hi! My name is deneal,
Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Functional Hormone Specialist, Birth + Postpartum Doula and Founder of The Rooted Womb
How I Got Started as a Hormone Nutritionist:
I struggled with hormonal imbalances from a young age. For years the first few days of my period had me doubled over in pain, shaking and on the verge of vomiting. There were many times I had to leave school or work, retreating to bed, clinging to my heating pad and popping painkillers to make it through. I dealt with irregular cycles and extremely heavy bleeding, including one period that lasted over 30 days. When I went to my doctor, I was given the classic "quick fix" and was prescribed hormonal birth control. Six years of cycling on and off various brands of pills to find “the one that would work for me” only further disrupted my hormones and left me with a variety of gut issues and a deeper sense of disconnection from my body. Intuitively I felt that something was just off.
It wasn’t until my studies in Natural Nutrition that I began to uncover the root causes of my struggles. During a module on Hormone Health, everything started to click. For the first time I had clarity about what was happening in my body. Through this program, I learned simple yet effective strategies to support my hormones and gut health, and as I applied them, I started noticing incredible improvements — not only in my cycles, but in my overall well-being.
Over time, I found the tools that helped me create much more balanced hormones, a resilient metabolism, and a calm, centred nervous system. These very practices that restored my health are now the foundation of what I teach to other women.
I realized that countless women were going through the same struggles I had faced, and it became clear just how much this work was needed. I fell deeply in love with this field and my passion for menstrual wellness, hormone health, and reproductive health only grew stronger. Supporting women through their journeys brings me so much joy, especially as we connect over this shared experience of our cyclical nature. There’s something so powerful about coming together in mutual understanding and celebrating the wisdom of our bodies.
Too many women suffer unnecessarily from cycle-related symptoms, disconnected from the innate wisdom and power of their natural rhythms. My mission is to empower women to embrace the beauty of their menstrual cycles, ease their discomfort, and rediscover the brilliance of their bodies. I believe your cycle is not something to dread — it’s something to enjoy and celebrate.
How I Got Started as a doula:
I was introduced to birth work through my best friend’s pregnancy. Shortly after she found out that she was pregnant, she asked me to be her “doula” and attend her birth, I felt deeply honoured and something in me lit up. It became clear very quickly that this was a nudge I needed to follow.
She told me I’d have a bit of homework to do before the big day… and I was all in. I read the books, listened to the podcasts and synchronistically, the doula certification I’d been eyeing started just days before her due date. It felt like everything was aligning.
My friend and her husband invited me into their home and we waited patiently, preparing and organizing. The three of us lived in this little birth cocoon for about 3 weeks, sharing meals, going for walks, laughing, singing, dancing while her body did its thing — contracting on and off, slowly preparing for the big moment.
Then the big day came. We spent the day out in the sunshine and cuddled up in the evening to watch Brother Bear — oxytocin was flowing. It quickly became clear that we weren’t going to bed that night as things started to really pick up.
And honestly, it’s hard to put into words what it’s like to watch your best friend become a mother before your eyes. It was just pure love. So raw, so powerful, so beautiful. It was the most magical, emotional and awe-inspiring experience of my life and the most beautiful first birth I could have been apart of.
Being by her side through the waves of labour and witnessing her strength cracked me wide open. It felt like a remembering… deep, ancestral and embodied.
From that moment I continued to follow the nudge. I enrolled in a 12-month doula mentorship with Birth by Bloom, which has already taught me so much and given me such incredible experience in this field. With this role, I hold more gratitude and reverence for women and mothers than ever before. I’m so excited to support them in an even deeper, more meaningful way through every stage of the journey, from preconception to postpartum. I couldn’t think of a more gratifying way to be in service.