Beside the brilliant spotlight shining on billionaire Elon Musk, the woman who provided the strength and foundation for that empire is Dr. Maye Musk – mother to three highly successful children: Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX), Kimbal Musk (culinary entrepreneur), and Tosca Musk (director, film producer). Maye’s story is not a fairy tale of inherited wealth, but a heroic saga about the resilience of a single mother who had to work multiple jobs to ensure her children were educated and their big dreams nurtured.

The Battle for Survival After Age 31

When her marriage ended at age 31, Maye Musk faced a harsh reality: raising three young children alone without inheritance or stable financial support. The decision to leave South Africa and move to Canada was a huge gamble, plunging her into a desperate struggle for survival.

Throughout her early years in Canada, she worked tirelessly, accepting multiple simultaneous jobs, sometimes even unpaid work just to gain professional development opportunities.

Maye Musk’s main occupations during this period included:

Dietitian: This was her primary “bread and butter.” With two Master’s degrees in Nutritional Science, she ran a private practice, using her expertise to secure the most stable income. She even had to work as an unpaid assistant at another person’s clinic just to secure a small space for her own private consultations.
Model: Although she started her career at age 15, modeling in this period was an unstable, supplementary income source. She accepted small jobs, shooting catalog photos or advertisements to scrape together money for tuition and living expenses.
University Instructor/Research Assistant: She taught nutrition classes and conducted research at the University of Toronto, not just for the income but also to secure scholarships and educational support for her children.

This versatility and diligence forged a strong, independent Maye Musk who never knew the meaning of giving up.

The “Unusual” Parenting Philosophy

What makes Maye’s story truly exceptional is not only the number of jobs she took on but also her parenting philosophy during those hard times. Maye never checked her children’s homework, focusing instead on instilling a sense of self-reliance and a strong work ethic.

Her children started working for money early: Elon worked at Microsoft, and Kimbal had jobs at a bank. She did not blindly sacrifice herself, but taught her children that her career was as important as theirs.

It was from this foundation of self-reliance and hard work, instilled by their mother, that the Musk children independently applied for scholarships, chose their own universities, and built their careers without needing financial coddling from their parents.

Today, in her late seventies, Maye Musk no longer needs to work for money, yet she remains a highly sought-after supermodel, a best-selling author, and a global icon of ageless beauty. Her diverse and challenging career journey has become a living testament to the phrase: “The word ‘retirement’ is not in my vocabulary.” Maye Musk is not just the mother of a billionaire; she is a monument to the spirit of self-made resilience.