True Diversity feat. BARDO Inclusive

As part of our series ‘True Diversity’ we had a chat with Georgina Brown, founder at BARDO Inclusive, a pioneering consultancy at the intersection of neuroscience, inclusion, and systems change. 

This blog explores the science-backed case for inclusion, spotlighting BARDO Inclusive’s mission to transform workplace culture by aligning behavioural neuroscience with equity, diversity, and inclusion strategies that drive lasting, systemic change.

Let’s start with the need for Diversity and Inclusion, what’s your take – why is it so important?

In today’s global economy, diversity and inclusion are essential. The world we serve is diverse, and to meet the complex needs of modern customers, audiences, and communities, we need teams that reflect that richness, understand varied perspectives, and can design products and services with empathy and relevance. But diversity without inclusion is just a numbers game. It may look good in a report, but it doesn’t change culture or outcomes.

Inclusion is what turns presence into power, not power over others, but power to innovate, collaborate, and thrive. From a brain science perspective, inclusion isn’t ideology, it’s biology. When people feel safe, valued and heard, the brain releases oxytocin and dopamine, chemicals that enhance trust, motivation and learning. When people feel excluded, the amygdala activates, triggering the same threat response as physical pain (Eisenberger & Lieberman, 2004). So when inclusion is missing, we’re not just losing emotional engagement, we’re literally not thinking at our best.

Without inclusion, workplaces trigger threat, not trust. People become guarded, creativity shrinks, and decision-making narrows. In fact, studies show that psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999) is the single biggest predictor of team performance. Without it, collaboration suffers, talent disengages, and innovation stalls. Inclusive environments, by contrast, allow people to move out of survival mode and into growth mode. Diverse teams that are truly inclusive make better decisions 87% of the time (Cloverpop, 2017). They adapt faster, solve problems more creatively, and build cultures where everyone can contribute, not just fit in. Inclusion isn’t just about who’s in the room. It’s about how people feel, how they think, and whether they’re safe enough to show up fully. That’s why we focus on the underlying biological habit loops, mirror neurons, and neurochemical patterns that quietly shape our workplace cultures. Get those right, and everything else follows.

So, from my point of view, inclusion is not a “nice-to-have.” It’s a business-critical capability, essential for innovation, collaboration, and long-term success in a diverse, fast-changing world.

Can you share a little bit more about what you do – what’s the purpose and mission of your initiative/ programme/ organisation?

BARDO Inclusive is an innovation and consultancy hub that brings behavioural science and inclusion together.

Our purpose is to awaken awareness, helping organisations shift from unconscious habits to intentional culture-building. Every day, our brains are shaped by a constant stream of input, from media, marketing, social norms, and those around us. To process this flood of information efficiently, the brain relies on two key systems: the amygdala, which reacts instinctively to perceived threats (sometimes called the “lizard brain”), and the basal ganglia, which governs habits and routine behaviours, our mental autopilot.

While these systems are essential for survival and efficiency, they can also entrench biased thinking and exclusionary behaviours, especially when left unexamined. At BARDO Inclusive, we work with the biology of the brain, not against it. We understand that many behaviours are not malicious, they’re unconscious, shaped by culture, repetition, and what we mirror in others. This is where neuroplasticity becomes powerful. The brain is constantly rewiring itself based on what we experience. Every meeting, message, and policy is a chance to reinforce more inclusive neural pathways. Over time, those pathways become habits.

Habits shape culture. And culture determines performance. We help individuals and organisations step out of autopilot and build intentional inclusion, creating environments where people feel safe, valued, and able to contribute. Because inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a strategic, scientific advantage for unlocking the full potential of diverse talent and leading with relevance in a global economy.

After nearly three decades leading equality, diversity and inclusion work, from the British Army and NHS, to higher education, government, and grassroots movements, I came to a realisation: if we truly want lasting, scalable change, we have to go deeper. Even the most powerful strategies, charters and structures can fall short if we don’t address the biology of how we think, relate, and behave. That’s why I created BARDO Inclusive and developed NIMM — the NeuroInclusive Maturity Model — to translate the science of the brain into practical, everyday inclusion that sticks and benefits everyone as it awakens us to our unconscious ‘brain blunders.’

What do you consider potential consequences of a lack of Diversity and Inclusion and what do you see as the main benefits of an inclusive workforce?

The consequences of failing to embed genuine diversity and inclusion go far beyond poor optics or missed targets, they impact psychological safety, decision quality, innovation, retention, and reputation. When inclusion is absent, people often operate in a state of low trust and high vigilance.

The brain interprets exclusion as a threat, activating the amygdala and triggering a defensive, survival-focused response. This leads to reduced creativity, shallow collaboration, and what’s known as “covering”, where individuals mask aspects of who they are to fit in. Over time, this erodes wellbeing, limits performance, and causes talent, especially from underrepresented groups, to disengage or leave.

Research by Amy Edmondson (1999) shows that psychological safety is the strongest predictor of high-performing teams. When people don’t feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, or admit mistakes, innovation suffers. Groupthink takes hold. People play small and stick to the status quo, even when better solutions exist. From a business perspective, this is costly. According to Cloverpop (2017), diverse and inclusive teams make better decisions 87% of the time, and they do so faster and with more consistent results. Inclusive teams are also more likely to meet financial goals, outperform competitors, and adapt in times of change. On the flip side, when inclusion is done well, people move out of survival mode and into growth mode. The brain releases dopamine and oxytocin, fostering trust, motivation, and collaboration. Teams become more psychologically resilient, more innovative, and more capable of navigating complexity and ambiguity, essential traits in a global, rapidly evolving economy. Importantly, the benefits of inclusion are not just cultural, they’re cognitive.

At BARDO Inclusive, we help organisations understand how unconscious bias, habit loops, mirror neurons, and social norms shape behaviour beneath the surface. By creating inclusive neural pathways through repetition, modelling, and intentional culture design, organisations can hardwire inclusion into their everyday practice. Inclusion isn’t just a social imperative, it’s a neural and strategic advantage. The organisations that invest in it now won’t just look better, they’ll think better, lead better, and succeed more sustainably.

How can businesses and potential employers get involved with your initiative/ programme/ organisation?

There are several ways to start your journey with BARDO Inclusive, from accessible self-paced learning to deep organisational transformation:

1. Explore our BARDO Academy, where businesses can access practical, neuroscience-informed online courses: 1) Inclusive Thinking; 2) Inclusive Leadership; 3) Mindful Inclusion. These are ideal tasters for individuals or teams wanting to embed small, meaningful changes.

2. Use our NIMM Framework to assess your organisation’s inclusion maturity. NIMM supports three levels of development: 1) Delta – Raising awareness and uncovering unconscious patterns; 2) Alpha – Building intentional, inclusive actions and mindset;3) Gamma – Embedding inclusion into systems, leadership and culture. It is available in three tiers of support: 1) Essential – Self-led, online model with tools, templates, and guided learning; 2) Advanced – Hybrid model with training, coaching, and leadership support; 3) Enterprise – Fully consultative, tailored to system-wide change.  Each tier includes structured training, scripts, prompts, checklists, reflection tools, and access to our Community of Practice, where peers learn, challenge, and grow together. NIMM isn’t a one-off workshop, it’s a journey supported by neuroscience, evidence, and practice. We work with organisations of all shapes and sizes who are committed to doing inclusion differently, not just as a policy, but as a cognitive and cultural advantage. Find out more at: www.bardoinclusive.com  Arrange a discovery chat, we’d love to hear from you.

If you are a part of an initiative, brand or company that proactively champions diversity and would like to be featured as part of the “True Diversity” series please get in touch with Tony.

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