Episode 9: adrienne maree brown and Emergent Strategy
- Georgina Brown (hershe)
- Aug 25
- 2 min read
How Change Actually Happens in Real Brains and Real Time
You want to shift culture?
Rethink strategy?
Rewire bias?
Cool. Start small. Stay curious. And learn from the slime mould.
Enter: adrienne maree brown, visionary facilitator, movement weaver, and poetic provocateur.
In Emergent Strategy, brown reminds us that real change isn’t linear, top-down, or bullet-pointed in a deck.
It’s messy. Cellular. Responsive. Alive.
Sound familiar? That’s also how brains change.
At BARDO Inclusive, we love brown’s work because it mirrors the very thing the Neuro-Inclusive Maturity Model (NIMM) was built on:
Change is not imposed, it emerges.
From relationship. From rhythm. From feedback loops.
Change emerges....!
The Science Bit: Neuroplasticity Is Emergent Strategy
Brains don’t change through command-and-control. They adapt through repetition, safety, curiosity, and relationship.
Just like brown’s “fractals”—where small behaviours ripple outward, neuroplasticity begins with micro-moments:
One nervous-system-regulated conversation
One pause before judgement
One “I hadn’t thought of it that way before”
These moments fire new neural pathways and build inclusive reflexes. They activate our Mirror Neurons.
That’s not fluffy. That’s literally how learning works.
“Trust the fractal. Small is all.” – adrienne maree brown
How Emergent Strategy Supports the NIMM
brown’s approach lights up all five NIMM domains:
Neuroscience-Informed — patterns, adaptation, growth through relationship
Mindset-Shifting — letting go of control in favour of co-creation
Trust-Building — relational leadership, not hierarchical compliance
Bias-Disrupting — through collective sense-making and iterative change
System-Aware — seeing systems as living, not static
Real Inclusion Requires Emergence, Not Imposition
Want inclusive change that sticks?
Stop obsessing over the masterplan.Start tuning into the micro-patterns:
Who always speaks first?
Who’s missing from the Slack thread?
Whose feedback loops are invisible?
Emergent culture work is slow, relational work. But it’s the only kind that doesn’t snap back under pressure.
Try This: An Emergent Micro-Practice for Your Next Team Sprint
At the start of the week, ask your team:“What’s something small we could try this week that would increase belonging?”
Don’t over-design it. Let it grow.Come back Friday and ask: “What changed?”
This is the slime mould method. This is brain change in motion.
Want More adrienne? Start Here:
Emergent Strategy – the manifesto. Part vision, part workbook, part therapy.
We Will Not Cancel Us – a nuanced look at accountability and collective healing.
Holding Change – practical wisdom on facilitating liberation, not just meetings.
Reflect:
Where are you clinging to control instead of dancing with emergence?
What if your org’s next big leap started with one well-asked question?
Next Up in the Series:
Episode 10: Brené Brown and the Neuroscience of Vulnerability: Why Bravery Looks Like Feeling Everything at Work
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