About Equally Different

A social education company

Equally Different is a social education company founded in 2015 that works to strengthen psychosocial relationships. Through lectures, workshops, and educational processes based on the Equally Different method, we improve work environment and values-based efforts. Our method helps individuals and groups develop inclusive behaviors, as positive relationships are essential for both mental health and strong performance.

Use our Sweden map to see who has worked with us in schools, businesses, and associations—both in Sweden and internationally.

In our products and services, you’ll see how we can strengthen your organization based on your current situation and needs.

4 short videos about Equally Different and the Game Plan of Life.

About the study

About the Equally Different method

About life as a game plan

What does Equally Different do?

Targeted training programs in schools

School leadership, student health teams, teachers, or all school staff? Primary, middle, upper, or secondary school? Equally Different offers tailored lectures, training programs, and tools for everyone. For guardians too!

Stronger community in sports associations

Social skills and empathy set the tone for a team’s well-being and performance. In the systematic work to strengthen community, joy in playing, and engagement, Equally Different brings broad experience. It’s “the team before the self”!

Togetherness at work

We are only as good as how well we treat each other. Because we are each other’s work environment, and what we give one another is what we take home. This also translates into bottom-line results. Equally Different guides and trains work teams of all sizes for stronger togetherness.

We don’t choose each other, but we do choose our behaviors and who we want to be. Every day.

– Mary Juusela

Life as a game plan

Humans are social beings. This means we need others to feel truly well and to handle the many expectations placed on us in daily life. Every day, when you step out your front door, you step onto a “game plan” where everyone wants to be liked.

No matter the social setting—school, the workplace, or an association—we do our best to gain acceptance from the group. Avoiding exclusion is crucial, as it’s one of the worst things a social being can experience. This dynamic is called group psychology, and Equally Different refers to this playing field as the game plan of life.

Why choose Equally Different?

Reinforcement for your values-based work

Help more individuals strengthen their mental health and potential

Increase psychological safety and community

Fact-based and academic method

Materials aligned with the curriculum, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Agenda 2030

Increases SQ + EQ, which also boosts IQ

Fun, simple, and for the entire organization

The history of Equally Different

1982

Mary Juusela is born into poverty in the megacity of Bangalore, India. She is left to her fate and ends up at an orphanage as a newborn.

1983 - 2002

Orphanage child Mary is adopted by Finnish immigrants to Sweden and grows up in the community of Bålsta. Her journey through social exclusion begins at the age of five, when she is first called the "n-word." That marks the start of a life marked by racism, exclusion, and mental health struggles that continue long after graduation.

2003-2013

2003 - 2013

At 19, journalism student Mary Juusela begins a world-unique study on identity, exclusion, empathy, and abilities. She wanted to understand what happens to an individual’s mental health and ability to reach their full potential when subjected to various levels of social exclusion. For that reason, Mary spent 10 years living with 700 randomly selected Swedish families in 40 communities.

2014

The results of the study became the foundation for the Equally Different Method, based in social psychology and sociology. The purpose of the method is to strengthen the positive and safe environment around each individual, thereby increasing the likelihood of a life filled with opportunity and potential. In this way, the individual’s well-being and abilities also contribute back to all the social settings—work, leisure, neighborhood, and social circles—they are part of. The Equally Different Method is used as a practical tool for companies, schools, and associations to build internal psychosocial skills, often in connection with work on core values, diversity, integration, and human sustainability.

2015

Together with psychologist and researcher Lena Bäckström Åkesson from Kristianstad University, Mary presented her academic poster *Stolen Identity* in Washington, D.C., USA, at a world conference on children's health and development. That same year, she founded the social education company Equally Different.

2025 och framåt

Today, the Equally Different Method is used continuously in both the private and public sectors, at work and during leisure time—all the way to the kitchen table. The goal is to educate an entire nation to positively strengthen life and work life for an entire generation.

Advisory board

Stina Möller

For over 25 years, Stina Möller has worked to build the nationwide coffee chain Espresso House. Over the years, she has held various roles, most recently as CEO of the Swedish operations (2018–2024). Stina has played a key role in the company’s growth from a small café in Lund in 1996 to becoming one of Sweden’s largest employers of young people. She has a strong belief in the inner power of the individual and is passionate about developing individuals, groups, and leaders!

Cathrine Edblad

Founder and co-owner of Edblad

Cathrine is a trained teacher and the founder/co-founder of several companies, with Edblad being the most successful. Edblad has retailers worldwide and is Sweden’s largest jewelry brand. Cathrine has held roles such as designer and CEO, and has received awards and honors including the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year’s category Female Rising Star. The company has also been named a Gazelle Company multiple times by Dagens Industri. Cathrine’s entrepreneurship has always had a social foundation, with parts of the revenue supporting vulnerable women and children, as well as climate initiatives.

Anna Dagälv

Studied Industrial Engineering and Management at KTH.

Anna has experience from both large corporations and entrepreneurship. In 2016, she founded and built Smakbox, now Sweden’s largest tasting platform. With a subscription-based model, she has created a profitable marketing channel that benefits both consumers and food industry players. With a 10-year background at ICA, Anna has experience in bridging traditional retail with digital transformation. She played a key role in developing ICA’s CRM and e-commerce strategies and built award-winning customer loyalty programs like ICA Student from the ground up. Anna is passionate about optimal customer experience, strong relationships, and sustainable business. She studied Industrial Engineering and Management at KTH.

Academic mentors

Gita Hedin

Sömnforskare, universitetslektor och folkhälsopedagog
Högskolan i KristianstadSleep researcher, university lecturer, and public health educator.
Kristianstad University

Lena Åkesson Bäckström

Professor, licensed psychologist and psychotherapist with supervisor training.
Kristianstad University

School mentors

Westerlundska Upper Secondary School in Enköping

Contact: Lotta Brändgården, Program Principal, and Kristin Lindgren, Program Principal

Ösbyskolan in Djursholm

Contact: Ann-Louise Papinski, Principal

Vikmanshyttan in Hedemora

Contact: Annelie Hedberg, Principal

Impact measurement schools

Johan-Olov School in Horndal

Contact: Lisbeth Frejd, Assistant Principal, and Anna Rönnings, School Counselor

Vikmanshyttans School in Hedemora

Contact: Annelie Hedberg, Principal

Västerby School in Hedemora

Contact: Annelie Hedberg, Principal

4 short videos about Equally Different and the Game Plan of Life.