Terranie Clarke of Detroit on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Terranie Clarke and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Terranie, 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: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
As a mom and entrepreneur, I’ve learned that the way I start my day deeply affects everything that follows. I usually wake up before my husband and kids so I can have sacred time to myself—time to just be. The first 90 minutes of my day are intentionally slow and nourishing. I begin with meditation, journaling, a cup of tea, and a few quiet moments of stillness and affirmations to ground me. I also try to move my body—whether it’s yoga, stretching, or a peaceful walk. These practices are non-negotiable for me because I’ve found that when I’m not good to myself first, I can’t show up fully for anyone else. So every morning, before the world needs me, I take a moment to pour into me.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Terranie Clarke, founder of The Heart Next Door, a maternal wellness brand on a mission to help families thrive. Through storytelling, technology, and community care, we’re redefining how moms experience support during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond.

My journey began from a deeply personal place, navigating motherhood, loss, and healing in a system that too often overlooks the emotional and holistic needs of mothers, especially women of color. That experience birthed a calling to create the very thing I needed: a platform rooted in empathy, accessibility, and collective care.

At The Heart Next Door, we blend innovation with intention. We’re building a 24/7 maternal wellness platform featuring Nia™, our AI-powered digital doula, alongside access to real experts, emotional check-ins, and guided learning. But beyond the tech, our app is a growing ecosystem designed to uplift and amplify the voices of mothers and birth workers.

Through our Founding Member Model, early users are helping shape the future of care. We’re creating space for maternal health advocates, doulas, and everyday moms to share their stories, co-create solutions, and be part of a movement grounded in radical support and shared legacy.

We’re also expanding our media reach through The Heart Next Door Podcast, where we share honest, healing conversations around motherhood and The Heart Next Door Early Learning, where we create learning content to help moms educate their kids. In our commitment to reach 1 million families, everything we do centers around one truth: motherhood was never meant to be walked alone.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
On July 24, 2024, I almost died giving birth to our daughter, Rielle. After being diagnosed with placenta accreta, I went into my C-section prepared for complications, but nothing could’ve truly prepared me for what happened.

I lost 10 liters of blood. I underwent an emergency hysterectomy. I was sedated and monitored in the ICU, unconscious for nearly 24 hours. And when I finally woke up, it would be another full day before I could hold my daughter for the first time.

That experience fundamentally changed how I see motherhood, womanhood, and the healthcare system in this country.

But from that pain, purpose was born.

I wrote a book called Waking Up to Grace. It’s a testimony to the power of faith, healing, and believing in something greater than our circumstances. My daughter and I are living proof of what’s possible—but I know too many women who never got that second chance.

That’s why I pour my all into The Heart Next Door. It’s why I show up every day to build community, create tools, and advocate for maternal health. Because every mother deserves to survive. Every family deserves to thrive.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
It was when I came home from the hospital after Rielle’s birth, sore, stitched, and changed forever. I held my daughter in one arm and the weight of what I’d survived in the other. That’s when it hit me: I was still here.

I had lost so much – my womb, my strength, pieces of myself I couldn’t name. But I had also gained something I couldn’t ignore: perspective, clarity, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I survived what many don’t, and that truth lit a fire in me.

That’s when I started writing Waking Up to Grace as a way to process it all, but it quickly became something bigger—a call to action, a love letter, a lifeline for the next woman who might need it. That’s when my pain became power. Not just because I lived through it, but because I could give it voice and purpose.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe I had to do it all—to be strong, selfless, and perfectly composed, no matter what I was carrying. I thought asking for help was weakness, that rest was a luxury, and that self-care was somehow selfish.

But I’ve learned—through motherhood, loss, healing, and grace—that none of that is true.

Vulnerability isn’t shameful; it’s strength. It’s what creates connection. And every time I’ve chosen to be honest about my pain, it’s helped someone else feel less alone. That’s powerful.

I’ve let go of the “superwoman” myth. I now know I don’t have to do everything, be everything, or carry everything alone. I’ve learned that taking care of myself isn’t an indulgence—it’s an act of love, not just for me, but for everyone I show up for.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope they say I loved deeply and lived with purpose. That I turned pain into power—not just for myself, but for others. That I showed up for mothers, for families, for my community, even when it was hard. Especially when it was hard.

I hope they say I was a builder of bridges—between technology and humanity, between grief and healing, between who we are and who we’re becoming. That I used my voice to uplift others, that I helped moms feel seen and safe in a world that often forgets them.

And most of all, I hope my children say that I loved them out loud. That I didn’t just dream of a better world—I helped create it.

If my story lives on, let it be a story of grace, of courage, and of a woman who dared to believe that love and legacy are the most powerful things we can leave behind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heartnextdoor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartnextdoor
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terraniesims/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terraniesims/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theheartnextdoor