Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin And Tanja Shems And Schroeder.
Hi Erin and Tanja, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Tanja: I started my career internationally, coordinating language abroad programs and working on cruise ships — two demanding but energizing roles. When I returned home and got my first 9-to-5 job, I noticed that a heavy, underlying sense of dread dominated the workweek. Despite finally having weekends off and living a “balanced” schedule, I was more fatigued than ever before. I was intrigued by this contrast and focused my efforts on the employee experience, even going back to school to earn a master’s degree in Leadership and Management. We spend so much time at work, I strongly feel it needs to be a more enjoyable experience. Eventually, after encountering the same challenges from job to job, I realized that no matter how robust the systems or well-intentioned the strategy, if personal wellness isn’t at the foundation of our work habits, burnout is inevitable. I had spent years skipping lunch breaks, working late, and filling my weekends with unfinished projects, believing I was making progress, but really just barely staying afloat. It all caught up to me and forced me to take a pause.
A huge inspiration behind The Recess Reset is to bring wellness habits into the workplace. It is the space where we least expect to find a moment of peace, yet it is where we need it most. From a more relaxed and grounded state, we can make better decisions, communicate more clearly, prioritize tasks more effectively, and, most importantly, feel good. Who doesn’t want to feel good throughout their workday? I had been advocating for this on my own through my company Link, where I introduce tools like breathwork and meditation into the workplace; however, when I met Erin, things began to evolve. Recess is a whole new level, and best of all, I’m not doing it on my own! I have a supportive business partner to share this journey with.
Erin: At the end of 2024, I was still adjusting to life outside corporate after walking away from my career with Mattel Inc. to prioritize my mental health and burnout recovery. Like Tanja, I kept experiencing burnout in various jobs and industries, but didn’t fully realize what it would take to truly address the effects of it. I did all the same things she talked about: skipping lunch, working all hours of the day/night and weekends. Having recently launched my new solo business (Ezippy Co.) I was focused on helping make work suck less for creative and marketing teams with a big emphasis on advocating for mental health, building human-centric processes and better relationships, and reminding teams to have fun. But I knew more could be done when it came to helping people navigate their wellbeing while at work. Look, humans are messy creatures, and the struggle to keep it together is real. So while employers claim they want people to show up as their authentic selves, they are going to need to invest in better wellbeing programs and mental health training for their employees. Not just give them a subscription to a meditation app or that once-a-year “wellness month” activity –– that’s not enough. What else could be offered to them during the actual workday that would benefit not only the employee, but the team and ultimately the business? I just wasn’t sure what it could look like since I was never going to be able to fix the bigger issues facing employees like layoffs, reorganizations, poorly staffed teams, or toxic managers.
Working on Recess is an opportunity to reimagine the work environment. How can we change the experience at work? How can we actively prevent or manage burnout? What if there was an opportunity to unwind and let go of all the weight that we carry? Even for just a moment. That’s Recess. We can’t escape forever, but we can for just enough time to remember that a pause is always available, a healthy outlet is always waiting, and a release is only an exhale away.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being proactive go-getters all our lives, one theme that came up for both of us was not rushing this and trusting that things would happen when the time was right. We knew this was a creative process, which isn’t always linear. At times, we both could feel ourselves slip back into old habits of needing to “do more” or caving to the pressure to figure this out sooner rather than later. We had to let go of old beliefs about productivity and remind ourselves to enjoy the journey. By letting go and leaning in, Recess was able to evolve into a more free-flowing experience that creates a space to relax, rather than yet another lecture or presentation on burnout (which was our starting point). Also, fortunately, we have Romeo, our Chief Cuddle Officer (Tanja’s dog), who is a living, breathing reminder to play and live in the moment.
A potential challenge with Recess, having been there ourselves, is that employees might feel too busy or burdened with work to take Recess. It’s a double-edged sword; taking a break is necessary to cope with stress, but taking a break can feel stressful. We get that. Both of us have agreed that even just a few years ago, you wouldn’t have caught us meditating –– let alone in the middle of a workday (but also, we both got burned out, so lesson learned, ok?!). It is not our intention to detract from work getting done, but if you can trust us with just one recess break, you’ll see that approaching work from a fresh perspective will actually turn your day around in a positive way.
Did we mention that there is science behind this? Recess isn’t just for kids –– grown-ups need playtime, too! Numerous studies are highlighting the benefits of play for adults, including stress relief, improved empathy and communication with colleagues, the release of endorphins to reduce cortisol levels, and providing space for ideas and energy to flow, among other advantages.
Ultimately, by introducing Recess to work environments, we hope to help employees implement some of these tools to manage stress and prevent burnout. Take it from us! Burnout will really negatively affect your life and wellbeing if unaddressed!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We bring Recess to work, literally. We provide a curated experience that allows employees to unwind, play, pause, and reset. Each session includes facilitated elements related to movement, creativity, breathwork, and reflection, as well as unfacilitated (free play) stations. Employees can choose how they want to spend their time to unwind, and all employees will leave with tools to identify and manage stress, a journal, and a take-home craft.
What sets us apart from other organizations that offer team building or employee engagement is that we developed this program based on our experiences in various work environments, our challenges with burnout, and our commitment to adopting healthier habits and patterns. We blend and integrate tips and techniques from life coaching, yoga, and breathwork with the nostalgia of recess breaks from childhood.
We’re super excited to bring this to companies so they can show their employees that they do care and are serious about investing in their wellbeing. We hope you’ll join us and be a part of the journey to dismantle hustle culture!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are so many ways!
Book a 1-hour, 2-hour, half-day, or full-day session for your team. Recess can be scheduled on a bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly cadence, as well as during your half-day and full-day company retreats/offsite meetings. Or, of course, whenever the need for play calls to you!
The only hoops we make you jump through are hula hoops! Planning events is hard enough, so we make it easy by providing our base prices (no bottlenecks here!). Pricing is subject to change based on customizations, group size, or discounts offered for multiple bookings or nonprofits. Yes, you read that right –– we do offer a discount for nonprofit orgs, and a variety of discounts based on your booking cadence.
We’ve included our pricing for the 1-hr Recess based on group size. For more pricing, please visit our website and refer to the FAQ page.
We’d love it if you could share this with your friends, family, and anyone you know –– help us spread the word about Recess! We’re ready to support teams in managing all the EOY deadline stress.
Pricing:
- Teams up to 35- $2,500
- Teams up to 80- $5,000
- Teams up to 120- $7,500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therecessreset.com/
- Instagram: @therecessreset
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recess-reset
