Coaching
You're Not Broken—The System Is
If these statements resonate, you're not alone, and it's not a personal failing. The cycle of overworking → burning out → withdrawing to heal → jumping back in → repeating the pattern is a symptom of something larger.
You've been operating within systems that prioritize productivity over wellbeing, urgency over sustainability, and martyrdom over joy.
Burnout isn't your fault, but you do have a choice in how you move forward.
Break Free from the Burnout Cycle
Many of us learned early on that work comes first: that our worth is measured by our productivity, and our rest must be earned. These beliefs run deep, and without intentional exploration, they show up in how we work toward social change.
Here's the truth: Your joy matters. Your rest is essential.
As a social changemaker, you're driven by purpose and vision, but outdated beliefs about work and worth can become barriers to the very impact you want to create.
Does This Sound Familiar?
- "I'm exhausted no matter how much I sleep." You wake up feeling drained and struggle with energy throughout the day even after a full night's sleep.
- "I resent the constant demands on my time, but I can't bring myself to say no." Every request feels urgent, every cause feels like your responsibility.
- "I carry the weight of every issue I care about." You feel personally responsible for creating large-scale change across multiple causes.
- "I want to be creative and innovative, but 'more important' tasks always take priority." Your needs and desires take a backseat to the endless stream of immediate needs.
- "I don't know who I am." Your identity feels entirely wrapped up in your work for social change.
There's Another Way
Imagine channeling your passion for change while honoring your needs, boundaries, and authentic self. Picture creating lasting impact from a place of sustainable energy rather than depletion.
This is necessarily working less—it’s about working differently. It's about aligning your activism with your values, including the value of your own wellbeing.
Ready to break the cycle?
Your Path Forward
One-on-one coaching with Rooted Respite provides the kind of hands-on support you need to create radical change in your life and in the world. Your coach will help you:
- Name the ways in which our world rewards behavior that leads to burnout.
- Listen to your body and spirit so you become more present to your needs.
- Align your attention with your values so you can prioritize what’s most important.
- Create habits and mindsets that support you living in the world you envision.
You deserve to feel fully alive. You can create change without running yourself into the ground.
Coaching with Rooted Respite helps you break free from burnout, embrace your softness, and embark on a journey towards personal and collective healing.
Meet Your Coach
I'm Taj, and you probably read a little bit of my story on the About page, but what I didn't share there is how my life changed after I healed from burnout.
Here's what happened:
- I found rest. I stopped needing to withdraw to heal and made it a daily practice instead. I connected to my body. I learned how it tells me to take breaks. Now, I recognize the signs that I need food, water, movement, and breaks from my screens. I know what the early signs of overwhelm feel like and can intervene before they get too out of hand.
- My creativity flowed. I no longer felt starved for the inspiration and motivation to create. I started writing and playing music again. Creative ideas came to me so fast that I had to start carrying a small notepad to catch them all. Now, I have a daily writing practice and play my guitar at least three times a week.
- I had the energy to connect and be present with people. I stopped isolating myself and started reaching out to people I hadn't seen in months. I made plans to go out. I even started dating. Now, I have robust friendships with people all over the world and a partner who cares loves me dearly.
- I found meaning in my life again. Instead of questioning whether life has any meaning, I felt empowered to make my life mean something. I no longer questioned my purpose. Now, I see the direct impact I have on the world around me and understand my part in the larger work of social change.
- I started believing in myself again. I stopped measuring my worth by my productivity. I started to believe that my self-worth is intrinsic to my being alive and that I am enough. Now, I am confident in my self-worth even in my moments of doubt.
I couldn't have done this alone; I had help. I've always felt my calling to be helping people who help others, and coaching is the brings together my experience as an activist, an educator, and a healer.
I Want to Help You Heal
You are a well of wisdom incarnate with everything you need to heal already inside of you. My job is to help you remember and reconnect to that wisdom. Eventually you will feel resourced enough to implement our coaching on your own. I don't want you to need me forever, so the length of time we work together is flexible to meet your needs.
By the end of our time, you will:
- Understand rest as your birthright instead of something to be earned. Imagine resting without feeling guilty or "unproductive." Imagine whole days dedicated to your rejuvenation because you know you deserve it. Imagine having enough energy to face everything the day has to offer. Imagine giving what you can to social
- Create boundaries that will protect your time, energy, and values. Imagine having the confidence to set boundaries around your time and capacity and trusting yourself enough to be able to keep them in tact. You know how you want to live and what you need to make that happen so you set boundaries that put that life within reach. Imagine feeling confident that your "yes" arises from your desire to perform the task at hand and confidence that you have the capacity to do it well.
- Recognize yourself apart from your social change work. Imagine seeing the spark in your eyes when you look in the mirror. You have daily opportunities to connect with what brings you joy and you don't worry about how much time you spend with them. Imagine a wealth of creative ideas flowing to you and feeling free enough to explore them.
- Free yourself from unreasonable self-expectations. Imagine feeling like enough. You know your contributions make a difference and feel good about how much you're able to contribute. Imagine feeling responsible only for what you are responsible for.
These are the transformations I help you make.
Monthly coaching to fit your schedule
Monthly coaching allows you to take burnout prevention and recovery at your own pace, because time and energy are everything when you're already burned out. Taj makes it easy for you to get the support you need when you need it.
What you get:
- Choose between one (1) or two (2) 55-minute virtual coaching calls per month.
- Made-for-you resources and tailored worksheets to supplement the hands-on work we do in session.
- Email support between coaching sessions so you don't have to wait for your next session to ask your questions.
- Growth and reflection logs to help you keep track of your progress between sessions.
- An experienced coach in your corner championing your transformation.
Price:
1 monthly coaching call: $465/mo.
2 monthly coaching calls: $835/mo.
(Set session packages also available upon request.)
Get startedSupport that gets to the ROOT
The ROOT System supports your burnout recovery and prevention by redirecting your focus to what matters: creating sustainable habits more aligned with the world you envision, your core values, and what regulates your nervous system.
Reflect
Reflect on the origins of your views on work and success to uncover deeply engrained mindsets that are no longer supportive of who you are. Coaching supports your unlearning as much as your learning so you can release what you know doesn't work to create space for what does.
Outline
Outline a vision of your life free from burnout and chronic stress. You have an idea of how you want to live, but having a crystal clear vision to work toward gives you a blueprint. Coaching helps clarify and create that blueprint with you.
Observe
Observe your present day reality and note the gaps between where you are and where you’d like to be. Coaching will help you create a clear path to align your goals with your reality.
Try
Try on new mindsets, behaviors, and habits while supporting your nervous system's healing. The coaching container is a safer space to explore your boundaries and what you need to thrive.
Coaching with Rooted Respite is...
Trauma-Informed
Burnout is an outcome created by a particular environment. Rather than placing the burden on the individual, Taj understands that people develop specific behaviors to adapt to toxic environments. Some of these habits may no longer be helpful, and he'll help you identify them so you can make more supportive choices in the future.
Liberation-Focused
Liberation is a collective action that needs a collective vision. Coaching with Rooted Respite establishes this vision in the first few weeks of meeting and keeps it at the center of our work together. All exercises, tools, and teachings are in support of this vision with actionable steps you can implement now.
Life-Centered
Our work is honest about how capitalism, colonialism, and white supremacy have damaged the land as well as our relationships to each other and the natural world. We envision a world free of exploitation and believe it is possible to achieve. By keeping you focused on the life you know is possible, the thing that matters stays at the forefront: living.
1
Acknowledge your need
There's no doubt you're committed to uprooting oppressive systems. These systems are engrained in our being so it can be hard to recognize where they still have their hooks in us. Burnout is a recognizable sign. Excessive tiredness, apathy, lack of motivation, and overwhelming stress wreak havoc on your body, mind, and spirit. There's no shame in admitting you need some help to break free.
2
Book a Clarity Call
This no-pressure, conversational call is your introduction to working with Taj. The goal is to help you make an informed decision about how you'd like to move forward. Whether you bring a specific challenge to work through or are in need of some general support, Taj will help you clarify your next steps on your path to liberation.
3
Start the work
You've had your Clarity Call and decided to move forward. Now, the real work begins. Each session is tailored to help you meet your desired outcomes with enough flexibility to accommodate your specific needs that day. Your coach will be there with you through everything that comes up as you reclaim your life from capitalism.
4
Experience freedom
At the end of our work together, you will have the tools to free yourself from overwork and overwhelm. You'll understand how and where you developed habits that reinforce overworking and have tools available to help you make a different choice. You will understand your actual capacity and develop scripts that will help you set clear, compassionate, and firm boundaries. You will be able to recognize the signs of burnout in your body, mind, and spirit and know what you need to keep yourself well.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions about coaching.
Coaching is a collaborative relationship focused on achieving specific goals in your present-day life. Therapy delves deeply into your history to help manage mental health conditions. Most RR clients are also in therapy.
Though your past will come up, your coach is not qualified to make any diagnoses or recommendations related to mental health conditions as a result of past experiences. When the line between therapy and coaching feels blurry, Taj will advise you take that topic to your therapist for further exploration.
The length of the client/coach relationship varies based on the number of calls per month you choose. On average, clients choosing one call per month stay between 6-12 months. Clients choosing two calls per month stay an average of 3-6 months.
Timing is flexible and negotiable between you and your coach.
Not at this time. Right now, Taj is focused on getting enough clients in the door to fund both his business and living expenses. If he meets his financial goals by June 2026, he expects to introduce sliding scale options in the latter half of 2026.
Yes! Taj is available for public speaking, consulting, and team coaching for nonprofits, co-ops, and socially aware for-profit companies. Please book a Clarity Call to discuss options.
Yes! Rooted Respite is a one-person operation that relies on referrals. Most clients find Rooted Respite through word of mouth. Please share widely!