Meet Shamni Dougall

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shamni Dougall. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shamni below.

Shamni, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I’ve been so blessed to have so many fierce women leaders and mentors who have come before me; who have taken the time to nourish my skills and holistically develop me. They demonstrated massive awareness and sought me out to support and guide me when I had no guidance. They wanted to see me do well, and they continue to encourage me today, long after we’ve gone our separate paths in careers, they continue to provide mentorship and support.
Leadership is the best aspect of my work ethic that was ever modeled for me. When done right, the level of respect and willingness to make the people above me “look good” was next level. Through mentorship, I’ve learned to fall back as a leader; to listen, observe, and allow people to show me what they are saying, even when they aren’t verbalizing it. I’ve learned that leaders can be managers, but not every manager is a leader. With the mentorship of the strong leaders in my life, I’m happy to have been elevated to leadership roles within the nonprofit sector; despite the adversity and nepotism that was present. When you come from a genuine place of wanting to support the mission and the people under your leadership, naturally, they will see your efforts and will follow suit.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a Florida native, behavioral therapist, mindset coach, and the owner of The SD Mindset, LLC. I’ve always had a natural ability to care for others, and a passion for guiding, teaching, and supporting people through their problems, and to their solutions. This has led me to pursue my clinical license in social work. Since then, I’ve integrated my coaching skills with my mental health background.

My motivation for my business comes after deep diving into my personal development. I learned how to create new habits and build successful routines that strengthened my mindset and outlook on life, ultimately leading to a significant shift in my thinking, optimism, and opportunities. I realized I wanted to apply my behavioral health expertise and mindset tools for the benefit of others from my learned experiences. That’s when I created The SD (Shamni Dougall) Mindset. In The SD Mindset, I teach, coach, and counsel a different way of thinking through the application of my clinical skills & coaching techniques in the online space. I move people past mental blocks, negative learned behaviors, and underperformance; to personal growth, professional development, and life satisfaction.

In the last 8+ years my professional experience has been dedicated to working with female clients focused on behavior change and mental health. In that time, my focus and expertise have expanded to coaching managers within the nonprofit and mental health setting on how to lead their teams to success. After so many years of working in the nonprofit and mental health field and understanding where management has missed opportunities with their team/employee satisfaction, program outcomes, and reaching overall organizational goals, I have been inspired to expand my offer from one-on-one coaching and counseling sessions.
I am currently in the process of creating an online offer and community where I will teach through self-guided online courses, the expert knowledge, tools, and skills that I’ve taken with me from my nonprofit middle management experience and perspective. In doing so, I will address major trending issues that occur in many organizations, like high turnover, burnout, and when to apply management vs. leadership.

Within this online community, managers can connect and share their perspectives and experiences, while supporting one another to achieve their respective organizations’ mission, increase team morale, and their professional growth and work satisfaction. I believe this to be an opportunity because no organization exists without management, and it is only as strong as its leaders. How managers show up in their role can and will make or break the organization’s mission and can affect the culture, morale, and longevity of staff employment. This affects the larger picture in mind, considering that if a nonprofit organization is not functioning at its optimal level, then the outcome usually affects the quality of community development, the ability to empower individuals, and help promote sustainable livelihoods to marginalized groups. Therefore, my online course will address the “Heart” of nonprofits (middle managers) to reinforce their social responsibility

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three qualities and skills that have been most impactful in my journey were being person-centered, having stewardship, and approaching everything with a spirit of excellence. My genuine ability to care for and about people, and allow others to feel safe in knowing that nothing they share will be too much has been my hallmark with every interaction. Showing up, and following through with what I say I am going to do has played a massive role in what has helped me to build a positive reputation and relationships throughout the years. What is more important, is that I believe my spirit of excellence and stewardship over my relationships, responsibilities and my dedication to the mission set before me have helped to grow my presence within the community; among colleagues, clients, and partners. I believe stewardship and excellence go hand in hand. In my line of work, my purpose is to make an impact on as many people as possible; providing them a solution or guidance to a better reality or outcome. I steward over people in need and continue to push them to see the “one more”, “the potential” or “the excellence” in front of them.

For those who are early in their journey, I encourage you to slow down. It can be very difficult to give people and your purpose the quality you possess within you when the societal standards are so fast-paced and tell you to find shortcuts to even the most simple tasks and interactions. It seems as though people today are delegating their interactions to front desk receptionists, hiding behind technology, and have placed basic human needs and interactions within constraints that end up doing more harm than good. My advice is to be present, be patient, and be prepared in all things you do so that you can ultimately show up and do them from a place and space of “heart” work. You can’t appreciate the things you have in front of you if you don’t understand or set aside the time to care for them firsthand.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

THE TONGUE, A Creative Force
By Charles Capps

This book played an important role in my development as a leader, therapist, and creator of my success and reality. The most valuable nugget of wisdom I can share from my reading is that your words truly do carry power. Everything you say, whether you mean it or not is slowly and surely shaping your current reality. This is relevant for me in what I do, especially working within mental health; because, at times, it’s the simple shift in language that makes all the difference in whether or not my clients find relief from anxiety or depression. For those of us who are mindful enough to care for ourselves through positive self-talk or affirmations, I think it is wonderful; however, the book also gives insight into how we can negatively impact or curse others with the words we speak to them. Again, considering past client experiences, I’ve seen this often when working with the family dynamic. Where crippling words are spoken to spouses or children in the home regularly, and they are often accepted and incorporated into the identity of those on the receiving end.

Overall, faith-filled, positive words can and will bring healing and restoration to your life, and energize your outlook on how you show up during your relational, physical, spiritual, and career journey.

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Image Credits

Jeidy Marrone- The Captivating Collective

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