Helen Urwin - The Woman Fortune 500 Brands Called in Secret for 30 Years — Finally Reveals The 9 Freedoms of Being Giant - E208

Makes Sense - with Dr. JC Doornick

Helen Althea Urwin, a previously anonymous transformational facilitator who has guided Fortune 500 brands for over three decades, publicly s

Key takeaways

• True transformation begins with a shift in who you are being, not just what you're doing.
• The 'Being Giant' framework is built on nine Freedoms that help individuals access deeper aspects of themselves previously suppressed by conditioning.

Main topics

• Being Giant framework
• The nine Freedoms of personal expansion

Notable quotes

"The biggest breakthroughs rarely came from better strategies or greater capabilities. They came as a result of a shift in who the person was being."

"You already are a giant. You just didn't know it yet."

Conclusion

Helen Urwin's public unveiling of her 'Being Giant' philosophy marks a pivotal moment in

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) The biggest breakthroughs rarely came from better strategies or greater capabilities. They came as a result of a shift in who the person was being. That insight ultimately gave rise to being giant, a framework built around the idea that the next level of your results requires the next level of you. Have you noticed that the world that we live in has been doing most of the thinking for you? That your beliefs, perceptions, reactions, fears, and doubts have been shaped by unsolicited outside noise? How easy it's been for you to slip into that default sleepwalking mode and label it as Speaker 3 (0:39) life Speaker 1 (0:39) and reality. Yeah, that ends here. Welcome to the Make Sense with Dr. JC podcast. This is your opportunity to start thinking for yourself, reclaim control, and step back into that role as the shock collar and dominant force of your... Speaker 1 (1:05) Make sense. Speaker 1 (1:14) Great morning, humans. Great morning, world. I am Dr. J.C. Dornick, otherwise known as The Dragon, and I want to welcome you to another edition of the Make Sense with Dr. J.C. podcast, and I want to welcome you to the uprising of the sleepwalking masses. Today, we're going to talk about something that immediately made me go, hmm. And that's because we spend an enormous amount of our lives trying to get better at things. My guest today is Helen Althea Irwin, founder of Being Giant and a transformational facilitator who has spent more than 30 years working with CEOs, founders, leadership teams from some of the world's biggest businesses and most iconic brands out there. After a decade at Mars Inc., Helen went on to work with leaders across more than 300 different brands, helping them navigate transformation, identity, purpose, and significant strategic change. So today, we're going to explore what it means to stop living from the past, uncover what's actually true about you and who you are, and perhaps unleash a much bigger version of yourself. Helen Irwin, welcome to the Dragon's Lair. First of all, thank you for everything that I've learned from you. I find myself, you know, the stuff that you have shared and taught me along the way, I've had so many opportunities to get mentored by you. That's what's so cool about you being on here right now. It's perfect for my audience. But I find myself using a lot of the language and concepts and terms that I've learned from you. so freely that I almost think that I came up with them, you know? Speaker 3 (2:54) Yes. Speaker 1 (2:55) That's good. Yeah, that's a good sign. That means it's wired in. One of them is I frequently recognize things that no longer apply in my life or fit for purpose and things like that. So I just want to say thank you, you know, on behalf of the thousands and thousands of people that you've helped. And I'm so excited that we're getting this fresh new concept that has just evolved through your systems. Very exciting. So let's jump in. What does being a giant mean? actually mean? And perhaps more importantly, the way I like to look at it is, is how do I know when I'm not being a giant? Speaker 2 (3:34) Yeah, well, we're diving straight in, which is perfect. So this language for me of being giant is the way I began to think about my growth. in accessing more of me. And again, through many years, this is over time, what I realized was that, you know, when I was having a breakthrough, and I could access some part of me that maybe had been repressed, or subdued, whatever language we want to use, because I'd made a decision in my life that, oh, that's not a good thing. And we put things away. Speaker 1 (4:08) And Speaker 2 (4:08) as I consciously went on this journey, I was amazed at what I found. I was like, oh, okay. We start to see ourselves through our conditioning through a very narrow lens. Speaker 1 (4:22) You Speaker 2 (4:23) know, we make decisions about ourselves along the way. You know, our conditioning, how we're brought up, how to survive, basically, and how to stay safe. And then when we're through all of that and something bigger is calling us, then there's all of these aspects of who we are. that begin to really help and support us. But that's what was amazing to me was that I felt that there was more to me than I knew each time it was this expansion. And then I began to think, well, how much else is there? What else is there? Who else is in there? Speaker 1 (4:55) And Speaker 2 (4:56) the giant nature of that for me is that there was this seminar I was at actually where Marianne Williamson quote was spoken around the time actually I think the book was written. the very famous one, playing small does not serve the world. That really got me here. And it was okay. I knew my corporate career was kind of coming to a close with what I was feeling was next. But with that, I kind of went at the time. So what's the opposite of playing small? And it was this sense of yes, playing big, but the giant word has kind of always been hovering for me. And I didn't know what it meant then. I'm 31 years old. I didn't have a clue what it meant, but it really stirred that kind of soul or essence within me. Speaker 1 (5:42) And Speaker 2 (5:42) of course that planted some seeds and life's journey took me through, I think the perfect curriculum to access these parts that maybe for whatever reason, it's not about making ourselves wrong for that either because it's just life and we grow and we're not a finished product ever. So that's the other thing, too. I feel like we're always in process. I Speaker 1 (6:04) want to tap into something that my observation tells me that this is a superpower of yours that you've had for quite some time. And I just want to kind of maybe validate it. It seems like you've gone through life. We talk a lot about it on this show, about how powerful it is to just remain open and curious and maybe even find comfort in uncertainty. I don't know. I'm not sure. It seems like when you say something like the word giant was kind of like telling me something, but I didn't know what it was. And you didn't rush it or anything until it was fit for prime. There's another one of your things, right? Is that something that you've always done or did you learn how to do that? Just to be open and curious, you know, get something and not be in such a rush to figure it out until it was ready. Speaker 2 (6:51) Yeah, I think the early development that I actually went through in my late 20s was a huge part of that. Because when we say being giant, we are talking about being, not doing. And so I've gone through a lot of development that was fantastic as part of, you know, working for a big company. Some friends thought it was the weird and wonderful stuff at the time. But I was very curious about that because I felt that there was something. calling me beyond my corporate career. And I didn't really know what it was. And I was so fortunate to come across the development that I did because it went straight into the being conversation. Speaker 1 (7:32) And Speaker 2 (7:32) that for me was so life-changing because what it showed me was that whatever the circumstances are, who you choose to be in them is possible. Like you have a choice of who you choose to be in them. And you are far more resourceful than maybe you've been led to think. And I think with that, when I look back, I was 28 years old. And when I look back at that, I see how formative that was. Not to negate doing, by the way, because sometimes when I talk about being, people sometimes think I'm negating the doing. But for me, there's this deeper dimension of who we are, as well as what we do. And so I got this wonderful opportunity really quite young, I think, to see this relationship that there's always more of us we can bring to what we do. And doing alone won't always cut it because you can develop skills, but... As you know, it's the capacity to see beyond something or the consciousness shift that makes us aware of something. It's not just, you know, tunnel vision, do, do, do. And I think that when I look back, that was more pivotal than I ever would have imagined at the time. I knew it was life changing. But where I've gone with that foundation in my life, it's been beautiful to have access to that for so long. Speaker 1 (8:54) It's so fascinating because I think. converse to that. We live in a world where everybody is doing and becoming and never looking under the hood of who they already are, right? And that's what I love about being giant is it doesn't say becoming a giant because it's saying you already are a giant. You just didn't know it yet. And then I love the maturation process because it's like, yeah, let's let that sucker out. You make a distinction between two forces, you know, in our operating system, operating within us, ego and essence. And I love that. I was always taught, you know, your ego can either, you know, bite you in the butt or it could be useful, but it's not something that we have to get rid of. So I love this concept. I love that you don't demonize the ego. So I'd love you to just explain. What is ego and what is essence? And talk a little bit about that partnership. Speaker 2 (9:46) Yeah. Well, again, being exposed to lots of different thoughts and perspectives on this, I was confused for quite some time about the role of this because there was conflicting points of view. And I think that I got to a point and I was probably in my 40s by then. And I got to this point where I went, you know what? I really do not want to be at war with myself. Speaker 1 (10:10) I Speaker 2 (10:10) do not want to think of the part of me that takes care of me and keeps me safe as an enemy. And I really began to appreciate that, you know, it's there for a reason. And it runs the show for quite some time. growing up and going through life, but it's necessary. Literally, what I learned to understand was that it's helping me function in the world. It's really helping me function in the world. But there's this deeper aspect of me that seems to have an agenda, like wants to bring something to the world and Speaker 1 (10:44) will probably require Speaker 2 (10:47) a conversation with the ego that wants to keep you safe. But you can grow and develop in a way that that relationship matures. And it really does become a lovely relationship. Now, I'm not saying like you get to a point where it's all hunky dory because we're human and we're going to have fears and we're going to have concerns and things happen. But I think this decision to just say I'm done with the enemy thought. I don't want to be in combat every day. Right. I just want to understand the role it plays. And so one of the things we say a lot is that when people say I am something, they aren't always, and I learned this, you know, over time, conscious of what they're saying I am to. Yeah. When we say I am, I believe that is the deeper aspect of who we are and the totality of who we are. But to say things like when people get profiled, JC, you know, in leadership, growth and development, and they turn a personality trait into who they are. Speaker 3 (11:48) But Speaker 2 (11:48) they'll say, you know, I am a maximizer or I am an arranger or whatever strengths profile people have. And the language that we bring to that is. you have a tendency to be great at that. You have a strength, have a strength in that. But who you are is not that. And so it's really, for me, this lovely relationship between I have an ego and we all have one, but it's not who we are. Speaker 1 (12:17) And Speaker 2 (12:17) if that is the case, then who are we? You know, that becomes the next question. Well, who are we? And my answer always is, to be honest, because I don't come from that academic realm. My answer is always, well, let's find out. Speaker 1 (12:30) Let's Speaker 2 (12:31) find out. Because nobody can tell us that. Nobody can say, this is who you are. We already have that within us and nobody can tell us who that is. And for me, that was the sort of breakthrough, you know, 10, 12 years after this initial development to kind of say, you know, I'm going to decide that I am not going to be at war. with any aspect of who I am. Speaker 1 (12:54) And Speaker 2 (12:54) one of the lovely exercises that we do that really hits this home for people as opposed to the theory is that they write a love note from the essence of who they are to their ego and just are so grateful for everything the ego has done. So the ego no longer feels alone. And essence is so big. It can really, like we imagine that, you know, that image of just really embracing ego. It's just a wonderful image. I always think of the horse, you know, tearing around the arena, but it comes and pops its head on the horse whisperer's shoulder and can have a hug. You know, the ego is always going to be busy. But, you know, let's show it some love is my perspective on that one. Speaker 1 (13:38) I think it would be impossible for someone to hear you give that exercise with the love letter and not smile. Speaker 2 (13:45) Yeah. Speaker 1 (13:46) You know, because it's like, I think about my ego and I'm like, It needs a hug. You know what I mean? It's not doing anything wrong. I actually trained it to do what it's doing. And I also love the idea of saying like, who am I? Well, let's find out. I always like to add, this is from my book. I always like to add the three magic words that I learned from a great mentor. And that is to add at this time. At this time. Because like this work, you know, that we're going through right now is not like a one-shot deal. you know, because we're always evolving. It's so cool. On this show, we're always talking about making small changes that create big results. But one thing we don't talk enough about is sleep. And that's why I genuinely love Cozy Earth. The first night I slept in their sheets, the biggest surprise to me wasn't how incredibly soft they were. It was actually that they stayed cool. If you've ever tossed and turned at night because your sheets got too warm, You'll appreciate the difference immediately. I also really appreciate that Cozy Earth backs everything with a 10-year warranty and 100 nights of hassle-free returns, so trying them is completely risk-free. They're made from viscose from bamboo, breathable, soft, and built for summer. Head on over to CozyEarth.com and use my code. dragon for an exclusive 20 % off. And if you see a post-purchase survey, mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here. I only recommend products that I truly believe add value into your life. Better sleep simply makes for a better life. And to me, that just makes sense. So As you can see, I always wear this hat that says, hmm. And, you know, this is my form of cognitive distancing, you know, and I just love to throw a hmm on everything. You know, my wife says, don't hmm me. But I always like to give myself permission to think. But sometimes it's automatically triggered. What hmm stands for is haven't made up my mind yet. And I give myself permission. So before we jump into the nine freedoms. I want to kind of get underneath the entire thing first, because there's steps before, if somebody is lucky enough to come across this podcast or know you or have some sort of an epiphany and then find you, that's all good and great. But people are at the end of this episode going to want to know like, well, where do I start and things? And that's probably where we'll end. So the idea of hmm is recognizing that there's got to be a moment. in somebody's life where they say like, well, wait a minute, you know, maybe what I've believed isn't necessarily true. So what are some of the uncomfortable truths that people are going to have to be willing to kind of see, you know, before they actually begin growth? What are some of the things that they're going to have to acknowledge? Because the human brain is conditioned with cognitive bias, be able to like know something's not true, but believe it to be true anyway. So what has to happen before somebody starts to grow? Speaker 2 (16:46) So I think that in the world we're in today with a lot of access to self-help and personal growth materials more than ever before, people have lots of ideas. There's theories. There's a lot of information, basically. Real growth for me comes from something that occurs where there's something worth growing for. So for me, it's in life's experiences. I mean, I love to read. I love to listen to things and go on courses and will always want that. I really have seen, though, over that time that I have been engaged with this, that there have been very few places to go for that constant development of myself. Not just the information, not just my skills. But like you say, you