It is a privilege for Max Szadek to be featured in the NAACP Image Awards-nominated documentary Luther: Never Too Much, where he shares his story of discovering Luther Vandross after experiencing a stroke due to mismanaged type 2 diabetes. He hopes to inspire others to take proactive steps to avoid a similar health crisis through advocacy.

Remember, if you notice any signs of a stroke, don’t hesitate to seek help right away – swift action can greatly impact your recovery. Let’s look out for each other! It’s essential to seek help, connect with a caring community, and share your journey.

Philadelphia's beloved WDAS-FM Radio personality, Patty Jackson, is a true inspiration! After surviving a stroke, she continues to bring joy to her audience behind the microphone and camera.

SAVE THE DATE: Divabetic Holiday Outreach Program at Alumni Hall at Thomas Jefferson University Hosptial,1020 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19107, on Saturday, November 8, 2025, 11 AM - 1:30 PM. Enjoy a Glam More, Fear Less Fashion Show, Cooking Demonstration, Guest Speakers, Chair Yoga Exercises, and Community Support. Free Admission.

Through the Divabetic (Divabetic.Org) programs, podcasts, and videos, We’ve spread awareness and positivity to hundreds of thousands of men and women.

Tune in to Divabetic's podcast on the 42nd Annual Mermaid Parade with our guests, Coney Island USA's Artistic Director Adam Rinn and Poet Lorraine Brooks. The Mermaid Parade is the nation's largest art parade. It brings together creative minds in art and fashion and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Brooklyn's amusement district. The Parade originated to help preserve the tradition of Mardi Gras-type events popular in Coney Island between 1903 and 1954. This year, painter, performer, and sideshow historian Joe Coleman will be King Neptune, and his wife, artist, and photographer Whitney Ward will be Queen Mermaid. The couple will officially open the beaches for the beginning of summer and celebrate the sun, sand, sea, and salt air. Adam Rinn, Coney Island USA's Artistic Director, is a Coney Island native who has worked as a sword swallower, strongman, and variety performer for the past 20 years, so you're sure to enjoy this fun and colorful interview! Poet Lorraine Brooks revisits her groundbreaking poem "Beauty & The Beach," which premiered over thirteen years ago on Divabetic's Roundtable podcast. "Beauty & The Beach" resonates deeply with podcast listeners and Diabetic blog readers. Since then, we have reshared Lorraine's poem on body love, swimwear, and beaches on subsequent podcasts and blog entries. Lorraine shares how her opinions about her body and wearing a swimsuit have changed over the past decade, but her feelings about her diabetes diagnosis have not. She emphasizes the time, effort, and care she has put into her diabetes management, which has helped her remain free of diabetes-related complications. Our discussion also touches on how negative self-talk can hinder us from enjoying life. Lorraine has agreed to revisit the themes o

The Co-authors of Divabetic's ebook, "Sweet Romance: A Woman's Guide To Love & Intimacy With Diabetes," Dr. Janis Roszler PhD, LMFT, CDCES, LD/N, FAND, and Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES offer advice on discussing your diabetes diagnosis as well as issues related to intimacy, fertility, and menopause with the people you care about the most.  Living with diabetes can be a challenging experience, especially when it comes to your relationships. That's why it's important to talk to your loved ones about your diabetes diagnosis and how it affects your life. It can help you surround yourself with a more supportive and encouraging environment. To help us better understand your unique experiences and struggles with diabetes, the national nonprofits Divabetic and Diabetes Sisters are partnering on the first-ever survey for women with diabetes on love and relationships. This survey, titled "Love Across All Life Stages of Diabetes," allows you to share your thoughts and experiences with us so we can create more meaningful programming and resources to serve you. Please take a few moments out of your day to participate in this survey. Your input can make a difference in the lives of other women living with diabetes. Visit Divabetic.Org and DiabetesSisters.Org Divabetic's ebook, "Sweet Romance: A Woman's Guide To Love & Intimacy With Diabetes," is available at Amazon.

Mr. Divabetic talks with international Yoga Teacher and Author Rachel Zinman, living with latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA), who shares a guided meditation, "The Mountain Meditation." The Mountain Meditation byJon Kabat-Zinn, encourages us to seek inner stability and peace, even amid unpredictable change and chaos. See if you can sit like the mountain, still and grounded through the changes of weather, time, and seasons, allowing day and night to come and go, accepting change, not resisting it. This meditation is usually done in a sitting position, either on the floor or a chair.  Remember that taking time daily to meditate and connect with your inner self can benefit your overall well-being and diabetes wellness. The Mountain Meditation is a great way to ground yourself and find stability, even amid chaos and uncertainty. Practicing this meditation regularly can help you to better navigate life's ups and downs with greater ease and resilience. So take a deep breath, find a comfortable seat, and allow yourself to be still like a mountain.  In her book, Yoga for Diabetes, Rachel Zinman shares her journey and the hard-won wisdom gained from her own experience of yoga and diabetes. Enjoy fourteen years of Divabetic podcasts on Blog Talk Radio, iTunes, and Spotify, and check out our YouTube channel, website, and Facebook page for a daily dose of inspiration. 

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. 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.  But before Max's hands touch flour, he discovers the dead body of the Vanilla King of Madagascar lying in a bed of roses. As luck has it, Max is the last person to see the Vanilla King alive. Rumors start swirling about Max's past involvement in legendary TV Chef Sweet Sally Buttercup's untimely demise. 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. Could he be ladling out something lethal?  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. Co-Starring Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, Dave Jones, Seveda Williams, and Amparo Peterkin. Script Editor Wendy Radford. Producer, Leisa Chester Weir. Music from the Broadway Cast albums of Anything Goes courtesy of SONY Music.

Mr. Divabetic talks to Dr. Michael Grego, the "Keto Doc," on this podcast with musical inspiration from legendary DJ John Loungo. The keto diet reduces the number of carbohydrates you eat and teaches your body to burn fat for fuel instead. The keto diet is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates. The standard keto diet consists of 70% to 80% fats, 10% to 20% proteins, and 5% to 10% carbohydrates. Dr. Grego is a Naturopathic Physician and the author of 3 books, The Nutritional Ketogenic Diet, Clean Keto vs. Dirty Keto, andThe InsulThin Diet. Dr. Grego's unique approach emphasizing insulin resistance and sugar has been foundational in creating the revolutionary insulThin Diet. We will discuss how he created his step-by-step nutrition blueprint for the popular Ketogenic diet.  Throughout the podcast, we feature music from The Essential John Luongo album courtesy of SONY Music. 

Hat Designer Evetta Petty's motto is"I can design out of anything!" On the eve of her 30th Year Retrospective Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week, Evetta talks with Mr. Divabetic about managing type 2 diabetes in style! For over 30 years, Evetta has designed hats in her uptown New York studio, Harlem’s Heaven Hat Shop. Her hats have captured worldwide attention and have been worn to the Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot in England, on celebrities such as Patti LaBelle and Star Jones, and featured in movies, fashion magazine covers, and editorials such as Essence, Jet, and Italian Vogue Mujer Unica, Vibe, and The New York Times.  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. Light the Way! 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 (https://www.cdc.gov/prediabetes/risktest/index.html). 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. 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, is available on Kindle.

For the past 64 years. Barbie has been a part of our lives, a cultural touchstone, or the quintessential image of what a woman should be but never will be - a sex or beauty object. Greta Gerwig’s big-screen Barbie makeover and the related marketing blitz are inspiring us revisit and reevaluate Barbie and Ken's impact on our lives, including our sex lives. After all, if Barbie and Ken are confused about what to do at sleepovers, you might be too, especially if you're dealing with sexual health issues related to diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in nearly all countries. People with diabetes experience sexual dysfunction more often than the general public. Podcast guests: Dr. Janis Roszler PhD, LMFT, RDN, LD/N, CDCES, FAND, and Donna Rice, MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, the co-authors of Divabetic's new e-book, Sweet Romance: A Woman's Guide to Love and Intimacy with Diabetes, available on Amazon.  Dr. Janis Roszler and Donna Rice use humor, helpful examples, and insightful questions to present key topics about sexual health in an engaging, approachable way in the e-book Sweet Romance: A Woman's Guide to Love and Intimacy with Diabetes. This first ebook in the series is perfect for anyone (regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, or health status) looking to rekindle intimacy with their partner or be proactive about their sexual and emotional well-being.   Barbie & Ken Podcast Music by Doug Clay.

We're sharing tips and sucess stories for turning around a Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. Guests include Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, and vocalist Pat Lacy.  Jill Weisenberger is recognized internationally for her expertise in nutrition, diabetes, and prediabetes. She worked as a nutrition counselor, diabetes educator, and health coach in hospitals, research, and private practice settings. Jill helps leverage resources, recipes, and scientific insights to find better ways to improve eating and smart living, reduce the risk of mismanaged diabetes health-related complications and support better health. Jill is the author of Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, 2nd edition, Diabetes Weight Loss Week By Week, 21 Things You Need to Know About Diabetes and Your Heart, and The Overworked Person's Guide To Better Nutrition.  Additionally, she offers the Prediabetes Meal Planning Crash Course, Prediabetes Turnaround, Type 2 Eating Guide, and a Stick With It Video Course.   Vocalist Pat Lacy, who has worked with The Sounds of Blackness and Luther Vandross, shares her experience living with type 2 diabetes and how she managed to turn her health around by modifying her lifestyle.  Throughout this podcast, we feature music from Pat Lacy's upcoming gospel album, I'm Taking You To Church. 

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. Please feel free to call-in comments at 1-347-215-8551. Diva TalkRadio’s signature show is one you want to hear live every month. Subscribe to the Diva TalkRadio channel and download podcasts on iTunes and Spotify, and yes, it’s all free.

Clarence Waldron talks about his stroke, recovery, working as Senior Editor and Writer of Jet Magazine, and his memories of Luther Vandross and Aretha Franklin. Twenty years ago, Clarence interviewed Luther's mother, Mrs. Mary Ida Vandross, for Jet Magazine after Luther suffered a stroke due to mismanaged type 2 diabetes. Clarence's story is an excellent reminder of why it's essential to ACT F.A.S.T. if you or a loved one is experiencing a stroke. The acronym FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Time) has been used by the National Stroke Association, American Heart Association, and others to educate the public on detecting stroke symptoms. Earlier treatment results in a greater chance of recovery, a reduced likelihood of permanent disability, and a lesser need for extensive rehabilitation. You'll quickly hear Clarence's upbeat attitude and ferocious appetite for music and divas have served him well during his recovery. Throughout this podcast, we feature music from Aretha Franklin's Get It Right album and Luther Vandross's Live At Radio City Music Hall 2003 20th Anniversary Edition album courtesy of SONY Music. Enjoy more Wellness with a Wow! Visit: Divabetic.Org