Occupation: Orthodontist
Husband: Joe
Children: Riley, 2; Jules, 3 months
Hobbies: Spending time with family
Orthodontist and business owner Dr. Abby Rousseau wears many hats. As a wife and mother, she is thoughtfully cultivating both a thriving practice and a joy-filled home. Rooted in faith and guided by intention, Abby balances early mornings with her little ones and long days caring for patients, all while pursuing a dream she’s held since childhood.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY. WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE?
ABBY ROUSSEAU: Usually I get up sometime between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. and feed the baby while Riley and dad are in the kitchen making breakfast and coffee. We usually convene in the living room and have breakfast together, and then we get dressed [for the day]. I’ll take Riley to daycare, head to the office, and see patients. If I get a lunch break, I’ll come home and see the baby and then go back to work for the afternoon patients. The best time of the day is when we get to hang out together as a family. We like to be outside, so we spend a lot of time on the swing set or on the front porch blowing bubbles.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITION RIGHT NOW?
ABBY: Because they’re so young, I feel like they’re still evolving. Friday night has become our fun night to kind of kick off the weekend, whether that be that we’re going to Zippy’s and having dinner together, a pizza night, or just taking a moment to reset for the weekend and kind of wind down from the week. We’re still implementing holiday traditions and figuring that out, but as we introduce more babies to the family, that changes
every year.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT RAISING YOUR KIDDOS IN BATON ROUGE?
ABBY: I’m originally from Ponchatoula, but my husband grew up here in Baton Rouge. I think it’s really sweet to do things that are reminiscent of his childhood experiences. Our daughter goes to school where he went to school, and it’s fun to have that full circle moment of being in the community that helped raise him and mold him into the man that he is. Now we get to serve this community through our profession but also raise our kids in a community that we are invested in and want to see thrive.
HOW HAS BECOMING A MOM CHANGED YOU, EITHER PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY?
ABBY: I think it has taught me to be more present. I’ve always been a goal setter, a very ambitious person who really likes looking to the future and is always chasing the next dream or goal. Motherhood has taught me to slow down a little bit and sort of change my priorities in terms of just refocusing my attention to be very present and be content with where I’m at in life. I think it’s so easy to always chase the next big thing.
WHAT’S ONE VALUE YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND ARE INTENTIONAL ABOUT TEACHING YOUR KIDDOS?
ABBY: I think we are trying, especially with our two-year-old, to teach them to pause before acting. It’s something that we are challenged with daily. Also just to be very mindful. I see it in my two-year-old. She’s very aware of others and her surroundings. So mindfulness, I think, is a big thing.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF A WEEK BEFORE YOU BECAME A MOM?
ABBY: Allow people to help you. Being the type A person I am, I wanted to control everything and do it all, but the sooner that I let go and allowed people in and allowed my village to support me the way that they want to support you, it made it feel less heavy. It allows you to turn off that mental load of: Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right? Lean on your village.
WHAT’S A PIECE OF PARENTING ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED THAT HAS STUCK WITH YOU?
ABBY: I think it goes back to the saying “you are enough.” I think in motherhood, it’s so easy to kind of, especially as a business owner and a mom, it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough, or if you’re doing great in one area, you’re not doing so well in the other. So just being reminded that God chose us to be their parents during this time, and he knew that we would be in this stage of life and that just being here and being their parents is enough.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN YOUR OWN PRACTICE?
ABBY: When I moved back home after residency, I started looking for a job and I found that a lot of orthodontic practices either had sold to corporate offices or operated like a corporate entity. I felt like it had gotten away from the intentional care that I grew up with. I wanted to create what I wish existed. As a new mom, because Riley was only two months old when we moved back home and I started my job search, I was very nervous about the whole process, but we took a leap of faith and prayed over it, and things sort of fell into place for us. We just celebrated our one year anniversary of opening this past January. It’s been awesome seeing God’s hand in all phases of opening a new business. I pride ourselves on having more one-on-one time with my patients and making sure that I’m giving them my full attention and listening and scheduling out appointments so that I don’t lose that as we grow.
WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
ABBY: I have wanted to be an orthodontist since I was 10 years old. We found this old Lip Smacker journal [I had], and in it, it had the question of like: What do you want to be when you grow up? I’d put an orthodontist, and then it asked why, and 10-year-old Abby wrote: Because I like messing with teeth. How did I know at 10 years old that I liked messing with teeth? But this has been like a lifelong dream, and it’s pretty cool to see it come
to fruition.
AS A MOM OF TWO AND A BUSINESS OWNER, HOW DO YOU FIND THE BALANCE?
ABBY: You just sort of, I hate to say compartmentalize, but when I’m with my kids, I’m not Dr. Rousseau, I’m mom. When I’m at the office, I’m not mom, I’m Dr. Rousseau, so I think learning to turn it off is really important, especially as a business owner. It’s so easy to bring your work home with you, and there’s never enough hours in the day. Prioritizing each role and designating a location for it is important.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG GIRLS WHO DREAM OF OWNING THEIR OWN BUSINESS ONE DAY?
ABBY: I think my advice would be to take it a day at a time. It’s great to set big goals and dream big dreams, but you have to take it step by step. Otherwise, it gets overwhelming. I love the saying, “The journey is far more important than the destination.” I think that’s so true to take it day by day, enjoy the journey, learn, and grow, and ultimately, you will accomplish what you set out to.
Rapid-Fire Questions
Favorite spot for date night…A lot of times we’re grabbing pizza, putting the littles to bed, and then spending those few hours on the couch together to reconnect.
Go-to coffee spot & order…I love Light House Coffee, and Garden District Coffee is across the street from my office. My go-to is a classic cappuccino with a drizzle of honey.
One word that best describes your family…intentional.
Favorite television show…Gilmore Girls.
Favorite food…either pizza or Superior Girl tacos, specifically.
Hidden talent…dancing.
