Today we’d like to introduce you to Rita Abdallah, LISW-S, ACSW, Rita Abdallah, E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®.
Hi Rita, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My path has always been guided by service, curiosity, and a deep respect for the human experience. I began my career after college as a Jesuit Volunteer in Hartford, Connecticut, working with underserved communities impacted by HIV/AIDS. That experience shaped how I see people, resilience, and the importance of compassionate presence. It also laid the groundwork for what would become a 32 year career as a social worker and educator.
Much of my professional life was spent in healthcare and community-based settings, including nearly a decade in outpatient cancer clinics. I supported patients and families through illness, uncertainty, grief, and major life transitions, while also facilitating self-care and meditation classes and creating spaces for emotional and spiritual support. Over time, I saw firsthand how stress, trauma, and burnout affect the whole person, not just the mind.
Alongside my clinical work, I began exploring meditation, yoga, and spiritual practices more deeply. A pivotal retreat experience awakened my intuitive gifts and expanded my understanding of healing beyond traditional frameworks. What started as personal exploration naturally evolved into something I felt called to share with others.
That evolution led me to found Turning Point Yoga & Wellness, a space intentionally created to support people at moments of change. My work now integrates yoga, meditation, intuitive guidance, energy work, and wellness coaching to help individuals reconnect with themselves, regulate stress, and move forward with clarity and purpose.
Today, I also share my work through writing, speaking, and digital platforms, reaching a global audience interested in mindfulness, emotional well-being, and spiritual growth. While the form of my work has changed over the years, the heart of it has remained the same: helping people feel supported, empowered, and more at home in themselves as they navigate life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road, and I think that is true for anyone doing meaningful, heart-centered work. Much of my early career was spent in high-intensity helping roles, particularly in healthcare and community settings, where burnout is common and emotional labor is constant. Supporting others through illness, loss, and crisis while trying to sustain myself was challenging, and there were periods when I had to seriously reassess how to continue without losing my own well-being.
There was also the internal struggle of transitioning from traditional, clinical work into more integrative and intuitive modalities. Stepping outside established systems required trust, courage, and a willingness to be misunderstood. Learning to honor both my professional training and my intuitive voice took time and involved unlearning rigid definitions of what “helping” was supposed to look like.
Building an independent wellness practice brought its own challenges, including financial uncertainty, visibility, and learning how to run a business while staying aligned with my values. I had to develop boundaries, redefine success, and accept that growth does not always happen in a straight line.
Each challenge ultimately clarified my purpose. The struggles forced me to slow down, listen more deeply, and create work that is sustainable, authentic, and truly supportive, both for the people I serve and for myself.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The focus of these offerings is supporting people through stress, transition, and uncertainty by helping them reconnect with themselves. The specialization lies in integrative, whole-person wellness, blending meditation, mindfulness, yoga, intuitive guidance, energy work, and coaching. A foundation in social work shapes how these offerings are delivered, ensuring they are grounded, ethical, and emotionally attuned, meeting real life with compassion rather than bypassing it.
These offerings are known for creating spaces that feel safe, honest, and deeply human. Through one-on-one sessions, group classes, and written and recorded meditations, individuals are supported in regulating their nervous systems, quieting internal noise, and accessing their own inner wisdom. Many arrive feeling burned out, overwhelmed, or disconnected and leave with a greater sense of steadiness, self-trust, and personal agency.
One of the greatest sources of pride is the creation of offerings that are both heart-centered and sustainable. After years spent in high-burnout helping environments, these services were intentionally shaped to honor boundaries, authenticity, and long-term well-being. The founding of Turning Point Yoga & Wellness marked a significant milestone, along with the expansion into writing, teaching, and digital platforms that allow support to extend beyond a physical space.
What sets these offerings apart is the integration of lived experience, clinical training, and intuitive insight. They bridge structure and spirituality, practicality and intuition, without relying on quick fixes or performative wellness. The emphasis remains on depth, presence, and supporting meaningful, lasting shifts in how people relate to themselves and their lives.
How do you think about luck?
Luck has played a role, primarily through unexpected turning points rather than easy outcomes. Certain experiences, including pivotal retreats, meaningful work in healthcare, and moments of personal challenge, arrived at critical times and helped redirect the path forward. A long career in social work and cancer care revealed both the impact and the limitations of traditional helping roles, creating space for a more sustainable and heart-aligned vision.
Periods of burnout and uncertainty, while difficult, became catalysts for clarity and change. What might be seen as bad luck ultimately shaped the creation of Turning Point Yoga & Wellness and its mission of inspiring peace, love, and joy. In that way, luck mattered most in how it was met, by choosing to respond with intention, compassion, and a commitment to celebrating inner calm, connection, and meaningful transformation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tpyogawellness.com/
- Instagram: @turningpointyogaandwellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TurningPointYogaWellness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCey5OnZlqwLkZHlmKtJ7BGQ
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/leads_center/GmghE_tUm1OfBH0B0sPRdg/leads/-VVlXgT0fXDvxHDHkI2Alw
- Other: https://insig.ht/yYK5W2ei2Zb
