At Involved, we build tools to help people in organizations hear each other more honestly, clearly, and with care. But just as often, we are the ones learning from those who use Involved to do transformative work in the world.

HumanKind is one of those teams. A Copenhagen-based company founded by Anna and Nathan, HumanKind helps organizations create cultures where disability and neurodiversity are no longer met with silence or fear, but with understanding, openness, and action.

Their story didn’t begin in a boardroom or strategy session. It began when both founders were suddenly pulled into the world of disability through their own families. That moment changed what they saw, what they questioned, and what they chose to build next. The following four takeaways are key lessons we learnt from talking with them.

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1. When change arrives before you're ready

“We had no exposure to disability before our son was born with a rare genetic condition. Later on, he was also diagnosed with autism. It completely changed the rhythm of our lives. We were thrown into medical parenting with no preparation, just trying to survive day by day.”

When Anna shared her story, we didn’t hear pity. We heard pure honesty. And it reminded us that not everyone starts focusing more on inclusion because they planned to. Sometimes, the need comes through shock and necessity.

"I would see parents not stepping up when their children bullied or ostracized my twin sons. As a dad, if I see my kids doing something like that to another kid, I would try to show them that that's wrong".

For Nathan, his world-view changed radically after his twins were born with Down syndrome. All of a sudden, exclusion felt closer and rooted in daily life. And one critical aspect started to become evident: exclusion manifests in avoidance and inaction.

2. Inclusion starts with the unusual suspects

“Our work focuses primarily on people who may not have had any exposure to disability before. That’s the group that needs to be engaged: people who mean well, but feel unsure or afraid of saying the wrong thing.”

This quote reframed how we think about inclusion. When we talk about disability, it's easy to assume that the spotlight should be on those living with disabilities. But HumanKind takes a different view: the real shift begins with those who have never had to think about it.

“A lot of people don’t feel safe talking about these topics, especially when it involves something personal or unfamiliar. If they think their words will be tracked or judged, they just won’t speak, so anonymity is a key ingredient to help everybody lean in.”

Even in families, where love and care are assumed, it can be hard to say what really matters. That’s what makes anonymity so powerful: not because people want to hide, but because they want to feel safe enough to be real. The same is true in workplaces. Cultural change doesn’t begin with confident voices: it begins with quiet ones that finally feel invited to speak.

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3. Pivoting with purpose

“We quickly pivoted and realized we needed to look at the business world, because they have the budgets to address this, and they’re also managing multiple risks. That could be a good trigger for them to look at disability inclusion.”

In the beginning, HumanKind focused on families. It made sense: they had lived the emotional side of exclusion firsthand. But the impact of those early efforts was limited. Attendance was low. Engagement was slow. And something became clear: if you want to normalize disability in society, you also have to go where decisions can be taken consistently and impactfully.

That insight didn’t come from cynicism. It came from practicality. Businesses, especially large ones, hold not just resources, but cultural leverage. They influence norms and behaviors, and reach people who might never otherwise engage with a topic like neurodiversity. For HumanKind, shifting their focus wasn’t a compromise. It was a deeper form of commitment, choosing to work in the spaces where they could create momentum and where Anna and Nathan could combine their business backgrounds with their personal mission.  But what do companies need to engage meaningfully with diversity and inclusion?

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4. A tool to enable mutual change

“Companies need data to engage with the process and the results. But it has to be the right kind of data, something that captures the attitudes and sentiments inside the organization, not just a yes or no.”

As HumanKind shifted their focus to working with businesses, they knew that delivering change wouldn’t be enough: they’d need to measure it too. Traditional surveys wouldn’t suffice. If the goal was cultural change, then the data had to go deeper: it had to reflect how people actually feel, what they hesitate to say out loud, and what shifts during the process.

“We found Involved very helpful: the interactivity, the ability to surface sentiment. It gives another layer of nuance and insight, especially in a field where people are having their assumptions challenged directly.”

And that kind of awareness isn’t just useful for the companies they work with: it’s essential for HumanKind too. Cultural change is never static, and neither is facilitation. Just as they ask organizations to examine how attitudes shift over time, they do the same with their own work. They use Involved on themselves to understand what landed, what didn’t, and what needs improvement. That’s how they stay relevant: by changing alongside the people they work with.

“We use the data to see whether the way we speak about disability resonates with people, whether there are any gaps we didn’t address, because every time we engage with a client, it’s a different conversation.”

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Final reflections

What HumanKind reminded us is that involvement isn’t a finished position, but a continuous practice. It can begin with disruption. It can pivot through strategy. And it can deepen through reflection. But it always asks the same thing: are we listening closely enough to notice what’s shifting?

Their approach of helping others while examining themselves challenges the idea that facilitators should already have it all figured out. Instead, they stay in motion. They ask for feedback. They change their sessions based on what they learn. And they make it clear that cultural change doesn’t move in one direction: it’s something we shape together, moment by moment.

At Involved, we’re grateful to be their allies in those processes. If you're also working to make your organization a more courageous, inclusive, and responsive place, we’d love to talk and explore possibilities together.