Stop Chasing Perfect, Start Choosing Joy with Tiffany Moon

What inspired you to write your book Joy Prescriptions?

I always felt like I was chasing achievement and I didn't quite know what it was. And I had to go on this joy journey of self exploration and figure out, like, who am I? What do I even like? I think I got lost in the sauce a little bit because when you're just chasing goals and achievements and checkboxes, you forget to sort of check in with yourself and be like, wait a minute, like, what is even brings me joy?

How would you suggest people that are out there and they might be right now to get better, use humor as

a way to forge a connection with someone. If we both laugh at something and we're chuckling together for a moment in time, we feel a connection and that we're similar, but it's just such an easy way to make an initial connection with someone.

What advice would you give to somebody who is making excuses?

I mean, it's a lot of mindset work. At the end of the day, so much of our life is really what mindset we were in. If you go around life starting sentences with I can't, I can't, then guess what, babe? You can't. And you won't. And you never will.

I am so glad that you are here with us today to listen to this episode of the Amberly Lago show because I have a very special guest with us, y'. All. She is a household name. You probably have seen her on TV or read her book Joy Prescriptions. I have Tiffany Moon with us. She is a doctor. Hello, Dr. Tiffany Moon. She's a board certified anesthesiologist. You may know her from saner on the Real Housewives of Dallas. She's an entrepreneur, an author. She does retreats. She holds her own events, which are amazing. She speaks all over the world. And I am just so honored to have her with us here today because especially if you are struggling with doing so much that you're on the brink of burnout. If you are looking to stop striving perfection and just be your authentic self, I'm so excited for her to drop in and share so many tools with us. So thank you so much for being here with us today.

Thanks for having me. I'm so glad we finally got this scheduled.

I know. I am so happy that we finally got this scheduled. So we actually met, I think a couple of years ago. We were coming out of Jeff Crilly Studios in Dallas and I met you briefly and I was like, who is this amazing lady dressed to kill? Like, I was like, Man, I like her spunk. And then I started following you on social media and if you're listening and you're not following her on social media, you need to follow her right now. The links will be in the show notes because your post, because you're a doctor, you're not so serious all the time. You post the most like viral video videos that go viral, but the funniest stuff ever, but also informative, not just all comedy. And so then I got to know you and then saw that you do your own events and then you came to my event. I was like, oh my goodness, I am so honored that Dr. Tiffany Moon is coming to my event. So, so yeah, I am so grateful for you. I am curious to. You wrote your book, which I have right here. If you're not looking on YouTube, you'll have, you can see the, the show notes to find her book Joy Prescriptions, which my book, Joy through the Journey was coming out around the same time. What inspired you to write your book Joy Prescriptions? Being a doctor, an anesthesiologist, which honestly for me, going through 34 surgeries, being put under anesthesia 34 different times, I've never met a doctor like you. I wish all doctors could be like you. So what inspired you to write your book Joy Prescriptions?

Well, growing up as an immigrant and a high achiever, I'm sure that many of your listeners can relate. I always felt like I was chasing achievement. And you know, I, I had to go to the best college, I had to graduate early, I had to get into medical school. And everything just seemed to be a series of checkboxes. And it was implied that when I checked them all off, like, maybe one day I'll be happy and I'll have joy. And then somewhere in my mid-30s, I had become a doctor. I was working, I got married, I had children. And I still felt like something was missing and I, I didn't quite know what it was. And I had to go on this joy journey of self exploration and figure out, like, who am I? What do I even like? I think I got lost in the sauce a little bit because when you're just chasing goals and achievements, checkboxes, you forget to sort of check in with yourself and be like, wait a minute, like, what even brings me joy? And so I had to kind of turn my life upside down. That's when, you know, during this joy journey, which was like a two year thing, you know, is when I tried housewives, I tried stand up comedy, I

went on, I didn't know that you tried stand up comedy.

Look, Netflix hadn't called me for a one hour special yet. I'm still waiting.

Well, I'm not surprised because your social media cracks me up. Like, I can binge your reels because you're so funny, but you, I did not know that you had actually tried stand up comedy.

Yeah, it was wild. I actually wasn't supposed to do it. I didn't decide one night that I would like go to open mic. I actually had a friend who is a real comedian who has a Netflix pack special and she was doing a stop in Dallas on her comedy tour and she partnered with the charity that I knew and said that like, you know, 20 of proceeds from the her show would go to this charity. And she said, would you emcee the comedy show? All you have to do is get up on stage, hype up the audience and be like, welcome next to the stage, my friend, you know, and just introduce like comedians. And I was like, sure, I can emcee. Then she calls me like two weeks before the show and she's like, hey, girl. One of the other female comedians, like, has a schedule conflict and so she can't come and do her set. So instead of emceeing, I'm gonna put you in the show. You just have to do like a 15 minute set. And I was like, 15 minutes? I'm gonna pee my pants. She's like, it's not a big deal. She was like, you're so funny. Your tick tocks are hilarious. She's like, okay, I gotta go. Bye. And then all of a sudden I was like, uh, like, what do I do now? You know? So I wrote about it in the book in the chapter titled if you don't laugh, you'll cry, which is sort of my philosophy on life and humor. People say like, where do you get these ideas for these funny tiktoks and reels that you make? Like, I had no idea you were so funny. A lot of people said that to me. They were like, I had no idea you were so funny. And I'm like, yeah, because you see me at the hospital. I work at a level one trauma hospital where I mostly deal with cancer patients. Like, it's not a whole lot of funny going on at the hospital. So if you know me in that role in that capacity, of course you don't know that I'm funny because I'm not cracking jokes. I'm very serious when I'm, you know, my Dr. Tiffany. And so when I get home and I'M on my own time and I'm not in my scrubs and I'm not taking care of patients. I do like to let loose a little bit and make these funny skits because it's a form of stress relief for me. Right. I don't want to come home from the hospital and talk about stuff that I did during the hospital and the fact that it brings a smile to other people's faces or you're scrolling and you see one of my reels and it gives you a chuckle or it reminds you of a friend of yours and you send it to that friend. That makes me happy. So that's why I pour so much into comedy and why I think so many people were, like, confused about this. Like, you know, is she trying to be a comedian now? No, I'm not trying to be a comedian. It's just one of the ways that I like to relieve stress and also one of the ways that I like to connect to other people. Because I think you would agree with me that right now we live in a crazy time and place where really we're more connected now than ever. My best friend lives in dubai. It's a 10 hour time difference. I can just pick up the phone, text her, you know, if she's awake, she'll text me back. Back when I was a little girl and I wanted to call my grandparents who were in China, we used to have this thing called a calling card, which the young, your young listeners aren't even going to know what's happening. It was on a landline. You called like a 1-800-number, would dial a series of random numbers and it'd be like, you have 64 minutes and then you'd talk. You know what I mean? And the connection was always terrible. So fast forward 20 years, we are more connected than ever. But then, tell me, Amberly, why are our rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness higher than ever? The surgeon general said that our country has a pandemic of loneliness and that it's equal to smoking 12 cigarettes a day. That's crazy to me. I'm like, how can you be lonely? You have everything at the palm of your hands. But it's because people aren't making real connections.

That's what I was just gonna say. Because people aren't making the real connections and they're not reaching out to like, you're reaching out to your friends friend to connect with her and making. That's a real connection. So many people are just relying on their screen and it's great that they See these, you know, inspirational videos or funny videos, but it is a real connection. And I think that that is the opposite of addiction. And so many addictions that you know, across the board from whether it's alcohol, drugs, porn, speed dating, whatever it is, I think it is a. That real connection is the opposite and we need more of that. How would you suggest people that are out there and they might be sitting here listening to the show right now going, well, I feel depressed or I am depressed or I feel lonely, I don't know how to connect. What would you suggest for them to do today, right now to get better?

I would say use humor as a way to forge a connection with someone. Look, if we both laugh at something and we're chuckling together for a moment in time, we feel a connection and that we're similar. Because right now everyone wants to focus on what's different. Anyone who's other or different than me, I should be suspicious of them. I don't trust them, you know, but if you can watch a video or have an inside joke with someone and you guys are chuckling together, you feel like, oh, we're the same, right? And. And so it's just a way to forge an initial connection with someone. And then once you got them laughing or smiling, then you can ask them about themselves. Where are they from? Why are they here? What do they do? You can go further, but it's just such an easy way to make an initial connection with someone.

That's so good. Well, I want to go back to your going on the comedy show. So you had your 15 minutes. What the heck? How did you even plan out 15 minutes of comedy? And how did that go?

Well, I am a scientist by nature, so I did what any good scientist would do. I went and researched. I literally think I googled how to do stand up comedy. And y' all will be amazed. Y' all can go to YouTube and search how to anything. Like there is no excuse for anything because you can literally go to the Internet and find some sort of help. And so I watched a few YouTube videos from comedians and like speech coaches about what makes something funny, right? Like if you just went up to a random person and you're like, what makes something funny? They'd be like, like it's kind of hard to explain why something is funny, right? Like it's just, it's funny to me. It made me chuckle. It's saying something that's unexpected or using a your body in a funny manner, doing a funny move, pausing. It's all these different ways. And so I just scientifically dissected it because I don't know what else to do. And I studied other comedians. So I went on Netflix and I watched all the top 10 comedy.

Really?

I did. And I. With a notebook and a pen and. And I would, like. When he said a punchline, I would pause the Netflix and I would ask myself, what. Why was that funny? Why did the audience just laugh? Why did I just laugh? He was telling a story about coming home with groceries. It's not inherently a funny story. But then something unexpected happened. There was a punchline, and that was. That was funny, right? And so I. I dissected people's. And everyone has different forms of funny, right? Some people are a little bit more cr. Rude, Some people are a little bit more pg. Like Nate Bargates is more pg. Dave Chappelle is not pg. Ali Wong, you know, has a more female type of comedy, whereas Gabriel Iglesias has a more male type. Like, everyone has their shtick, right? Because that's what makes them them. But I studied them and I dissected the funny. And then I started working on my own set. I didn't work for. On my jokes until probably a week before the comedy show, because first I needed to do the background homework and study other comedians. Once I understood the craft of comedy, then I started working on my jokes. I thought about unexpected events that had happened with my husband or with my children. You know, children say funny things, right, because they don't have a filter. So I would think about things that my children had said to me when I. When they were, like, 3 or 4 years old that were so funny. And so I just started, like, just, you know, writing down all these ideas. And then I would take one or two and then really expand it out. Like, really write out the whole joke. And then I practiced. All my friends and family, my poor friends and family had to. I was like, okay, I gotta try out two jokes. I'm gonna do the first one, and then I'm gonna do the second one, and you're gonna tell me, like, which one is better? And I literally, like, made my friends and family workshop my jokes with me. So by the time they came to the comedy club, they were, like, bored out of their minds because they'd heard all of them, you know, there. It was not new for them.

Well, I love that you didn't just get up there and wing it. You did your research. You did your research in so many ways. You researched other comedians, and there are so many different comedians. And you know, I was watching, I clicked on some comedy show the other day and it was Roseanne Barr and it was so crude that I was like, oh my gosh. I think, I mean, this is even crude for my teenager. Like, I got to turn this off right now, you know? And so then you practiced on your family and your friends. And I love that you have really come down to like, the definition of what makes something funny. And you can see that in even your reels on Instagram. Because there are things that make me laugh. There are a couple that, that really. I remember there was one that I think you're pulling your husband across the floor or he's pulling you and it's a difference when a car makes a sound or something like that.

Oh, it's like the Bugatti sound.

Yes. That. That's probably maybe even two years old.

Yeah, it's a little old. It's like when he pulls me, I go fast and there's like a cool sound. And then when I him, it's like, yes, yes, yes.

And then another one that you did that I think is so funny, but also so relatable to so many people who view it is you have a no shoes rule kind of house and you had forgotten a present under the tree. And there you were crawling on your hands and knees without your shoes to go get the present and, and running out the door. And it's like, how many of us have been there where we're like, oh, dang it, I gotta do that. Well, she's posting about it. That is funny. I relate to that, you know, and so I think that that is just amazing that you've done that. So when you were on stage, how did you feel as a comedian?

To be honest, when I was on stage, like, I blacked out. Like, I got off stage and my husband was like, great job, babe. And I was like, what the hell just happened? Because my adrenaline was so high and I got up. I mean, I. I did my set. Cause I had practiced it like a million times, you know, and so I delivered my jokes. Um, it wasn't until I watched the recording of it back later that I was like, oh, I did decent. Like, I mean, some jokes were stronger than others, but for someone who had been given like 10 days, you know, to put together a 15 minute comedy set for the first time, I was like, I would give myself an A minus.

Well, that's amazing considering that I'm sure you are very hard on yourself with all your accolades and everything that you've achieved. And I know a lot of times, me, myself included, I can be hard on myself as far as, like, viewing something so that. That's amazing that you did that. What would you suggest to somebody who feel stuck in their situation or their circumstances and they want to do more? They want to do something as big as go speak at a comedy club or try a new endeavor, a new, even a new dream job that they have had on their heart. What would you suggest for them to do?

First, I would say to take a real good, honest look at what is making you unhappy or what the missing piece is. Is it your relationships, is it your job, is it your hobbies? Or do you not feel good about your physical health or your mental? Like, what is it exactly? That's the issue. And then take actionable steps towards rectifying whatever the problem is. You know, I think so many people. What always bothers me is people who complain about something and then never take steps towards rectifying the problem. You know, like, oh, I'm so tired of being overweight, my knees hurt. Oh, I can't exercise because my knees hurt. And you know, it's just like, okay, what, what are we gonna do? Do we need a knee replacement? Do we need physical therapy? Like, do we need some Ozempic? But like, you can't just complain about the problem and then continue to do nothing and expect that things are going to change.

Right? Yeah, that, that's my pet peeve too.

Because we're doers, you and me and your listeners, I'm sure, because they're listening to you. We're all doers. We're action takers and we're lifelong learners. You know, people that, you know, I'm in my 40s and they're like, oh, no, I couldn't do that. I'm too old. Oh, I can't start a business. I don't know anything about business. I was just a mom all these years. No, those are limiting beliefs that keep people stuck. And, and I think where you and I can help other people and women in particular is helping them to get rid of those kinds of limiting beliefs.

Yeah. Because, I mean, look, you have got a career as a very successful doctor. You've been on reality tv. Not only that, you do your own retreats, you do stand up comedy, you speak at events, but you're also a mom of twins. And so I want to, you know people that are out there making excuses, oh, I can't because I'm a mom. Or, oh, I can't because I've got My main job, or, oh, I can't. What advice would you give to somebody who is making excuses and they are telling themselves, well, oh, I can't because I'm a mom. I can't do that. I can't write the book. I can't. I can't do what Dr. Tiffany Moon's doing. I can't write a book. I mean, what would. What would you suggest they do for anybody who's making excuses?

I mean, it's a lot of mindset work. At the end of the day, so much of our life is really what mindset we were in. If you go around life starting sentences with, I can't, I can't, then guess what, babe? You can't. And you won't, and you never will. And you do the work. You hang out with people who can and who show you who did, and then you see it and you're like, well, if she did it, and we're kind of alike, like, maybe I could. It, like, plants a little seed in you, you know? And then you listen to the podcast and you read the books and you go to the conferences, and you start hanging out with can people instead of can't people. And then one day, your mindset just subtly shifts almost so imperceptibly that you don't really notice it. And you start putting yourself out there. You start your social media. You go to a conference for real estate when you're not a realtor yet because you think you might want to that you start making new friends that are doing cool things instead of hanging out with the old ones that tell you that you're crazy. You want to start a side business because you're 45 years old, you know, and it's just a series of small changes. And then you look back at the person you once were two, four, five years ago, and you're like, man, I don't even recognize that old version of me anymore.

That's so good. Well, as far as, like, stop chasing, like, so many people want to do these new things, but they think, well, I have to wait till it's perfect. I have to wait until I get the perfect title for the book or I get all the perfect pictures or I'm the perfect weight or whatever they're telling themselves. How did you stop chasing perfect and just start going after joy and all of your dreams?

It was through a lot of work. I started working. I had been working with a therapist, and then I started working with a coach. And that really ignited my transformation, because

I think you, for Sharing that you worked with a coach and a therapist. Because there's one thing that I really want people to know in this show is that we don't. Success is not built alone. It's built with teams and people and friends. And I mean, I've got a sponsor, I've got a coach, I've got a therapist, I've got a mentor. And so people might look at you, Dr. Tiffany Moon, and you're gorgeous. You've got this amazing family life, amazing Instagram and social media across all the boards, across all the social media platforms, bestselling author. People might think, oh, she's perfect. But I really thank you for saying that. No, you needed help to. To break you out of those perfectionist tendencies because that makes people like me and so many other people who are listening go, oh, wait a minute. She's not saying she's perfect. She's saying she hired. She had help to realize she needed to work through these tendencies. So thank you for saying that.

Yeah. And I just. I can't thank my therapist and my coach enough. I would turn blue in the face telling every woman that I meet that they need a therapist and. Or a coach, because you can't go it alone. And it's just nice to have somebody who's sort of impartial and can reflect your ideas back to you and say, well, do you really think something is that way? And. And kind of challenge you to. To question some of your limiting beliefs? And it's just. It's been so great. For me, the funny thing is, probably until I was 30 something, my entire goal in life was to be perfect, or at least seem perfect externally. I wanted to look perfect, speak perfect, have perfect grades, have the perfect family, have perfectly dressed children posing for their pictures. I don't know why I was this way. I think it has. My therapist says that everything goes back to your childhood. And that when I immigrated from China to the United States when I was six years old, I had so much pressure put on me as a young child that perfection was the only acceptable way. Like anything less than a hundred. My parents would be like, what question did you miss? You know? And they were like, you need to have straight A's. You need to make a perfect SAT score. Like, I was basically told as a child that I was only worthy if I was perfect. That is what I internalized right. As a child. So I'm only love. I'm only worthy. Mommy and daddy only see me and praise me when I'm perfect. And that's how I Got love and attention as a child, and so I just internalized that. And then in my 20s, it kept me from so many opportunities because my friends would be like, oh, let's go rock climbing or let's do this. And I'd be like, oh, no, that's okay. I'll just sit here. Because when your whole shtick in life is to seem perfect, you don't want to try new things because you're going to look like an idiot. You know, my friends are like, oh, let's take this, like, French class on the weekends. It'll be so fun. I'm like, oh, no, I don't want to learn French. You know, because I was embarrassed to practice out loud and. And have people hear me and be like, oh, my God. You know, her French sucks. Because of course, when you're learning a new skill, you're going to suck. Like, that's part of the learning process. But because I wanted to have this. This mirage of perfection, I just played small, never put myself. I did the only the things that I knew I could do well, which was basically to go to school, study, make straight A's and do nothing and, like, wear cute outfits. Like, that's it. Like, it. It kept me so small, and. Until I started working with my therapist and my coach, and I was in my mid-30s, and she's like, I want you to purposely fail. Like, I want you to be failing every day because that means that you're trying something new. And I was like, that sounds very, very scary. Right? So we started small at first, right? I didn't just go out there and start, you know, being crazy. We started small, you know, and then the funny thing is, we think people are watching us so closely and caring so much. They are not. I started putting myself out there, and I was, you know, trying, as my coach told me, to purposely fail. And the majority of the time, no one even noticed because they're so busy focusing on themselves, thinking what they're going to have for dinner, thinking about all the things they need to do. And I'm like, oh, my God, I did this thing and it wasn't perfect. And no one even said anything. And she's like, see?

Yeah. But also, I mean, I think there's been a magnifying glass on that with social media, because there's such a. Especially when you are an influencer. And I say influencer in a. In the best way. I know a lot of people don't like to be called influencer, but I think you really influence people for the good. I mean, you're more than just an influencer. You're just. Despite all your accolades, you are such a good human. And the pressure to perform on social media, I can imagine when you have all these posts that go viral and get millions of views, when did you stop? Or. Or do you still sometimes struggle with, oh, gosh, I got to post something, and man, that last one did really good and I want to post something. Maybe it's not perfect, but I need to post something just as good.

Yeah, I, I stopped chasing virality on social media because the algorithm is finicky, the rules change, and you don't get a memo that the rules change, and you're like, what the hell just happened? I will tell you. I've been, you know, really posting for almost six years now, and sometimes I'll think that a piece of content will do well and it won't. And then there have been a handful of posts that I almost deleted. They were in my drafts because I have a lot of drafts just sitting there that are like half done, and I almost didn't post them. I almost deleted them. Like, oh, that's not really good. But I don't really have time to film anything today and I need to post something. So I'm like, I'll just post it. It's not good. And then it goes viral. And I'm like, if I knew that was going to go viral, I would have edited a little better, had some makeup on or something. You know what I mean? So I don't chase the virality anymore. You know, you do have to post not. It's so freeing. It's so freeing. It's so freeing to not chase virality on social media. And it's so freeing to finally give up caring what other people think. It really is. Because a lot of people say, I don't really care what other people think, but really, we do a little. And of course, I still do because, you know, I'm a human and I, I want people to like me and. But, but. But certain people's opinions don't matter anymore. And letting go of that is very freeing. The thing that I do is when I'm in a creative spurt and I have the energy and the time to create, I try to batch my content so if I'm feeling jazzy, I can shoot like 10 reels in a day and I just leave them in my drafts.

I like the word jazzy, by the way. You're definitely very jazzy.

But some days I'm not. Some days I am not on my OR days, which I still work in the operating room three days a week, which people are like, do you still work? I'm like, well, yes, I work even when I'm not in the or. So I don't know what you mean by that, but, yes, I still am in the operating room providing anesthesia to surgical patients three days a week. So I usually get to the hospital between 6:45 and 7, and I usually get off between 4 to 5, sometimes 6 if a case is running long. And so those days, I am not feeling jazzy. I do not want to put on makeup and fake eyelashes and make a funny skit because I'm ready to have dinner with my family, have a glass of wine, do my skincare, and go to bed. And so when I'm feeling those creative spurts, I try to capitalize on that energy by making as much content as I can while I'm feeling good and looking good. And then I just save it in drafts. And on days when I don't have time to film or whatever, I'll just post something that's in my drafts. I have, like 50 drafts in my phone right now. Sometimes I keep a draft so long that, like, that sound or trend is no longer trending. And then I'm like, crap, I missed the boat on that trend. You know, like, that was like a month ago, but I've had it in my phone and now it's not trending. So if you ever see me post something and you're like, oh, my God, Tiffany, that was like a month ago. Probably just know that it was sitting in my drafts.

Yeah, well, well. And this happened to me where I got a new phone once, and all

my drafts were, the giraffes do not save. Well, now you know that.

And I, for some reason, the drafts in, like, when I got a new phone, all my drafts in TikTok disappeared, which I'm not on TikTok a lot, but there were drafts in there that were saved from when I first started my TikTok account. And my daughter, who was, I think she was like 6 or 7 years old at the time, and she was making cute, funny TikToks that I kept in there. And there were drafts of my cute little puppy, Goldie, who passed away last year. Like, all those disappeared. Oh, man, I wish that there was a way to recover that, but I

tried because I also discovered that the hard way a couple of years ago.

Oh, really?

And I recently, over Christmas, upgraded to the iPhone 17. And before I did that, on my old one, I posted all my draft TikToks because I had, like, 50. But you can change the settings to when you post. It's called Only me. And so you post it, but, like, no one's ever going to see it because you got to change the setting before you post to only, like, who sees this? You click it and then you click Only Me, and then you post your heart's content away. And when you post on TikTok, I believe that the default is to save a copy on your phone in your camera reel. Right. So then you always have. Yeah. So public service announcement for Anyone who has TikTok drafts, post to Only Me on your TikTok before you upgrade your phone or you will lose your drafts.

Oh, that is so good. And you know what? I actually did that with a video that I wanted to save that my daughter had made, and it was of her and my little puppy. And I did it to only me so I could save it. But when I got a new phone, my husband. I was busy working, doing something, and my husband. Husband went and got my new phone for me and took care of all that. And I wasn't even thinking.

I know. You don't think about these things. Yeah, Yeah, I know. Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry that happened. I know.

I was just bummed that I lost some really funny videos and some blackmail videos of my husband, by the way, my daughter had made for me. So how old are your twins?

They're 11 now.

They're 11?

I know, girl.

No, I thought they were younger.

No, when I did Real Housewives when we filmed, they were like five. And so I think a lot of people who were first introduced to my girls because they saw them on TV are like, you know that kids kind of stayed the same age for whatever reason as we get older. And I feel the same way. I see my friend's kids and I'm like, is your kid, like, 12 now? And my friend is like, girl, he's driving. I was like, what? So, yeah, they're 11. They're in, quote, unquote, middle school school. Because I guess here in Texas, like, middle school is fifth grade is middle school. Because where I went to school, sixth grade was middle school. Like, six, seven, eight was middle school, and then nine through 12 was high school. But my girls are in fifth grade, so they moved from the lower school now to middle school. And they have a schedule, so they're not in one classroom all that day. They have, like, periods, and then they move around and they have a locker and they have friends and they're like living, they're living their best life.

Going to change it, having a locker and going the different rooms and I mean, it was a big deal when we moved from California here to Dallas because my daughter grew up, both of my daughters grew up going to private school in LA and out here. We moved out here for the school district and the school's huge compared to the school she was used to going to. And this private school where everybody wore uniform and there were a small amount of people in the classroom and it was a big deal. It's a big deal when they change schools and when they start doing things, do they, like, you know, going to school? Do they. Okay, I have a question for you. Do they get embarrassed by what you share on Tick Tock or.

I, I, I don't share much about the children. Sometimes I'll ask them to be in a video with me, but I always ask them. I, I never film my family without permission. Except one time I made a TikTok of my husband snoring because he said he doesn't snore. And I was like, proof. But I'll if I, I wanted to do a Taylor Swift dance to Ophelia when that album had just dropped. And so I asked my girls if they wanted to do it with me. I just got back from Dubai a couple of days ago and I bought like, the original Dubai chocolate. Now, now every chocolate brand has a Dubai chocolate, but there's one brand that's the og. And so we did a taste test of the original Dubai chocolate and, and I, I filmed it. And then I said, can I post? So I ask my children for permission for content in which they're involved because they're old enough to consent, right? They're 11, they're not like two. I think it's just choice. I have friends that have children and they never show them on social media, like maybe the back of their head or something like that. And I think that's a very conscious decision that some families make. But when I decided to go on Bravo TV and my kids were being filmed, that cat was out of the bag. You know what I'm saying? People are like, people do nefarious things with pictures of children online. And I'm like, well, be careful what you're posting of your children. And maybe you don't post, you know, certain pictures of them. But, like, I don't believe in, like, living in a sort of fearful kind of state of all the bad things that can happen. You know, I Believe in sort of like, being smart. Like, let's not be stupid. And.

And.

And then living my life. Right. And. And whatever's gonna happen, honestly, is probably going to be whatever it's gonna happen. I mean, I'm gonna give it to God, you know?

Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, I. I. My family, both of my girls do not like anything. They don't want to be on social media. My husband doesn't either. And I have to ask permission to put them on social media. And there have been times, like, I've put videos or stuff on my stories, and they have been so upset. Like, why did you put that up there? Delete that right away. You know, and then I don't realize there's things that I post that my daughter is like, mom, everybody saw that. That post, and I was like, who do you mean, everybody? Like, I don't even have that many followers. What? What? Because all my friends messaged me. They snapped me and told me that they saw that post and blah. And I'm like, who are of your friends are even following me? First of all, you know.

Yeah, I think there's a fine line, you know, because I had been upset over, like, a thing that happened at school, and I was like, maybe gonna post about it, but then I was like, no, because somebody's gonna catch it and take it the wrong way and think that I'm publicly blasting them. And so I kind of made a very. I'm pretty open with my life. Like, I'm an open book. But as far as my husband and children go, I think think they like to stay a little bit more private, which I respect.

Yeah, yeah, I. I do too.

But not everyone wants to tell all their business like us. Amberly.

I know.

I'm like, I'm an over sharer.

I am too. Like, that's. And my husband will say, oh, if people only knew. I'm like, honey, they do. Like, I have written about it. I talk about it on the podcast.

That's right.

I got nothing to hide.

You know? Exactly. I have nothing to hide because I had a friend say. She said, girl, if you can go on Real Housewives, you better make sure you don't have no skeletons in the closet, because they will find it. And I said, try me. I don't even have so much as an unpaid parking ticket from 2021. Like, try me. I am clean as a whistle. Like, you will not find some old video of me resurface where I was saying something that I got to be apologizing. Like, I stand by everything that I've said and done. Now, I've not always been great. I have, you know, said hurtful things to people sometimes, but by and large, like no skeletons in the closet. And I feel like you're the exact same way.

Well, how was that on the Real Housewives? I remember when that came out because my cousin, you know, I was living in LA at the time, but my cousin lives in Dallas and she's friends with a lot of the Real Housewives of Dallas and she's on a couple of the series, not as a main character, but kind of in the background. And she was interested in being on the show. And I'm like, wow. Sometimes I haven't watched every episode, but there's, you know, Real Housewives of Foreign Count of Orange county of all the different places. And it seems like a lot of drama, which creates a lot of people want to watch. But how was that being in an atmosphere where you have this very healthy home life, healthy kids, an amazing husband, a successful business, and now you're thrown into this reality show where it is just drama and chaos. How was that?

It was really hard. I was working as a full time anesthesiologist during filming, which meant that I was in the operating room from about 7 to 4 or 5pm every day. And we don't film every day. I would say during the whole filming is only 12 weeks for a season. They film all of it in 12 weeks. And for me, most of mine were on the weekends when I wasn't in the hospital. And then sometimes there would be some weekday events in the evening, like a dinner or something. But even before I signed on, I told the producers, like, my job has to be my primary focus and nothing that I do with filming can affect my job because this is like my career that I've worked my entire life for, right?

Yeah.

And they were like, that's totally cool. They were like, we'll call a car for you. You don't have to drive. You can have a hard out at 10pm every day because you need to go home and rest because you're taking care of patients in the OR tomorrow. Like, they were all cool about it. The problem was the other women weren't cool about it. They were like, oh, Tiffany. I would set an alarm on my phone so that I could tell the producer to call me an Uber. And they would be like, oh, Tiffany's alarm's going off again. I guess she has to leave. And then I had a two drink maximum rule. If I had to go to Work the next day. Well, yeah, they were wanting to take shots and, you know, all this kind of stuff. And it was just very elementary, like, peer pressure, hazing stuff, which, you know, honestly wasn't that bad. Like, it was silly TV antics. The part that got bad was after the cameras went down and I had a disagreement with one of my castmates and then her family tried to go after my career. Yeah. So that's when we had to get lawyers involved, and that's when it got, like, really ugly. And that's when I call it, like, go below the belt kind of thing. Because for housewives, just like you said, they want some drama. No one wants to turn on the TV and see us sitting around having tea, like, chit chatting like that. That'd be boring, right? Like, I get it. We are trying to make a show. I am working. So I get that there's an element of drama, but you don't go after people's family and you don't go after people's career. And what they did was they tried to go after my career and insinuate that I was unfit to be working and that I was indulging in alcohol, which I'm like, roll the camera. If you want to say that I was drinking excessively the night before I go to work. Show me. There is no footage. And the producers knew that.

That.

And for you to insinuate that publicly on social media and tag my employer. We've now gone below the belt. Do you know what I'm saying? And. And so that's. That's when.

Below the belt. That is below the belt for sure. In fact, I. That really just r me up because I. I've been sober since I started drinking after my motorcycle accident. By the grace of God, got. Got sober. And I was never a drinker, but I got sober in 2016 and I had a client that I was like, hey, here's your money back. I don't think you're a good fit for the program. I wish you all the best. And she was so upset that I was like, didn't want to work with her, that she told people that I was drinking at my annual event. And I was like, girl, you've never seen me drinking. I would not be able to stand on stage and even speak if I were drinking. You know what I mean? But I was like, wow, that was below the belt. It was like she couldn't say anything else other than to try to say that I wasn't fit for my own event or any to. To coach Anybody. Because I was drinking and it was just. Now I can kind of. I can just laugh about it. But at the time, I was like, wow, that is wild. That is crazy. I was like, I can't believe she would say that. You know what I mean? But, you know, I think hurt people. Hurt people.

That is true. And I've heard that before. But now I really understand. Understand that.

I'm sure. I'm sure. So do you think you would ever do a reality TV show again?

Oh, gosh, if I had a dollar for every time I was asked that note, I. Right after Housewives ended, the answer was, hell, no. And now that it's been a few years, I'm like, maybe if the cast was right, like, why don't we have a show about female entrepreneurs who are running their businesses? Because trust me, there's lots of drama. We don't even have to manufacture it. It's just going to happen. And. And then they get together and, you know, have their dinner parties and stuff. Like, why can't it be that versus, like, you know, a bunch of people just fighting about stupid stuff all day? Maybe. Maybe we gotta call Andy Cohen and make this happen.

But I say this is your next show. I mean, I. I don't know. I think this is it.

I gotta tell you, when I was running around for Lead her summit this year, which was just in November, my conference for female entrepreneurs.

I know, and I wanted to go,

and you were out of town.

I think I was out of town.

You were out of town? Yeah, my wanted to go. My assistant got sick that week, which was the most. Most inopportune time, but she's sick. What are you gonna do? She felt terrible. So I was running around doing her job. And my job, My job was to greet the guests and run the show. I was the emcee. I introduced every speaker. I, you know, made sure that everyone's having a good time. Her job was behind the scenes doing the tech checks with the speakers, making sure their slides uploaded, that if they had a video in their slides that it played and the sound was on, you know, back of house stuff. Stuff. So I had a headset on, was back of house doing tech checks, making sure everything's good. Then I'd throw my headset off, pick up a handheld microphone, fluff my dress a little bit, and then go on stage and be like. And welcome our next speaker. And I was like, why don't we have a show like, this is this. This is the natural drama that just happens. Why don't we record this.

Been there. I remember my. My very first event, I had 22 speakers and I was the MC and the. The AV was a mess and it was just like the drama. But hey, I pulled it off and you pulled it off.

Yeah. But afterwards I was like, I am spent. I feel like a wet noodle that just needs to, like, go lay down. I could not talk to anyone. Like, I could not. You know, I just, just. I. And that's why I'm not having it again. People were like, are you going to do lead her summit again? I was like, I can't. First of all, my husband will divorce me if I do it again. Because I basically didn't pay him any attention for like the two months leading up to the summit. Yeah, it's a lot. People don't understand how much planning and work goes into a in person, multiple day conference where you're flying in over a dozen speakers. People are like, oh, it's like planning a wedding. I'm like, no, girl, it's way worse than a wedding. Did you fly in 12 speakers for a wedding wedding? And did your wedding last three days? No, it's. It cost more and it was more planning than my wedding.

Okay, can we just shout this off the rooftop? Because that's what people don't understand that and how expensive it is to run an event. And people think that you're making all this money on tickets and you're like, I lost money. I lost money, lost money on every single event. I'm not, I'm not. I'm just gonna.

I mean, I'll show you.

I've. I've been in the red on every single event that I've done and I promised my husband. And I think this is the first time I've said it. Like, I've got my unstoppable success coming up success summit coming up in April. This is. I don't think I've ever said this on the podcast yet, but this is the last summit that I'm doing. I've known it for years. And I promised my husband. I was like, okay, I'm sorry. Yes, you're right. I won't keep, like, the tourniquet. I gotta put a tourniquet on.

Stop the bleeding. Stop the bleeding, girl.

Stop the bleeding. I gotta put a tourniquet on it. I mean, and because my accountant was like, well, yeah, your wife makes money, but she spends it all on her event. And I'm like, yeah, I do. So, yeah, it is. It's a lot.

And that's not the only reason, but. But I will say, like, what really warmed my heart was the women who came and they just had such a good time and they told me how transformative it was for them. And I love the connections that the women made with each other. Like, they all are friends, and that is amazing.

That's what. What kept me doing it year after year after year.

Yeah.

And. And look, I saw all the. I get. I'm on your email list, and I saw all the emails that you were sending out, and I was like, oh, that's good. Oh, that's good. Oh, she's so smart for doing it that way. Like, I. I look as an event planner, I'm like, oh, she is brilliant for sending out that newsletter like that. But it is. It's a lot of work.

It's work work.

And it's rewarding having when you're. When you're there and you've done it, and it's like, that was rewarding. And then you're like, okay, but I will. I will be surprised to talk to you a year from now, and I will ask you. So you think about doing another event. You might say yes.

Never say never. But I decided to take this year off just because. Because 2025, girl, with. With the retreat that I did in 2025, launching the book and doing lead her summit, I was spent. And truth be told, I was not a great wife or a great mom in. In many parts of 2025 because I was on the road, I wasn't home, I was busy. You know, my husband had to pick up the slack, the nanny had to pick up the slack. And we all knew that going in. It wasn't a surprise. I mean, we sat down and had a. Like, I need to be gone from this date to this date. But I kind of promised my family that on the back end of that, that this year I would make up for it. And I think the lesson here is that as a working mom, we often feel so guilty because we feel torn that I either need to go to this conference and speak and sell some books, or I'm going to miss the ballet recital. Like, you cannot be in two places at once. So you gotta choose. And inevitably, whatever you choose, you feel bad about it some way. And I asked my kids, who are old enough to have an opinion, I said, can I miss this ballet recital? But I'll for sure be at the next one. There's a really important conference that mommy needs to go to. I'm gonna get in front of a lot of important people, you know, it'll be good for my book and my girls. I. I was kind of surprised at their level of maturity. They were like, no, Mommy, you should go. There's gonna be another ballet recital. It's not like that important. Like, you should go. We want you to go. And I was like, wow. And it. It kind of alleviated a little bit of that mom guilt. Not all of it, but a little bit of it. And then I thought to myself, you know what? Maybe I'm not a bad mom. Maybe I'm teaching my girls that sometimes in life there's these things called sacrifices, and life's not easy. They see me hustling. They see me working hard. They see me going up and going to the hospital early in the morning. Maybe I'm setting a good example for my children, I don't know. Or maybe I'm messing them up and they're going to end up in therapy because of me. Who the hell knows, right? But I'm trying. I'm trying is all I have to say.

Well, I think you are setting an amazing example for your children and to show them that you can go after your big dream. Be a good mom, be an incredible wife, and live a life of joy. And in your book, Joy Prescriptions, you share so much about that. And you're still doing retreats. You have a retreat coming coming up here in May. I think it's sold out, but just so people get more information for maybe to get on the wait list for an upcoming retreat that you have. Can you give us the information to get on the list for that? For upcoming retreats?

Yeah, we're maintaining a waiting list. You can sign up@leadher summit.com and the retreat is limited to 20 people, which is why it's sold out. Because the summit was so big and I found it difficult to connect with the people who came because it's just so big. And I'm on stage emceeing and everything. The retreat is small. It's 20 people. It's me and one other coach. Coach. And we go to a different location every year. 2025, it was Cabo. 2026, it's Costa Rica. And then 2027, I haven't decided yet, but we basically just, you know, we do yoga. We have our green juice. We sit and talk about whatever it is that the group wants to talk about. And we do coaching and reflection and sound work and meditation and. And we did a cacao ceremony on the beach. And everyone just had all these beautiful reflections back to me, and it was just so beautiful. So I'm going to continue doing the retreats because I, I mean, it's just so much fun for me to continue to do that and get intimate with these women. So, yeah, people who want to come on the waiting list is just leadher summit.com. you can sign up, you can follow me. On social media, I generally answer my DMs. Usually when I'm sitting outside carpool line outside the school, there's like, you know, 50 SUVs waiting to pick up the kids. Right. And nothing's happening. That's when I'm like doing stuff. Because I never just like sit there. Right. I'm always somewhat multitasking.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I, that's when I get my hair done. That's when I'm like, okay, I'm checking my dms, I'm getting my hair done so I can check my DMs and ever. So where's the best place for people to get your book connect with you even if they can't get to your retreat this year, maybe next year? What's the best way for people to connect with you and see all the events that you'll be be speaking at and follow you?

I would say probably social media. I'm on all the platforms at Tiffany Moon md. On my website, it's Tiffany Moon md. There's a list of my upcoming speaking engagements. Yeah. The book is available anywhere where books are sold. It's on Amazon. And if you can stand the sound of my voice, which I've been told is annoying, I will read the book to you on audible because I sat in a sound booth booth for three days and narrated my book. So some people are like, I don't read. And I'm like, well, do you listen? Can you buy the Audible version then?

Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. And the audible recording that is in, it's intense.

It was three days in a sound booth, producer in my ear. And. And if I said like, I'm gonna. Instead of I'm going to, he was like, really start over. Top of the paragraph.

Yeah.

So I enunciated very clearly. And I drank a lot of throat coat tea.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm gonna have to get your Audible book too. I mean, I of course bought your Joy Prescriptions book, but I'll have to get your Audible book just to support you on audible and write your review. Because I think it's very important to, to support authors who go through that process of recording. But I appreciate you. Oh, my goodness.

I.

You know what? I had three pages of questions. I didn't even see. Look at the questions. And I.

We just. We talked. You know, when I go to interviews, and it's very clear to me that they have a list of questions that they're trying to get through. It's very staccato. Like, it doesn't flow like a natural conversation, like a song. Whereas here, I just felt like I was catching up with my friend. You know what I mean? And I think that makes for the

best with you in real life real soon. Yes.

We'll get a coffee soon.

I know, I know. You're amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to be on the show. I adore you. And you guys go check out her on her social media, get her book, check out her retreat. Thank you, Dr. Tiffany Moon, for being here, and thank you all for tuning in, and thank you for being here, because it's because of you. You've made this a top 1% podcast. So thank you for tuning in and listening. Thank you, thank you.