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Inclusion Is Lonely Work — But It Doesn’t Have to Be

You’re committed to creating equity.
You challenge bias.
You speak truth to power.

And sometimes… you sit in meetings you weren’t even invited to anymore.

Have you ever felt like this:

“My CEO praises my work to my face, but I’m being quietly cut out. I’m excluded from decisions that directly impact our EDI goals. I feel isolated and exhausted. It’s hard to promote inclusivity when you’re not included yourself.”

This is the invisible toll of inclusive leadership — and it’s why we dedicated a full chapter in Simplifying Inclusive Leadership to relational wellbeing.

Relational wellbeing is about how connected, trusted, and valued you feel in your workplace relationships. For leaders, especially those driving systemic change, this is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline.

✅ Ask yourself:

  • Do I feel like I belong at work?
  • Do I trust — and feel trusted by — those around me?
  • Am I valued and appreciated, or simply tolerated?

When relational wellbeing is low, resilience drops. Inclusion work becomes harder. Your insight starts to feel like a burden.

But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

🔑 In the book, we offer practical tools to strengthen your connection with others, even when the system resists:

  • How to nurture micro-connections that boost belonging
  • How to increase your visibility and impact without overexertion
  • How to protect your trust in others — and yourself

🌱 Relational wellbeing isn’t about being liked. It’s about being seen, heard, and supported as you lead change.

Blogs

Neuroinclusion and intersectionality in the workplace

Inclusion is rarely experienced through a single identity, yet much of how organisations approach it still assumes exactly that. A 2026 narrative review by Calvard and colleagues, brings this into sharp focus....
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Blogs

Rethinking meetings as spaces for inclusion

A 2026 review by Rogelberg and colleagues, synthesises thirty years of research on meeting science and offers a compelling insight. Meetings are not simply operational necessities, they are one of the most influential, and often overlooked, mechanisms through which inclusion is experienced at work....
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Blogs

Not all expertise is what it seems

A recent paper by Mergen and colleagues (2026), published in Organization, introduces a powerful and timely concept: toxic experts. These are individuals who, despite appearing credible, use their perceived expertise to promote misleading or harmful claims, often for personal or commercial gain....
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