Martinique Ilona of Atlanta on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Martinique Ilona. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Martinique , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
The last and final Tea & Talk Karaoke still makes me smile every time I think about it. It was more than an event. It was a mirror of why I started this journey in the first place. That night, I laughed until my stomach hurt. Not just at the off-key notes or the inside jokes we’ve collected over the years, but at the pure joy of watching people let go. There’s something sacred about witnessing fear fall away. I watched people walk in shy and unsure, and leave like stars.

Over time, I saw transformations happen right in front of me. People who once clutched the mic with trembling hands were now belting lyrics like pros, moving with confidence, dripping with soul, and pouring out every ounce of themselves. The hootin’, hollerin’, clapping, and cheering? That wasn’t just noise. It was medicine. It was therapy. It was release. It was a sacred kind of connection.

As Rooted Connections prepares to close at the end of this year, what makes me proud isn’t just the events. It’s the seeds. Seeds of confidence. Seeds of creativity. Seeds of community. Seeds of courage. I’ve seen growth in the people who came to sing, speak, cry, and be coached. I even saw the growth within myself. I’ve watched people blossom, and I’ve had the honor of walking alongside them.

Karaoke is more than music. It’s soul work. It opens the throat chakra. It pulls out words, emotions, and truths we usually hide in daily life. And that’s what Tea & Talk became. Not just an event. A sanctuary. A place where laughter and freedom lived side by side with vulnerability and truth. A place where people didn’t just sing, they reclaimed themselves. To know I created that kind of space… to know those roots will keep growing long after this chapter closes… that’s what makes me proud. And I’m deeply thankful for every single person who showed up. For trusting me. For being brave enough to be seen, to sing, to cry, to dance, to heal. Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. You didn’t just attend an event. You helped co-create a sacred space. And I’ll carry that with me always.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Martinique Ilona, also known as The Divinity Coach. I’m the founder of Rooted Connections LLC, a sacred space I created to help others reconnect with their truth, their voice, and their power. Rooted Connections was born out of my own spiritual awakening. A powerful kundalini experience that cracked open everything I thought I knew about who I was and why I was here. What began as a life coaching practice in metro Atlanta mentoring young women, coaching dance lines, and leading workshops, quickly evolved into something deeper, more ancestral, and more soul-aligned. I found myself called to Ancient Kemet, to holistic healing, to the emotional body, and to the medicine of the moon. That calling led me to create ritual spaces: Full Moon gatherings, healing circles, and eventually the signature Tea & Talk events that would become the heart of Rooted Connections.

Rooted Connections has always been more than a brand. It’s been a movement centered around authenticity, emotional healing, and divine transformation. Through group coaching, online classes, and in-person events, I’ve watched people shed the expectations of the world and reconnect with the wisdom inside them. My role was never to give the answers but to guide people back home to themselves.

And now, I’m practicing what I teach. After years of pouring my heart into this vision, I am honoring the call to release it. Rooted Connections is closing not because it failed. It’s evolving, just like I am. I’m not building anything new right now. I’m not rushing to replace it. I’m simply listening. Allowing space. Letting the roots rest.

This chapter has been one of deep purpose, deep community, and deep healing. I’m proud of what was created here. And though this is the final article I’ll write under this brand, I know the impact will live on in the voices that were freed, the tears that were released, the joy that was shared, and the truths that were reclaimed.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What breaks the bond between people isn’t always betrayal. It’s often a lack of self-awareness. When someone hasn’t taken the time to truly know themselves, they begin placing emotional expectations on others: expecting them to fix their wounds, regulate their emotions, and carry the weight of their worth. That kind of imbalance turns the other person into a fixer. And over time, the burden of constantly holding emotional space for someone who avoids their own healing is what erodes trust. Not in one dramatic moment, but little by little. Through silence. Through avoidance. Through the slow realization that your needs don’t matter unless you abandon yourself to meet theirs. That’s how trust breaks. When one person begins to feel invisible, unheard, and emotionally unsafe.

Bonds are like trees. And trust is the root. Without accountability, the root weakens. But with honesty, care, and consistent attention, the root can be restored. Then the bond can grow strong enough to bear fruit again.

The resolution starts when both people get honest about how they’ve shown up. When they take responsibility for their part. When both people finally do their own work and own their mess. No more finger-pointing, no more avoidance. When they stop avoiding the hard conversations and choose to show up differently. Just real accountability and the willingness to grow. That’s how trust begins to grow again. Step by step, choice by choice.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
II would tell my younger self to protect her mind and her heart. To know that her sensitivity is not a weakness. It’s a compass. Her gifts are rare, sacred, and she never has to dim them or trade them in to fit someone else’s path. I would remind her that the opinions of others are just noise. The only voice she needs to trust is her own. There is no rush. No race. No need to compare. Her journey was always meant to look different.

I’d also be honest with her. It won’t all be sunshine and rainbows. She’ll have to face her shadows. She’ll have to own them. And she’ll have to grow through what they teach her. But even in those dark moments, she’ll discover strength she didn’t know she had. She’ll realize that her shadows aren’t here to destroy her, they’re here to shape her.

And I’d look her straight in the eye and say: There is magic in the melanin, baby. Your skin is glorious. Your DNA holds ancient wisdom. Power passed down through generations. Yes, there is ancestral trauma. But there are also ancestral gifts. And both are powerful. Tap into both, because together they are the keys to transformation.

And as simple as it sounds, I’d make sure she knows this truth: The power has always been within her. Her voice, her path, her presence, they were created with purpose. On purpose. For something greater.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no. The public version of me is real, it’s just not the whole story. What people often see is the polished, composed side: the organizer, the host, the space holder, the one who knows how to set the tone. That version is authentic. But it’s also curated. For a long time, I gave the world the version I thought they wanted, not always the fullness of who I am.

When people get closer, they see more. My humor. My unfiltered thoughts. The raw edges alongside the softness. I’m learning to let that part of me come out more. The good, the bad, and the uncomfortable. The good is my creativity, my presence, the way I pour love into every room I enter. The bad is the overthinking, the high standards, the struggle to release control. The uncomfortable is the shadow work. The wounds, the triggers, the quiet battles with betrayal and trust.
But all of it is me. The public version is the doorway, but the real me is the full experience layered, growing, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, but always becoming.

I believe it’s okay to have a public version of yourself. But it has to be rooted in truth. Not performance. And I’m still learning how to strip away the old masks, the ones built from survival and allow myself to be seen fully. That, to me, is real freedom. Not perfection, but wholeness.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I feel like I’m standing at the crossroads of both. For much of my life, I followed what I was told to do. The responsible choices, the respectable roles, the path that looked safe on the outside. And while I carried those roles out well, they never fully answered the question of what I was born to do. The truth is, I still don’t have that answer.

What I do know is that Rooted Connections gave me a glimpse. It showed me the power of creating spaces where people could be free, expressive, and transformed. It taught me how much growth can happen when we gather with honesty and courage. And now, as this chapter closes at the end of the year, I don’t see it as a failure or an ending but as part of the unfolding.

Maybe what I was born to do isn’t meant to be captured in one title or one role. Maybe it reveals itself in layers. Through experiences like Rooted Connections, through trial and error, through both clarity and uncertainty. So no, I’m not fully doing what I was born to do yet. But I’m also no longer following what I was told to do, either.

I’ll be honest being in the unknown can be frustrating. I want to know what’s next. I want answers. But I also know I need to pause, stay open, and let clarity find me. I’m in the in-between. And even though it’s uncomfortable, I’m learning that this, too, is sacred. Because even here, in the waiting and the not-knowing, I am exactly where I need to be.

So as I close this chapter, I’m not rushing to define what comes next. I’m honoring the in-between. I’m honoring the version of me that showed up. Even when she was unsure, even when she was performing, even when she was figuring it out in real time. I’m proud of her. And I’m choosing to believe that what’s meant for me won’t miss me. Not because I chased it, but because I aligned with it. Rooted Connections may be ending, but the deeper connection, the one with myself, my purpose, and my Creator is just beginning to unfold. I’m exploring new gifts, rediscovering hidden talents, and releasing what no longer serves. Old roles, old beliefs, old identities so I can fully embrace the version of me that’s ready to emerge. I don’t have all the answers. But I do have the courage to keep becoming. And all I can do is keep answering the call. Day by day, layer by layer, truth by truth. I wasn’t born to just to do something. I was born to become someone. Fully. Unapologetically. On Purpose. Period.

Image Credits
Brianna Washington
Erik Harris
Jay Conn