Meet Maxine (DrMax) Ruddock, PhD | Clinical Psychologist & Personal/Professional Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maxine (DrMax) Ruddock, PhD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maxine (DrMax), what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up on the Island of Jamaica I saw so many talented women fail to reach their potential due to a lack of opportunities (ex- education and finances). I would see these strong, determined women eventually become shells of their selves as they depended on relationships, often time quite abusive in nature, to survive. Even under these circumstances these women would “hustle” or “try a ting.” as they worked from sunup until sundown to take care of their children and maintain some semblance of independence. Even without structured education these women would skillfully manage small “shops” or stalls, traveling many miles to buy goods and produce to sell to the people in their communities. At times they “ran pardnas or sousou” serving as their own community bankers as they corporately worked to purchase things they could not regularly afford. Again this was a hard ife and eventually the dreams would fade and they would settle for doing anything to ensure that their children “got a good education” thus transferring their hopes and dreams to their children for safe keeping. Unfortunately this often meant that the children had to migrate from the Island, creating a whole other set of issues. As I observed this trend, I was determined that this would not be me, so at seven years old I determined that I would earn a PHD and run my own business.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My joy truly comes from seeing others level up to their divine potential, especially black women. After growing up seeing the devastating impact on women when their opportunities are limited, I was determined to create a different life for myself. Once I did that, I found that I wanted to bring as many women as possible to this status also. My passion and unwavering purpose are to learn and teach the strategies that help women, especially black women, access the resources that will allow them to live prosperous lives. Obtaining a PhD was instrumental in this process because of the acquired skillsets that include understanding the process behind why and how people change. I also learned that, along with available opportunities, motivation and the impact of trauma played important roles in people’s ability to make the changes that are instrumental to living prosperous lives. One unique quality about the way I approach helping my clients is that I define prosperous living in a holistic manner that includes, financial, spiritual, physical and mental/emotional domains. Therefore, each client is assessed in each area and these results are the foundation for creating their individualized goal plan. Another unique aspect of how I approach working with clients is my deep understanding of the power of relationships to engender hope and change in people’s lives. I approach each person in a supportive and compassionate manner while still holding them accountable to the change process. Afterall my ultimate goal is to see each client prosper for the rest of their lives, even after our work together has ended.

Running my business has never been easy and to date I learn something new every day to maintain my own balance. I’m just like the women I serve, whose to do list often feel burdensome and never ending as we struggle to remain balanced in our personal and professional life. I use the same tools that I teach and am ever seeking to improve on them. I guess you can say I’m a student teacher. I avidly read research journals, maintain active membership in psychological societies and train future psychologist and master’s level clinicians. This ensures that I remain knowledgeable regarding multiple behavioral management and change techniques. So yes, the clients that work with me do get desired results. And of course, I use these techniques myself to maintain balance in my own personal and professional life. I guess you can say practice what I preach.

One big challenge for me is scaling my business in a way that allows me to remain balanced. This is difficult at times as I watch other people take on multiple roles and activities and scale their business rapidly. Social media certainly make it easy to fall into the comparison trap and I admit that I’m often tempted to follow this trend of rapid growth without solid infrastructure. But when I’m sitting by a fire holding hands and laughing with my husband, or lunch and mimosas with my close friends, being silly with my sons or catching up on family news (drama) with my parents or tooling around in my garden serenaded by birds, the wind or songs of worship and praise, I resist the temptation. So, I resist FOMO and the shiny object syndrome and remain committed to living a life of balanced joy and prosperity and teach other women to do the same.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow if my best friend came to visit the first place that I would take her is to Leu Gardens, after showing off my personal garden of course. The healing aspect of being in nature surrounded by the natural beauty of nature is immeasurable. With luck we would see a multitude of colorful birds and coax a butterfly to land on our outstretched hands. The next stop would be a day long trip to Clearwater Beach where we would visit the local vendors by the pier and watch the sunset at day’s end while lying on the warm sand. Of course, we would visit City Walk and eat at the Boathouse while sitting by the water. We might even enjoy the tour on the Dream Boat. After that we would listen to whatever artist is performing. Then make our way to Bob Marley’s club and restaurant where we would dance the night away to lilting reggae while laughing with the varied people who are celebrating. Jazz tastings would be another spot we’d definitely visit as we listened to the live band in a cozy family like atmosphere. The Yard on the Hall would be a another not to be missed adventure. Think multiple restaurants housed in one location where you can order from 9 different chefs. Then finish that off with ice cream or watch your favorite sport while reclining on comfy couches under the night sky.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My grandmother has always been my hero. She ran her own business selling fruits and fish that she would wake up very early to fry. I didn’t know it then, but she was an entrepreneur running a small business (with no formal education). She did this successfully for years and to date her name and reputation for kindness is still recognized in the local community. She would often “credit” food to someone who didn’t have enough money until “payday” or would simply give to the person. She also was a staunch Christian and reflected this in her professional and personal life. She closed her business on Sundays so that she can attend church, after she stopped and her various children’s houses to collect all her grandchildren of course. A fierce matriarch with a love for family, she also orchestrated weekly family gatherings on Sundays where I got the chance to be wild and free as I played with my many cousins. Even though I loved doing that I equally loved sitting with her as I combed through her hair and begged for her life stories and wisdom.

Website: www.drmaxineruddock.com

Instagram: @Designyour_Maxlife

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmaxdesignyourmaxlife/

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