About this guide
This is a practical, non-clinical guide for leaders in Waco who feel stretched thin and want a structured way to reset. It covers taking stock of your workload, choosing a coach, setting aside time away from the office, and building rest you can sustain. It makes no claim about any coach or program. If you have concerns about your health, talk with your own doctor first; a coach is not a stand-in for that.
Step 1: Take an honest look at one week
For five working days, jot down when you start, when you stop, how many meetings you sit in, and when you last ate a proper meal. Note the evenings and weekends when work crept in. Do not change anything yet. You are just collecting a picture. Many Waco leaders, especially those whose year follows a university calendar like Baylor's, find that certain months are far heavier than others, so note which part of the year you are in.
Step 2: Name what is draining you
Look back at your notes and circle the three things that cost you the most energy. It might be back-to-back meetings, a commute along I-35, a role that has quietly grown, or constant availability by phone. Be specific. "Too much work" is hard to coach; "four hours a day in meetings I don't run" is not.
Step 3: Decide what kind of help you want
Some people want a single planning session. Others want a few months of regular coaching. Some want both, starting with a longer retreat-style session and then shorter check-ins. Decide roughly how much time and money you can commit before you start contacting coaches.
Step 4: Shortlist coaches
Use the listings on this page to choose two or three coaches whose focus fits your role. The directory introduces you to independent coaches; it does not employ them or check their credentials. Ask each the same questions: who they usually work with, how sessions are structured, whether they meet by video or in person, where they trained, the total fee, and their cancellation terms. Get the important answers in writing.
Step 5: Book time outside the office
A change of setting helps many people think more clearly. Waco has two good choices at different distances.
For a short break, Cameron Park is near downtown. The City of Waco, cited below, describes 416 acres of towering trees, two rivers, cliffs and a multi-use National Recreation Trail System. It is about ten minutes by car from many central offices, so an hour there during the workday is realistic.
For a longer reset, consider Mother Neff State Park on the Leon River southwest of the city. Texas Parks and Wildlife, cited below, describes nearly 3.5 miles of trails and facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, including the CCC Rock Tower. Allow roughly 40 minutes to an hour each way from central Waco.
Drive times in this guide are approximate and change with traffic and your starting point.
Step 6: Hold a planning session with your coach
Bring your week's notes and your three drains. Work with your coach on two or three concrete changes: a meeting you will drop, a block of protected time, a task you will hand to someone else, or an evening cut-off for email. Keep the list short enough to actually do.
Step 7: Tell the people who need to know
Changes stick better when your team or family knows what you are trying. Tell your direct reports which hours you are protecting and why. If you lead at a large institution such as Baylor, with a campus community of more than 20,000 students, explain how urgent requests should reach you so nothing important gets lost.
Step 8: Build in regular rest
Put recovery time in the calendar the way you would a meeting. That might be a weekly walk in Cameron Park, a monthly half-day away from screens, or a seasonal visit to a state park. Hold these as fixed appointments.
Step 9: Review after a month
Repeat the one-week check from Step 1. Compare it with your first notes. Keep what helped, drop what did not, and decide with your coach whether to continue, change the format, or pause.