major star in Hollywood and went on to become the town’s most renowned hostess.”

Playwright Logan, who won a Tony Award for Red and wrote the screenplay for the last James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” said in a recent statement, “I met Sue Mengers only once, at a dinner party. The kaftan, constant cigarettes, tinted glasses, and perfect blond hair were much in evidence; so too the deliciously wicked wit and stevedore language. But something else fascinated me just as much: a sense of sadness, a deep resignation; a woman whose time had passed her by. At one point I asked her what had changed most about Hollywood since she had arrived. She didn’t hesitate for a second: ‘Honey, we used to have fun…’ Later in the evening she settled back and lit up a joint. There she was: a joint in one hand and a cigarette in the other. At that moment I knew I had to write the play.”

Producer Graydon Carter added, “I adored Sue, and no trip to Los Angeles was complete without a dinner at her place. To work with Bette, John, Joe, and my fellow producers Ari, Jimmy, Phil, and Bob to bring her to the Broadway stage is something that I believe would have pleased Sue greatly.”

Producer Arielle Tepper Madover said, “The last show I worked on with John was his Broadway debut, Red, which won six Tony Awards and is now being presented all over the world. It is a joy to be continuing our collaboration with this new play.”

Serve, Taste or Trash! Game at ADA Expo in New York with Mr. Divabetic:

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Melba Moore http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/03/12/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-melba-moore

Basics In Diabetes Pattern Management – Divabetic

Experience Mr. Divabetic’s wellness with a wow programming in New York, NY, Santa Clara, CA, Philadelphia, PA, Savannah, GA and Bethesda, MD in 2013. Get more details at www.divabetic.org

Lorraine Brooks’ poem, ‘Ms. Melba’

Lorraine Brooks – Divabetic

Last night, I had the honor of interviewing R & B music legend and Tony Award winning actress, Melba Moore who’s life off stage is as dramatic and inspirational as her art on Divabetic’s free monthly podcast, Diabetes Roundtable. 

I feel she’s truly the embodiment of Divabetic’s ‘Don’t Get Down, Get Diva!’ spirit. Her much publicized problems with music executive Charles Huggins, her partner at Hush Productions, that sent her spiraling into bankruptcy serve as a testimony that she is indeed a true survivor after experiencing some dark years in her life.

“(It was a) very, very, very difficult (time) because of just the total crisis and collapse of everything that had any kind of security around my life.  Nothing is familiar or  comfortable.  Everything is about depression with no money, with no esteem, no support.  You don’t know what you’re doing.  This territory is not difficult, its impossible.  It’s chaos, but you gotta live.  You gotta figure out how to put one foot before the other,” says Melba Moore.

Divabetic

I hope Melba Moore’s moving story helps to inspire anyone who are feeling overwhelmed by having to deal with diabetes on top of everything else they have to manage in their lives. If you feel this way, you are not alone. After all, there are no vacations from diabetes; it’s with you 24 hours a day.  And diabetes affects absolutely every aspect of your life. But the truth is YOU have the strength to overcome obstacles in your life just like Melba!

Today, Melba Moore’s basking in the glow of her upcoming forth album entitled, “Forever Moore” which will be released on her new label A’Moore Music, Inc. The single, “Love Is” is up for two Grammy Awards in the first round of nominating process in the category of Best Short Form Music Video and Best Traditional R&B Performance. Be inspired by Ms. Melba Moore to ‘not get down, get DIVA! 

I asked our resident poet, Lorraine Brooks to write original poem about Melba’s perseverance titled ‘Ms. Melba’ which she was unfortunately unable to share on the podcast due to technical difficulties.

Ms. Melba

 

The musIc you gIve us

Is touchIng and fIne

In ways that warm all of our souls.

Your voIce and your presence

Are lIke a good wIne

We love you In all of your roles.

 

But lIfe, as It happens

Has ups and has downs and

You’ve had your faIr share of sorrow.

We’ve watched you be human

And watched you rebound

And gave us new hope In tomorrow.

 

Not once, but twIce now

You hIt a low level

Betrayed and mIstreated for sure.

But you dIdn’t buckle

You faced your own devIl

You stood up and you saId NO MORE!

 

So,you are a dIva In all cIrcumstances

A dIva who’s strong and dIvIne

You say we can do It

We all have our chances

To get up and make ourselves shIne!

 

Here’s to you, Ms Melba

Keep lIghtIng the flame

And tellIng the truth as you fIght…

You’re one of those women

We all can exclaIm…

You’re truly a ‘dIva’ tonight!

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Melba Moore http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/03/12/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-melba-moore

Let’s Talk About Sex!  Here’s a sneak peak of  Divabetic’s ’Love On A Two Way Street’ free outreach program focused on ‘Sexual Health & Diabetes’ and presented at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

LISTEN NOW: The Mr. Divabetic Show featuring Kirsten Holly Smith and Holly Clegg http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/03/04/the-mr-divabetic-show-with-kirstin-holly-smith

Basics In Diabetes Pattern Management – Divabetic

Experience Mr. Divabetic’s wellness with a wow programming in New York, NY, Santa Clara, CA, Philadelphia, PA, Savannah, GA and Bethesda, MD in 2013. Get more details at www.divabetic.org