story-healing | moral courage | sustainable service
about
a new vision for how we serve
the days of expecting people in service to sacrifice their humanity for the mission are ending.
and that, my friend, is sacred work.
You've dedicated your life to serving others—working inside systems of immigration, justice, healthcare, education, or humanitarian aid. You believed in the mission. You trusted the process. You thought you could be part of the solution.
But somewhere along the way, the work started to feel like it was breaking you. Not just burning you out—actually asking you to betray the very values that brought you to this work in the first place.
You've been carrying trauma not just from what you've witnessed, but from what you've been forced to participate in. From staying silent when you should have spoken up. From following policies that harm the people you're meant to help. From working inside systems that celebrate beautiful mission statements while extracting humanity from everyone within them.
This isn't about you not being resilient enough. This is about systems that were never designed to honor your full humanity.
I know this because I lived it for almost two decades. And what I've learned is that the most radical thing we can do isn't to burn these systems down—it's to practice what I call sacred resistance: the art of reclaiming our humanity while working within systems designed to erase it.
My mission is to help mission-driven leaders practice sacred resistance—staying human in systems designed to make us forget who we are.
Hi, I'm Dimple Dhabalia, founder of Roots in the Clouds. After spending two decades inside government and humanitarian systems, I left carrying a story that few were telling: that the systems we dedicate our lives to aren't broken—they're working exactly as they were designed to.
To extract. To erase. To dehumanize.
And in trying to survive inside them, so many of us lose sight of who we are.
What I call sacred resistance is the practice of remembering who we are beneath all the conditioning, rooting ourselves in what truly matters, reclaiming our voice and humanity, and rising into authentic leadership—even while working within imperfect systems.
This isn't about finding better work-life harmony or practicing more self-care (though both matter). This is about recognizing that your pain and grief in the face of institutional betrayal isn't a personal failing—it's proof that your moral compass is still intact.
I work with leaders across mission-driven sectors navigate through moral injury, institutional betrayal, and systemic grief, to create cultures where service is sustainable and humanity is honored.
the journey to sacred resistance
the awakening
For almost two decades, I worked at the crossroads of government and humanitarian sectors, witnessing something that troubled me deeply: organizations that celebrated the resilience of refugees and displaced persons while systematically breaking down their own staff.
At first, I thought this was just poor management or lack of resources. But as I rose into leadership positions, I began to see the truth: the systems weren't failing to protect their people—they were designed to extract from them. The exhaustion, the moral injury, the institutional betrayal, the systemic grief—they weren't bugs in the system. They were features.
The breaking point came when the work became politicized and I was asked to take actions that violated my deepest values. I realized I wasn't just witnessing harm—I was being asked to participate in it. That's when I understood that what we were experiencing wasn't just burnout or compassion fatigue. It was something much deeper: the systematic erosion of our humanity in service of systems that never intended to honor it.
the practice
What emerged from this recognition is what I now call sacred resistance—the practice of staying connected to our humanity while working within systems designed to erase it.
It's sacred because it honors what is most essential in us—our values, our intuition, our connection to something larger than ourselves.
Sacred resistance isn't about burning everything down or walking away (though sometimes that's necessary). It's about remembering who we are beneath all the conditioning, rooting ourselves in what truly matters, reclaiming our voice and agency, and rising into authentic leadership that refuses to normalize harm.
This practice saved my life. And it's become the foundation of everything I do.
the work now
Today, I create brave spaces where mission-driven leaders can practice sacred resistance together. Through individual coaching, collective care circles, and organizational consulting, I help people work through moral injury, institutional betrayal and systemic grief, while learning to lead sustainably.
My approach is trauma-informed and rooted in the understanding that systems were designed to extract, erase, and dehumanize—and that your pain in response to this isn't pathology, it's proof your humanity is still intact. We work through the sacred resistance framework: remembering who you are, rooting in your values, reclaiming your voice and agency, and rising into leadership that honors the full breadth of human experience.
This isn't therapy or traditional coaching. It's movement work. It's about recognizing that individual healing and systemic change are inseparable, and that the most radical thing we can do is refuse to let these systems make us smaller.
the vision
I believe we're living in a moment that requires us to choose: Will we continue to participate in systems that extract and dehumanize? Or will we practice sacred resistance—staying rooted in our humanity while working for change?
When mission-driven leaders practice sacred resistance, everything shifts. Organizations become places where people can bring their full humanity to work. Service becomes sustainable rather than sacrificial. And we create the conditions for the systemic change our world desperately needs.
This is the future I'm working toward: where sacred resistance becomes so common that systems have no choice but to transform themselves to honor the humans within them.
DIMPLE DHABALIA is the founder of Roots in the Clouds, a boutique consulting firm specializing in sacred resistance—helping mission-driven leaders reclaim their humanity in systems designed to erase it. She is also a writer, podcaster, coach, and facilitator who brings over twenty years of government and public service experience to her work.
Dimple helps leaders navigate moral injury, moral grief, and institutional betrayal, using trauma-informed approaches that address both individual and systemic roots of harm. Her work focuses on creating brave spaces where leaders can practice sacred resistance and build cultures of sustainable service.
Her book, Tell Me My Story–Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self [Ambika Media 2024], was named a distinguished favorite for the 2025 Independent Press Award, and a 2024 NYC Big Book Award, and excerpted in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her work has also been featured in Fast Company, CEO World Magazine, and the Federal News Network. Dimple is the creator and host of Service Without Sacrifice, a limited-series companion podcast to Tell Me My Story, and the creator and co-host of the popular podcast What Would Ted Lasso Do?
You can follow Dimple and her work @dimpstory across all social media platforms, and on Substack.
“I’ve spent the majority of my career traveling around the world and
what I’ve learned is that irrespective of geographic location or perceived
differences - our desire to be seen and celebrated, to feel valued
and connected to purpose, and to be treated with dignity and respect
as part of a shared and common humanity.”
- Dimple Dhabalia
William Jewell College 2021 Achievement Day Remarks
experience + credentials
professional certifications
Certified in mindfulness-based performance (m-PEAK), applied positive psychology (C.A.P.P), International Coaching Federation (ICF) standards, and Workhuman workplace culture design.
leadership
Founding member of The TORCH Collective (Trauma and Organizational Resilience Consulting and Healing). Creator of the Daring Leaders Project, the first mindfulness-based leadership development program within the federal government.
speaking + media
International keynote speaker with recent engagements in Geneva, London, and across North America. Featured in 25+ podcasts and major publications including Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fast Company, and CEO World Magazine.
honors + recognition
William Jewell College Citation of Achievement (2021), US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director's Awards for Pillar of Leadership, Mentor of the Year, and Innovator of the Year (2020-2021).