Who We Are

ABOUT US

Habitus is a social enterprise that uses anthropology, emotional intelligence and educational psychology to unlock the creative human potential within us all. We support organisations to improve their performance and gain a competitive advantage by embracing our shared humanity and nurturing collaborative and inclusive cultures.

We have designed a unique set of programs that uses practical activities, role play, story sharing and robust conversations to create a powerful experience that transforms participants and deeply embeds change.

We use cutting edge research to give you the skills you need to harness internal capabilities and navigate the challenges we face in the modern world. We are dedicated to socially responsible culture change through the employment of a primarily human-centred approach. Ultimately, Habitus helps people put more meaning, connection and joy back into their lives.

Meet Monty

Habitus is the brainchild of Dr. Monty Badami, anthropologist and world-class speaker, facilitator and coach. Apart from holding a PhD in anthropology; he’s a university lecturer, Army Reserves officer, faculty member of The School of Life and co-presents a podcast called The Meaning Of....

He combines his knowledge of Army Leadership with evolutionary evidence and cross-cultural research to demonstrate how our creativity, diversity and imperfection is essential to our adaptability and success as a species.

Monty recognised that organisations were missing a vital strategic edge by failing to appreciate the untapped potential of a more anthropological approach to education and business. He has spent most of his research living with the Paniya, a marginalised indigenous group in India, who were slaves until quite recently. It is here that he fully developed his social and ethical foundations and nurtured a deep appreciation for the innovation and resilience of humans all over the world.

Monty runs Habitus as a Social Enterprise to make the world a better place, and families and communities are at the heart of that. As such, He uses the profits made from corporate clients and private schools to help us Habitus deliver cutting edge, research inspired, socially inclusive programs (like our Lifehacks Program) to public schools and marginalised communities in need.

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Our Values

We value our humanity...
In Anthropology, we see human creativity, diversity and cooperation as key features of human evolution. That’s why we use a range of fun activities including: team building, storytelling, problem solving, nature programs, drama, music, martial arts and play to get people doing things together. Basically, it is in these essentially human practices where we find the secret that enabled us to remain resilient, adapt to change and thrive as a species.
We empower through education...
We are passionate about training people to be creative in how they navigate the challenges we all face as human beings. Our programs develop social skills, confidence and adaptability. We provide Professional and Personal Development, as well as Socially Responsible Coaching and Mentoring to encourage healthy relationships, strengthen communities, improve performance and help people find their place in the world.
We embrace change to make a difference...
Change is the only constant, so plug into our programs, consults and talks to celebrate transformation. We give you lifehacks and practical skills to help you deal with change at every level, be it personal, social, or structural. We use anthropological perspectives and combine our knowledge of culture, people, biology, brains and behaviour to help you make significant and positive changes within your family, school, community or organisation.

Anthropology

At Habitus, we help you develop the confidence to find creative solutions to complex problems. We use Human-Centred Research and Systems Thinking, that is grounded in Anthropology, to help you connect with your staff, students, customers and wider organisational community. We use this method of enquiry so that you can develop realistic, positive, inclusive and ethical strategic plans for the future.

In the words of Anthropologist Horace Miner, Anthropology “makes the familiar strange and the strange familiar”. In doing so, it shows us the things we take for granted…the things we usually cannot see. This is how Anthropology reveals our norms, habits and unconscious processes so that we can have more agency to actually choose how to live our lives, rather than have that choice made for us by society alone.

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Speaking

Providing challenging and potentially perspective-altering ideas, a keynote from Habitus Founder & CEO Dr Sumant (Monty) Badami will last far beyond your event.

As a public speaker, he inspires people to think deeply, challenging them to explore a range of creative approaches to understand their dynamic and ever-changing environment.

Monty speaks on a range of topics including:

What does it mean to ‘Be Human’?
Cultures of Learning: How “Being Human” helps us learn better
How to Enjoy Your Life!
Healthy Masculinity
Cultural Intelligence: let’s start the debate
Rites of Passage: an outdated idea, or badly needed in today’s world?
Healthy Parenting in Difficult Times
Adaptive Leadership for an Uncertain Future

Topics and keynotes can also be tailored to suit the objectives and themes of your conference or development day, get in touch now and lets bounce ideas!

Media

Monty is available for interview and for media comment on request on all things anthropology, ethnographic research, cultural change, rites of passage, the future of education and design thinking.

Please direct all media enquires through to: contact@habitus.org.