Habiba Tunau MD

Let me start by saying I AM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK  sharing my thoughts, stories, and inspiration with you! I have really missed writing this blog. So much has happened over the last year and although I may have been absent from the blog I have remained active on my other social media sites which you can access.

Why did I wait so long to post another blog? Well besides some technical issues I had that have since been resolved, I wanted to wait till I had re-designed the blog. Stepping back I felt it needed more direction or  focus. I love all the content I have shared so far which has included posts about my upbringing, food, career, medicine, hair & makeup…but it felt like it was all over the place. The point is I was waiting to clean things up and upgrade the blog, waiting  till everything was “perfect”- which in fact is a bit of an illusion especially as time runs out while waiting for perfection or the “right moment!”

Instead, I am choosing to Start Now, Starting Today! Eventually I will make more improvements and recognize it as a process.  

Who is Habiba Tunau? Well, if you relied on social media so far you might conclude she is a doctor who loves food, hair and makeup which is true but they are only a small part of who I am. I am also a wife, mother, friend and daughter who considers myself a creative being.  I am also a deeply spiritual person who loves an intellectually stimulating conversation about different aspects of life. I love to travel and recently renewed my passport so look out world here I come! I also love to inspire and mentor young women, and I could talk to them for hours about obstacles or challenges I have faced, their careers, setting higher goals, excelling as a woman of color and as an immigrant. No matter what I do or who you think I am, my goal is to  inspire/uplift and bring a little more joy to the world one person at a time.

Who is my blog for?  It is for anyone who loves cooking, comfort food or ethnic food and wants a great recipe but it is also for anyone who may have some health concerns or likes reading medical related stories. I think of this blog as a “lifestyle blog” meets “food blog.”

Why I  blog?  

In addition to examining patients, making diagnosis and writing prescriptions, as a physician I speak and advise people on a daily basis. Luckily for me, I have always been a very sociable outgoing person who loves human interaction, teaching and sharing – so blogging, writing, and making YouTube videos feels natural for me.

I have always straddled the fence between science and art and I try not to let people’s opinions of me define or restrict me. I believe we all have different sides to us, as multifaceted individuals and blogging along with all my other creative ventures allows me to express myself. I think it is Ok to be good at more than one thing as long as you are being your authentic self.

What did I do since my last blog? Well I have been working as a travel doctor/Locum which is an interesting subject of its own and I vlogged my experiences on YouTube, as well as doing a couple of Facebook Live Videos. Somehow I have found some balance between practicing medicine and my creative pursuits. I really enjoy sharing my family trips and cooking videos but  funny enough, recently an unexpected popular video was about my hair. Go figure.  Other recent highlights: joining a gym, getting more active, eating more fruits and vegetables, working on weight-loss – #theStruggleContinues. I also got a new primary care doctor, because doctors need doctors too. It is hard to get started but I have also started writing again, with more to come. As a wife I continue to support my husbands dreams and vice versa. He is always telling me how funny I am but honestly he makes me laugh too and beside mutual respect humor  is what keeps us married for so long. Our oldest child just finished his first year of college and plans to do microbiology research over the summer. My second son is getting ready to take the SAT. Wish him luck! and our youngest daughter just turned 16 ! I can’t believe we have 3 teenagers. So besides all my other roles the one of being a parent is one of my favorite.

Like you I have had my share of naysayers, or dream killers who can’t wait to tell you what you can’t do or shouldn’t do. I would like to think most of them mean well but see things from their own limited experiences and perspective. “ Are you not a doctor – is that not enough?” “Are you not sharing too much?” “Are you not afraid of what people will say?” “Are you not a mother?” “Do you really have time to do that?” “Are you not too old for that?” ……Yes I have heard it all and my answer is: I have one life and I plan to do as many different things with it  as possible, to inspire and to put it simply – because it is what I love.

Thank you for reading this post and sharing.  More to come I promise and to the new readers Welcome and feel free to leave me a message!