In this inspiring episode of Coaching from the Desert, we sit down with Torrie Taj, CEO of Child Crisis Arizona, a visionary leader with over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Under Torrie’s guidance, Child Crisis Arizona has broadened its impact, strengthened its infrastructure, and deepened its commitment to creating safe and nurturing environments for vulnerable children and families.

As a passionate advocate for professional development, Torrie discusses her exploration of integrating professional coaching into the organization's fabric, not merely as a leadership tool but as a powerful resource to support staff resilience and empower clients on their healing journeys. In this conversation, Torrie reflects on leading through complexity, embracing innovation, and the potential of coaching as a mechanism for sustainable, human-centered growth.
Torrie A. Taj, CFRE 
Chief Executive Officer 
Dynamic and Strategic. Torrie Taj is a passionate and dedicated professional with more than 33 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy. Known as a change agent, Torrie is a heartfelt leader who loves to create big visions for the future while embracing a theory of abundance.  Her energy is contagious and attracts the best talent of individuals who want to make a difference today and for the next generation.

As CEO at Child Crisis Arizona, Torrie provides support and leadership to her team to break the  cycle of child abuse and neglect, creating safe kids and strong families. Torrie started her career  as a volunteer in 1991 and worked her way up, overseeing a variety of human-service programs and departments before being recruited to lead Child Crisis Arizona in 2015.  

Torrie, a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) since 2007, has been a member of the  Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Greater AZ Chapter for 28 years. She served as  Board President in 2016 during her 11-year Board term and on several committees, volunteers as  a mentor in the Professional Mentor Program, attended numerous events, and was the proud recipient of the 2015 “Outstanding Fundraising Executive” award on National Philanthropy Day.  Torrie encourages her staff to give back through volunteer work in the community. Leading by  example, she enthusiastically served as Board Chair in 2022/2023 for AZ Impact for Good, serves  on the Governor’s Council on Child Safety & Family Empowerment, volunteered with Big  Brothers Big Sisters and taught for more than a decade to undergrad students at ASU, her alma  mater . . . Go Devils!  

Her WHY is to mentor, motivate and inspire incredible people who collectively work together so that our community is a better place for everyone. For fun, Torrie loves spending time with her three children, gardening and traveling! Her determination and love for humankind drive her to achieve extraordinary results. Her life is filled with gratitude, optimism, and lifelong learning which keep her inspired and moving forward.  
 
Carrie received her undergraduate degree at Duke University and her master's in Strategic Communications from Columbia University. She serves on the Board of Mentally Anonymous as the Director of Emotional Growth and Well-being.

There is growing recognition of the power of group and team coaching. Yet, how do we, as coaches, lead in seeing and relating to the group as a whole when most of the tools we’ve inherited were made by pulling an individual out of their environment to be studied as an isolated self?

Social therapeutic coaching is a group-based approach to emotional well-being and personal growth. It helps people build the relational muscles needed to create meaningful connections with others and empower a sense of community and belonging. As the world continues to develop in a new direction, a new set of tools is required. Social therapeutics offers a conceptual and methodological shift.

Due to the flexibility baked into the approach, all types of coaches train in the method. (indeed, The Coaching Psychologist notes in its review of Social Therapeutic Coaching: A Practical Guide to Group and Couples Work, Routledge, 2024, that “…many of the practices could also be helpful in single- client work.”)

Embedded in it is an acceptance of and ability to create with uncertainty—the very condition driving the loneliness epidemic, chronic stress, social anxiety, and imposter syndrome that affects us all. Social therapeutics has been practiced for over 40 years, with tens of thousands of Life Development Group sessions occurring across the globe.

The social therapeutic coach empowers clients with a conceptual/experiential toolkit for continuously transforming their lives and how they relate to others in them. Group members develop new ways of seeing, doing, communicating, and feeling. When people discover that they can build and create with others in the moment, they discover their power.

About Carrie Sackett
Carrie Sackett, MS, PCC, is America’s loneliness coach specializing in couples, family, and group work. For over 25 years, she has practiced a boldly transformative approach to emotional wellness and personal growth in the coach’s chair and outside the coach’s office as a Fortune 500 global change leader and award-winning employee engagement professional.

She authored Social Therapeutic Coaching: A Practical Guide to Group and Couples Work (Routledge, 2024), and her articles have appeared in Choice: The Magazine of Professional Coaching and Coaching Perspectives. She has appeared on numerous podcasts and gives talks at coaching conferences and universities.

In 2023, Carrie founded a training company, The Center for Group and Couples Coaching, to offer coaches of all types next-generation tools that empower clients to transform their lives, build meaningful relationships, and achieve emotional well-being.

Carrie received her undergraduate degree at Duke University and her master's in Strategic Communications from Columbia University. She serves on the Board of Mentally Anonymous as the Director of Emotional Growth and Well-being.

The Before and After is about client impact and progress.  Before coaching with the PQ framework, I had a solid effect on clients.  They were setting goals, completing them, and getting to their next step.

After, they can more quickly connect to the root of their issues because they better understand their thought habits and patterns. They can more quickly see relief from their suffering and achieve their goals. I get a faster and stronger sense of relief and hope after.

All of that said, I am a better coach as I was at the ACC level during my ' BEFORE'... I also was used to coaching 1-hour sessions.  I coach 30-minute sessions and can help a client take a sigh of relief a lot faster.  But the framework (The AFTER) adds to this remarkable difference.  I have scores of testimonials ...and it's all about impact.

About Alicia McLane 
As a sought-after speaker, coach, and trainer, Alicia is known as the ‘Organizational Whisperer’. For 25+ years, she has been building high-performing teams, empowering leaders in transition, and creating climates where teams can thrive. Her expertise is transforming people and systems during major organizational change using mental fitness strategies that address the human side of change. 
#adapt #CoachingFromTheDesert #DrDave

The Future of Coaching podcast episode discusses the impact of AI-driven coaching on the overall market, exploring how it is increasing awareness and acceptance of coaching services. While AI solutions may reduce entry-level coaching opportunities due to lower costs, the demand for experienced ICF coaches who offer transformational services is expected to grow significantly. The key to success in this evolving landscape is adaptability. Coaches who embrace technology, especially AI, and emphasize their unique human-centric skills are most likely to thrive.

Individuals who adopt AI as a supportive tool while developing distinctive human skills that AI cannot replicate are most likely to achieve success.

About Arthur “Art” Jones 
Arthur “Art” Jones is a seasoned executive with over three decades of experience spanning Fortune 100 corporations, startups, and his own technology consulting and business coaching firms. 

#adapt #CoachingFromTheDesert #DrDave

Coaching from the Desert Episode 1 features Jill Juran, PCC, Christopher Newhouse, ACC, and Elle Cronin, PCC, describing their journey of establishing and nurturing organizational coaching practices. Dr. Dave shares insights on consulting, coaching, and learning facilitation to enhance team coaching capabilities across organizations.