We were lucky to catch up with Martinique Ilona recently and have shared our conversation below.

Martinique , appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school

Picture it, summer of 1996.  I was a rising Junior at Redan High School and was just selected to join the varsity drill team. Dancing in front of the Blue Thunder Marching Band!  Band Camp was underway and I was so excited! If you have ever been a member of a show style band you know that band camp is brutal! LOL.   We started with commands training, then we began to learn choreography for the upcoming dance feature.  There was a guest choreographer there to teach us that day.  For the life of me I cannot remember her name. We were learning a dance routine to Michael Jackson’s song “Working Day and Night.” There was this one dance move I kept messing up. I mean over and over and over again. The choreographer called me up to the front, (I was in the back because I was taller than the others).

She said, “What is your name”?
I told her my name.
She then replied, “Since you keep messing up on this dance move, you will stand here and do it 50 times.”
I replied, 50 times?!She checked me real quick and said,” Would you like it to be 100? And gave me that look like – Who you talking to?
I said “No Ma’am”

I did this dance move 50 times! I fought back my tears, anger and frustration because I felt embarrassed. No one else had to do this but me. I fought back giving up. My arms were burning, like on fire. However, I knew she was the type that would have made me start over if I stopped.  I hated this lady with every ounce of my being and I didn’t even know her.  Even if I flinched as if I was about to do the wrong move she called me out and made me repeat the process. The night of the show I performed that damn dance flawlessly!

I learned several lessons that day.

1. The true definition of tough love. I thought this lady hated me.  In actuality she saw my potential and knew it was a matter of muscle memory as well as development. It seemed extreme to me, however, she understood what it took to be great on that field. She was giving me the tools and showing me how to use them; the stamina, the precision, the knowledge, the performance aspect, and all of it. I still use those tools today. I went on to become Captain of the Silver Essence Dance Team. I give thanks to her and for her.

2. I can do far more than I thought I could or gave myself credit for. Doing that dance routine 50 times was a lot! So even when I think I can’t, I can.

3. Mindset and Self Image – She taught me to have the mindset of a disciplined athlete and to see myself in the image of a Silver Essence Dancer.  I see, therefore, I am!

Martinique , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Peace and Love! My name is Martinique Ilona a.k.a The Divinity Coach. I am the owner and founder of Rooted Connections LLC. How are you? I hope all is well. Such a pleasure to connect. I give thanks for the opportunity.

I started going through a kundalini awakening a few years back.

I have obtained my certification as a Life Coach several years ago.  I gained a great deal of life coaching experience at a local high school in the metro Atlanta area while coaching the student lead flag and dance line. I created programs for the young ladies and would host workshops as well. But since my awakening started happening, I just did not want to coach in the same way anymore. I wanted to do something different.

During this time, I was questioning EVERYTHING! I started learning about Ancient Kemet and Kemetic Deities such as Auset, Sehkmet, Hathor, and Ma’at. I really resonated with the story of Sehkmet and the healing modalities that was used during that time period.  I began to really dive into nature, holistic healing, the moon and the emotional body, and my very own spiritual gifts and healing.

The research I found inspired me to create an event. At the time, those events were called full moon rituals. I would host an event surrounding the full moon of each month providing my guests with various nutritious foods that were good for the body, mind and soul. Also, foods purchased for the event supported black businesses in the community.

The full moon ritual events were a reflection of ancient times when women would honor the cycles within themselves just as they honored the cycles of the earth. During these ancient times women were so connected that they synchronized during the time of menstruation. The women would then retreat together to release, nourish each other, and nourish themselves. This event was about the attendees and what they would like to release, let go of, and how they could shed what no longer serves them; the shedding of the womb mentally and emotionally.

The event created a safe space for women to cry, to reflect, to laugh, and truly be themselves. All masks were off! All titles were off! It was a true community of sisters supporting each other and connecting on a spiritual level. Men were also invited to release emotionally or assist in the sisters emotional release as well. I also made sure to incorporate the tea to Honor the story of Sehkmet (She who is powerful). The ancient deity who is known as the Goddess of Healing. Eventually, the events became what are now known as Rooted Connections Tea and Talk.

Rooted Connections was born out of the Tea and Talk events..  I named my business Rooted Connections because one must be rooted in the authentic true divinity of themselves in order to connect freely to their soul tribe. It also ties into Root Chakra, working with emotions that surround fear, security, safety, and tribe.   It is the base, the foundation. And the connections aspect, well that’s everything. We are all connected. The more you do your work the more you will see just how connected we are.

Rooted Connections LLC specializes in goal setting, self esteem challenges, solutions to chronic stress, confidence building, organizing your life, and over all sage advice. What sets Rooted Connections apart is that we always lead the clients back to themselves because they have the solutions. We are using creative unique ways to guide them to their own realizations.

This year the services we are providing are group coaching through various mediums, online classes and workshops, as well as in person events.

When I started this business I honestly just wanted a shared space of healing.  I desired to express my own journey in hopes that I may assist someone else in theirs. What I’m most proud of is the positive feedback and gratitude I received for starting Rooted Connections and me being able to share the knowledge I have gained to help others.

The brand of Rooted Connections is living the life you love and being your divine authentic self! And here is the kicker; who you are authentically changes and evolves with time. Giving yourself grace to be an evolution of who you are. Allowing yourself to let go of the old without the guilt. Enjoying the process of re-inventing or re-membering yourself.   However you wish to word it :)

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

I recently read a quote that said “What got you here, won’t get you there”.  It made me reflect on the journey of how much I have had to grow and change if I really wanted my business to succeed. I basically had to unlearn being overly selfless. When I first started this journey I was giving away far too much sauce for free! (lol)

People would ask me for guidance and ideas without booking sessions and attend the events without donations.  I would often do workshops for free; go over time without compensation, you name it. I have a huge heart, but a huge heart without boundaries, policies, and procedures in place was not working as a business owner.  Please do not misunderstand. The people are not to blame. These happenings are ALL on me. I had to see myself as a business owner and have enough belief in my skills and talents to start moving like one. It was a challenge and is still a challenge to implement certain practices. Sometimes you may even have to start over. I had to switch the location of the Tea and Talk event which meant the cost to participate would be a little more. Some people were not willing to pay the additional cost and that is okay. The pandemic hit and the events/workshops had to be virtual for a while.  Therefore, the number of attendees changed and that is okay. I continue the tea and talks to this day because they are important for our healing.

I’m still learning the aspects of a successful business; what it will take to get me there. My desires and plan of action have gotten me on the path there.  I obtained a business license, built my website, event planning etc.   Now I have to get more comfortable with networking and learn more about the financial aspect of making this beautiful vision of mine the reality I want it to be. I’m taking it day by day. Brick by brick.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pandemic. As mentioned previously, I had to shift to the digital aspect of things during the pandemic. It was difficult for me in the beginning not to be able to physically connect with others. I eventually started doing more research on how I could shift my business to the digital world. I began holding events online, meeting with clients via zoom, and even put the Gratefully Rooted Journal on Etsy under MAI Creative Gifts page. Learning how to connect on a digital platform is still something I am currently working on. I am up for the challenge.

Also life presented some challenges as well. Health wise and adjusting to the ‘new normal”. The experience of it all has taught me so much. The value of time and the importance of change. Allowing myself to develop and grow while giving myself grace at the same time. I can be extremely hard on myself and then frustration sets in. It’s the goat in me (Capricorn) :) I have also gained the gift of being present, present in the moment.

Now that the world is opening back up I am grateful to see everyone and I’m looking forward to connecting with new people. We are having a few events, classes, and workshops coming up in the metro Atlanta area and I am looking to expand the festivities to other states as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rootedconnections.org
• Instagram: rooted_connections