The NIMM Domains

NIMM is a neuroscience-informed framework for inclusive cultural change — from the inside out.
And while it stands for NeuroInclusive Maturity Model, it also reflects the pillars it's built on: five powerful domains that shape how we think, relate, and lead.

NEURO

Understanding how the brain shapes behaviour, bias, and belief.

CORE FOCUS:

Cognitive shortcuts, emotional regulation, rewiring habits, safety vs threat responses.

NEUROSCIENCE:

Neuroplasticity, amygdala hijack, dopamine reward systems, mirror neurons.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:

Leaders learn to pause before reacting. Feedback is delivered without triggering threat. Bias interruption becomes a reflex, not a policy.

MEANING

Connecting people’s purpose and values to their work, and making inclusion emotionally relevant.

CORE FOCUS:

Motivation, fairness, storytelling, personal resonance, culture fit vs culture add.

NEUROSCIENCE:

Motivation systems, meaning-making, cognitive dissonance, and neuroaffective resonance.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:

Inclusion becomes part of “why we’re here,” not just a side project. Values drive behaviour, not just posters on a wall.

MOMENTUM

Embedding inclusive habits into systems, strategy, and everyday working life.

CORE FOCUS:

Change that sticks: accountability, rituals, leadership, systemic alignment.

NEUROSCIENCE:

Habit formation, reward prediction error, nudge theory, behaviour loops.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:

Inclusion isn’t a one-off workshop. It’s a living system. Meetings change. Metrics change. Mindsets change, and stay changed.

IDENTITY

Exploring how people experience the workplace through the lens of who they are and how they are seen.

CORE FOCUS:

Psychological safety, belonging, intersectionality, voice, self-authorship.

NEUROSCIENCE:

Social identity theory, in-group/out-group bias, and self-determination theory.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:

Teams get better at seeing the invisible barriers. Leaders stop making assumptions. People feel seen, not stereotyped.

MUTUALITY

Building two-way trust, relationships, and collaboration across difference.

CORE FOCUS:

Empathy, shared power, curiosity, co-creation, feedback culture.

NEUROSCIENCE:

Mirror neurons, trust circuitry (oxytocin, vagus nerve), reciprocity loops.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:

Teams shift from “tell and sell” to “listen and learn.” Conflicts spark growth, not shutdown. The room gets safer and braver.

Why it Matters

Together, these domains form a maturity model — helping organisations see where they are, where they want to be, and how to get there.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about moving forward — from fear to flow, from stuck to strong, from Fixed → Flourish.

And while NIMM was designed as a neuro-inclusive framework for embedding lasting inclusion, its impact goes far beyond that. Because when you shift how people think, feel, and behave, you don’t just get inclusion. You get resilience. Creativity. Better leadership. Wiser decisions.
You unlock the conditions for psychological safety, growth mindset, and human-centred change, the kind that sticks.

That's why the BARDO Community of Practice isn’t just about protected characteristics or policy tweaks. It’s a hub of resources, templates, tools, and thinking prompts designed to support any form of meaningful growth, personal, cultural, or organisational.

Whether you're:

trying to shift entrenched habits,
leading through uncertainty,
embedding a new strategy,
or just figuring out how to help your team adapt and thrive...

NIMM gives you the roadmap.
The Community gives you peer learning and tools.
And neuroscience gives you the how.

Because when we understand how the brain works, we stop working against it, and start designing systems that let us all grow, together.