Today we’d like to introduce you to Destynie Ireland.
Hi Destynie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In a lot of ways, there’s nothing really unique about my origin story. It’s a story that repeats in the lives of so many modern women around the world. I spent most of my life largely unaware of what motherhood really entailed, and doing everything I could to avoid pregnancy. Then I met my soulmate, and for the first time, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to start a family.
We actually conceived before getting married, but that pregnancy ended in miscarriage and it devastated me. My experience with the medical system during that loss also exposed a major gap: the current system is deeply unequipped to support women through trauma and loss.
That same truth showed up again a year later during the birth of our second child. Though my daughter and I were physically healthy, I still walked away carrying deep emotional trauma—and that trauma set the tone for a very difficult postpartum experience. Within weeks, I was being tag teamed by panic attacks and depression. Within months, I started displaying symptoms of an autoimmune disorder. By the end of the year, I could no longer work full-time and had difficulty completing even simple daily tasks.
And the worst part? Everyone around me kept saying, “This is just motherhood.”
With those four words, I understood that my experience was nothing out of the norm for American mothers. What was unique about my story was how I responded and what was birthed out of this traumatic entry into motherhood. I couldn’t accept that suffering was just part of the job description. So I started asking hard questions; about the system, about my upbringing, about what I had been taught to expect from womanhood and motherhood. That search led me on a deep healing journey; emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I began to unravel the patterns that had brought me to this breaking point: people-pleasing, perfectionism, disconnection from my body, and a total lack of preparation for the identity shift that motherhood brings.
In the process, I healed not just my nervous system and my body, but my entire worldview. I came to see motherhood not as something to survive, but as a sacred invitation to be transformed. I went on to have a totally redemptive homebirth with our third child and a near euphoric postpartum experience. Once I saw what was possible as the healed version of myself, I knew I couldn’t shut up about what I had learned. I created tools and resources for women like me, and launched Rooted Mama to help women (both mothers and future mothers) break free from survival mode and thrive in every stage of womanhood.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Honestly, that’s part of what makes my work so personal. I didn’t just have a tough birth or a hard postpartum; I had to face the reality that I’d spent most of my life disconnected from myself.
In the process of healing, I realized that since childhood, I had built my identity around performance. I was constantly trying to be what others expected, rather than embracing who I truly was.
And the system we live in didn’t make it any easier. So much of what we’ve been taught to accept as “normal” in modern womanhood, like constant overstimulation, disembodiment, numbing symptoms with medications, powering through burnout, is actually just survival mode. We’re trained to wear exhaustion and self-doubt like a badge of honor.
Healing meant unlearning so much of what I’d believed to be true. It meant redefining success; not just as a woman, but as a wife and a mother. It meant setting boundaries with people I love, having hard conversations with myself, and choosing rest over endless busyness.
Those inner battles became the foundation of the work I do now. And truthfully, the battle continues even as this movement grows and I work 1-on-1 with clients. One of the biggest cultural challenges I see, especially in the U.S., is that most women don’t even start thinking about motherhood until they’re already trying to become mothers. Even then, the focus for “preparation” is often on prenatal vitamins, diapers, and baby gear. But the real work of motherhood is something much deeper. It’s an ego death; a revisiting of old wounds, and a redefinition of identity.
That’s why a huge part of my mission is to help women see the connections between their current struggles in maidenhood and how those struggles often resurface in motherhood. And half the battle is just getting young women to slow down, pay attention, and believe that healing before the breakdown happens is worth the investment.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Rooted Mama?
Without a doubt, what sets Rooted Mama apart is its focus on the parts of motherhood that are the most important; but often the most overlooked. What makes it even more unique is that I intentionally target women before they ever try to get pregnant. My mission is to reach women early enough to give them the time, space, and support to do the deep emotional, mental, and spiritual work of healing before motherhood demands it of them.
Through resources like The HEALed Mother book, live workshops, and free digital guides, I help women reclaim their identity, break generational cycles, and prepare their mind, body, and soul for the transformation that motherhood brings.
I also host monthly women’s circles, where women in every stage of life can come together in sisterhood to have real, healing conversations. And on The Rooted Mama Podcast, I share solo episodes on topics like mental health, inner child work, and emotional healing—alongside interviews with real mothers and experts like doulas, lactation consultants, and other birth professionals.
I’m especially proud of the Free Eve Movement, which challenges the idea that women were destined to suffer. In the Free Eve live workshop, I break down the harmful narratives we’ve been fed about womanhood, starting with the biblical Eve, and offer practical, faith-rooted strategies for stepping out of survival mode and into a life of clarity, identity, and purpose.
The absolute best part of my work? Watching the light come on in a woman’s eyes when she sees herself clearly for the first time; not as broken, but as whole and capable of healing.
I always say: I’m not a “mommy influencer” or parenting “expert.” I’m not here to sell a one-size-fits-all formula. I’m here to offer tools, truth, and perspective so each woman can build a path to healing that’s as unique and worthy as she is!
At present, the primary way to work with me is virtually. However, my goal is to provide in-person services especially for women’s circles and live workshops. Community is the single most important asset when it comes to thriving in motherhood. So many mothers complain about the lost village. It’s my goal to establish one for the Rooted Mamas in my community.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a very quiet and curious little girl. I always avoided touching people, which my family always found a little strange. Later, I realized it was because I’m an empath. Even as a child, I was spiritually attuned to the emotions and energy of others, and that level of sensitivity often overwhelmed my immature system. So I was cautious. I avoided crowds, kept to myself, and only spoke when spoken to.
But there were certain aspects of life that captivated me. I loved nature; like really loved it. I noticed the subtle patterns other kids didn’t seem to care about: the shifting of the seasons, the changing angle of the sun in the sky, how animals prepared for winter. I cared deeply for every living thing.
As I got older, my sensitivity shifted into a deep fascination with life itself. As a preteen, I was obsessed with TLC shows like Trauma: Life in the ER; but my absolute favorite was A Baby Story. I didn’t fully understand what I was watching (they blurred out the most intense parts of birth), but I was enchanted by the emotion that filled the room at the sound of every baby’s first cry. Even back then, I could sense how sacred it was to bring life into the world.
So it’s no surprise that years later, I’ve found myself right in the center of that calling; spending my days helping women prepare for and journey through the sacred transformation of motherhood.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rooted-mama.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedxmama/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/5JCu97NOj25hK8YisCklIX?si=fIfbGH7oQeGzfi-XWYkMfw
