Behind a Smile with Dr. Shauntel Ambrose

Championing Children’s Dental Health: The Inspiring Story of Dr. Londiwe Sibisi-Maboye

• Shauntel Ambrose

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What if every child had access to dental care, regardless of their economic background? That's the mission driving our guest today, the dynamic Dr. Londiwe Sibisi-Maboye, who through her Kids Dental Home Foundation, is making this vision a reality. Her work doesn't stop there; she's also the driving force behind the Ride for Smiles Biking initiative, an annual event that raises funds and awareness for pediatric dental issues. 

A captivating mix of philanthropist, entrepreneur, and coach, Dr. Londiwe Sibisi-Maboye is a force to be reckoned with. She shares her inspiring journey, overcoming self-imposed limitations to launch a mobile dental clinic and a foundation. Our chat also steers towards Dr. Londiwe Sibisi-Maboye, a health and lifestyle enthusiast, who passionately shares her vision. We learn about her goals, her inspirations, and how she encourages us all to take things one step at a time. Tune in to hear about the transformative power of dental care, the journey of these incredible women, and how you too, can be a part of this life-changing mission.

Speaker 1:

Hi, I'm Chantal Ambrose. I'm a dentist and I host a healthcare business podcast that shares tips straight from the industry leaders. So, whether you are a startup or needing a push in the right direction, a family business or just looking for some mentorship, join us. So hello and welcome to our pioneering episodes of Behind a Smile. I'm Chantal Ambrose and we're talking to the Movers and Shakers of Dentistry. Dr Lindy Weiss of BC Mabui, welcome to our show, doth. So you're a philanthropist, you're a humanitarian, you are the founder of the Kids Dental Home Foundation, you're an entrepreneur I call you a dentripreneur, as well as a business mentor and coach. So welcome.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much, chantal, and thank you for having me, okay, so tell us a little bit about some of the projects that make you one of these Movers and Shakers, Sure.

Speaker 2:

Movers and Shakers or Water Brackets. But we're just doing a couple of projects at the moment. Maybe I must just say that started a long time ago and some of them they're really coming to fruition now and you're quite excited about that. We are doing, first and foremost, we have a mobile dental clinic, which is really our showcase, so to say, and the dream of mine. That has always been there and we could launch it in 2020. So my focus is in pediatric dentistry. So our mobile is meant to go out and to the schools, educate the kids. You know, we talk prevention, prevention. So very excited about that. And then another really project that we've been so privileged to be part of and to be spearing. That project is launching of the dental services at Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital through our mobile clinic. So, yeah, so there's a number of projects that are happening. Like I say, some of them we started them a long time ago and only now they're really manifesting and we are so grateful for that.

Speaker 1:

So these are exciting projects and I want to know, now you have this mobile dental clinic, you target pediatric dental care. How did it get off the ground? Can you tell us a little bit about the journey?

Speaker 2:

Sure, definitely like until, about the journey, and maybe I must give credit to my previous jobs because you know, it all started with an inspiration, to tell you. So I was at vet dental school and I was part of the community outreach. In fact I was the coordinator of the community outreach for students. So we would go out to communities and the schools and so forth. You know, I could see that there was a gap because our obviously that was a government mobile clinic and we go out with the mobile truck from the vet dental school Now, but our focus really was the government schools, you know. So I saw a gap in that. To say, the private schools, actually they were not really catered for and really that is something in me to say. One day I would like to own a mobile clinic to bridge the gap. And more than anything, I think I just have a community heart. I love really being out there with the people. So that's how it came about.

Speaker 2:

Now I must tell you, even before we had a mobile clinic itself, you know you use what you have. We already started with our project. We would go With just a small car and set up underneath the tree, you know, at the schools. So by the time the track came which we call it the mobile dental spa, our spa already we had done a lot of groundwork, you know. So they didn't stop us. You know you just use what you have. So that's how it got started. We started, started as an inspiration, and then we used what we have to get what we didn't have, and now we have A mobile dental spa that's brilliant.

Speaker 1:

I am absolutely passionate about pediatric dental care and I feel that there's a lot people don't actually know about how people's lives change With just being able to help one child just get out of pain. That's dental care Related, and how many people just don't have access to that. It's something very close to my heart and I want to Really hear a little bit more. I believe that you launched something that is about biking and Some dental care. Can you give us a little bit of an idea what your, what your launch is going to be?

Speaker 2:

That is a very exciting thing that's happening, so let me tell you shortly a bit about our biking initiative. It's actually called right for smiles.

Speaker 2:

Okay so right for smiles is an annual charity right for kids dental surgeries, and it's held in September in commemoration of the National Auto Health Month. It's about celebration and why we're doing this. With number one, we aiming to raise funds for these very surgeries for the kids. So far, we have done about 28 surgeries since we launched last year the foundation. And. And then number two, we aiming to raise awareness about the dental issues, in particular, the early childhood care is you know, which really speaks to us as a pediatric practice. So what we're doing now is that we are calling on the community to come together and find this disease Really that is so rampant in our kids. So we're calling on cyclists, excited. We also launched the five kilometer walk, so it's going to be a fun event, while we're having fun, but making such a great impact in the community and help these families that cannot help themselves.

Speaker 1:

So tell us a little bit Lundy way. Where is it going to be launched? Is this something that's only in Hanting? How do people get involved?

Speaker 2:

So what's happening is that we launched it this year in Hanting, but the plan is to roll it out in other provinces and even other countries. That's a huge vision right there. But even though you are not participating, you are welcome to make a donation, and All proceeds go towards the dental surgeons.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and then? How do people access that link? How do they get to do a donation for you?

Speaker 2:

So you just go on the website wwwmyactivecoza. There's a platform where everything is hosted.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so tell us about the surgeries that you've done so far, and where do you do that. Do you do that in the Nelson Medellin Children's Hospital? Or where about do you do all of your surgeries?

Speaker 2:

Our surgery is what we do. We have different partners and part of our partners is the hospitals. So we partner with different hospitals. You know we have done surgeries at the Nelson Mandel actually the last batch of surgeries, which was in March, we did it at Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital. We've done it at CIFACO for Mandela Day, cifaco Machato Health Sciences University, also done in the private sector, a medkin group. So you know, it just depends with the hospitals where we would be hosted and I know for sure that 2024 surgeries that are already been out of the date 30th of March next year, because we're doing the surgeries mostly in March.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and then, in terms of the surgeries, give us an idea of what are the communities really suffering from. What kind of people go into your theater, and is this a voluntary service? Do you have everyone on the team that has volunteered to assist with the case, or how does it work?

Speaker 2:

So, first and foremost, is that the criteria. Because we are a pediatric practice, we then focus on kids and, like I said, our priority is the early childhood care. So there will be kids from, let's say, from ages one to six. We push it maybe, say to eight years old. Number one, number two, what we have done also, we've partnered with the universities in terms of the waiting list. Now, let me tell you, there's a long waiting list I'm sure you're aware of with our government hospitals. So we take these kids. Actually they come from those waiting lists because some of them they've been waiting a year, others two years, without really getting help. So those are the kids that have been waiting there with pain, daily, without really getting an opportunity to go through surgery. So that's our criteria, so we work closely with the universities and then they give us from their list and then, yes, it is solely voluntary work.

Speaker 2:

I must say on this platform, I am hugely, together with our team, grateful to our team of volunteers Doctors, anesthetists, dentists, cleaners because we always call out for volunteers, even the cleaners, nurses sure, it's all voluntary work and just to see how people are always tasked to come and sometimes we even have to stop the list, because we have more than enough sometimes. It just goes to show how people really always willing to help. So we just so grateful to our volunteers. In fact, we can't do this work that we do without them. So the beautiful thing, though, from the story about the volunteers is that what I've seen is the parents of the kids that we have seen in the surgeries. They come back and plow back to the system and become volunteers, and that, for me, is just magical.

Speaker 1:

That's remarkable and I want to congratulate you for that. It just takes one person who's a change agent to really to start the change, and I think you've started that wave and I really wish you all the best. That this is going to be, I think, one of those things where we'll be able to talk back a little bit later and you'll be able to tell me how many hundreds of thousands of people you've been able to help with your just your simple, I think, easy to get to criteria and to have your children to come to the hospitals. If they can't come to a hospital, you can go to them. You've solved problems that are at a level that has become necessary because it's so practical. Now, tell me, I would love to hear you know we talk about super women and I want to know how do you do so much? Because I speak to people that are running families and they're running organizations and they're running practices, and you know there's only so much of time that we do have. How are you getting that balance right?

Speaker 2:

Oh, chantel, balance, you know, in my world I don't think that word really exists. But what I have really tried to do, or what I really believe in doing, is that always review in different levels in your life you'll be needed in different spaces. So I'll make an example. At some point, actually, I stopped clinical work. I stopped practicing completely. Why? Because I was needed more at home, so I needed to raise my kids they were still younger then, so I stopped practicing. Then I went to medical advisory, managed care. So I was a dental advisor for a number of years and that gave me the flexibility to work from home and raise kids. So for me, balance is knowing where you are needed the most at that time. Like I'm saying, for me it changes all the time. You know at times it's more at home, more community and things like those. So it's just recognizing where you are needed the most at that particular time at that level in your life. That's how I look at it.

Speaker 1:

You have this bird's eye view of how your life is coming in to integrate other people and how much they need you. You think about the percentage of time you're going to have to give and you're very true to that percentage of time that they need. So what I'm hearing from you is that your managing style is very much a multifaceted one. Now, how do you manage your teams? What do you think is your managing style?

Speaker 2:

You mean with the team that I work with.

Speaker 1:

Yes, with your practice team, with your nonprofit organization. How do you manage those teams?

Speaker 2:

I must tell you I'm actually blessed to have people that I have. Really, I stand on the shoulders of giants because I'm able to do what I do, which is now mostly. I just do the strategy. I've moved a little bit away from the day-to-day running of the practice and all that. So what's really helping to answer your questions is setting up the systems. We have tried to set up the systems so that the company, the companies, run with or without me. So that has really helped to set up the system.

Speaker 1:

And tell me you know when people are starting off in business. The show is actually aimed at people that are starting up, people that are in practice but now have reached their plateau. There's a lot of practitioners that are on their way out for whatever reason. So the focus is a very multifaceted focus and what we try to get out. There is as much information for them to be aware of. There are going to be different cycles and how to best maneuver it with mentorship that have gone through those cycles already. So I was going to ask you, when it comes to your teams and setting up those systems, so where do you start with those systems and how do you know that they're the right fit for your organization?

Speaker 2:

So the start for me is having a clear vision very, very clear and a roadmap. You know, and you cast this vision often, you cast it deep and you cast it wide, and once that is in place, then people know exactly, you know where the company is going. So casting a vision for me is very, very important, and it's also not just about the end results from the vision that we have casted, but it's also about the journey, embracing the challenges, embracing the opportunities that come along. Number two is that, obviously, those teams, you need to empower them, you know. So empowering your team, for me it's very, very key and giving them the clear roadmap, and that goes with the processes to follow as well.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I often ask a question where I see that you've been on many, many shows and you've been with MetroFIM and I saw a lovely and a really powerful statement that said and still I rise and I just thought it was something so powerful to state. So tell us what is the story behind those words, because the little caption underneath was that, as a little person, you really had some dental issues. Tell us your story. How did that come about?

Speaker 2:

So many years ago when I was growing up. By the way, I grew up in KZN, in a small town called Newcastle, and that's where I grew up. So I had challenges with my teeth. You know, I had crowding of teeth and my dad tried to get me some help because my self-esteem was affected and so forth. So daddy had to do something about it.

Speaker 2:

But I'm not really from a wealthy family. So he then took me to Newcastle, to Fryhead and this is like 45-hour trip with the Tex even more to try and get his little girl help at an orthodontist. And obviously when we got there, from where we're coming from, there was just no way we could have afforded the fees and so we came back. So I had those challenges right through my teenagehood until varsity. But what I like from that is that we went to that certain doctor I think it was Dr Fander Mever and when we came out of her rooms we didn't have money. But one thing I came out with from that I came up with a vision to say one day I'm going to start something that's going to impact other people so that they can benefit people that don't afford, like my family. So I came out of that room with a vision to make an impact, and that's how Kisdyn's home foundation was birthed.

Speaker 1:

That's remarkable, and so do you have any orthodontic programs for the clinic, or is that still now in the pipeline? Because this is a huge need and I think that when it comes to orthodontic care, it is expensive, so it is something that people find challenging to afford. Still, are you currently doing that in your clinic?

Speaker 2:

Yes, in our clinic we're currently doing the orthodontics, but with the foundation there's not our focus at this point in time. However, we are looking to that and, with our different partners, to that space as well, to help in that, because we're getting a lot of requests, like you say, People asking can you help my child? You know the teeth are crooked and so forth. So really there's a need and a demand in that and that is why we have opened this initiative to the community, to all our doctors and partners, to say let's hold hands together and work together toward the common goal. So hopefully we'll be launching that wing soon.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and then Nalindhiwe, I see that you have. I'm not sure are you still a medical advisor or now have you become full-time in the university? Please tell us a little bit of your updated bio.

Speaker 2:

No longer doing the medical advisory. I was missing my patients, to be honest with you.

Speaker 1:

You missed the interaction.

Speaker 2:

You missed the interaction, so I could only do it in our thing. For me it was really for that time, just to raise my kids.

Speaker 1:

Then, nathali, were you a medical or a dental advisor?

Speaker 2:

I was a dental advisor for Metricosmetic Health.

Speaker 1:

What was the process? Now? You finished up, you have your little kids. Now how do you get to the point of saying, okay, I'm going to just do this at home and I'm getting into becoming now this dental advisor? Can you share us your journey?

Speaker 2:

My journey. I've always worked at. Many years back I worked at a dental school. I think that I've mentioned already.

Speaker 2:

And I think it was the 2010-11. That's when the opportunity came by my way. It was actually an ad from a colleague to say there's a dental advisory, will you be interested? And I think the person had reached out to her, knowing that we are actually a competent division, you know, and that was in line with us and, of course, because something like that I was looking for, so I jumped at the opportunity. Now, I didn't know anything about that, I had never done something like that in my entire life, but what I did? I said yes to an opportunity. Then I said, okay, I will learn later, and that's exactly how I did it. So they called me for an interview and voila. Then they trained me afterwards because I was willing to be trained.

Speaker 1:

And do you ever recall one of those requests that stick in your mind as one of those ones that would probably knock you off your feet as to why is anyone even asking for this to?

Speaker 2:

be. I must be honest with you, Shanta. Those times you actually not even I would not talk much about what I do. So now I would really know what I do, because the moment you say it is an advisor, the dentist are on your case. So I didn't talk much, I would just keep a low profile. You know, when everyone is complaining about the medical aids, I would just listen like yes.

Speaker 1:

I think that it was a wise choice.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, definitely, sure, but that was the best time of my life really. If I didn't have the passion to start the pediatric practice and the foundation in everything, I'm sure I could have stayed there, but I resigned because I've always had a dream to start the pediatric practice yeah, of my own. There was quite an experience for me and I learned a lot from that and one of the things that I've taken that corporate style of the way of doing things and trying to incorporate it in my practice, so that has really worked well for me.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing. That really is. I want to know a little bit about now. You do some cycling. What is the lundi where it goes home? What is your social life like? I know that you do a lot of traveling with your family. Tell us a bit about how you relax.

Speaker 2:

So I'm a gym fanatic, I'm into active health and lifestyle and I think that's how for us it was easier just to explore the cycling, because already we are cycling as a family and it's a five of us, we all have bikes, road bikes and mountain bikes. So we're really into active health lifestyle. So relaxing for me it means gym. Really, after a long day, if I go to the gym I come back feeling a whole different person and spending time with family, with my kids also, that really gives me the good feeling. And then the traveling, the spas and stuff. So I try also just to take care of myself from time to time.

Speaker 1:

So when it comes to a bad day, when you do actually accomplish your dream, a lot of people the perception is that it's just become easy, and what I've learned from just being able to listen to stories right now is that obstacles are just there. It's on a daily basis. They come up every day. So can you share with us what are some of those obstacles that you've had to overcome and how have you overcome them?

Speaker 2:

The biggest obstacle, I think, for me, was to overcome my own self-imposed limitations, because now I have this huge dream. You know, I want to have a mobile clinic, I want to have a foundation, et cetera, et cetera. Now then there's another voice to say you know what you can't, you can't, you know you're going to fail. So the biggest thing for me was to having to overcome the negative voice to say you know what, I am going to do it, and it's going to be one step at a time. So for me, the main thing is to overcome one's self-negative thoughts, because once that is clear, you can do anything.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so that's quite powerful. I appreciate it. Thank you to Dr Lundiwe, my boy, and we wish you well with all of your many, many amazing accomplishments and we are hoping that you will be back in our show to tell us how your drives have gone and whatever other projects that you have. We congratulate you. Well done. I've covered starting up and how to turn your vision into a business, and in our future episodes we look at leadership. We look at multi-practice success. I'm grateful for you and I would love to hear your ideas. What questions do you need answered? Please drop me a mail at behindasmile2atchilelecom. I look forward to hearing from you and remember you are heard, you are seen and on this platform, you are invited. Let's make it happen together.