Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self with Guest Dimple Dhabalia | HR 73

Episode Intro:

Dimple Dhabalia has woven both her own story and that of others she has worked with into a phenomenal book, Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self; a book that digs deep into the realities that so many of us who provide service to others (because “caring for others in inherent to who we are, and to do anything different would leave us feeling unfulfilled and restless”) experience.

Did you know that vicarious trauma can result from repeated exposure to other people’s trauma and their stories of traumatic events, and that compassion fatigue can result from caring for those who are in significant pain and distress? It will likely come as no surprise that factors such as lack of transparency, decision making that doesn’t consider workforce health, and perceptions of unfairness in the workplace can tip our organizations into what is being termed “organizational trauma”, all of which contribute to toxic work environments, burnout, disengagement, and sickness. If your role includes oversight of people, you could be having to deal with all these - both as the leader of the team you are responsible for - and personally.

The good news is that we can reset and redesign once-traumatized cultures. Join us to learn more!

About Dimple Dhabalia:

Dimple D. Dhabalia is the founder of Roots in the Clouds and a human-centered leadership coach with over twenty years of government and public sector experience. Dimple partners with leaders across mission-driven sectors to address root issues and design inclusive, human-centered workplace cultures where emerging and seasoned leaders can learn how to preserve their own humanity as they work to preserve it for others.

After almost two decades working on the front lines of the government and humanitarian sectors, Dimple had experienced vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, moral injury, burnout, and anxiety. Like so many others, she worked in an organization that celebrated the resilience of the human spirit in the refugees and displaced persons they served, while failing to extend the same ethos to those working within their own organizations. Determined to educate and support heart-centered leaders, she developed and launched the Daring Leaders Project (DLP), the first mindfulness-based leadership development program of its kind within the agency. Her vision and leadership earned her Director’s awards for Innovator of the Year and the Pillar of Leadership.

In 2021, Dimple launched Roots in the Clouds with a personal mission of putting the “human” back into humanitarian and making service sustainable across mission-driven sectors. Today, Dimple’s cutting-edge work explores the intersection of generational trauma and moral injury and supports a holistic approach to addressing individual and organizational trauma using principles of mindful performance, positive psychology, and human-centered leadership. Her new book, Tell Me My Story–Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self [Ambika Media 2024], was recently excerpted in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and her work has also been featured in Fast Company, CEO World Magazine, and the Federal News Network. Dimple recently debuted a limited-series companion podcast to Tell Me My Story called  Service Without Sacrifice  and is also creator and co-host of the popular podcast What Would Ted Lasso Do? You can find Dimple @dimpstory across all social media platforms, and at dear HUMANitarian on Substack.

Connect with Dimple:

Website: @dimpstory