Who is Roots & Wings Midwifery?

Hello! We are Rebekah Mustaleski, Kyndall Proffitt, and Aly Salas and we are the Roots & Wings birth services team..  We look forward to hearing from you and being able to serve you and your family through this season in your life, but in the meantime, look through our page and let us know if you have any questions about us or the care we offer. 
Photo Credit: Light of Mine Photo

Rebekah Mustaleski, CPM-TN, IBCLC


​I believe that birth is an incredible moment in a woman's life. It's when they are able to see their own strength, determination, and courage. But the work is also hard and questioning yourself is normal, which makes it a vulnerable time as well. So I think it is important to be surrounded by people who care and respect you. People who will support you as you find your way through the labor process.  I also believe that how someone is treated in labor has a large impact on whether they are encouraged by the experience or not.  Throughout my training, I have worked with many people in a variety of settings. I have a strong desire to educate individuals about their options regarding labor and delivery so that each family can make their own decisions about what is right for them. As a licensed CPM, I am thankful that I can continue to encourage each person I work with to be in charge of their birth experience.

Though I have lived in several other places, Knoxville has always been home to me. I live with my husband and four kids in the house my grandparents built. I homeschool my children and find there are never enough hours in the day for all of the things I want to do.
Photo Credit: Light of Mine Photo
Photo credit: Break the Mold Photo
Photo Credit: Light of Mine Photo

Kyndall Proffitt, CPM-TN


​I have a passion for women's health, reproductive justice, and holistic medicine. I have a strong understanding of physiologic birth and I trust the process, knowing that each person has the strength and wisdom to birth the best way for themselves and their babies. I believe that birth is one of the most precious human experiences and I am whole-heartedly committed to safeguarding it.

I was born and raised in Nashville, TN and began attending births as a doula in 2011. I began studying midwifery the following year and have experienced birth in various roles and settings including home, hospital and birth centers. I attended the Midwives College of Utah and received my clinical training from seasoned CPMs and CNMs. In 2019, I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Midwifery.

Outside of being a midwife, I am a wife, mother, and yoga instructor.. I enjoy traveling, hiking, foraging, gardening, cooking, and music. When not on-call, you'll probably find me in the woods!

Aly Salas, CPM-TN

My passion for pregnancy and birth was born from my own pregnancies and experiences.  As a military spouse, we often found ourselves in new cities every few years with little to no family close by.  I especially felt the lack of support in the postpartum, which led me to begin studying as a postpartum doula and placenta encapsulation specialist in 2012.  I continued to support postpartum families while growing mine, and remember feeling the pull to midwifery grow.  I earned a Bachelors of Science during this time, but had no idea what to do with it. I kept circling back to my births and how they left more to be desired.  More compassion, more education, and more trust.  I hadn’t found a provider that I truly connected with or who I felt genuinely listened to my questions and concerns.  I wanted to be that provider.

After landing back in our hometown of El Paso, Texas, I began studying midwifery at Maternidad La Luz Midwifery and Birth Center in 2017.  This high volume birth center on the border of Texas and Mexico allowed me to learn the skills and hone the craft of midwifery.  It was here where I saw how empowering women and the education of physiologic birth contributed to a safe and beautiful birth experience that everyone enjoyed.  I graduated in 2018 and stayed on as Staff Midwife after my CPM and licensure credentials were earned. I am a NARM preceptor and also teach at National College of Midwifery.  I strive to provide safe care and informed consent to families, empowering them with the knowledge to make the decisions that are best suited for them.  It is truly an honor to serve my community in this capacity and be invited to such intimate moments.

Off-call, you can find me camping with my husband and three kids, nose in a book, or whipping up some sort of herbal concoction with whatever managed to thrive in my garden that season.  I am also a perpetual learner and am in the process of wrapping up my Masters degree in Healthcare Administration.  
Photo Credit: Light of Mine Photo

Other Roots & Wings Team Members

Office Manager - 
​​Stephanie Roberts, RN, BSN

​I believe that all women should feel empowered to manage their reproductive health. I also believe that each of us who has chosen to work within the medical community has a duty to support, educate, and assist women as they work toward their health goals in all areas of their lives. My goal is to help provide easy access to education, encouragement, support and resources related to every aspect of women’s health, including labor and delivery. In doing this, women have the knowledge and tools necessary to choose the health options that are best for them and their growing families.
Ten years ago I started my career as a registered nurse specializing in pediatrics. My career took me to pediatric intensive care, post-partum mother and baby care, adult intensive care, emergency care, and post-anesthesia care.  While I loved many aspects of my time in the hospital setting, my true passion lies in wholistic preventative care and education for women and children. I’m thankful my career path has led me to be a part of a team that is committed to empowering women and safeguarding the experience of labor and delivery for families in and around the Knoxville area.
 
Away from work, I’m a wife, mother, and dog lover. Our family just returned from 6 years on the Gulf Coast and are happy to be back home in Knoxville, TN.

Student Midwife 
Cara Grigsby
I have had a life-long love and interest in reproductive health, both physiologically and in activism. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Sociology where I focused on birth and death. I grew up in South Knoxville, TN, but after graduating, I moved to Central Oregon where I gave birth to my three fabulous daughters. I found it impossible to stay away from birth, so I trained to become a birth doula. Working with the midwives and hospitals in Oregon gave me a well-rounded picture of all the ways birth can look and what options birthing people have. 

I began my own doula practice in 2014, and have loved supporting people through one of the most transformative times of their lives. I moved back to Knoxville four years ago where I continued to grow my doula practice while considering what I want for my career in birth work in the long term. In 2020 I was invited to become a birth assistant with Roots and Wings Midwifery. I had always hoped to eventually become a midwife, and assisting with them only solidified that this was the path for me. I felt alive and like I was right where I was supposed to be! I am currently studying at the Midwives College of Utah where I will graduate with a Bachelor’s of Midwifery. I am so thankful to be receiving my clinical training with Roots and Wings. Their skill, wisdom, and expertise are a gift to me and all of my future clients!