Whether you work in a church, volunteer, or have dedicated your professional life to another big institution like academia or a non-profit, things are complicated right now.

You still believe in the mission of the institution and see the good that it's doing in the world. You also know that you can't go on like this. You're not sure it's time to burn it all down, but you are sure you're burned out.

Big Picture Big Purpose helps you sort out your next steps, inside or outside the institution you love(d). Sometimes that means igniting a new passion for your current calling. Sometimes that means going somewhere else to start a new fire.

We work with mainline pastors, priests, church-adjacent business owners, higher education professionals, sometimes entire congregations ... anyone who is ready to start a new fire without completely burning a bridge.

Download the first five steps of Discern by Doing as a free pdf, and see if our proven process of reflection and action is a good fit for you.

Meet Dawn

Dawn Trautman founded Big Picture Big Purpose in 2005 to coach ministry professionals, non-profit leaders, and purpose-driven business owners into healthy change-makers in their personal and professional lives.

What sets her apart from other coaches is how she has one foot in and one foot outside the church, drawing the wisdom of psychology, marketing, and entrepreneurship into a deep knowledge of the complexities of faith communities, academia, and non-profits. Her work has been described as "strategic," "action-oriented," and "relentlessly positive without being unrealistic."

After earning a Masters in Youth & Family Ministry at Luther Seminary and being a youth director at two large suburban churches, she earned an additional Masters in Organizational Psychology at New York University. She combined those degrees to become one of the first National Board Certified Life Coaches in the United States.

She spent many years serving ministry leaders from all over the country by designing and producing the MainStage component of the ELCA Extravaganza. She has also worked at two large charitable non-profits, as a professional (Equity) actor, and a Macy's giant balloon handler. On weekends she volunteers at her church's food pantry in New York City, which serves up to 24,000 meals a week. The best way to get to know her is to follow her on Instagram.

This is not self-help.

This is community care.

Big Picture Big Purpose serves people who deeply value their communities but may not be currently served by them. We help people find new calls, develop new passions to serve new groups of people, and launch new businesses. Like most coaching, it is action oriented, but the action is a way of gathering information from your existing community or to reach out to new ones. It's all part of a system called Discern by Doing. Download the first five steps today.

Meet Jill.

Jill was a half-time priest working full time hours when she came to me to figure out how to keep her head above water. The church needed lots of “mothering,” but she wasn’t finding enough time to mother her own three teenagers.

Together we reduced her workload through delegation and boundaries, but her diocese continued to ask her to do more. She realized that she was not alone: many women were given these struggling parishes that were considered part time, but the demands were immense and draining while also being incompatible with home life. Because of our work together, Jill is now on leave, enjoying her teenagers, and bravely speaking up to the local bishop about creating better support for other female priests.

Coaching for people doing good in the world, who need to do it differently.

What others are saying ...

Meet Dawn

This is not self-help.

This is community care.

Meet Jill.

Explore how God is calling you to be a change-maker.