Michael Baran, PhD is a renowned social scientist, bestselling author, and keynote speaker with over two decades of experience helping organizations create inclusive, psychologically safe, and high-performing workplace cultures. His work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, CNN, Forbes, and more. He has taught at both Harvard University and the University of Michigan and co-authored the award-winning book Subtle Acts of Exclusion. He is also the CEO of Iris Inclusion, a global diversity, equity, and inclusion firm specializing in highly engaging and evidence-based training, consulting, keynotes, eLearning, and culture change strategy.

As the host of The Culture Advantage podcast, Michael brings his “gentle but firm” approach to complex conversations about leadership, inclusion, and culture transformation. Each episode combines real-world experience, social science insights, and practical tools to help leaders engage their people, retain top talent, and build thriving organizations in today’s competitive global marketplace.