We all know the value of a solid, loving, supportive family that does everything except mollycoddle the kids. In South Africa, as in many other places in the world, it’s a patriarchal society, but it’s the matriarchs who nurture and mould our nation, providing the glue that holds things together. Here’s a Canadian-born woman who epitomises that truth; Maye Musk, 71, mother of three highly successful kids, the most famous of whom is rocket-launching, electric car pioneer, Elon. She’s a current supermodel, dietician and much sought-after media celebrity, not that well-known locally. This one-on-one interview with the Wall Street Journal shows her to be revelling in life as she gets older, solidly at the wheel of where she wants to go, ticking off the milestones as she goes. That she let her kids learn through their own failures, providing safety and structure while avoiding the over-controlling pitfalls that lead to an attitude of entitlement, is evident in their resilience and success. Her own life is an inspiration to anyone afraid of getting older – she’s thriving on applying the lessons of experience to boost her enjoyment of life as this interview graphically illustrates. Her success is well-earned. – Chris Bateman
Maye Musk on why she can’t always make it to SpaceX and Tesla launches
By Lane Florsheim
(The Wall Street Journal) – In our series My Monday Morning, self-motivated people tell WSJ. how they start off the week.
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A model since age 15, Maye Musk was in her 60s when her life took a turn for the fabulous. In her seventh decade, the former dietitian appeared in a BeyoncĂ© music video, signed a contract with top modelling agency IMG and became a CoverGirl spokesperson, setting a record as their oldest yet. At the end of last year, Musk, now 71, added memoirist to her resume. Her book, A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty and Success, chronicles her career and experience raising her children – SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon, restaurateur and philanthropist Kimbal and filmmaker Tosca – as a single mother who fled a turbulent marriage.
Born in Canada, raised in South Africa and now residing in LA, Musk spoke to the Wall Street Journal about what she eats for breakfast, how she stays on top of emails and why she doesn’t miss hustling all the time.
What time do you usually get up on Monday mornings?
When I’m at home, then it depends on my dog. Usually, between 6:30-7am, he will start talking to me. That’s if I don’t have early morning meetings. Sometimes I have a 5am wake-up call for hair and makeup for a morning show.
What do you eat for breakfast to start the week off right?
First thing we do is I have my coffee with 1% milk and a sweetener and then [my dog] has his treat and then we go for a walk, just around the neighbourhood. I have the sweetest dog ever, a really good boy. Then I’m usually quite hungry so what I like to do is I take a high fibre cereal like a Raisin Bran or whole wheat Cheerios and I will mix it with pecans or walnuts and dried cranberries or raisins, sunflower seeds just mix it all in a big container. Then I’ll pour a cup into my bowl and have again, 1% milk and half a banana and it’s yummy, it’s nutritious. Of course, I’m a dietitian. I like to start off the morning with a healthy breakfast.
What else comes up first on the docket?
Well, what I do is, Monday mornings when I wake up – because I’m now in Los Angeles – I get all these emails from New York from my agents. My booking agents are in Toronto and my model agent is in New York and my stylist is handling all my emails now while we’re between assistants. There’s usually about 20 emails for me to look at but it all depends. Every day is different because my work is so varied. As a dietitian, I no longer have a practice because I’ve become a supermodel and it’s about time.
At 69, I got a CoverGirl contract. It’s a very fascinating time to be in. At least now I don’t do auditions anymore. As a model, you drive for an hour and a half and you line up with 300 women and then you drive back and you try to get that granny ad or that medication ad. So now [instead] it’s beauty and it’s couture runway shows and it’s editorials, and it’s just making me look fabulous. So I enjoy every minute of it because it’s such a change from hustling all the time.
Has the rapid change in your career affected your daily habits or self-care?
I’m traveling more. I’m very careful about eating… because once I get too hungry I’m eating every chocolate and muffin in sight, cookies and all that, and I can lose control. So I try, always, to have a healthy snack near me and then also I try to get my sleep, eight to nine hours.
What about your beauty routine? Is there one beauty product you can’t live without?
Well, in the past I was always on a budget, so it was soap and water and CeraVe cream that is like six dollars a gallon. But now, because I’m so fabulous – please put “ha ha” behind that -speople send me beauty products. At the moment, I’m using the CoverGirl lip balm, of course I get lots of CoverGirl makeup. I’ve made a lot of friends because I can share it. They love me. But for beauty routines, I usually would use a facial cleanser and then I will do an eye cream and day cream. I moisturize my skin, I’m using Dior at the moment, but I’ve got others that I can change to.
How do you and your kids stay in touch?
We are all such busy people! You know what? The funny thing is, Kimbal was in New York and he sent out a tweet and it gave his location and I said, “I’m in New York, too. What are you doing here?” He says, “Oh we’re having a dinner, come over for dinner.” I said, “I’m going to a gala, I’ll come to you for drinks afterwards.” So I turn up at the hotel bar in a ball gown and he says, “What other grandmother turns up at 10pm for drinks in a ball gown?”
When it comes to Tesla and SpaceX launches, I can’t make them all. I make most of them, but I can’t sometimes because Kimbal has a [school garden nonprofit] Big Green fundraiser and I need to go to that. Sometimes I’m just in London or Paris. What can I say? My life has become quite fabulous, and because my kids are so fabulous, that makes me a very proud and happy mom.
Your book came out at the end of last year and you’ve opened up about being by yourself and having the best time ever. Do you have a favourite thing you like to do by yourself?
When I’m by myself, I’m on the computer in the day and my dog looks very bored and he does drag me out, which is great. And I watch TV shows. There are so many great TV shows. I always like Law and Order: SVU. I love NCIS because a friend of mine is one of the producers. And then The Morning Show, it is incredible. I watch a lot of, of course, [daughter Tosca’s] Passionflix movies because they’re romance movies and the women are strong and confident and intelligent, not abused and tortured, so that’s always a pleasure.
What’s the best part of getting older and more fabulous?
Well, when you get older, you are more fabulous, actually. You go through a lot of hard times in your life… and then, at this stage you get out of those bad situations quicker and they are less painful. You figure them out, and you move on. And I’m having the best time ever. I’m 71 now, it’s the best time ever, and I think at 81 it will be great. My mom [had] her best times when she was in her 90s. So I look forward to that.
– This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
