We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Martinique a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Martinique , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

My business started with a feeling before it became an idea. I was going through my own season of healing and self-discovery, and I realized how many women around me were silently carrying emotional and spiritual weight with no place to put it down. The idea for Rooted Connections came from wanting to create a safe space for reflection, release, and community. Something I wished I had during my own transitions.

Once the idea took shape, execution became a collaborative effort. I didn’t have a blueprint or funding, so I shared my vision with the people around me, and they showed up. Some donated food for the events, others offered their creativity, visuals, or time, and many contributed ideas that helped refine the experience. Rooted Connections grew because a community believed in the mission just as much as I did.

Together, we figured things out step-by-step. From designing my first workshop, to building the atmosphere, to shaping the flow of each event. As the vision expanded, I learned how to brand the business, organize gatherings, create content, and communicate the deeper purpose behind the work. Nothing about this process happened overnight; it unfolded through shared effort, adaptability, and a willingness to keep learning and evolving.

What moved us from idea to execution wasn’t perfection; it was purpose. Rooted Connections was never about creating a massive brand. It was about creating meaningful connection. And even though the business didn’t grow financially the way I imagined, bringing it to life taught me discipline, creativity, collaboration, and courage. It showed me that you don’t need everything figured out to begin. You just need a vision, a supportive community, and the heart to take the first step.

Martinique , 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?

Peace and love! My name is Martinique Ilona, also known as The Divinity Coach, and I am the founder of Rooted Connections LLC. My work began long before the business had a name. It started during a period of deep personal transformation . A spiritual awakening that pushed me to question everything, reconnect with my intuition, and explore the emotional, ancestral, and energetic layers of who I was becoming.

My background in life coaching began years earlier while working with young women in the metro Atlanta area. I created programs, led workshops, and coached a student-led dance and flag line. But as my own inner work intensified, I felt called to guide people in a different way. One that honored the emotional body, cycles of nature, holistic healing, and the spiritual symbolism that resonated deeply with me.

This journey led me to create my first full moon gatherings . Intimate sessions where women (and sometimes men) could release, reflect, cry, laugh, and simply be. I incorporated nourishing foods, herbal teas, storytelling, ritual, and knowledge inspired by ancient wisdom traditions. These events were safe, sacred spaces where titles and masks fell away, and people could reconnect with their authentic selves and with each other.

Over time, those gatherings evolved into what became Rooted Connections Tea & Talk, and eventually into the full brand of Rooted Connections LLC. I chose the name because true healing starts at the root. The emotional roots, the ancestral roots, and the roots of self-worth, safety, and belonging. From there, real connection becomes possible: connection to self, to others, and to community.

Rooted Connections has offered group coaching, one-on-one guidance, workshops, spiritual-emotional self-care tools, and events rooted in reflection and emotional release. The heart of my work has always been helping people return to themselves. I don’t present myself as the authority over their lives. I guide them back to the wisdom they already carry. What sets my approach apart is the blend of spirituality, structure, introspection, and emotional truth.

What I’m most proud of is not numbers or metrics — it’s the impact. The messages from people who said an event changed something for them. The tears released in safe company. The breakthroughs and the clarity that came from shared vulnerability. The gratitude from individuals who felt seen after years of holding things in silence.

For me, Rooted Connections has always been about giving people room to breathe, reset, and reconnect. The brand stands for authenticity, self-grace, evolution, and honoring every version of yourself . Even the ones you outgrow. We are not meant to stay the same. We are meant to expand, release, reinvent, and remember ourselves again and again.

Even as this business chapter comes to a close, its mission continues to live in me. Rooted Connections wasn’t just a company. It was a container for healing, clarity, and community. And that essence will always be a part of the work I do and the woman I am becoming.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the biggest moments of resilience in my journey has been making the decision to close my business at the end of this year. Rooted Connections has been such a meaningful part of my life. Emotionally, creatively, and spiritually. So choosing to bring this chapter to a close required honesty, maturity, and a lot of internal reflection.

I poured so much heart, time, creativity, and purpose into Rooted Connections. I created spaces for healing, community, and emotional release, and I showed up even when things were hard, uncertain, or different from what I imagined financially.

But over time, I began to feel the shift. My energy was changing. My path was changing. And the truth I had to sit with was that the business had served its season. Even if it didn’t become the long-term, profitable brand I originally hoped it would be. Choosing to close that chapter with peace instead of forcing myself to keep going out of guilt, attachment, or fear of judgment required a different kind of strength.

It taught me that resilience isn’t just pushing through; sometimes resilience is letting go with grace. It’s honoring what something gave you, even if it didn’t last forever. It’s trusting your intuition enough to pivot without shame and allowing yourself to grow beyond the original vision.

Closing Rooted Connections isn’t the end of something. It’s the beginning of a new season that aligns more closely with the woman I’m becoming. And making that decision, with love and intention, has shown me the depth of my resilience.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes there are several books and teachings that have deeply influenced the way I approach entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal growth. My business journey has always been connected to my spiritual and emotional evolution, so the resources that shaped me weren’t just ‘business books’, they were teachings that helped me understand myself, my patterns, and the energy behind how I show up in the world.

One of the first books that transformed my mindset was ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho. It reminded me that every step of the journey, even the unexpected detours, serves a purpose. That message grounded me during moments when things didn’t go according to plan and helped me trust the timing of my path.

Another powerful resource was ‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz. The principles of being impeccable with my word, not taking things personally, and not making assumptions helped me navigate the emotional side of entrepreneurship. It taught me to stay centered and not internalize setbacks or external expectations.

James Clear’s ‘Atomic Habits’ also shifted how I view building anything. Whether a business, a lifestyle, or a new chapter. It showed me that lasting change is created through small, consistent steps, not overnight transformations. That wisdom mirrored the slow, intentional way Rooted Connections was built.

And one of the most spiritually transformative books for me was ‘Sacred Woman’ by Queen Afua. That book opened a doorway into my deeper healing. It helped me reconnect with my womb, intuition, ancestry, and emotional body in a way that guided both my personal awakening and the way I held space for others. Sacred Woman reminded me that healing is not just individual. It’s communal, generational, and sacred.

These resources showed me that entrepreneurship is just as much an inner journey as it is an outer one. They taught me that who I am becoming matters just as much as what I am building. I also learned patience, alignment, ritual, and the importance of honoring both discipline and intuition. Even as I transition out of this business, the philosophies I learned from these books continue to guide how I lead myself, how I create, and how I move into my next season with clarity and confidence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootedconnections.org
• Instagram: @rooted_connections

Image Credits

Erik Harris