Lead With Excellence AND Humanity | Falguni Shah

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez speaks with Dr. Falguni Shah—physician, organizational psychologist, and author—about Truth Lighting, a leadership framework designed to counter gaslighting and foster dignity, clarity, and trust at work.

Key Themes

• Leadership and cultural humility
• Career advancement for women of color
• Community, wellness, and mentorship
• Systemic change in organizations

Guest Dr. Falguni Shah, PhD Physician, Organizational Psychologist, Author of Truth Lighting

Resources

• Get Falguni Shah, PhD's book: https://amzn.to/3LLMkti
• Falguni Shah, PhD's website: https://www.fortruthlighting.com/
• Check out the Entrepreneur's Podcast Blueprint: https://bit.ly/46gso9B

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome back, amazing leaders, to another powerful episode of season three of the Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Dora Mendez. And today today we have an amazing conversation for you. Today's conversation is one that will speak to the heart of what it means to lead with both excellence and humanity. We are honored to welcome a leader who brings worlds of medicine and organizational leadership, clinical practice and systems transformation, science and spiritual values. Our guest today is none other than Dr. Falguni Shaw, a physician, organizational psychologist, speaker, and author who has dedicated over 20 years to helping people and organizations not just function but truly thrive. By the end of this conversation, you'll learn more about truth lighting. You will walk away with a renewed understanding of what it means to lead with cultural humility, a deeper appreciation for building systems where people can flourish, a practical wisdom for creating workplaces rooted in dignity, justice, and wellness. This episode is an invitation to lead with both head and heart, unapologetically, powerfully, and with purpose. So settle in, take a breath, and get ready. Hello and welcome to Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Dora Mendez. I'm the founder and CEO of Coach Door LLC, our guest for team onto the Lord, small business owners, and community leaders that drive Coach Door on. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be. This is why we started this podcast. If you are new to Building Leadership Community, we are so glad you are here. Please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Uh, so you never miss an episode. Say hi in the comments. If you're thinking of starting your own podcast, check out our mini course. I have some great resources to share with you. The Entrepreneurs Podcast Blueprint. I've partnered with my husband and co-producer of this podcast, Dylan Rogers, to create five easy to follow video modules, along with a workbook that you can download and follow along at your own pace. And you get a very handy AI prompt sheet that will make getting your episode out there into the world a breeze. The link in the description takes you right to our course. Season three continues to deliver powerful conversation with amazingly inspiring leaders. Let me tell you about our guest today, Dr. Falgouni Shaw. Before we get started, I just want to just share her book, Truth Lighting, is a permanent part of our set. So let me tell you a little bit more about our guests, only the best and the brightest for us here at Building Leadership Community. Dr. Shaw holds a PhD in organizational leadership from Adler University, a master's in community counseling from Loyola University, Chicago, and a bachelor's in medicine and surgery from the University of Mumbai. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, Dr. Shaw brings together clinical expertise, systems thinking, and cultural humility in a way that transforms organizations from the inside out. She has held leadership roles in community mental health and federally qualified health centers with a deep focus on quality and compliance, but always with the human being at the center. Grounded in spiritual values and an unwavering belief in human dignity, Dr. Shaw is driven by justice, equality, and a passion for wellness and travel. She brings heart and purpose to every space she enters. And today, Dr. Shaw is here to fill you with insight and wisdom. Let's hold for a pause and bring her on to the stage. Hi, Dr. Shaw. Hi, Dora. How are you? I'm doing great. I want to thank you so much for being here. Your values are so aligned with what we're doing here on the Building Leadership Community Podcast. And I just love your book. And I'm so um, I know our audience is gonna get so much from this conversation. Um so with no further ado, I've talked a lot. So let's get um, let's pass the proverbial virtual mic to you. And if you can share a bit about your um unique story from medicine to organizational leadership.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Sure, absolutely. So um I was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and after school and college, I studied bachelor's in homeopathic medicine. Um and I always had the drive to understand people more deeply. And part of homeopathy is also understanding the individual as a whole. And so I moved to the United States to pursue higher studies in psychology, and I got my master's in community counseling from Loyola University in Chicago. And from there, I built my career across community health, counseling, accreditation, quality and compliance, and other aspects of healthcare. So I've been in healthcare, both in clinical and leadership roles, for about 20 years now. When COVID hit, just like many people, you know, I found myself at the intersection of um what do I do now, right? What is the next big thing that I need to do? And uh it pushed me to pursue a PhD in organizational leadership, partly also because I always wanted to study um leadership and wanted to do more research. So honestly, you know, after that PhD, it opened up a whole new chapter in my life. As I was researching, one of the topics that came to me was um leadership journey and how do minority women excel in leadership. So as I was researching more, I found this study by McKinsey and Company, which studied over a quarter of a million people and they surveyed 750 companies between 2015 and 2021. And the study showed that minority women dropped off by more than 75% at every step of the promotion pipeline from entry level to C-suite. Ultimately, only 4% of minority women ever reached the C-suite position. So that really hit me hard. And also, I was going through my own struggles advancing to leadership positions. So I wanted to really understand why there is this lack of representation. And so I took a deep dive into real stories of women and I interviewed them, and these were some amazing, resilient women. At one point I had tears in my eyes hearing their stories. So I asked them about their journey, the obstacles they face, and the successes that shaped them, with the hope that what their experiences are would really tell me and teach me something about my own leadership journey. So and it would also help other women who are navigating similar challenges. Now, as I heard them, um there was a pattern that kept showing up, especially for women of color. They were being dismissed, they were being underestimated, and they were told that they were not ready for that next big step without any clear direction. And um to that I called it as a subtle form of gaslighting, where um they are meant to believe that they're not ready for that next role. There is a sense of self-doubt, and their confidence is eroded. So because of this, I created a new concept called truth lighting, which is like an intentional opposite of that. It's about validating people's realities, empowering them, and giving them clarity and confidence to do whatever it is that they want to achieve, i.e., you know, their next best step. So, as an author and speaker, this is now my mission to help leaders lead with principles of truth lighting so the workplaces can be fairer, more trustworthy, and truly inclusive.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

I love this concept because this is exactly um, I mean, I feel like you're you wrote about my life. Um, you know, as a woman of color, I pivoted in my career, um, you know, after so long because I was I was quite frankly just really tired of the disrespect. Feeling undervalued my experience, expertise. And I said, you know, I I'm gonna work with people who value my expertise and my experience. That's a great segue to the next conversation prompt. Was we ask all of our guests is sort of why community is so important. Leadership can be so lonely and isolating, and you describe some of those reasons. You know, here is kind of your opportunity to share some wellness tips and how you've navigating building community throughout your journey to help support you, giving the data that that was so disturbing that you studied that. Um so I'd love for you to share what community means to you with our with our community.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

Yeah, sure, absolutely. Um, and I agree that leadership can often look glamorous, right, from the outside. But the reality is that it can be lonely and isolating. So leaders are expected to hold spaces for others, make tough decisions, and stay strong in uncertainties. And without a trusted community, it's easy to lose perspective, feel unsupported, and also feel burnout. Um, so in terms of self-care, um, here are some things that I think would really benefit leaders. The first one is self-regulation through meditation, through yoga, through such similar allied health practices, which can really calm your nervous system, reduce stress, and um it will prevent you from active, acting impulsively as a leader. Um, so I recommend that every um every day for at least 10 minutes that we practice some mindfulness, some meditation, or yoga. The second technique is real that really has helped me in my um clarity of thought is journaling. And I feel like writing really helps us pause and reflect on our thoughts and behaviors. Um so, and that also empowers us by uh creating self-awareness. Um, so that's that second tip that I have for our community. The third one is mentorship and coaching. Um, we all need somebody uh as our thought partners, somebody who can be our sounding boards. So seeking out mentors and coaches really creates that safe space for us to process those challenges, to gain new skills, and to stay committed to our own personal growth. And last but not the least, join leadership networking groups that allows for some peer networking, um, gives us both support and inspiration, uh, and then also helps us build a community where we can collaborate for more opportunities and also provides us a sense of belonging.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

Dr. Shaw, thank you for sharing those four um wellness tips and community with community really being at the at the center. As a coach, what you're saying um to me is very validating. Uh, for those who follow my show or follow me, journaling is one of my biggest things. Um and I I would just share on a personal note, I'm also a middle-aged woman. So I have found that self-regulation in the journaling has helped me with my perimetopause symptoms, to be uh quite frankly. I, you know, I've had, you know, I have trouble sleeping, and I have found that like just writing it down, the act of writing it down and like reflecting on, and I often uh uplift gratitude journal, like at least write down one to three things that you're grateful for, and just put it down on the paper and put it away, and then it just allows me to sleep better. It's a practice that I'm so happy that um you're validating right now for our audience and just for me as a coach and an accountability partner to so many of my clients and colleagues and uh and and folks in my network. So thank you so much for validating that. You're welcome. Uh, I'd love for you to, you know, we ask all our guests, uh, what advice would they give to the next generation of leaders, whether that's something uh that you would want to go back and tell your younger self. Um what do you what would you like to share?

SPEAKER_00 14:56

Yeah, so um to my younger self, I would really do some of the things that I would really do exactly that I did as my younger self. One was I would say that believe in yourself, chase your ambition and dream boldly. This is something that I did myself. Make your own choices and don't be afraid to fail because every failure teaches you how to rise stronger. Um, for future generation leaders, I would say this start thinking about your career path early and seek out mentors who can guide you. Have a broader vision of where you want to be in the next two, five, ten years and work towards it. I didn't have that guidance as I was navigating my own career path. Um, and so I would highly encourage the future leaders to seek that. And to my peers, um, I would really offer a reminder to understand your privilege, your experience, and the resources you have, and use that to support someone and bring them up to speed, um, guide them so they can change their life trajectory. And to the next generation leaders, I would say lead with truth lighting, learn about principles of truth lighting, create cultures where people feel that their realities are accepted and acknowledged and they're respected and valued for who they are.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

So I want to uplift uh two things you say. So one is don't be afraid to take risks, don't have fear of failure because everyone's gonna fail. My son says to me, my eight-year-old says to me, that fail that uh fail is first attempt in learning. I don't know where he got that from. It's probably one of his brilliant teachers, but um he says it to us all the time, and that speaks to young people, um you know, encouraging young people to take risks. And then the other one is the mentor mentee. You know, you say you share that you didn't have that, and um, but now you are that you are that um mentor, you're that shining example for so many women and and our allies. Um I would love for you to share a little bit more about uh leading with truth lighting. I think it's so important. I just love I love the concept. I I think the book is brilliant, and I love this whole app opposite of gaslighting because gaslighting feels like a trend, but it's been around for a very long time, besides the fact there was like a famous movie about it and play back in the days. But you know, making someone feel crazy um when you, you know, making someone feel crazy out of your insecurity or um making someone feel like they're, you know, they're crazy, um, which is how what I think of gaslighting is. So could you share a little bit more about leading with truth lighting?

SPEAKER_00 18:10

Sure, absolutely. So um, truth lighting is an intentional opposite of gaslighting. So it's really about validating people. Um, so there are four main steps to it, right? Number one is validating their realities. So when you're having a conversation, you're using terms like, I hear you, you're listening to understand, it sounds like blah, blah, blah. Uh you're rephrasing um what you're hearing to kind of make the other person feel that they are validated, right? So that's the first step to truth lighting. The second one is to um give positive affirmations or acceptance. Um, so words like how um using words that will strengthen their confidence in themselves. Um, so that's the second aspect of truth lighting is to use affirmations. The third aspect is to provide facts or um data around what it whatever it is that they're struggling with. So if somebody's struggling with their career progression journey, you provide them concrete actionable steps on what they can take towards that next um um next role. Yeah, their next goal. Like what are what are those facts or what are those steps that they can take? Um and the fourth thing is really um guiding them uh and providing them resources on how they can take those steps. So these are really those four steps uh or principles of truth lighting, if you will.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

So I love that. And I love the idea that truth lighting is almost like illuminating, illuminating a path. Like I see someone in like a dark cave of doubt, and then you know, you're this truth lighter, this mentor, this person sort of like illuminating them out of the darkness into the light. And I just I just love the concept. I think people are gonna get a lot out of not only this interview and getting to know you, but I hope they go out and and buy the book today. It's just it's so amazing. And uh something that you shared with me that I would love to have the audience know was this sort of the how the book was born. Um, can you know, I don't want to speak for you, so but I just want to leave it for you because uh you had shared that with me. Um can you share a little bit about the Genesis story of how this, how Truth Lighting was born?

SPEAKER_00 20:46

Sure, absolutely. So um, as I was um doing my PhD, you know, and um through research, like I said earlier, um there was a stark statistic that minority women um face headwinds to reach their final leadership peak. And um there's only one in four women who are in leadership roles, and there's only one in 20 minority women of color in CEO C suite roles. And so uh I decided to focus on that as my topic for the thesis. And um as I interviewed women, I realized that oh my God, these are so many worthwhile tips that would help other women who are in their leadership journey, right? It will help other women who are looking to excel. Um, and it will feel, it will make women feel validated, those who are going through challenges. Um, not only that, um it unfolded some things like um there are biases in the promotion decision making. Or how those promotion roles are allocated. And so it is important for leaders and managers to know how they can create that culture. And that dawned on me that I need to come up with some skills and tools that leaders and managers can adopt to create this culture where every woman feels like they have a fair chance and fair advancement opportunity. So, how can we change that culture shift? And that's how truth lighting was really born out of those actionable steps. And so my book has those actionable strategies, not just for women who are looking to grow, but also for managers, HR, and talent teams on how they can make a systemic change towards a fair career advancement opportunity for women.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Oh, Dr. Schott, thank you so much. Um in this economy, in this current economy, so many women of color are finding themselves laid off and looking for their next move. And I think while this book was born out of something completely different and was written at a different uh time, it is so fitting uh for what so many women of color are going through right now. So I want to thank you so much for being on our show. I want to uh let our listeners and our viewers know that we're gonna share the link to how they can get their copy of Truth Lighting in uh in the description of this episode. And uh I can I just I can only thank you so much. We're I'm so happy there's someone like you out there doing this work and elevating it and getting out there. So we appreciate you so much here on the Building Leadership Community podcast. We wish you well, and I'm gonna ask you to hold on one minute while we roll our closing credits. You've been listening to Building Leadership Community. Watch on YouTube at CoachDora and listen wherever you get your podcast. Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube at CoachDora and visit me on the web at coachdoramendez.com. Hosted by me, Dora Mendez. Produced by Dora Mendez and Dylan Rogers. Graphics, editing, and sound mixing by Dylan Rogers.