Today we’d like to introduce you to Destiny S. Lake.
Hi Destiny S. , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I graduated from the University of Utah in Dance & Education in 2009. When I started my business in 2011 I was teaching somatic movement (including yoga), performing tea ceremonies and running after school programs for children in the K-12 school system. I graduated from the University of Utah in Dance & Education prior to that
As I was teaching children and adults, I kept coming back to the question “Why are children, parents & our communities so under resourced?” and although there are many factors that lead to the why, I thought about how people aren’t being held or trusted in the decision making of when & how they choose to grow, if at all, their families.
I was asked by a regular yoga student of mine, who was a single mother by choice, if I would attend her birth. I had never been alongside anyone who had given birth but we had gotten to know one another well and were determined to use yogic tools to move through her labor together. She delivered her baby in her tomato garden where she felt safe & held.
This experience was a MAJOR ah-ha for me. It was everything I loved all wrapped up into one thing. Awe of the bodies capabilities, breath & movement, removing mental hurdles one has blocking themselves, infants who magically know how to& what to do to be brought to the other side & adapt to the world, the baby & birthing body working together even on the outside to continue supporting one another.
I went to California (one of the most progressive birthing states) to gain my doula training, education, certification & apprenticeship program in both Birth & Postpartum doula care. It was an integrative model of care where you worked alongside many practitioners supporting one patient/client and learned how to collaboratively care for people within your respected profession. When I came back here to Utah, I decided that’s what I wanted to build here in 2015.
I have been in a birth doula for now 800 (and counting) families and even more for Postpartum.
I have been a Prenatal Yoga teacher since 2016 & am currently teaching a Parenting Yoga class that includes Prenatal & Postnatal specific knowledge & care, but also for those who are not carrying a baby that are intended parents or support people. This class occurs weekly at Glow (730 W. 900 S in SLC) with a sliding scale model for affordability $10 – 25 and people can use HSA/FSA for payment.
I became a childbirth, postpartum, lactation & newborn care educator in 2018 where I have taught in hospitals, public classes, birth centers & my personal favorite – in individuals homes.
I sat on the board for Postpartum Support International Utah Chapter for 4 years learning more & educating other perinatal professionals on the importance of mood & anxiety issues within reproductive years & child raising.
I am currently gaining my hours & education for becoming a IBCLC (International board certified lactation consultant) as I believe anyone should have the right to education on how they choose to feed their babies – including drying up supply to formula feed.
To keep in touch & continue supporting people that I have come in contact with I run a FREE parenting & play group, SHAUNTEA’s Sunshine Crew, every Wednesday morning year round – it’s been going for over 10 years now.
Within the last few years I had been missing more of the 2+ year old development and was trained to perform early intervention screening for cognitive & developmental delays. I get to work in home with individual families & their children, giving parents more tools & information to help their little ones grow in ways that support the individual needs of their child.
As my skills, knowledge and fine tuning of my practice have unfolded, I keep bringing it back to centering families & community building from pre-conception to school aged children.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road, absolutely not. I have fumbled along the way and had big moments of stretch that made me rethink my gaps in care & how I choose to show up for people. Community care based work is so important and because of that, it comes with weight and immense responsibility to do what you can to cultivate safety & best practices. A lot of my big growth moments were times I fell short leading to me gaining new skills or knowledge to keep myself informed and my community supported. As my practice has grown, I’ve reminded myself that we can be in this type of work alone, it deserves to be shared & held alongside others.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
SHAUNTEA, a play of spelling on a Sanksrit word (shan-ti) which translates to peace and contentment in mind, body & spirit.
My business specializes in centering families & community building from pre-conception to school aged children through full spectrum doula care, education, lactation, somatic movement & early intervention screening.
SHAUNTEA has been known for holding people & trusting them in the decision making of when & how they choose to grow, if at all, their families as well as how they decide to raise children, once they have them.
When I decided to move into birthworking spaces, I was determined to center my practice in individuals, their families and community. Because when you care for one person, we ALL feel the ripple effects of a well resourced community member.
As my skills, knowledge and fine tuning of my practice have unfolded, I am proud to be the organizer of three tiers of commitment that are free & accessible to people.
One, SHAUNTEA’s Sunshine Crew, a parenting & play group that allows for people to come learn together as caretakers about themselves & their children in their own developmental stages.
Two, Doulas of Salt Lake, a space for doulas to collaborate in furthering the work and supporting one another.
Three, Salt Lake Birth Movement, a professional accountability gathering for anyone working with people in childbearing & child raising to look at their biases & gaps within their own respective fields so we can come together to better Utah families.
I want people to know that SHAUNTEA cares about community work and because of that offers a range of services that flow into one another for continuity of care. When we work together, you become my family and are deeply cared for by me & the networks of professionals I have developed over the 15 years I have been in business.
How do you define success?
Ugh. I absolutely hate that word as I feel it’s used in a way that trends into greed.
AND, I define a “job well done” within my business as people being cared for, in the ways that they needed at that time, so that they are ready to navigate the world with their little ones AND that they know if they ever need anything, I am a safe person to return to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shaunteahealthandwellness.com
- Instagram: @shaunteahealthandwellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaunteahealthandwellness
