DDS has notched up over 25 years of working in small, medium, and large corporations. They started my career as a college professor teaching hotel and business management and have since held a range of senior, executive, and C-Suite level roles across a host of sectors and companies including renowned retailer Marks & Spencer Plc, travel and tourism company Eurostar International, Crossrail Ltd – the company charged with building a new railway through the center of London, music giant Sony Music Entertainment, and Essence Global – part of the world’s largest advertising company, WPP.
Today, DDS is the CEO and founder of Soul Trained, an executive coaching consultancy that is on a mission to fill the world with leaders who are worth following. DDS is also a member of the Advisory Board of WE Global Studios, a full-stack Innovation Studio and digital DIY Platform that powers the success of women entrepreneurs around the world and they serve as adjunct faculty at California Institute of Integral Studies where they teach counseling psychology to graduate students. As a licensed psychotherapist, DDS runs a private practice, called SoulFull Therapy, in the state of Connecticut, USA. In 2022, DDS published their first book. ‘You Can Be Yourself Here: your pocket guide to creating inclusive workplaces using the psychology of belonging’ which quickly became a #1 bestseller. DDs’ second book, ‘Leadership is a Behavior Not a Title: your pocket guide to being a leader worth following’ is set to be published in September 2022. DDS is certified as an executive coach by both the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring, credentialed with the International Coach Federation, and is a coach-supervisor through the Coaching Supervision Academy.
DDS is a native Brit and has lived in the US with their husband, David, and their two cats, Harper and Hemingway, since April 2014. When not working you can usually find DDS geeking out over a psychological concept or losing themself in repeats of The Voice, X-Factor, and American Idol on YouTube. DDS can be found at IG: soul_trained, IG: dds_soul and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpdobsonsmith.