About roots in the clouds
Roots in the Clouds was born out of the idea that being rooted and stable isn’t about being tied to any one place
It’s about feeling a sense of belonging through the connections we nurture and grow over the course of our lives. The founding principles of Roots in the Clouds are grounded in what is higher - the higher reality that binds all reality reaches down to the ground, where real people live. An important part of our mission here at Roots in the Clouds is to create spaces of belonging in the real world of real workplaces devoted to serving humanity, so that these spaces and places can be effective instruments for individual, corporate, and social transformation.
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Dimple Dhabalia
Founder and Humanitarian
As the Founder of Roots in the Clouds and a human-centered leadership and mindful performance coach, Dimple creates brave spaces where emerging and seasoned leaders across high human impact sectors can learn how to preserve their humanity as they work to preserve it for others. She envisions a world where all organizations operate from a foundation of equity, connection, belonging, and well-being; where leaders are empowered to break patterns of conditioned reactions by cultivating self-awareness, self-compassion and self-regulation in order to transform their organizations and communities.
High Human Impact Sector Experience
Over 20 years of experience working at the crossroads of the government and humanitarian sectors with a focus on global migration policies and operations, coaching and equity-centered culture design. Dimple partners with leaders in HHI organizations to address root issues and design inclusive, human-centered workplace cultures where head, heart, and metrics work together to create nimble organizations that can thrive and grow, even amid uncertainty and challenge, and where empathy and social connection are at the heart of the employee experience.
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 are part of a shared and common humanity.
- Dimple Dhabalia
William Jewell College 2021 Achievement Day Remarks
A Little Bit of Herstory
Dimple’s path to becoming a leader of leaders was a circuitous one, unfolding over the course of almost two decades of living, working, and traveling in over 40 countries, and serving the most vulnerable people in the world. At the crossroads of the government and humanitarian sectors, Dimple witnessed a disconnect across organizations 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.
Seven years into her leadership role, Dimple began to feel the impact of this failure to address the human factors of those in service to humanity. At the time, there was virtually no post-trauma therapy for staff in these sectors and humanitarians were simply expected to “tough it out” until they no longer could. The stigma and shame around mental health meant that many humanitarians, who were regularly exposed to traumatic events and danger, long working hours, stress, frequent and often back-to-back deployments abroad, a lack of transparency in the organization, and toxic work environments, were at high risk of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, burnout, and anxiety.
Drawing on her own experiences at the crossroads of the government and humanitarian sectors as a catalyst, Dimple launched Roots in the Clouds in 2021 with a personal mission of creating sustainable cultures of equity, connection, belonging and well-being for those working in the service of others.
As the Founder of Roots in the Clouds and a human-centered leadership and mindful performance coach, Dimple creates brave spaces where emerging and seasoned leaders across high human impact sectors can learn how to preserve their humanity as they work to preserve it for others. She envisions a world where all organizations operate from a foundation of equity, connection, belonging, and well-being; where leaders are empowered to break patterns of conditioned reactions by cultivating self-awareness, self-compassion and self-regulation in order to transform their organizations and communities.
Today Dimple’s cutting-edge work supports a holistic approach to unpacking and healing long-standing systemic issues and operationalizing DEIB and well-being strategies for sustainable mission impact. Working in collaboration with organizational leadership, Dimple helps leaders understand the complexities of the occupational challenges unique to high human impact professions, and resources them with tools and strategies for supporting themselves and their teams and creating psychologically safe cultures where equity, connection, belonging and well-being are woven into the fabric of organizational culture.
Dimple also serves as an accredited executive coach with the Treasury Executive Institute, received a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology (C.A.P.P) in March 2019, and was one of a handful of certified Mindful Performance Enhancement, Awareness, and Knowledge (m-PEAK) mindful performance coaches in the federal government. Prior to her work on global migration efforts, Dimple worked as an Assistant Attorney General representing the Department of Human Services at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Dimple has a J.D. from the University of Denver, College of Law, a B.A. in Institutions and Policies and a P.P.E. degree from William Jewell College and Oxford University. Dimple also recently launched a highly acclaimed new podcast called What Would Ted Lasso Do? exploring the popular TV show Ted Lasso through the lens of leadership and positive psychology.
Certifications
Mindfulness
- Mindful Performance Enhancement, Awareness, and Knowledge (m-PEAK) - Certified Instructor
- Personal contemplative practice spanning over 10 years
Positive Psychology
- Certification in applied positive psychology - C.A.P.P (2019)
Culture Design
- Workhuman Certified Professional (2021)
- Anti-Racism and the Emotional Tax at Work (2021)
Coaching
- International Coaching Federation (ICF) - ACC Certified Coach (2017)
Honors & Recognition
- M2021 Citation of Achievement Honoree - William Jewell College
- Featured Speaker - Positive Psychology for Trying Times - The Culture Collective, Washington, DC Chapter (2021)
- 2021 Director’s Award - Pillar of Leadership, US Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Keynote Speaker - Oxbridge High Table Dinner - William Jewell College (2019)
- 2020 Director’s Award - Mentor of the Year, US Citizenship and Immigration Services
- 2020 Director’s Award - Innovator of the Year (Daring Leaders Project), US Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Panelist - Mindfulness in the Government - Mindful Leadership Summit (2019)
Professional Affiliations
- The TORCH Collective - Trauma and Organizational Resilience Consulting and Healing - Founding Member
- Police and African American Community Engagement (PAACE) Project - Advisory Team Member
- International Coaching Federation
Approach and Grounding
Dimple is known for her compassion, insight, collaboration and ability to hold space for individuals and groups. She is a bridge builder and brings a calm and capable presence to conflicted and painful situations. Years of working with refugees and asylum seekers has given Dimple the gift of bearing witness to others’ experiences and pain without judgment, allowing her to quickly build trust and connection with the individuals and organizations she supports. She commits to accompanying an organization on its healing journey- staying with them until they can continue by themselves. Her commitment reinforces their renewed sense of hope for the future.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) – Moving from Awareness to Action and Impact
Despite the popular refrain that our “systems are broken,” the reality is that systems produce exactly what they were designed to produce. The good news is that if oppression, inequalities, and inequities have been intentionally designed - they can be intentionally redesigned.
Taking a human-centered approach to addressing individual and institutional biases creates psychologically safe spaces for people to thrive in the workplace and supports a more diverse group of people contributing to the success of the organization. When more people thrive, the mission and vision of the organization can be realized with greater efficiency and focus, ultimately benefiting the workforce and the community the organization serves.
Dimple’s phased approach to DEIB guides individuals and organizations through a process of introspection and bridge building before working with them to identify, address, mitigate, and heal often deeply embedded, organizational biases and trauma by creating impactful, customized solutions that address the unique needs and challenges of the organization, and ultimately integrating DEIB into the fabric of organizational culture.
