Why I Called It BARDO: A Name, A Philosophy, A Portal
- Georgina Brown (hershe)
- Jul 14
- 3 min read
BARDO: The Liminal Space Where Real Change Happens
People often ask me why I called the company BARDO.
Sometimes they whisper it like it’s a spell.
Sometimes they ask if it’s an acronym.
Sometimes they just say, “It sounds cool, but… what does it mean?”
And no — it’s not a spelling mistake. I didn’t name the company after the French film icon Brigitte Bardot (though she had her own brand of revolution). This BARDO is different. Older. Deeper. And far more reflective.
So, here’s the story.
It’s personal. It’s philosophical. It’s a little cosmic.
And it might just explain why BARDO Inclusive isn’t just a brand, it’s a way of seeing the world.
BARDO: The Space Between
The word Bardo comes from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, an ancient Buddhist text that guides the soul through the in-between. Not quite life, not yet death. It’s the space between states. A realm of transition, reflection, potential, and clarity.
The Bardo is where:
Time stretches and distorts.
The ego loosens its grip.
And most importantly, we see things as they are, without judgment.
To Buddhists, the Bardo is a place of opportunity. If you meet it with awareness, you can break old patterns. Evolve. Move forward with wisdom.
But if you’re overwhelmed by fear or clinging to the past, the Bardo becomes a loop.
Sound familiar?
Because honestly, that’s not just an afterlife metaphor.
That’s organisational life on any given Tuesday.
The Name That Followed Us Home
The word Bardo first resonated with my husband, Jason, way back in the ‘90s.
It stuck with him, and eventually became the name for his company BARDOPhotographic and BARDOCreative.
It’s been the backdrop to much of our creative and professional life.
And then, when I stepped away from institutional EDI to launch something new, something brave, human, and necessary, the name found me.
Because what is inclusion if not a Bardo?
A moment of pause.
A chance to reflect.
A liminal space between “how we’ve always done it” and “what might be possible next.”
And what is NIMM — the NeuroInclusive Maturity Model — if not a guided pathway through our own internal Bardos?
BARDO as a Workplace Philosophy
In neuroscience, we talk a lot about the power of pause.
The gap between stimulus and response.
The second you take to breathe before reacting.
The pivot that makes a system more conscious, less automatic.
Bardo is that gap.
It’s where transformation happens.
At BARDO Inclusive, we intentionally recreate that space through:
Psychological safety — where judgment is suspended and reflection becomes possible
Neuroscience-informed tools — that calm the amygdala and activate the prefrontal cortex (aka your best thinking brain)
Structured reflection — via journaling, coaching, and dialogue
Compassionate systems change — where inclusion isn’t enforced, but evolved
The Bardo state is not passive. It’s potent.
It’s where real growth begins, if we have the courage to sit in it.
The Buddhist Bits That Resonate
Over the years, I’ve returned to certain Buddhist principles, not because I’m a formal practitioner, but because the wisdom hits differently when you’re building something for people.
A few that guide BARDO’s heart:
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
We don’t force learning. We create the conditions.
NIMM isn’t about ‘fixing’ people — it’s about helping them notice. Reflect. Choose.
That’s neuroplasticity, baby!
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
Inclusion work will always involve discomfort — but how we meet that discomfort determines whether it becomes trauma or transformation.
“See clearly. Act wisely.”
This is the foundation of every tool we offer.
Bias interruption. Maturity models. Coaching. Culture diagnostics.
It’s about seeing what is, not what we wish was true — and acting with intention.
Why It Still Matters
Choosing BARDO wasn’t just poetic or philosophical.
It was practical.
Because in a world locked in binaries, good/bad, right/wrong, us/them, we need more spaces where we can sit in the “not-yet”.
We need tools that help us move from reactive replays to reflective rewiring.
And we need courage to stand in the in-between, long enough for something new to emerge.
That’s what BARDO is.
That’s what we’re building.
One honest, human conversation at a time.
P.S. The Bardo isn’t just a Buddhist realm.
It’s the boardroom.
It’s the team offsite.
It’s your 3 a.m. wake-up call when something’s not sitting right.
It’s the space where everything might change, if you’re willing to sit in it, and look.
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