We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Irwin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. I would play “school” in my basement and make my little sister be my student. Then, in college, I discovered a new passion for and interest in science, and thus occupational therapy (OT) became an option. I loved that it included a mixture of science, human development, and “teaching” in some way. After graduate school, I got my first job as an occupational therapist working at a public elementary school in East Harlem, New York City. I worked there for four years and learned a LOT. But what struck me was how powerless I felt because I wasn’t able to have much impact on these children’s lives and development at home. It was frustrating to WANT to help, but knowing that these kids only spend 6ish hours per day at school and the rest of their day is spent at home was frustrating – the connection just wasn’t there.

A few years later, I shifted my practice to include “home health”, where I went into family’s homes to provide OT services for their children, including babies and toddlers. There, I started to believe I had a real impact. Studies have shown that over two-thirds of educational outcomes are determined by what happens at home. I’d argue that it’s even more, since overall health, happiness, and learning are so interconnected, and most of that starts at home. It was super challenging to work with families from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, challenges, and more. But I got to provide suggestions, strategies, and expertise to parents who WANTED to learn. I started to see how helping parents set up their child’s environment and, more importantly, their child’s ROUTINES, was life-changing.

I moved from NYC to Colorado in 2019 and continued working in home health pediatric occupational therapy, becoming even more passionate about the power that routines have on a child and the entire family unit. Then, 2020 came, the world shut down, and I found out I was pregnant with my first child.

I decided to start sharing what I knew online, since parents of babies and young children were now at home and even more isolated than usual. At the same time, I dove into more and more research about routines for infant topics such as sleep, feeding, developmental milestones, and more.

When I had my first son in August 2020, I was blindsided by how hard it was to go through birth and postpartum. I experienced postpartum anxiety and depression, and the isolation of 2020 combined with the introduction of a brand new role (becoming a parent for the first time) was an extremely hard combination for me. The first few months and year felt so difficult, but at the same time, I was connecting with other moms going through the same thing by sharing about my experience on my social media accounts.

It was then that I decided that Rooted in Routine’s mission was to provide both educational information AND relatable, realistic portrayal of parenthood. This is my WHY. It’s a blend of my professional background and my personal experience as a mom of (now) two. I strive to share tangible, practical, evidence-based strategies for day-to-day life with babies and kids that are rooted in my background as a pediatric OT, but are realistic enough for real life as a mom – without the information overwhelm or black-or-white mindset that exists in so many social media parenting pages.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I provide digital informational products such as online courses, downloadable PDF guides, and virtual group coaching for parents of babies and toddlers who are struggling with some aspect of their child’s day. I help parent’s navigate things like: baby and toddler sleep, baby and toddler feeding struggles, managing tricky toddler behaviors, how to potty train, developmentally-appropriate ways to play with your child, and more. All of this is done in a realistic, practical, and routines-based way – the key is implementing consistency in a child’s day to support these areas in an age-appropriate way, without having to do all this extra “stuff” that no parent has time or energy for.
I believe that my platform provides parents of young children a “one-stop shop” – a place to go for both educational information (from a trusted, evidence-based source) and a sense of community. These two things are lacking for parents in this country, as our medical system often leaves little time for parent’s questions about the day-to-day things, and our society lends itself to isolation rather than community. Many parenting platforms focus on one specific topic (ie. sleep, or behavior, etc), but mine encompasses all of the main topics that a new parent may be struggling with. Instead of googling things and looking in a million different places to find answers, they can look to one trusted source.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I created my account (@rootedinroutine) on Instagram in late 2019, after I had just moved to Denver from NYC. I previously had worked as a freelance yoga teacher and had built a small-ish following in that niche, but I wanted to start over with this new business idea of mine. I began posting a few times per week about my pediatric occupational therapy background and started using relevant hashtags, which at the time were important Then, in March 2020 when the pandemic hit, I found that more and more parents were using social media to learn, connect, and collaborate with each other. That’s when I really ramped up my social media strategy but sharing educational content and also personal content as well.
When I became pregnant and had my first child (and eventually my second), I shared authentically about my experience – both the good and the bad. I believe that showing up consistently and sharing authentically are at the core of how to build a following. It takes time and a LOT of persistence – it doesn’t happen overnight. I now have 36k+ followers on Instagram, but it has been almost five years!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up, I learned that accomplishing tasks was the best way to be “productive”, and that productivity was of utmost importance. I did well in school, got into a good college and eventually graduate school, and graduated with good grades. I always worked hard, completed all of my work, and wanted to please my parents and teachers.
When I became a business owner, I quickly realized that there were always tasks that needed to get done. Since I loved my work (and I still do!), I found myself working seven days per week. My default mode would be to work more, particularly before I had kids.
Once I had my first son, I assumed that I could still work this amount because it was what I had always done. That was a very fast track to burnout. I had to have a hard look at myself and realize that my priorities had changed. As a mother, my energy was first and foremost important to pour into filling up my own cup so that I could show up as the best mom to my son. I had never been one to rest much, let alone take a nap during the day! But early on postpartum I learned that resting WAS productive. Now, almost four years in of being a mom, I realize the important of rest. I realize that productivity looks a lot of different ways. Spending time relaxing with my family without “doing” anything is important. Resting my body so that I can feel my best and show up for my family the next day is important.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootedinroutine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedinroutine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootedinroutine

Image Credits

Amy Graham Photography