speaking

the stories we share have the power to change the stories we live

The conversations we need to be having the most in our workplaces are the ones we aren’t having at all.

The ones that talk about root issues, duty of care, and human-centered leadership. The ones that name the realities of serving others that go beyond burnout, like moral injury, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, collective grief.

I create space for those conversations through keynote talks, facilitated workshops, podcasts, and panel discussions. Not as an outside observer, but as someone who spent nearly two decades inside these systems — who knows what it feels like to believe in a mission and also to have that mission used against you — and who has spent the years since building language for what that experience leaves behind.

My work is trauma-informed, grounded in lived experience, and oriented toward both honest accountability and forward possibility. I come in to help the people inside organizations tell a more truthful story about what they're navigating so they can begin healing and reclaiming their humanity — the things we need to make sustainable service possible.

signature talks

Signature talks range in duration from 20-90 minutes and are a great format for introducing a new subjects and ways of thinking to a large group.

All talks are interactive, practical, experiential, and thought-provoking.

I have several signature talks, and I also partner with clients to design customized talks, either independently or as a part of a long-term engagement, including workshops, training programs, retreats, and webinars.

Want to see if we’re a good fit?

topics: moral imagination · regenerative leadership · story-healing · collective moral injury · institutional betrayal · trauma-informed leadership · the rupture to rise cycle · collective care · spiritual ecology · duty of care · challenging the narrative of service before self

formats: keynotes · workshops · facilitated sessions · fireside chats · panel discussions · retreat facilitation · podcast appearances

audiences: mission-driven leaders · government and civil service · humanitarian and nonprofit sectors · legal and social justice · healthcare and social work · education · women's leadership

international experience: recent and upcoming engagements in the United Kingdom, Qatar, Switzerland, and across North America

panel discussions

Dimple has served as a speaker on a number of panels ranging from local organizational meetings to national conferences. She can speak to a variety of topics.

If you have a conference or meeting and are interested in having her serve on a panel, please set up a time to connect.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE INCLUDE

  • moral injury

  • institutional betrayal

  • moral imagination

  • collective grief

  • vicarious trauma

  • story-healing

  • organizational trauma + healing

  • trust and psychological safety

  • duty of care in mission driven sectors

podcast appearances

Since 2024, I’ve been a guest on more than twenty podcasts — spanning leadership, nonprofit management, humanitarian operations, legal practice, somatic healing, and trauma-informed care — bringing the conversation about moral injury, institutional betrayal, and sustainable service to audiences across sectors and around the world.

I’m also the creator and host of two podcasts and understand what makes a conversation land: specificity over generality, lived experience over abstraction, and the kind of honesty that gives listeners something to carry with them after the episode ends.

If your audience includes people doing mission-driven work — in any sector — we should have a conversation.

For a full list of my past features check out the media + features page.

recent speaking engagements

  • April 2026 - From Restoration to Regeneration - Spiritual Ecology and Collective Care as Response to Collective Moral Injury and Institutional Betrayal – Durham University, International Centre for Moral Injury | Durham, United Kingdom

  • April 2026 - Holding Pain and Possibility Together - Simple Grief Rituals for Collective Care in Fractured Times – Yale Women’s Mental Health Conference | New Haven, CT, USA

  • April 2026 - Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self – Beyond Aid Summit - The Women Behind the Work | Virtual

  • May 2026 - Navigating the Client Relationship: How do we serve our clients while not losing ourselves? Panel Discussion– The Law Society of Ontario Mental Health Summit for Legal Professionals | Virtual

previous speaking engagements

2026

  • Integrity in Practice - Courage + Defiance in the Face of Moral Injury and Institutional Betrayal– Vermont Asylum Assistance Project | Virtual

2025

  • Step Out of Line - Understanding the Neurobiology of Defiance + Moral Courage– 92NY Women InPower Summit | New York, USA

  • Integrity in Practice - Rooted Leadership in the Face of Moral Injury + Institutional Betrayal – International Humanitarian Leadership Conference | Doha, Qatar

  • Circles of Solidarity - Tools for Transformative Leadership in the Polycrisis – International Humanitarian Leadership Conference | Doha, Qatar

  • Featured Speaker – SOAR South Asian 2025 National Summit: Together We Dream, Together We Build | Virtual

  • Trauma, Burnout, and Boundaries - Sustainable Advocacy and Justice Work in the Polycrisis – Acacia Center for Justice | Virtual

2024

  • Widen Your Window - Practical Strategies for Navigating Through Stress and Trauma – Acacia Center for Justice | Virtual

  • Beyond Burnout: Reimagining Well-Being in Humanitarian Work - A Conversation with Gemma Houldey | London, United Kington

  • Beyond Burnout - Taking A Human-Centered Approach to Attracting, Retaining, and Supporting Staff in Government and Humanitarian Sectors – Intergovernmental Consultations on Asylum, Refugees, and Migration | Geneva, Switzerland

  • Widen Your Window - Using Awareness and Compassion to Challenge Our Narratives and Thrive in Life and Leadership – Lancaster Speakers Series, Ohio University | Athens, OH, USA

  • From Stigma to Support - A Conversation with Anthony Sartori, Evolving Minds | Virtual

  • Motivation, Performance + Mental Health - Using Awareness and Compassion to Challenge Our Narratives, Reset Our Nervous Systems, and Redefine Success – Transform Your Practice Retreat | Whistler, BC - Canada

  • Lead Like Lasso - 4 Keys to Building a Connected and Thriving Workplace Culture – Integrating Women's Leadership Conference | Indianapolis, IN, USA

  • Tell Me My Story Author Event – Alexandria Commission for Women | Alexandria, VA - USA

  • Widen Your Window - Using Awareness and Compassion to Challenge Our Narratives of Service Before Self – Colorado Women's Bar Association Convention | Vail, CO - USA

  • Healing Narratives - Unpacking the Intersection of Generational Trauma and Moral Injury in Palliative Care – Metro State University Palliative Care and Social Work Conference | Denver, CO - USA

2023

  • Mind + Heart Working Apart - Understanding and Healing the Impact of Moral Injury in Palliative Care | Social Work, Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN) Annual Conference | Denver, CO - USA

  • Widen Your Window - Understanding and Navigating Stress | Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast Annual Meeting | Houston, TX - USA

about dimple

Dimple Dhabalia, JD | ICF ACC is a leadership coach, consultant, speaker, and working to bring attention to the unspoken costs of serving others — including moral injury, institutional betrayal, and systemic grief — and to build the conditions for regenerative leadership in mission-driven cultures. Drawing on nearly two decades of federal service in government and humanitarian operations, Dimple brings lived experience, clinical grounding, and creative practice to her work with leaders and organizations navigating an era of global polycrisis.

Dimple is the creator and host of two podcasts, and has been featured in a number of popular media outlets including Fast Company and the Federal News Network. Her first book Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self (Ambika Media, 2024) was named a Distinguished Favorite by both the 2024 NYC Big Book Award and the 2025 Independent Press Award and excerpted in the Stanford Social Innovation Review

connect with dimple | @dimpstory on LI | IG |FB

high-resolution photos: [coming soon]

speaker bio: [coming soon]

book information + media kit: [coming soon]

speaking inquiries: hello@rootsintheclouds.com

information + resources for event organizers