Dr. Delene Musielak was born and raised in Guyana, South America, before migrating with her family to the United States at the age of six. As a child, she desired to be a doctor, and she pursued and attained that dream. After obtaining her medical degree, she not only went on to train in one speciality but two. Dr. Musielak is dual-boarded in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She cares for the whole gamut. Or, as she says, “From the cradle to the grave.” Dr. Musielak has not only made her mark in her local community but is also involved on a national level in making changes that impact medical care. She continues to challenge herself to be a leader and the best at everything she does. She is not only a full-time physician but a super mom of triplets, a wife of an amazing surgeon, an author, motivational and wellness speaker, and an entrepreneur. She has her own show, The Dr. Mom Show, which serves as a medical informational resource. She shares with us her journey to achieving her dream and how she juggles the various roles in her hectic life. Listen to Delene and be inspired to pursue and attain your goals. Yes, you can!
Delene, when did you first realise that you wanted to be a doctor, and what was it that attracted you to medicine?
So, I probably first truly told my parents I wanted to be a doctor when I was probably around eight or nine years of age. Before that I always wanted to be a reporter because you saw all these newscasters and my mom maybe she just wanted to scare me, she told me, you know the newscasters they send them to all the countries where there’s war, and I thought, hmm maybe that’s not for me. But when I was about eight, and I think the person who had the biggest impact was my grandmother, my mom’s mom. She was with us, and she had diabetes and high blood pressure, and I would help her with her medicine, her insulin, get her medicine together, and I was always running her errands for her, anything that was medical. She’s definitely the person who I felt impacted me the most, and unfortunately she had a very significant stroke, and that’s how she ended up passing away, and with that I felt, I really wanted to help people and help them because part of it was because her diabetes wasn’t controlled and her high blood pressure wasn’t controlled that’s why it resulted in a stroke. But I said I wanted to be someone that helps people, so this doesn’t happen.
How does it feel to finally be living your dream? And is your job as a medical doctor everything you envisaged as a child?
So, I think it is amazing. I feel amazing to be a physician, and probably the biggest part of it is I feel amazing to be a female physician. And I’m not a feminist by any means but I still think that even though at this point women have fought to have equality I still think there is some discrimination and I think it’s very difficult for women to juggle a job and family life because as a woman you also want to be a good home person in addition to a good person at work. So, I will say it’s amazing because the biggest thing when you’re a physician, you get to tell people what to do. So, when I come across women who are like, I’m thinking of being a nurse (I have nothing against nurses I appreciate nurses) I’m like, hey if you become a physician, you’ll get to tell people what to do. So I will say it’s amazing to achieve my goal and my parents always remind me, they’re like, we’re so proud of you because you talked about this since you were little and you’ve become exactly what you wanted to be. As far as it being what I thought and imagined, I feel that in this day and age, patients don’t have as much respect as they did in the past for physicians. I am not sure why that is, it’s just people’s mentalities have changed. The other thing, too, I feel a lot of patients feel entitled. So they come in, and they tell you what to do, and what they want, and what they think they have, which is good and everything, but I always tell all my patients, hey I care, and this is what I went to school to do, and my goal is to take the best care of you. And even though I love Google, I don’t like it because people Google things, and a lot of times, it’s not helpful. And I think these are all of the things. And of course, again imagine yourself being a physician – behind the scenes people don’t realise that we have to take calls, you could be called in in the middle of the night. Then all the paperwork that you have to do; now we have to deal with insurance companies, and they dictate the majority of how we do things, and there’s just a list of logistic trail, I always say, I wish I could come in and treat my patients but I don’t think this people understand that as a physician you have so many people and corporations pulling at you that sometimes you can’t even practice exactly how you want to practice because everyone else is telling you how to practice, so it’s something that I wish could be different; that I could just care for my patients and not have corporations tell me what to do. But I guess that’s how it is now.
Apart from being a medical doctor, you are also the wife of a surgeon, and you’re the mom of triplets. What has it been like taking care of three babies, and how easy has it been combining your role as wife and mother of triplets with a very demanding job?
Yes. So, I would say, as far as life is, I would use the words crazy and non-stop. This is what I would say. But at the same time, it is a lot of fun and very interesting. As far as daunting and everything, I would probably describe it as being tricky; there is a lot of planning, and my parents would probably tell you that since I was little, I’ve always been very peculiar and particular about how things were done. And maybe God brought me up that way because He knew this was going to happen, because, I will say, I always have a to-do-list. I’m a strong believer in a to-do-list, and a planer, and lots of prayers. So, for me, I think the balancing of everything would be praying and just prioritizing. Planning it out and prioritizing what to do, because as a human being, you can just do one thing at a time, and if you just do one thing at a time, you’ll get everything done by the end of the day. So, instead of being frazzled, take one thing at a time.
In what ways has motherhood changed your life, and what lessons has it taught you?
Well, I would say, prior to motherhood, I’m not sure what I did with my free time. (She laughs). For sure, I’m not sure what I did with my free time. What motherhood has changed and what I’ve learned is, I’ll probably say the biggest thing is just patience. Again, I think being very particular about things is good and bad because I like things perfect and a certain way, and of course I’m sure you know with kids, kids could care less how you want it done. So maybe God’s laughing at me, He’s like, oh you want things a certain way? Okay, three; three at the same time will do it. So, I’ve definitely learnt to be more patient and realise, hey it’s okay if things aren’t exactly how you want it to be. So, patience is probably the biggest lesson that they have taught me, and I guess part of it is just like multi-tasking, figuring it out. I remember when I was breastfeeding, I will be breastfeeding two at the same time and then when I was on the third one, I would be pumping on the other side. So, I really had to come up with ways of being efficient. I thought I was efficient prior to that, but now I’m like hey, I’m super-efficient now. (She laughs).
Awesome. So, let’s talk about your talk show, The Dr. Mom Show. Will you please tell us when, how, and why this came about and what impact it has had, if any?
Yes. So, I started this show at the beginning of 2018. I initially started it as a YouTube channel and the reason I started it was I felt – so again I’m dual-boarding in internal medicine and pediatrics, and so I have the privilege of being able to take care of both adult and kids and what I found is that a lot of moms would come in and not have a resource to turn to. They’re coming to me as a pediatrician, but I felt that there were just simple things that moms just needed reassurance with, like, my baby keeps getting the hiccups. It’s okay if they have hiccups. So, simple things like that. Even for me, when I take the babies to their pediatrician, I’m just like, don’t talk to me like I’m a doctor. Because things happen, I’ll give a perfect example. When our kids were little, one of the babies had a fever, and I told my husband, I said, I don’t know what’s happening; he’s acting weird. And he turned around and said, excuse me, you’re the pediatrician, I’m not. And I said, I’m in mama mode, I’m not in doctor mode. So, I wanted to reassure moms that it’s okay to just be a mom. So, yes, I just wanted it to be a resource for parents and for it to be a good informational source because again, I think there are a lot of blogs out there and things that aren’t accredited that parents read, and they just get misled. As far as since the show started, I do feel that I’ve reached a population that aren’t my patient and some of the comments I’ve gotten concerning the show is that it’s been a helpful resource for people and also it helps parents to think of what to ask their own child’s physician.
So, what are some of the best topics you’ve discussed on the show, and where does your inspiration come from?
So, my inspiration probably comes from my patients or my patient’s parents. If people come in and they keep asking the same questions, I’m like, you know, this would be a good topic, to talk about because a lot of people are asking questions about it. So, that would be one thing. And then my other inspiration, are just topics that, as a physician I feel is important for people to know about. So with that being said, some of the topics that I probably enjoyed talking about on my show and my best topic so far, I did one about a newborn, when mom goes into the hospital what to expect, what happens to the baby, what shots will they get? Things like that, just to kind of prepare. Because I know moms go in there and then you’re overwhelmed, you’re signing all these consent forms, that your baby is going to have this, this, and that. And you know the moms don’t even know what’s going on, it’s just a very overwhelming experience. I also did a series on immunizations and vaccines and one that I really enjoyed because I know that there’s a lot of controversy regarding it, is autism. Just some more information about autism. And one of my favourite was just about preventative care and how important it is to see a physician at least once a year to get a full checkup. Because again, I really enjoy what’s called preventative care because I want to keep you healthy, so that’s why, to me, preventative care is very important. So those are my favourite top topics that I’ve done.
How often do you air this show?
So, this show is weekly that I do.
You mentioned it starting on YouTube, is that where it is, or have you move it someplace else?
So yes, I have moved it recently. I’m really excited. A station on Roku saw my YouTube Channel, and they asked me if it was okay for me to transfer the show over to that channel. So, it does come on, on Roku; the station is SPGN 49, and it comes on, on Mondays at 9.30 am EST.
That is amazing. You are making progress with the show.
Yes, I know, I am. I am very excited about it. That was huge when that happened, so I am very excited. It’s also been a learning experience for me too.
You started the show to give information to mothers, but did you see it growing beyond the point where it began?
No. Ultimately, I would love – I know right now there’s a few medical talk shows that are on television, but I don’t feel any are necessarily geared towards moms. And I think it’s very important because who doesn’t want to take good care of their children? And I feel that when your child is sick, it’s easier to pretty much panic. So, I think it’s a resource that would be nice. Ultimately, I would love it if I would have a medical talk show and people can see me on national TV. I would be okay with that. (She laughs).
Let’s talk about your book, M.O.M, which is an acronym for Meditate, Overcome, Motivate, and it’s a thirty-day devotional journey for mothers. Will you please tell us more about this devotional and why you chose to write it?
So, the point of my devotional, or goal I should say, is to help remind moms or even just women – and you don’t even have to be a mother – of who we are and what we’re capable of in God’s promises. These are promises that God’s made to us in the Bible. And how I have the devotional set up is that each day, my goal is to remind women so, for example, day one is you are favoured. The other days, you are blessed, you are strong, you are beautiful. And it’s just a reminder because you may have some single moms out there who don’t hear that from anybody. So, this is something I wanted to encourage women with, and just remind them that you have potential; you can do whatever you want, and you’re capable of doing whatever you want. And behind it is that being a physician, I don’t get the opportunity to be as involved in church as much as I would like to be. My parents are pastors, and I was always very involved in church; I taught in Sunday school, I was on the dance team and involved in youth group and after going to medical school and now practicing, it’s just been more difficult and of course with the triplets – again I’ll use the word tricky to balance everything. So, it’s really about what can I do? How can God use me? And I feel that it’s something that has not only been a tool that I want to uplift other women with, but writing it also uplifted me because for myself I am also going through a transition in life and I think God had it perfectly planned to say, hey, I’m going to use you, to help encourage other women and at the same time help encourage you.
How did writing this book impact you? And what impact has it had on other mothers who have read the book?
So, for me again, it’s uplifted me and encouraged me and it’s also a reminder that hey, every day you need to take a little time and meditate, think about what you’re meditating in the word and use that in your daily activity and once you overcome, you teach your family and motivate your family, that, hey you can do this and you’re capable of doing anything. And my response to the book from other moms is; one, because my devotionals are brief you can sit down get it done. Because I know as a mom (and you can even be a stay-at-home mom and be doing a whole bunch of things – I think staying at home is more work than going to work sometimes – so whether you’re a working mom or stay-at-home mom I tried to make it concise that women would be able to get out of it something that’s deep but in less than ten minutes. And that’s something that people have commented on.
Where can people get the book to buy?
Yes. So, you can buy it from my website www.delenemusielak.com
So, what plans do you have for the future? Will there be more books, more shows, or even perhaps other new projects?
I would like to do a mom and me devotional. I feel a lot of people with their children have lost out on spending that short time whether before bed or even in the morning to just sit down with their children and have that time of just teaching them a little Bible verse, teaching them how to pray, just going back to the fundamentals of being that parent that teaches your child how to pray in the word. So, I am really excited about that. And again, I already told you about my show; ultimately, I’d like to be on TV and have some guests. I’d really enjoy that. And I’d really like to get more involved with wellness and health coaching, helping people – as I’ve already voiced to you, I’m very passionate about preventative medicine, and I don’t think people really understand how important that is, that a lot of things we do to our bodies, unfortunately, we can’t take back, so the sooner you know how to prevent thing the better. I believe people will have a healthier and better lifestyle. And lastly depending on my time, and this is only because of my experience with my babies, I would love to do like a mommy and me clothesline because I like to match, but I have not found anything that has both gender-matching mommy, and I think that’s important. (she laughs).
Delene, you’re a busy person; do you intentionally schedule a time for your needs? And as a doctor who takes care of people from the cradle to the grave, how important is it that women schedule time for self-care?
I’m probably not great at scheduling that time for myself, I try to but usually after the babies’ bedtime is kind of me-time. Also, I have an amazing husband who helps. Thank God for him, because he helps in every way; laundry, cooking, cleaning. I’m so blessed to have him because there’ll be times when he knows that I’m tired and I don’t have to worry about it because I know he’ll do it. But I do feel it’s very important for women to take out some time whether it’s once a week, even once a month, to spend some time in quietness so you can relax and become refreshed. Your brain and your body need that rest, and that kind of goes back to my devotional time. I feel that devotional time is important because you want to do that in a quiet place and your body needs it because a lot of times as moms and just as women, I think we do a lot and we keep going and going, and at some point your body says, no, I’m not going anymore. So instead of getting to that point where you’re at the point of no return, better to maintain and take breaks in between.
How can people contact you if they want to know more about you and what you do?
Yes, of course, and if you want to contact me, I love getting any topics that you would want me to talk about on my show. It is drmomshow@gmail.com, and you can either just email me directly, or if you go on my website, www.delenemusielak.com, you can put in your information and subscribe so you’ll receive any updates concerning the show books, things like that. You can subscribe to my website.
