Building Our Own Table - Taj M. Smith

Hello friends,

I’ve known Taj M. Smith for years and have been lucky enough to participate in some of his community calls. Taj is an expert in fighting burnout, and has a very calm energy which feels necessary in the times we’re in.

Taj, tell me briefly about your background prior to founding Rooted Respite

I learned to hustle and grind early. I started working when I was nine, washing cars in the apartment complex I lived in to be able to buy movie tickets for myself and my friends during the summer. I enlisted my friends in the work, so we spent our days knocking on doors, soaping up cars, and counting money instead of playing. By age 15, I had an after-school job selling concessions at baseball games and spent weekends as a singer-songwriter in coffee shops. I was also an outspoken advocate for music in schools and LGBTQ+ students.

I continued advocacy and activism in college and burned out because of it. In my early years as an activist, I learned to give my all to the movement. The movement needed me, and I felt shame when I voiced my need for rest. My fellow activists worked so hard to drive change so it was only fair for me to do the same. Instead of discussing what sustainable action could look like with my peers, I threw myself into the chaos of trying to do it all without regard to my personal well-being. Instead of making the change I desired, I found myself hustling to keep up with the constant demands of the movement on my time and energy until there was nothing left for me to give. Other activists praised my hustle but it took a toll on my health. By the time I was 27, I was chronically exhausted with physical aches and pains doctors couldn’t figure out. By age 37, burnout had nearly ended my life twice, both times resulting in long-term stays at inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

My recovery relied on re-establishing connections to myself, my community, and my spiritual practices. Focusing on these three aspects of my life helped me find confidence in setting boundaries with my change work, focusing on what I could actually do instead of on what I thought I should do. People noticed and started asking me how I did it.

In 2023, I founded Rooted Respite to help other social changemakers create that balance for themselves with care and attention to what’s actually within their capacity to do.

Give me the elevator pitch for Rooted Respite

Rooted Respite resources social changemakers with the tools, mindsets, and skills they need to stay engaged in social change without the burnout or compassion fatigue through individual coaching, organizational workshops, and events.

And in more detail?

At its core, Rooted Respite is support for people navigating the ups and downs of social change work. The monthly community call and individual coaching are the main pillars. Community support is key in my theory of change, as is the importance of individuals going inward to unlearn what capitalism has taught them about work and success. I believe in a future where people believe they are enough and no longer feel the need to keep striving for endless, pointless growth. When we believe we are enough, we realize we have enough.

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What inequity were you trying to address, and why is this important?

One of the fundamental inequalities in capitalist society is that only people in the owning class are worthy of leisure. Everyone else is tied to the endless growth and productivity machine. Sure, we may have vacations every now and then, but there is always a tether pulling us back. We are not free to spend our time on the things that make us feel alive and, instead, trade hours for dollars so that we can survive. If we’re lucky, we have some time in the evenings or on weekends to dedicate to pursuits of passion, but that time is shared with everything else we need to do to manage our lives. People deserve to make their living on what makes them feel like they are, in fact, alive, whether that’s painting, music, medicine, carpentry, or something else. There is no unskilled labor and all skills are gifts that are meant to be shared for the benefit of all, not the profit of the few.

How’s it going? What has the response been?

Whenever I share what I do with people, the response is overwhelmingly positive. People are excited by this work and appreciate knowing that it’s out there. In truth, finding people ready and willing to accept the invitation to become clients is hard. Economic stress is high and people are more discerning about where their money goes. It makes total sense and I understand. Still, it’s hard to make a living, but I'm hopeful that will change.

What’s next? Anything interesting happening in the near future?

Right now, I’m in the permitting process for setting up drop-in coaching on the Boston Commons. If my timeline works out, that should start up mid-October. I also have some writing projects in the works that will be available on my website (www.rootedrespite.com), but I won’t say too much about those just yet.

In relation to racism, what is your vision for the future?

I envision a future in which the people who have been most exploited for their labor are free to rest as they wish.

Folx, I encourage you to visit Taj’s website, follow him on LinkedIn and book a paid session with him.

Thanks for reading,

Sharon

Note: poll feedback is private - if you’re happy to share your thoughts in public, then please also leave a comment.

© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2025. All Rights Reserved.

I am an anti-racism educator and activist, the author of “I’m Tired of Racism”, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast. This newsletter is published on beehiiv (affiliate link).