about the /rōoted/ leader

the /rōoted/ leader, is a publication for leaders and organizations across various trauma-exposed fields—including healthcare, immigrant justice, humanitarian aid, government, and non-profits—who are committed to fostering human-centered, trauma-informed organizational cultures. Using rooted leadership practices, I support leaders seeking to create systemic changes as they work to address common organizational challenges such as moral injury, organizational trauma, and compassion fatigue, while promoting resilience and sustainable service.

I believe that leaders set the tone for their organizations, shaping environments where trust, connection, and resilience drive sustainable impact. Rooted leadership is about being grounded in empathy, purpose, and trauma-informed practices, creating a foundation for systemic change that supports long-term service and well-being. By fostering psychological safety, shared purpose, and sustainable strategies, rooted leaders guide their teams through adversity with clarity and compassion, ensuring service that is sustainable over time and in the face of uncertainty and challenges that so many leaders and organizations are facing today.

This publication offers tools, insights, and strategies to help leaders effectively serve those in need while caring for their own teams. Together, we can build resilient organizations where rooted leaders bring head, heart, and metrics together to create systemic change for sustainable service. Will you join us?

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Dimple Dhabalia is a writer, podcaster, multidisciplinary storyteller, and humanitarian with over twenty years of front-line and management experience in the US government. In 2021 Dimple founded Roots in the Clouds, a boutique consulting firm specializing in using trauma-informed leadership to create systemic change for sustainable service. Dimple is the best-selling author of Tell Me My Story—Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self, named a 2024 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite and excerpted by the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, CEO World Magazine, and the Federal News Network. To learn more about Dimple and her work, visit www.rootsintheclouds.com or connect with her @dimpstory on all social media platforms. For a deeper dive into many of these topics from an individual and spiritual lens, be sure to check out /rōot/by dimple dhabalia.