Get Rooted: Reclaim Your Soul, Serenity, and Sisterhood Through the Healing Medicine of the Grandmothers

by Robyn Moreno (Author / Narrator)

In this memoir, manifesto, and manual, discover how the alchemy for real personal transformation lies in digging up your own medicine and tools—and your ancestors are your greatest guides.

Anyone scrolling through Robyn Moreno’s social media seeing her on the set of The Today Show; shaking hands with Barack Obama at the White House; speaking on stage at SXSW; and cozying up to celebs like J.Lo and Rihanna would have thought she was living the life. But the truth behind her well-curated snaps was that Robyn was burnt out AF: in the midst of a full-on, mid-life meltdown comprised of that all-too-typical working mom tightrope walk coupled with painful family drama.

To save her soul, sanity, and family, Robyn quit her manic #mommyboss existence, and set out on a 260-day spiritual journey based in Aztec and Mayan traditions, studying the medicine of her Mexican grandmothers: curanderismo. She learned about sustos—soul losses—and ser—your true essence. She reconnected with family she hadn’t spoken to in ages, like her 93-year-old great aunt Dora, who shared fantastical stories about her great-grandmother, Mama Natalia, who was a curandera. She took cooking lessons with a tough but tender-hearted Mexican chef who became her surrogate abuela and had tobacco blown up her nose by a Shaman from the Andes. She had dramatic moments with her sisters, her mom, her husband, and herself. And finally, she went into the jungle of Belize and threw herself in a Mayan river in the hope of breaking an ancestral curse.

Reckoning with the hidden stories and aspects of her family and her Mexican-American culture that were transforming and heartbreaking brought Robyn to an unshakable understanding of who she is and how she fits into this world. And, by looking to her past to decide which traditions, which medicines, to pass on to her daughters—and which to leave behind—she began to root into the person she was meant to be. Get Rooted shares Robyn’s unforgettable story of reclamation—and offers a path for others to reclaim their own ser.

Genres: Self Help, Memoir, Nonfiction

Audiobook

First published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Miya (severe pain struggles, slower at the moment) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. Emotional and honest. A journey that I felt so deeply. One that makes you really think and reassess your life. Such a lovely read for so many reasons. Just gorgeous!

[Emily]

Part memoir and part self-help workbook, Get Rooted describes the author’s 260-day spiritual journey studying curanderismo, the medicine of her Mexican grandmothers. While the story announces itself in a way that readers will surely compare to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love and Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, it quickly becomes something different than these—at once a meditation on family history, a reflection on personal lived/living experiences, and a guidebook for others seeking deeply buried pieces of their stories. Moreno shares the work she did to recover some of the lost aspects of her history that became sustaining for her while also exploring the ways in which familial and cultural stereotypes she internalized limited her (e.g., her mother’s statement that she wasn’t “good with” money). A deeply felt, beautiful written account of intersectionality, personal responsibility, and growth.

[Shel Holtmeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful book. I thought it was very interesting and loved how she intertwined history and culture within the main theme of reassessing one’s life and getting back to your roots.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for giving me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! I'm going to come back later and write a full review after I work through the exercises and meditations 🙏💖😌

[Kay Neff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the history and culture that was intertwined with the main theme. Although this book is mostly about getting back to your roots and slowing down, a lot of it was about our backgrounds and where we come from.

[Stacey]

Not what I was expecting. Didn’t like this one. Had some interesting ideas but I didn’t connect with it. I don’t belong to one kind of ethnicity like this author. And I like the idea of moving forward instead of feeling like I can only be complete by anchoring myself, my traditions, and my life to those who have passed on. I do like connecting to ancestors but the way she spoke about it seemed like more they were holding us back, and we needed to revert back to their thoughts and attitudes and beliefs and actions to find ourselves. It just doesn’t work for me. Not everyone can or should revert back to their ancestors traditions. It just was not universal information. It was ok to read and was an interesting journey but I would not recommend for anyone. I have often wonder why ancestors are so revered. So 2 people had sex. It happens all the time. And not all sexual interactions are done willingly. Not all children are wanted. Biology is interesting and is a way to make sense of the world and our place in it, but I don’t believe every person who is biologically connected to me cares about me. That seems extremely egotistical. Like I said it has some interesting stuff but not really anything helpful. I have multiple cultures that my current government has systematically removed from my people. I believe we should be focusing on bringing the people around the world together with new traditions, and that will be better overall. Clinging to our past’s keeps us more segregated in the present. I guess it just depends on if a person is more interested in the past or the present/future.

[Jess | dapper.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting with being both part memoir and part self-help. I found it to be decently educational, especially when it comes to the culture of the author. I learned plenty from this. I also learned about the struggles of the author and her family and this is where I found myself struggling through it. While there were many chapters that I flew through, there were also plenty of them that I struggled to read because they just didn’t hold my attention. Each chapter is followed by additional explanations into the cultural ideas introduced in those chapters and these were the parts I found absolutely unputdownable. I find healing practices to be fascinating and this book did not disappoint for that.

While I normally don’t rate memoirs, I’m going to rate this one since it’s also part self help. I went 4 stars because it feels right for the feelings this book left me with. While it wasn’t my favorite, it was still good.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Hachette Go for a gifted copy for honest review!
Get Rooted by Robyn Moreno is a memoir and the story of the author's journey toward healing from her own trauma and the generational trauma of her family, finding her way through curanderismo and her ancestors. This was really moving, especially when she is dealing with her mother and sisters, who have all manifested their losses and traumas in different ways. Robyn finds out so much about herself through this and you really feel her healing coming through, while learning more about her Mexican-American heritage and traditions.

[Kasia Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robyn is living life, moving along the path as she rocks the #Momboss mode, until something happens and everything comes crashing down around her. As she tries to pick up the pieces, she begins a search that takes her back to the roots of her ancestors in 260 days, in this case, Mexican grandmothers, and she starts paving a way forward of a journey of healing, for her and her family. Raw, real, and reminiscent of journeys we've seen before like Cheryl Strayed's Wild, or Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

[Mandy Kell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get Rooted by Robyn Moreno is a deeply spiritual, authentic memoir/guide about how to find your true self and break generational curses. This book is a celebration of Robyn's culture and heritage with many personal stories of traditions and loved ones. Her writing is raw and emotional as she highlights her journey to wellness by immersing herself in the Mexican practice of curanderismo. I was moved by Robyn's journey and enjoyed learning more about the ancient healing system that she holds so dear.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally cried and wept every single chapter. If you are on your own sacred healing journey, Robyn's words will come to you like balm for your soul. Her story rings true like a deep remembrance in your bones. Her culture and return to ancestors and practices was deeply inspiring and some of her sentences hit me so deeply and rang so true that they forever changed my life and my way of being and my own healer journey. This book goes with me in my heart wherever I go. I bought it for a friend as well. Thank you Robyn!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book during a women's empowerment conference session focused on centering Indigenous practices in personal and professional spheres. It's part memoir, part practical guide to learn some basics of curanderisma without teaching readers how to be curanderas. The author encourages readers to find their own teachers if they've found the guidance in the book helpful. It was a beautiful and well-written story with great starting points for those with culturally appropriate backgrounds to match what's shared in the book.

[Christina Strother · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book months ago but I’m not sure exactly when. I kept putting it down and finally decided to finish it. I was introduced to this book through a platform I follow on social media. It was difficult for me to get through.
I appreciated the different lessons and hearing parts of her story. It’s hard for me to grasp quoted phrases since our minds recall memories from our perspectives that aren’t necessarily true. The Belize retreat sounded amazing and I enjoyed learning about some resources.
You decide if this book is for you.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robyn Moreno was burnt out with life when she had a complete meltdown. To save herself she began a 260 day spiritual journey. Her journey led her to discovering her soul loss, cleansing her emotions, blowing away negative energies, learning her true essence, and determining what she is naturally good at. I thought Moreno does a good job at identifying these things and helping you learn to identify them within yourself.

[Ännä · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the curanderismo, a type of medicine woman rooted in the Mexican culture. i enjoyed reading about how Robyn Moreno developed a deeper connection with her family and her heritage as she learned about some ancient medicinal and spiritual traditions. I always enjoy reading about a woman on a journey, and this one was definitely unique.

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed my time with this book. The author pretty much let us into her life for the time that she had set aside to reclaim herself and I appreciated that she let us in on it. Her openness, the research and history of her family was just what I needed.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

[The Canadian Book Worm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only made it about 15% of the way through the book, even though I tried multiple times. It was more memoir than guidebook or spiritual "how to". I'm certain there is a wonderful audience for this, but I'm not a big memoir fan so it wasn't for me.

[Kelly Pramberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moreno has crafted a beautiful book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars! I liked her writing style and how she shared her healing journey with us. I was able to learn important information about wellness and fresh ideas for my own journey.

[sunkissedswain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt very cultured reading this book. It helped bring me back to my own roots in the most comforting and symbolic ways. I love the medicine and practices that were shared. Be prepared to take notes to reference during your time of practice and healing.

[Nathalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and inspiring. Working through my own journey.

[Kelly Niehaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 260 day journey of Robyn Moreno studying and living the spiritual journey of curanderismo. After each chapter, she gives you a little assignment to think/do.

[Brie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned after a few chapters. So personal to author that it does not lend any help to others who do not share same beliefs or culture.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read! I think every woman could benefit from this book. Valuable information to work on healing family/generational trauma.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book that has a lot of basic yet sensible things to say. It was a quick and easy read that was enjoyable.