February 10, 2015
Dr. Jackie on Married to Medicine, Sexual Health, Infertility and More
Dr. Jacqueline Walters, more commonly known as Dr. Jackie, is a board-certified OBGYN and cast member of Bravo’s Married to Medicine. The small town Mississippi girl turned Atlanta doctor has a client roster more star studded than Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Grammy-winners, like Toni Braxton, T.I. and Usher, and their families all go to Dr. Jackie with their health matters. BlackEnterprise.com was able to track down the busy boss in between family, medicine and reality TV to talk about how the show has affected her practice, the time Toni Braxton threw a slight diva fit, how to support your man through infertility and so much more! Read on for all the details.
Tell us about what made you want to practice medicine, more specifically as an OBGYN.
I came from a small town in Mississippi and nobody at home would ever really talk and tell you stuff. They made everything seem so fearful, and I truly said, “When I grow up, I am going to be a doctor so that I can educate women so that being a woman isn’t a fear.†Your period was a curse, and having sex was bad. It was just always so fearful.
You have a really loyal celebrity client base. To other doctors who want to build a high-profile patient list, how should they market their practice?
When I walk through the door I truly stop thinking about me; I make everything about the patient. I’m really a good girlfriend, with boundaries. When she’s telling me about her affair, I’m like, “You know you’re going to rot in hell.†[Laughs.] And so we talk through all the advantages and disadvantages of the situation she’s in and I really try to make them feel as comfortable as possible.
With the celebrities, they need to know you’re protecting their best interest. I don’t name drop, I try not to call them, so it really is a doctor-patient relationship. I can share this because we’re friends now. I remember my first patient being Toni Braxton, and Toni was having a fit: “I could go to New York or L.A.†And I said, “Well, let me make some calls and see if we can find you somebody out there.†I was not going to compromise my integrity.
Toni still remained your patient so how did the two of you resolve that issue?
When she said “I’m going to move and go back to L.A. or New York,†I said, “I understand. I’m not going to be able to give you this, but let me talk you through why you can’t have that. If it doesn’t make sense to you, I respect that and let’s find you a doctor in L.A.†I give the risks, the benefits and the indications, and if you are willing to accept the risks that I’m not willing to accept, I’m still the wrong doctor.
Do you think starring on Married to Medicine helped or hurt your practice?
It has helped. My very first scene I called to say, “Yea, guys. This really isn’t for me. I really can’t be anybody but who I am.” I’m not going to act out. I don’t curse, I don’t drink, I don’t belittle women in the norm and I’m not going to do it on TV. And they said, “No, stay around for a few more seasons.†After a while I said, “You know, these ladies need a mentor.” I’m not going be anybody but the person I really am, and I just stayed true to that. Crazy enough, I attract that population.
Keep reading on to see what Dr. Jackie says about supporting your man through infertility.