A Doctor's Tale of Blending Art, Science, and Healing

Dr. Margaret Towolawi is a physician whose canvas stretches from her medical clinic to the entrepreneurial landscape of wellness and skincare. Her story is an inspiring tale of transition, as she harmonizes the six pillars of lifestyle medicine with heartfelt entrepreneurship. In our conversation, we discuss the nurturing environment of her Nurture Well Center, the innovative skincare solutions she offers through her SkinStat MD med spa, and the personalization at the heart of her direct primary care model, designed to educate and connect with patients more deeply.

Dr. Towolawi is also a published author and her first children's book, "Ayomide's Train Ride to Graceland" was her way to transform a personal loss into solace for others. She addresses her grief with grace and offers families a way to discuss child loss and remember the lost siblings. Her second book "Ayomide and Seyi's Kitchen" plants the seeds of healthy eating in young minds. Her books help to guide and support families with sensitivity and strength through a vibrant blend of her Nigerian heritage, medical expertise, and the profound experiences of motherhood.

We also find out what she would include in her future memoir "You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea," ....


DR. TOWOLAWI'S WORK AND OTHER RESOURCES

To learn more about Dr. Towolawi's Work you can visit the pages listed below:
Skinstatmd.com - https://www.skinstatmd.com/
Nurturewellcenter.com - https://www.nurturewellcenter.com/
Buy her books HERE
You can also visit her Instagram Page

Remember to Rate and Review this show so that others can find us. Five Stars would be amazing. Thank You!

Transcript

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 0:03

Hello and welcome to Shades and Layers. I'm your Ku. t, . Let me start off by wishing you a wonderful year ahead and I hope 2024 is going well for you. So far, this year has started well at Shades and Layers, and you can find out all about the behind the scenes action via Instagram and our companion newsletter. Yes, there is a newsletter for the podcast and you can find out how to subscribe in the show notes or via our Instagram page. For now, we kick off season 8 and this is the first episode, Dr., Margaret Towolawi my guest, , a double board certified medical doctor turned entrepreneur, who is based out of Seattle in Washington state. Dr. Towolawi is the founder of Nurture Well Center and she has an associated med spa called SkinStat MD.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 0:58

She is also a published author and speaker who leads workshops for children, teens, adults who need tools to take charge of their health. In addition to all of that, she has her own inclusive skincare range, and we talk about that during the interview. Dr To Lawi's story to me demonstrates that there are ways to be a medical doctor or medical practitioner outside of the traditional structures such as public health, and you learn about the direct primary care business model that has made this path possible for her. And if you need some inspiration to stay on track with your new year health goals, then there's a lot of inspiration here. So, without further ado, here is Dr To Lawi telling her own story.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 1:47

I am Dr Margaret Toa Lawi and you know I wear a lot of different hats. For sure, I am a board certified family physician, so often thought of as a general practitioner, but I'm also a board certified lifestyle medicine physician. A lot of people don't know what that is. I always love to educate people around that it's pretty much a provider who looks at six main pillars. So nutrition, predominantly plant-based nutrition, getting enough movement, managing your stressors, getting enough sleep, having healthy social connections, so healthy relationships with others. And then minimizing substance use like alcohol, tobacco and drugs as a way to approach health.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 2:26

So, the thought is, if you employ these lifestyle medicine changes, for a patient to take more ownership of their health in order to prevent disease, reverse disease and treat disease. So that's that background right. So there's the medical piece, where I see patients in my practice. Then I have a separate business that's still attached in a way, called SkinStat MD. Skinstat MD where I focus on skin of color from a holistic dermatology standpoint. So I always ask my patients who come in to see me you know they're coming in for acne or eczema or hair loss. So what have you? I'm asking them about their sleep and their stress. So that's where my lifestyle medicine, holistic care, comes in right.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 3:01

And through that business I've launched my skincare line where I have gosh over 20-something different products to treat anything from hair loss to acne related pigmentation and scarring and eczema and all the things, and then the newest venture related to that business has been my supplement line. And last but not least, I'm an author, a book author to come out and start, but then I will be hopefully venturing into some non-kiss book related works. So we'll see, I think maybe let's get into.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 3:37

you know the deeper meaning you attach to all these activities that you do, sure.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 3:42

So I think that's really important because I think if you're looking from the outside, people think, oh, she has a lot of things, but I remind people that it's all connected. My main goal with Lana is to help people, especially women, especially black women, feel good on the inside and outside. Right, I want people to not just be put together and look together, but they also feel that way. So that's why nutrition and movement and getting less sleep is so important to my mission.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 4:06

So all about feeling good, and on the inside and outside. So I get people tools to feel good on the inside and tools to feel good on the outside right their skin care. That's the form of self care, right Hair care and all those things. So, it's all time and that's the big mission. I want people to feel good about who they are in the world.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 4:21

Yeah, fantastic. And how did you embark on this journey?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 4:27

That's a big question. So I'll be honest, I did not set out when I started to go to medical school and thought about myself as a future doctor to have my own business. That's something I never really thought about. But I'll be honest, I think the pandemic really had people think about what they really wanted out of this life you know, and our part time.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 4:43

I was working for an organization that I was going to retire at, to be honest with you, the medical system in the Seattle area, and then the pandemic, just I think being black people in predominantly white spaces, some things kind of the tie chain for us. When we were at a point I'll speak about myself I was at a point where I was like I don't have to put up with this, you know. So what can I do to kind of carve my own space. And then I learned about the type of practice that I have now the nurture well center practice that I have in my primary care practice. It's a membership based practice.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 5:08

I learned about that type of practice and it would allow doctors to have more ownership of their time and the traditional healthcare system is go, go, go patients every 15 minutes. I know I needed a setting where I could really slow down and promote patient education and promote healthy eating. So type of practice I do now I patiently need for 60 minutes. Okay, I can shop with them, yeah, walk with them, and I still do general primary care within this model. So it's been really nice. But, to answer your question, it was really much, pretty much the pandemic that made me realize I think enough is enough. I need a healthier working environment for me, and I started to create that environment for myself by going into business honestly hasn't been easy.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 5:44

no, but I'm doing it and I'm really proud of the work that I'm doing.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 5:48

Yeah, and you know, you say you're with your patient for 60 minutes and I'm thinking, wow, that sounds like a luxury, but surely this should be a standard right. Your doctor needs to get to know you. Yes, yeah, so did you find that a lot of your colleagues also went solo?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 6:04

Still the norm to work for a bigger organization. However, we're seeing more women, which is, more women of color, going into these types of solo membership based models. I think that speaks to the fact that a lot of us don't feel heard in our bigger systems, and I can think of at least three or four women that I know personally who go in private practice in Seattle area, where I'll have to need black women and just trying to carve out their own lane, you know, and make sure their voice is heard. So they got to create the space, create their table and bring others. So, yeah, yeah, there was a wave, I think in the 90s, before I was in medical school, where people were, you know, private practice was kind of starting to be less of a thing, and now it's ticking back up, I think, as people are frustrated and want other types of models up here, so yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 6:44

So how are these independent practices being received in the medical fraternity? You know? Can you? Yes, you know, how does it affect the business, and you know your practice. Yeah.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 6:58

So, as far as the general public, the patients who are invested in these practices, they love it. I mean, my patients are very happy to have this type of care, I think. As far as the insurance based models, I think we're kind of like that distant cousin that you see around the holidays and you like, you know if you really like them, but you have to deal with them because they exist and you do, you know. So it's still the norm to deal with insurance. I'll be honest with you. My membership does not deal with insurance, but I think we're. As more of us expands within the Seattle area, we are going to have to be respected because we're here right.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 7:28

Yeah, but patients, people who are consumers, are patients, are loving it, and that's to me the most important thing.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 7:35

So do people pay you directly out of pocket?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 7:37

That's a great question and it's called direct primary care and it's literally I love it because it means what it says right. So patients pay you directly. So patients pay a direct membership fee that's agreed upon by the doctor. So every doctor has their own set fee for the services. There's no hidden fees and for that set fee you get exclusive access to your provider. So my patients literally hand message me directly. You know, when I work with someone a big system I never talk about patients directly Went to the front staff and the back office staff and all the things right, and people can see me and get priority access and there's no waiting for three months or two months and all that jazz.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 8:11

So yeah, Right, okay, okay, and you mentioned that it's a membership, so this is like recurring fees, yeah.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 8:19

So a monthly fee, no co-paying, not feeding foods and limited number of visits. Access to my phone virtual secure texting.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 8:28

Yeah, Fantastic, I like that. You know, I always feel like when I go to the doctor, this person is meeting me for the first time, because the last time they saw me for 15 minutes, and sometimes the recommendations I mean even the you know most basic of knowledge will tell you that, no, you should not be prescribing that. Sure, you know, it's just. It just feels like a gamble, like I don't know what I'm going to find this time, Absolutely.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 8:57

Yeah, yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 8:58

But what's been the most surprising thing, or should I say the most exciting thing for you about being an entrepreneur?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 9:05

You know how much I don't know. I'm constantly learning, right, because, I'll be honest with you, I feel like the medical system is designed on purpose to have doctors work with someone else.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 9:17

Obviously I think business training. You know I'm literally learning new things about business every day. You have to be humble and learn and realize. You know, yes, I'm very smart, but I've been doing medicine only for 20-something years now at this point. So there's things about business. Like doctors this is like Jocomun doctors we're not very good business people. You know we don't talk about money and things like that. So, but at the end of the day, like the bus stops with me, I have a team of people that I have to pay, I have to keep my doors open. So flexing my business muscle has been the thing that I'm excited about, because I used to be so sheepish about talking about money, but I can't be sheepish and talk about money.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 9:53

Yeah, getting comfortable around there and knowing that it's okay to make sure that people understand the value that I bring and make sure I charge the right value.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 10:08

And speaking of money, are you self-funded? Did you apply for a round of funding? I am self-funded, yeah, so we have paid for a certain reason. But yeah, charge you the card and make sure I'm paying it off slowly but anyway.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 10:26

I don't have any social backing. This is me. This is truly a labor of love. This is an investment, a financial investment that, thankfully, my husband was in support of, but it's definitely. I work a lot and I'm doing my best to keep everything going so far, so good, but yeah it's been really really great yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 10:47

Speaking of investing, I mean this is also an investment in yourself, of course, but we know entrepreneurship is notorious for long hours and working above and beyond. So how does that match up to the type of hours you were doing as a practitioner in the medical system?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 11:07

I'm laughing because I'm thinking about my sister was asking me my husband a couple of months ago do you feel like Margaret is working more or less? And I was kind of funny. I probably feel like I work more, but it's not draining because I am my business, if that makes sense, and I'm just not a medical doctor, like I was telling you. I got skincare, I got supplements, I got books, I do speaking gigs, right, so, and I'm always ideating, right, I'm always. This brain never really turns off the seams. So in some ways the hours are longer because I am the best Right, exactly yeah.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 11:45

But I am really intentional about taking time off. So, like my patients know, every winter break I close the office to match my kids school being closed, right and then the holidays I make sure I take time off the night because I set my own schedule so I can be as busy or as not busy as I want to be, but because I think I have these other non-clinical ventures that I do, that keeps me busier. But there are things that I want to do, right. There are things that I produced and I'm really proud about. So I'd be lying if I didn't say that I worked a lot. But I'm not. The work doesn't drain me, it's. It only makes me more excited, especially when things are well received, when people are enjoying my products and getting results. People are, you know, I just myself I'm in lines, not even two weeks old and I'm already like thinking about okay, what stories can I get in it? Because I stopped watching and it was so well received by people who come to the office.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 12:38

So anyway, yeah, yeah, that's fantastic, that's exciting. So you know it makes a difference. You know the environment in which you work and also the mindset with which you go. You go into a business yeah. Yeah. And you know that brings me to. Not everybody in the medical profession is going to be brave enough or have the opportunity to take the leap that you did. How would you advise that they navigate that space without yeah, without burning out?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 13:09

That's a really, really good question because most people will not take this leap. It's a very bold thing to do. It's a very, very expensive thing to do and I'm very honest about saying if I was a solo person without a partner who had a job, I probably would not be able to do what I'm doing, cause it was a. You know, it's the first year I didn't pay myself. I think it's okay to be honest about and say cause you're putting so much into the business. But so if you do have to stay where you are, you gotta make sure you got a therapist.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 13:35

I feel like everybody should have a therapist. You gotta make sure you have your core people you can lean on and to. You know, really get a break from the work and make sure you're staying connected Right. So it's really the pillars I mentioned lifestyle medicine. You know that's your social connection, that you're eating good food and not just, you know, comfort food all the time. Make sure you're moving your body, getting asleep, all the things you need to do to support a healthy body and healthy mind, right, but big thing therapy, good friends Therapy yes.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 14:00

Therapy and good friends are the things I would say. Yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 14:06

Shades and Layers is a storytelling platform for black and other women of color in business. Welcome to the next part of my conversation with Dr Margaret Toa-Lawi. She is the founder of Nurture Well Center, as well as the Medical Spa SkinStat MD, which has an associated skincare line. Up next in this part of our conversation, we talk about how she founded the skincare line, which magic ingredients she uses, which problems she was trying to solve and how she went about getting the business going. Let's get into the product that your business sells, that your business sells. So it's skincare. There's topical care. There's also supplements, so can you go into how you go, went about formulating those in the first place? Let's start there.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 14:56

Great question, oh my gosh show. It's funny. I'm a problem solver, right, and. I would sing patients for years and I was advising certain brands. And then when they hit me, I should tell them about my own products to feel these needs they have. So it all started with. I think my first product was the Refresher Spray. It was out of the open. It came out the same time, I see.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 15:18

But I'll start with the Refresher Spray which I wish I had right next to me. But anyway, it's over there.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 15:23

The Refresher Spray is a 3-1 product, so it's a Lavera based with glycerin. It's for the scalp, hair and face and I was seeing a lot of people who had scalp issues, something called Cybergunmertitis a lot of that patients I was thinking would have this. It's the pretty much overgrowth of the use on the scalp and cause dry scalp. People put oil on it and it makes it worse. So I wanted to think that would treat that issue. That was not oil, because people would say how am I gonna moisturize my scalp doctor? So the spritz for the scalp, but then it also works for the hair to keep it moisturized and can be used on the face of the high-grading facial spray. So I think people would use hair products that would clog their pores and they get acne.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 15:56

So that was my first product and then my Oat Butter, so that was a fun one. So that's for eggs in my patients or anyone with any type of dry skin. So even like I don't have eggs in my, but if my hand is dry I use my own oat butter. So the oat butter came when I was really wanting to make my eggs in my patients. So I did a lot of research on these of colloidal oatmeal dating back to the ancient Egyptian times. I read them in peer review journal articles in dermatology and I was like, okay, if I have a product for eggs in my, it needs to have oatmeal. So I came up with a ingredient base and then I worked with a woman local to Seattle to have her say, can you make this formula? Here's the formula, sign this NDA make this product for me. And then she did, and then that was really fired because that's probably my best selling product To this day. People just love that.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 16:43

And it's really cool to have patients leave reviews.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 16:45

I had eggs in my. That's the only thing that really works for my eggs in my anyway. But so, to answer your question, I try to just meet issues that I see. So I have things for dark spots, pigmentation. I have things for. I have my shampoo for dandruff. Right, I have people who want to use them thing for their curls that won't dry their hair out, but it's also good for the environment.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 17:05

So I have conditioner I have serums, I have.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 17:07

I'm looking at everything over there. That's why I'm spotting.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 17:11

I have my own sunscreen now.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 17:12

That is not even white cast right and I want to do that kids can use.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 17:16

So my first sunscreen I launched is it was a mixture of mineral base and chemical base so I would tell people if you're pregnant or nursing or have kids, I wouldn't use this but it'll affect wrongly that. I didn't have one that could be used for kids so came out with on the summer. That's been wildly well received. That goes on sheer on dark skin so, but I have pretty much. I'm trying to be a one stop office for patients when it comes to caring for their skin. I got stuff for pretty much everyone.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 17:43

You know, that's tip towing to the men's line now too, so I released a beard oil about two weeks ago.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 17:49

So just trying to Nice, nice, nice. So I love it. So much going on.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 17:53

Yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 17:54

Yeah, and you sell these online or are you going to think of distributing? Yeah?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 18:00

so that would be the hope. That's the hope. So currently it's online in my office, but I would love to get in a store. You know, and I always tell myself, big stores that's great, that's nice, but I love to. You know, there's a lot of shops and stores and Seattle small businesses.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 18:13

I love that and I like that about Seattle yeah.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 18:17

Yeah, so if you know anybody, I'm trying to get my wellness products out and supplements and skincare and any boutique, so that's something 20 to 24. I'd love to have a partnership. Right now I'm working on things Nothing has penned out 100% yet so actively trying to make those connections Right. Yeah, and at first I want to make sure that my fan base love the products and they do, and then you know, someone can tell me OK, I need to get because I'm just one person.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 18:42

So if I can have people who can support my products and sell them, in retail spaces. That would be a great goal.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 18:48

Yeah, great. So you also mentioned their workshops and you know keynotes.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 18:56

So what do you do?

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 18:57

Yeah, what do you do in that space?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 18:59

Yeah, so the nice thing about being a general doctor with also those lifestyle medicine angles that can tailor the talks so I do talks anywhere on lifestyle medicine and what that means and how to make change in your life that's one topic, right, and the topic is how to incorporate more plant-based diet into your lifestyle. So another topic I've done. I've also done things on how to build a skincare regimen.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 19:18

So it really varies, but they either tie to lifestyle medicine plant-based nutrition or skincare kind of the big topics and I work with different organizations whoever was willing to hire me and book me and other things Right. Then I have my author talks related to my books, where I've gone into various schools Actually, I have a school talk tomorrow Seattle Public Schools tomorrow so I go in and I read the books. I have a whole curriculum of leading activity and I get paid for that as well. So wellness talks and then my author talks are pretty much the big things.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 19:46

Nice, nice. Tell me about your books. What have they called and what do?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 19:51

you mean dad, right? My other book is I read a lot of people back there. You guys can't hear or listen, can't see what I'm pointing. You got two books technically three, but it's really two. I'll explain what I mean. My first book I don't have in front of me. It's called Iyomi Dei's Train Ride in Graceland. That book was my. I released that May 2022, iyomi Dei's Train Ride in Graceland. That book is a labor of love. It's a very personal story. So I have two kids, but I actually gave birth to three kids. My oldest child, grace, I had her when I was five months. I delivered her and everything and then she passed away Less than two hours later. Then my son, iyomi Dei, who's my living oldest, is my race Rainbow baby right.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 20:31

So I knew, once I had my Iyomi Dei and his sister Shae Lee, that I wanted to make sure that my family had a way to honor my oldest child, that she was never forgotten.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 20:42

I wanted the world to know about her. So the book is the ideal consumer. I don't know reader. I should say reader is family that had some type of loss. So still, birth early, infant loss, miscarried, and they're gonna have their rainbow babies. So how can you find a way to have these discussions with your current living children about the sibling that they lost?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 20:59

or that was before them. So that's really a labor of love. I think I realize if I can be honest with you, and I have an author page where I talk about it I don't talk about it as much as my nutrition book it's so much easier to talk about the nutrition book.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 21:11

The book is about a child that passed away, but the whole subject is my son I am an A needs his sister in a place called Graceland in a dream and it's a. Really, without giving away too much, it really helps honor the child you lost in tying in your current children. So that's the whole goal. But I am an A she's, I am an A's child. I love that. That's the first thing, yeah, and then my other book I am an A's, I am an A's kitchen features my son and daughter. A kid's guide of plant-based nutrition from A to Z. All about trying to get kids to learn more about plant foods without it being preachy. I don't say go vegan or go vegetarian, I'm literally. It's an A to Z book where it rhymes and I go through. I start off really seemingly basic A is for Apple and then, by the time you're getting through, you're talking about C's for calcium you're talking about vitamin D and then my kids are the narrators, which is called it rhymes.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 22:00

So I wanted a bite-sized pun intended bite-sized approach to nutrition for kids, because I also knew many parents would be reading the book, so educating the parents about some of these topics that they may not be aware of.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 22:11

And then the kids.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 22:13

The whole goal is I create this core group of kids who are excited about nutrition and healthy foods, who then become adults and make better choices. I follow background. I can spend that my position background, my nutrition background and my mom background to really bring that together. And my illustrator shout out to Anna Bella Ortiz, who was amazing in the illustration.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 22:31

So yeah, but also like the food references they're not all Western.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 22:37

Oh, that was very intentional, right Like so. I'm born and raised in LA, but my family's Nigerian. My parents immigrated here. My husband was born and raised in Nigeria, so I got it not to Jalap Jays for Jalap but, I, have South African shout out to the watermelon shigwa, and then we have Ube, which I believe is Filipino, yeah, and then Habanero. So I try to make it so people could recognize some foods. Yeah, yeah, there was a purple a yam somewhere. Yeah, that's the Ube, the Ube. Okay, right, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah so.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 23:07

Love it love it. No, I like how inclusive it is and also how broad it is, you know, yeah that was very intentional.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 23:15

It's an eye opener. Yeah, I appreciate that, and it's also available in a bilingual version currently, so Spanish English, so I have the English text with the Spanish underneath it. That's another version as well, so Lovely, lovely, yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 23:27

Yeah, we've got picky eaters in our house, so this will be a very helpful.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 23:33

Well, I told people it's nice. I've had some people write reviews that their kids are super picky but they would take the book and go to the grocery store and try to pick a food that they didn't have before from the book. So I have a whole thing in the back of the book where I'd say do you enjoy the book? Take it to the grocery store and try out a new food and see what you can identify from the book, right. So yeah, it's been cool to see people. That's fun. People will receive it.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 23:54

Yeah, that's great fun. And you said you have another one.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 23:58

So I was just saying. So taking the bilingual Spanish book is different.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 24:02

Right, right, right, yeah, it's a separate book, but it's the same book right, so that's what I was trying to say, but anyway, yeah, great, great, yeah. Why was it important to you, to you know, write a book.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 24:12

Yeah, so I thought I was mentioning how as a doctor, mom and physician, so I kind of know firsthand the importance of healthy eating. But then as a physician, you see a lot of adults with chronic diseases, hyperplastic diabetes, prediabetes, obesity a lot of patients I see don't know what foods to eat, don't know you know they can't tell their future and what's cause of a good, healthy protein or fiber and all the things. So I want to create a generation of kids who have the tools right so I could really have more adults who grew up to not have these chronic diseases, because food is medicine.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 24:46

It really is, mm-hmm yeah, the other good choices as a body of people.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 24:51

It could really change how the chronic disease trend in America looks. That's my whole thing, so yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 24:57

Yeah, Dr Margaret Toa-Lawie is my guest on this episode of Shades and Layers Coming up. We get into her personal story and the Shades and Layers rapid fire, but first we find out about what has helped to keep things together in her business, as well as the people who have been supportive during her entrepreneurial journey.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 25:21

Honestly, I have a great manager and we just ran our meeting. We're in front of everything. We have a running list of things that we're checking off. We're in constant communication. So, for me, most people would say, oh, they have some software. I'm not very techy. I'm okay to admit that I need to get better in 2024, all of us are one of my goals but I'm a real people person. We need to talk. So, communicating with my team, helping them hold me accountable I was telling my manager the only thing that I can do that you can't do is see patients. I'm the medical doctor, so I delegate, just really delegate as much as I can, and being open to team input. I think people think we can run a business. Yes, we have the final say because it's your business right, but being open to fresh ideas right. So that's how I stay productive, in that way.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 26:08

So, yeah, yeah, and you mentioned, of course, the manager and the team around you, but what about mentors? You know who are some of the people who inspire you or have been instrumental in your path to where you are.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 26:23

You know a lot of my mentors come from fellow business women that inspire me. You know some of my a lot of my close friend is a business person and we are always getting together. You know she was very beneficial for me to even know that I could do this right, and I would call her frustrated with where I was at and my old job and she was like you know, I don't want to do this, you can do it. She actually helped me find a space and I'm sitting in my office right. So I think having a board group of friends important and when we have friends who are also in business because business women being a business woman, kids and black business women to hold it from lay at level right. So having those four people, I'm having nice Click. Um, they have any be, yeah, black business woman that I can lean on and can like.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 27:06

Are you expressing this? This is something that you see. Or, for me, coming out the gate, when I was just getting started trying to make my mark, you know like I was. I was on my phone a lot trying to market and then I was saying to my friend Am I bad, mom? The thing that was crying she's like you're not a bad mom and you know she's been in business way longer and say you know something that just bring your kids you know, make it work you know, so before I think I thought that was unprofessional but I might have a huge office.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 27:30

I have a whole room like get some hang of snacks, tv, all the things right. Some days you just gotta bring them in make it work. So she really taught me that. But yeah anyway.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 27:38

Yeah, I love that. Including your children in your activities here that's a that's really powerful and you know, yeah, so you have these mentors. So you mentioned the Nigerian immigrant parents, any other events or people in your life who you think you know? You look back and you think, yeah, okay, that makes sense, we have ended up today, you know.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 28:15

You know I'm so sorry. The question was and people, people from the past, that kind of influence?

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 28:20

Yeah, the kind of influence. You know the trajectory of your life or you know events. They may have been at school or yeah.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 28:27

Yeah. So I'll be honest, I was not one of those kids that was like I'm gonna be a doctor. The very first Job that I can remember, saying I was about seven years old, was I want to be a writer. So it's really amazing for me to come back here right, hey, yeah.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 28:41

I Remember saying I was about seven I would always draw stories and write stories and draw pictures with the stories and I remember the very first book that I can remember writing was a book called the Apple family and it was a family of apples and they went on adventures anyway. But I'm saying to my mom, you know she looked at me and my mom's amazing but like I don't know, I don't know she remembers this. But she looked at me she says oh, you can't do that, we won't make any money.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 29:04

I didn't really know what that meant. But I was like, oh you know so. But I always knew growing up that I I like trying to figure things out, I like people. But I didn't really know. So I went off to college Not really know what I was gonna do.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 29:16

At the time my parents I sent us a various kind of programs throughout our teams at USC and UCLA. They were like Engineer related, a health related. I have two sisters. One was like I'm gonna be a doctor and she's a doctor. I'm gonna be Dennis, she's a dentist, but I just wasn't. I want to my own one in my own day. I think that's the power of what's been.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 29:36

So I go to, I go to college and I'm like studying engineering but I'm not really like. My heart's not in it, you know, and kind of go through the motions but I get sick a summer going to my sophomore year I they still do this. They don't know what happened, but I had a blood clot on my spleen. So I was very intimate with the health care system for about I think I was not supposed to for nine, ten days straight, okay, and I realized I don't know much about the human body. You know, we're like also don't like knowing things when they involve me.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 30:03

And then I started to get this like curiosity around health care. But I was too Shited and it that I was like oh you know. And anyway I thought about public health. But then the doctor thing was quietly in my brain. So one day I talked to my older sister and I say I think I'm thinking about she's like, oh my gosh, you should totally go for it Anyway. So that was kind of my career trajectory to thinking about Becoming a doctor. And then I, funny enough, there was a summer program, university of Washington, number of California, where you could come and be Be paired with a mentor in the community. I got paired with Dr Fred Newman Downsend. He was at powerhouse In the community, pediatrician and it was everything I needed all this time and I actually prayed that summer got give me a sign if I should Be a doctor, be a teacher right and I had.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 30:49

I had a. I already had a job lined up After college, the mayor, court and services, going to teach at a school. Well, but I was still. It was cream. At some point I UW got paired back to house's office and a desk around, shoes, family and the staff, woman of color, people, the color, the artwork, it was just so inspired, I thought, being a doctor, man, cookie cutter, kind of white, predominantly male settings, and it was just nice to be in that type of work environment. I will never forget how that was an eye-opening event for me. And you said did that, as I think we're doing medicine thing and I, seattle, it was summertime, gorgeous, I'm gonna see how oh, yeah, can fool you yeah, and people were like you know, it's not like this all year, so I don't care, but I

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 31:32

that was 2004. I got in and I started let's go 2006 and I've given her sense, but anyway, um, so those were the moments getting sick in the hospital, learning that I didn't know about the body, being intrigued, being inspired by my mentorship opportunity through that some program that continue to get mentorship for the house and throughout my medical school career, and then, um, anyway, that's kind of how I led to career medicine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I've always been very curious about people and relationships and how you know that works and I've always been really into like. So now I was 15 years old, you know, I started to learn about plant-based eating, which is very at the time. This is, this is the late 90s, right, like my African parents are like what?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 32:16

you don't eat meat, okay you know, so I was been curious about bodies and food and nutrition and food that makes you feel good, so, and I'm a plant-based for 25 plus years now, so anyway, but that's everything's kind of coming back. Things from my past are all making sense now, right? So the writer piece that healthcare exposure now doing the kind of work that I do where I motivate people to eat better and Just kind of take ownership of their health, right? So the believe that to me being sick in the house a little bit at 19 and not knowing what's going on and feeling helpless and here I was, seemingly I thought I was pretty smart at Stanford, right, and I feel like Right.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 32:52

Yeah, yeah.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 32:53

Anyway.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 32:54

Yeah, yeah, no interesting. It's nice when you start to connect the dots.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 32:58

Yeah, yeah, that's great.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 33:01

Speaking of connecting the dots, it's now time to get into the rapid fire. First thing that comes to mind yeah, so you're a writer. And you write a memoir. What would you call it and why?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 33:15

okay, here we go. You think you know, but you have no idea. A story of love, loss, faith and grit and the why you said and why is that what you asked me? Mm-hmm, I think it's looking out where people might think that, oh, she has a lot of good there, or she? You know? I like to dress up, I like to look you, I like to you, I can work around, but I'm also very introspective you know, I actually prefer to be around.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 33:43

People think they may think one thing about me, but they really. I know the English, you get to know me. I have a lot of great friends, but I also have my heart to come in her circle, right. Who know me, know me right. And then I'm a woman of faith. I would not be where I was without God, because things have happened to me you would not know I know, because just wouldn't know.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 34:00

I'm then great because I I get down but I get back up right. So I got that gritting me. I'm from, I'm from LA, but if I want to be true, true I'm in a way, you know, born and raised inner city girl. You got a little bit of grit, a little bit of edge to you. You know, I think when I think is there right and then lost. When I mentioned I lost a child, right? So not, and I'm not just so the child, but the other things that are missed early, like loss of a person. But I had a loss in life but I still keep going.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 34:25

I'm in love.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 34:27

Oh, we need his love at the end of the day. Right, I try to put more love in the world, because I think we're all lacking. I need a little more love, so yeah that's where it all comes from. Awesome, yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 34:37

I love that. Yeah, I'm sure it will make a beautiful story. Yeah, can't wait. Yeah, yeah. So if you had to turn that book into a movie, who would you choose to be the lead actress?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 34:53

Oh my gosh. Um Wow, that's a good question. I can't start it, I'm just kidding.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 35:01

Of course you can.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 35:05

That is a good question. I'm trying to think of somebody who just looks like me, but I'm like no, there's nothing, they have to look like you. Um, that's the. You got me there, okay. The person that keeps coming to mind. I don't even know why she comes to mind, but I keep. She's the first thing. Carrie Washington keeps coming.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 35:21

Yeah, carrie Washington comes. I'm like, oh, carrie Washington fan.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 35:25

You know, I'm like I mean, no, I said that, but that's what came to mind, so we're going to go with that.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 35:29

Okay, carrie Washington, yeah, powerhouse, brilliant, yes, yes. And apart from her, which famous black woman, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 35:40

That's a great one.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 35:40

I can only pick one. I thought it was two Okay.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 35:44

So the first person that comes to mind. I don't really know much about this person. I know what she does, but I don't know much about her. I'm kind of like what I know about the base, the little I know. So Caroline Wanga she's the head of Essence, the CEO. I simply don't get that one, but she works for Essence. She's a big powerhouse there. Whenever I see her speak, whenever I hear her, I just like wow, I just want wow. She's always dropping such gems and the fashion is fashioning. I'm a fashion girl Right?

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 36:12

Yeah, I know from your feed, I know yes.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 36:17

She shows a bright, bold, unapologetically herself and black, and I just love that and I just want to just talk to her and get to know her and know her backstory, cause there's always a backstory.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 36:27

And then also ask her can I shop in?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 36:28

your closet. Honey, can I shop in your closet? And then i, second person. I'm almost thinking a , T , , but I feel like she's also somebody who has a great backstory and she can. It's nice to go ahead and have somebody you can both enjoy vegan food Right.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 36:41

Exactly, exactly.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 36:44

She has a she's a little on my face she has a good heart, yeah.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 36:48

Yeah, and speaking of being a vegan being African and vegan have you ever had? You said your parents couldn't understand it, but you know, do you have a tough time in general or have your family?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 37:01

accepted or oh, absolutely not Not anymore, because you know this is 25 plus years ago, where it was not as common.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 37:08

Now, it's so much like we went to Gold Coast gal kitchen. Shout out to Tuna. If you ever hear this, then I ain't like wearing restaurants just open two weeks ago in Seattle and I had my red red, which I had when I was in Ghana as a vegan dish by nature, so it's not even that hard anymore and a lot of our dishes, like you, can make the stew without me, you know. So not hard at all. Yeah, and I think my dad currently is pretty much plant based, so in my sibling's head I was one of my students who had time that she's been plant based.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 37:37

So, yeah, not hard at all. Yeah, yeah, and before I let you go, I'm sure people are now curious. They want to work with you, they want to find out what you do. Where can they find you?

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 37:48

So on the Instagram I have three pages. Silly, I know that it's just the truth, but a different business is. So for my skin and kind of my personality, skin stats, so SKINS she hasn't Tom. A, she hasn't Tom. And like market D. So skin stat and D. That's the Instagram One of them and that's my books Author, margaret Toa-Lawi. And then my primary care is Mercher Well Center and the Facebook smash that as well. So, yeah, if you want to get to me easily, I have various websites for the businesses, but the big one is me as a brand. That's Margaret Toa-Lawi and Dcom Margaret Toa-Lawi and Dcom. But I'll get you to all the other pages too. Perfect.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 38:30

Yeah, and I'll have that linked in the show notes. So yeah, awesome, perfect. Thank you so much. If there's anything else you'd like to add, this is your chance.

Dr. Margaret Towolawi: 38:41

Oh gosh, thank you for having me. I'm super excited to just really be a part of this community and check me out. If you are hearing this and you're interested in connecting and networking with me, please reach out and let's network with other entrepreneurs.

Kutloano Skosana Ricci: 38:55

So thank you so much Thank you, and that is all for the first episode of season eight. Thank you for listening. Please find the links to Dr Toa-Lawi's social media and website in the show notes. Also, remember to share this episode with a friend so that we can grow and spread the love. I'm Goodwinos Kosanarici, and until next time, please do take good care.