We recently connected with Anne Rajoo and have shared our conversation below.

Anne, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I started my business because of the pandemic. Just before the pandemic, I was made redundant because the travel agency I was working for at the time was struggling financially. I thought I’d find a new job in the new year, but then the pandemic came and there were no jobs. By chance, I discovered the role of a Virtual Assistant and got hired by a company that coached people to host virtual summits, and I became a VA specialised in summits. Eventually, I hosted my own summit. Because of my unexpected job loss and the pandemic that caused my husband to have to take a 50% pay cut, we struggled financially. When I was putting together my summit, my laptop had trouble with the audio. One of the summit speakers I was interviewing was Peggy Sullivan. We had a pre-interview call and my audio was giving me trouble. I told Peggy about my recent struggles and that I wasn’t able to afford a laptop (in Mauritius where I live tech items often cost about twice as much as they’d cost in the US or in Europe). Peggy said, “You can’t host a good summit when your laptop is not working”, and she offered to buy me a brand new laptop and ship it from the US. I had just met her online and she was so incredibly kind to help – I will never forget this moment! I couldn’t believe that she’d do this because there was no gain for her and for me it made a huge difference and I’ve been using this laptop for so many years and it’s enabled me to scale my business, go from a freelance VA to a boutique VA agency, start my Peaceful Productivity mentoring, launch my podcast and host many interviews.

Anne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Anne Rajoo, and I call myself a Peaceful Productivity Mentor. My work is all about helping women, especially entrepreneurs, creatives, and caregivers, to reclaim their time, energy, and focus without falling into the hustle-and-burnout cycle we’ve all been taught to normalise.

My journey here started the way it does for many of my clients: through struggle. As a mom, I lost myself in the constant demands of caretaking, and later, when I built my business, I overcompensated by working harder and harder. I ended up with the same exhaustion, health issues, and resentment I thought I had left behind. That was my wake-up call: productivity couldn’t just be about getting more done. It had to feel human, sustainable, and aligned.

That’s what led me to develop my PEACE framework, which underpins everything I do:

Prioritize with Purpose

Energy Management

Allow Rest and Reflection

Compassion in Action

Enjoy the Journey

Through this lens, I offer Peaceful Productivity Audits, Delegation Mapping, and systems & launch support for entrepreneurs who are ready to build businesses that support their lives, not the other way around. I also share insights on my podcast The Productivity Sweet Spot, and through workshops and trainings, including for non-profits and organizations.

What sets my work apart is that I don’t push one-size-fits-all systems or glorify busyness. Instead, I help people design rhythms, workflows, and support systems that actually match who they are so productivity feels peaceful, not punishing. Clients often come to me overwhelmed, stuck in reactive “busy loops,” or feeling like they’re failing because traditional productivity advice doesn’t work for them. What they leave with is clarity, practical systems, and permission to work differently.

I’m most proud of the transformations I’ve witnessed: clients who go from burnout to balance, from scattered to focused, from doubting themselves to leading with confidence. The ripple effect is real! They show up better for their work, their families, and themselves.

If there’s one thing I’d love readers to know about me and my brand, it’s this: Productivity is not about squeezing more hours out of the day, it’s about creating more life in the hours you have. Peaceful Productivity is both practical and deeply human. And once you experience it, you’ll never want to go back to the old way of working.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn is that productivity equals doing more.

For years, I bought into the idea that success came from working harder, filling every moment, and saying yes to everything. It started in motherhood, where I tried to be the “perfect mom” doing it all, and it carried into my business, where I overbooked myself, ignored my energy, and pushed through exhaustion. The harder I worked, the more I felt like I was failing.

The backstory is that I hit the same wall twice: first as a mom, then as an entrepreneur. In both seasons, I realized that the way I was approaching productivity was unsustainable. I had to unlearn perfectionism, the guilt around rest, and the belief that busyness meant value. Those lessons weren’t easy to let go of, because they were so ingrained. But once I did, I discovered a different way of working – one that’s intentional, aligned with my values, and actually energizing instead of draining.

That’s really how Peaceful Productivity was born. It’s not about fitting more into the day. It’s about creating space for what truly matters, honoring your rhythms, and finding clarity instead of chaos. Unlearning the old ways gave me permission to redefine productivity for myself, and now I help others do the same.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Honestly, the biggest reputation builder for me has been my podcast, The Productivity Sweet Spot.

When I started it, my goal wasn’t to become a “thought leader.” It was simply to open up conversations about productivity that felt human, nuanced, and real. Week after week, I’ve had the chance to talk with inspiring guests, from coaches to creatives to movement specialists, about what productivity means beyond the hustle culture narrative. Those conversations have positioned me as the voice of Peaceful Productivity, but they’ve also built genuine relationships that continue to ripple into collaborations, referrals, and visibility.

The consistency of showing up with a podcast has been huge. It gives people a sense of who I am, how I think, and what I stand for. Clients often say they feel like they already know me before we even work together, because they’ve listened to my episodes. That trust is invaluable.

So if I had to name one thing that’s helped me build a reputation, it’s the combination of sharing my voice consistently, amplifying the voices of others, and creating a platform that reflects my values. The podcast has become more than content—it’s a community touchpoint and a credibility anchor for everything I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annerajoo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_annerajoo_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-rajoo-9333a931/
• Other: My podcast
  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peaceful-productivity-pod/id1776533088
  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18XOE7oqv1LNL0s6uiMor5

Image Credits

Esther Sabetpour from Odyssey Studio