“You are the mountain. You’ve already climbed so much of it.” – Michael Sykes
In the latest episode of Thinkering Voices, we sat down with Michael Sykes, founder of Equitable Solutions, to unpack what it means to truly humanize leadership. What emerged wasn’t just a conversation about equity in schools, it was a masterclass in leading with heart, slowing down, and returning to self.
Michael reminds us that equity isn’t a checkbox or a compliance protocol. It’s a daily practice of love:
Love for self.
Love for others.
Love for humanity.
Equity Starts in the Mirror
It may feel radical to define equity as self-love, but Michael insists that’s where real transformation begins. As he puts it, “The first and most equitable journey you can go on is how you value and validate yourself.”
This flips the script on what we often think of as DEI work. Before we can extend empathy outward, we have to build the muscle inward. That means changing our self-talk, anchoring in gratitude, and becoming fluent in affirming language. Imagine writing down 1,825 things you love about yourself in a year. That’s not just reflection. That’s revolution.
Healing is Leadership
Burnout isn’t just a teacher problem. It’s systemic. And it begins at the top. Michael shared the powerful moment he began asking school leaders a deceptively simple question:
“How’s your heart?”
Nine times out of ten, the answer revealed an overlooked truth: you can’t lead well if you’re empty inside. When leaders heal, they invite their teams to do the same. It creates a ripple effect of compassion, presence, and joy, things we don’t always associate with leadership, but absolutely should.
Easy Equity Is a Practice, Not a Pitch
Michael’s book Easy Equity is a workbook and a movement. Born from a healing journey of his own, it’s a tool designed not to impress but to empower. The process is simple but profound: you learn a skill, you practice the skill, and then you live it.
That’s equity as a verb.
But more than that, Easy Equity creates language for a new kind of culture, one where it’s not just okay to love yourself, it’s expected. Where colleagues call each other in when denying language sneaks in. Where self-compassion becomes the standard, not the exception.
Grandma as North Star
Michael’s most enduring leadership inspiration came from his grandmother, a caretaker who radiated light into dark places and taught him that everyone has a story to tell. She saw the mountain in him long before he saw it in himself. Now, every time Michael helps someone else climb their own internal mountain, he’s moving closer to her.
We don’t talk enough about legacy in education. But here, it’s tangible. It’s spiritual. It’s the reason behind every workshop, every journal entry, every word written in the margins of Easy Equity.
What If Equity Wasn’t Scary?
In a time when even the word “equity” can spark political backlash, Michael refuses to rebrand. “I won’t change the name,” he said, “because that would be stepping away from my grandma.” Instead, he invites us to reclaim it, not as a threat, but as a practice of healing.
Imagine a world where equity is the norm, not the exception. Where the question “How are you treating you?” is foundational. That’s the vision.
And it starts with the first step: looking in the mirror and whispering something tender to yourself.
Try This: Your Easy Equity Starter Practice
Look in the mirror.
Say the most loving thing you can to yourself.
Repeat: “I am deserving of love. The world is better because I’m in it.”
Write down 5 things you love about yourself. Do it again tomorrow. And the next day.
It’s not ego. It’s practice. It’s equity. And it’s the beginning of something deeper than reform. It’s transformation.
📖 Pick up a copy of Easy Equity
📲 Follow Michael on Instagram @EquitableSolutionsColorado
Let’s all commit to moving at the speed of self-compassion. That’s the speed of love.
