Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Ramanathan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a certified Wayfinder Coach, and I run a coaching practice helping people become architects of their own joy. I work with people who sense there is more to their life than what they are currently living and who want to live from a place of alignment rather than expectation.
Early in my career, I knew I wanted my work to help people live meaningful lives, but it took years of pivoting, burnout, and questioning to find a way of doing that work that actually fit me. For a long stretch, I moved through roles that looked perfect from the outside, including teacher, nonprofit administrator, social impact leader, and consultant. I cared deeply about the work, but something was always off. Fortunately, I was raised by parents who encouraged curiosity and following my passion, which gave me permission to keep asking the uncomfortable question: does this really fit me? That questioning ultimately led me to seek out coaching for clarity.
Everything shifted when I was selected as a fellow with the Women’s Impact Alliance and experienced coaching for the first time. Coaching invited me to stop settling and start listening in order to reconnect with my authentic self. That experience led me to take a big leap and apply for a scholarship to become a certified coach through the Martha Beck Wayfinder program.
Since then, I have supported dozens of clients through career and relationship transitions, burnout, and those in-between seasons of feeling stuck, even if they cannot yet name what comes next. Coaching helped me rewrite the rules I was living by, and now I help others rewrite theirs.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In my experience, anything in life that is truly worthwhile is rarely smooth, and this has been no exception. The biggest challenge for me was learning to trust myself while stepping away from paths that looked right on paper but did not actually work for me. Much of my work was meaningful in theory, but over time I realized it was not aligned with my values or how I am wired. I also learned that I need to be able to see the impact of my work, and in many of the program leadership roles I held, that connection was distant or abstract. Pushing through that misalignment led to burnout. Letting go of roles I had invested in was difficult, especially when they came with external validation and a strong sense of identity, even if it was not my truest one.
I started my coaching practice last year while still working full time, and for a while it lived in the in-between. It was only after getting the courage to leave my full-time role in November 2025 and, in a recent session with my own coach, realizing that I could truly give this a fair shot, that something clicked. Choosing to work for myself has meant confronting fear and long-held beliefs about stability and success. Now, in 2026, I am fully committed to building this practice and steering by starlight. I stopped waiting for permission, and I started building.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I run a coaching practice as a certified Wayfinder Coach, helping people build lives that are truly theirs. My work is centered on life design and alignment. I support clients through career transitions, relationship decisions, and major life crossroads, especially when they feel burned out, stuck, or unsure which direction to trust. At its core, my work helps people slow down, listen inward, and make choices from integrity rather than expectation.
What sets my work apart is how grounded and practical it is. As a Wayfinder Coach, I blend deep self-inquiry with real-world experimentation. We do not just talk about insight. We translate clarity into action through small, intentional experiments that allow clients to test what truly fits before making big commitments. Clients often come to me feeling stuck for years and leave with the confidence and clarity to finally make the move they have been afraid to make.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of the integrity and intentionality of my practice. I do not position myself as someone who has it all figured out. I show up as a thoughtful partner who asks honest questions, creates space for reflection, and supports forward movement. I want readers to know that this work is not about fixing yourself or optimizing your life. It is about rewriting the rules you are living by and choosing a life that actually fits.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’m a big believer in balance when it comes to what I consume. I don’t live on self-help alone, I like mixing depth with joy, creativity, and good storytelling. If you want a window into my coaching philosophy, I always recommend Steering by Starlight, which is a beautiful entry point into life design. Lately, I’ve also been reading a lot about the nervous system, anxiety, and creativity, both for my own growth and to support my clients. I love everything written by bell hooks, often return to Big Friendship, and reach for fiction and poetry by Celeste Ng, Yung Pueblo, and mindfulness books by Thích Nhất Hạnh when I want something grounding. Practically speaking, I’m almost always using Libby and Goodreads to keep my reading life flowing. More than any single resource, though, I pay attention to what energizes me and what doesn’t, which is honestly the same practice I bring into my coaching.
Pricing:
- Individual coaching: Sliding scale of $75–$150 per hour, based on need and context
- Groups/Organizations: Starts at $600, with pricing depending on group size and scope
- I believe coaching should be accessible, so I use a sliding-scale model and invite an open conversation to find what works best for each client
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tararamanathan.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tararamanathan
Image Credits:
My profile photo was taken by my friend Bayani and the group workshop photo was taken by me during the life design workshop I led.
