Holistic Equity has a new Guide

Meet Carole Burton; a podcaster, a Clubhouse speaker, and an inspirational guide. The the whole world shifted on that fateful night of May 25, 2020 in her hometown of Minneapolis, MN. Hours after George Floyd was murdered, that global shift boomeranged its way back to her. She was compelled to craft a spiritual dome prayer. Then she held a vigil to provide “waves of positive change, resources, strength, strategy, and lights of active hope.“

Today, Burton guides mission-focused leaders on journeys in ethics, equity, and accountability. She enlightens people on how to drive meaningful change. “It all begins with respect,” she said, “And trust.”

Tell me your story

Burton is highly adept at connecting with people. Attentive listening and a deep commitment to help others are part of her ethos. She has both incredible insight and honed ability to uncover what’s really going on. Her approach doesn’t sound all that complex – until you realize that creating a safe space is anything but simple. She connects with people by inviting them to “tell me your story.” Her mind and heart open up to whomever she’s speaking with to let folks know that she can hold the space for them. That trust extends with an invitation to keep sharing, “Tell me what support you think you need.”

At the core of all relationships, is trust. Without it, it’s hard to move beyond an agenda that only serves one half of the relationship. “It’s not about power. It’s about full respect. Full recognition. And me being responsible to reflect that,” she mused unequivocally. Burton isn’t afraid to “do the work.” In fact, she openly embraces the work that she needs to do on and within herself to grow.

Equity is about the trust factor. It’s about recognizing that I don’t have power over you and you don’t have power over me. It’s not about power.

~Carole Burton

A model for holistic equity

Her holistic equity model is as elegant as it is plain. Three rows (I / Us / We) by three columns (Transaction / Transition / Transformation take the learner on a journey of enlightenment. Even Burton herself, a practitioner in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space identified areas for improvement by working her way through her own model. She believes that the combination of adapting and equity drives change – real change.

As the podcast host of Radiance Realtalk, Grit Daily flipped the tables by having Burton on as a guest on our podcast. When she’s not walking around the local Minneapolis college campuses in her tie-dyed Chucks, she’s guiding leaders in adaptive communication. To learn more about Burton’s passion and life’s work, tune into the podcast on Spotify or anywhere that content is streamed.