Every issue, GRAZIA USA highlights Game Changers, who inspire, educate, and celebrate individuality, beauty, and style. Meet Tiffany Moon — from starring on reality television to starting her own candle business and working as an anesthesiologist, there’s nothing this entrepreneur can’t do! 

Whenever people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said doctor. I graduated from medical school at the ripe age of 23, and I’ve been practicing anesthesiology ever since. I later ran into a midlife crisis where I thought, “Is this all I’m going to do for the rest of my life?” Don’t get me wrong — being a mother and a full-time physician is incredible work, but I just felt like there was something missing in my life. I had this entrepreneurial itch that wasn’t being scratched. I always thought it would be cool to run my own company and learn about business, marketing and advertising.

My husband is an entrepreneur and believed I could have a company, too. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I launched
my line of Aromasthesia candles. I have severe anxiety, which is another reason I like to stay busy. I would go down to the basement after the kids were asleep and mix essential oils. I mailed COVID care packages to all my healthcare workers across the U.S. with a little note that read: “Thank you for hanging in there. Hope you enjoy this candle.”

One of my friends said, “This is the best candle I’ve ever had. You should sell these online. I bet people would buy them.” I then went and made them, put them on Instagram, and people bought them, and they immediately sold out.

When I was working in the hospital during COVID, I would worry about bringing the illness to my family. Nurses and doctors were feeling burnt out. As a result, I cut back on my work at the hospital and I grew my business the rest of the time, which also involves the private wine label I run with my husband, Three Moons.

I often get asked how I balance it all, and the thing I tell people is that I’m not given some magical 28-hour day, but I am good at time management. They say it takes a village, and I have incredible people helping me out, but I also work hard.

After being on The Real Housewives of Dallas, I have a platform and some responsibility to speak out. Being on a reality show that features middle-aged women who often misbehave, I don’t think anyone expects me to be the voice of reason for social and societal issues. I am, however, passionate about supporting the Asian community, gender equity in the workplace, and speaking out about domestic violence because of my personal experience with it. I do think the needle is moving in the right direction.

I don’t regret joining the Bravo series. I’ve learned so much about myself, and I’ve made a ton of new friends. People frequently reach out to me and say, “Thank you for standing up for the AAPI community” or “I also have feelings of mom guilt,” so it really enabled me to increase my platform, and I’m so grateful for that. However, if you thought I was going to transition from reality star to a candlemaker, that won’t happen. I intend to keep practicing [anesthesiology].

It’s incredibly humbling when women come up to me at events or reach out to me via email. They inspire me. Those messages make me want to keep going and be successful because I feel I can’t let these people down. They believe in me, so I have to do better.

In the next five years, I intend to keep practicing anesthesiology, but I also want to keep my candle business and watch it grow. I want to get the word out about my business because I’m passionate about candles! I also want to continue my work advocating for the AAPI community and the domestic violence shelter I work with. I would love to start my own charity foundation one day, but right now, my twin girls are 7 and they demand a lot of my time. I want to be present for them.

As a person who immigrated to the United States at an early age, struggled growing up without many friends, and was socially awkward, I still was able to became a doctor. I feel like I may have a few nuggets of wisdom to impart to the younger generation. I want to keep working and maybe one day write a book.

I am a hustler, and I am not going to say it has all come easy for me. I work hard and have a very hectic schedule, but I feel that it’s all worth it.

— As told to Jaclyn Roth

Read GRAZIA USA’s Winter issue featuring cover star Lizzy Caplan: