About

Hi, I'm Rose Slam! Johnson

You can call me Rose, or Slam! I am the coach behind Nimble Roots Coaching, a personalized coaching and facilitation business tailored to queer small business owners.

A small business owner since 2009, I’ve worn many hats: from food to finance and events production to people management. I’ve cut my teeth and learned a lot of lessons the hard way.

As a small business coach, I bring my experience, empathy, and possibility to individuals, groups, and teams.

Bravery, compassion, and fun are fundamental themes that guide me.

These core values fuel my fire.

I empower courageous leaders and healers to navigate challenges, build meaningful businesses and find stability in an ever-changing landscape. If that’s you, you’re in the right place.

Read on to explore my small business journey, or schedule a Joy Ride to see if we gel!

Read My Story

My Philosophy

My Story

In 2009 I had a hankering for hummus. I was traveling across the country visiting friends and camping at festivals; along the way, I asked friends to borrow their food processor so I could make them hummus. It was delicious, it was fun, and it was magic because it was an opportunity to break bread with new and old friends.

When I landed back home in San Francisco, CA, I shared my excitement with friends and they encouraged me to do something with my dream. I made a little .pdf invitation on a bootleg copy of photoshop and sent it out to friends and acquaintances:

"Join my weekly Community Support Culinary Adventure (CSCA) where I will deliver (by bicycle) a flight of cute mason jars full of Hummus, Salsa, Salad and Pesto."

I told myself that if five people signed up, I would go for it. In a twist of surprise and delight, 10 people said yes and I was off to the farmers market to collect my ingredients!

Over the next 7 years I would explore (almost) every possible avenue for making food and bringing it to people.

I tried:

Delivery
Pop-ups
Private Chefs
Partnerships
Public Events
Private Events
Catering
Collaborations
Retreats
Festivals
Underground Markets
Bartering

And finally, in a last ditch effort to weave food, bikes, and people together in a way that was financially and physically sustainable for myself, I kickstarted, designed, and built a bicycle with a kitchen on the back of it.

I was encouraged by the community I was building, connecting with people through food, but the challenges crowded out the rewards…seven years in, I burned out.

Queer Camp

During this time, I was also hosting a summer camp themed camping trip called Queer Camp. With my dream team, we organized over 14 events, hosted 475+ participants, and had a fricken blast!

Each event had a theme, workshops, and shared meals. This project is one my proudest experiences.

I experienced the struggles and rewards of being a small business owner first hand, and the lessons I learned are fundamental to who I am and what I think is possible within the small business world today. These reflections also ground and inform my work as a coach. This experience directly informed my philosophy.

My Philosophy

What I learned from my first business:

I was in a rush. Many of my goals were short-sighted. I was often influenced by urgency, scarcity, and comparison. It takes bravery to slow down and get grounded in a vision.

I was hard on myself. I felt overwhelmed and frustrated if I wasn’t good at new things relatively quickly. It takes compassion to grow gently, with care.

I kept pivoting. I changed my offerings, my business model, and my experiments frequently, constantly reinventing the wheel. It takes a combination of fun and consistency to build lasting momentum with your audience.

I adjusted my approach.

I took a job as the part-time bookkeeper for an organization I loved, where I worked closely with a beloved mentor. This marked a transition period from solo entrepreneurship to working with teams. I worked with a variety of companies, in a variety of roles, in order to understand how a business works at a larger scale.

My key takeaway:

A business is made up of relationships, strengthened by a shared vision. This is what inspires me to be present and supportive with leaders as they are building a foundation that lasts.

The Facilitation Experiences & Certifications I collected along the way:

Coach Training with Academy for Coaching Excellence (ICF Accredited Program) 2020
Certified Money Coach (CMC) 2020
Core Energetics 2017, 2018
Queer Camp, Founder and Director
BayNVC Immersion Program 2015 Graduate, 2016 Assistant
BayNVC Leadership Program: 2014 Graduate, 2015 Assistant
The Art of Facilitation
Yes Jam: The North American Leadership Jam + Queer Jam + Emerging and Evolving Economies Jam

When I am coaching you:

Your purpose, your wants and your needs are front and center
We design your business for you - based on what works for you and your ideal clients
We work through hard stuff together - you do have to do this yourself, but you don't have to do it alone

Let's Play!