He was the kid who couldn’t stop talking. Always interrupting, speaking out of turn and getting into trouble. By second grade, he’d already earned a reputation as a difficult student.
Then a teacher saw something different. She recognized that this boy, for all his behavioral challenges, was an exceptionally confident communicator. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He simply hadn’t learned when or how to use that ability.
With some guidance, he began to see communication as a talent rather than a problem. Over the following years, his behavior changed, and so did his confidence.
I heard this story from Jan Helson, founder of Global Game Changers, during our recent conversation on You Are What You Give.
And it got me thinking about how often we focus on correcting people’s weaknesses without first recognizing their strengths.
From the factory floor to the classroom
Jan spent two decades building a successful family manufacturing business. But she and her husband encountered a puzzling problem: employees were leaving their jobs, sometimes in the middle of a workday, without explanation.
When they investigated, they discovered that employees weren’t leaving because they couldn’t do the work. They were leaving because they lacked the confidence to ask questions, admit mistakes, or believe they deserved another chance.
Jan began changing the workplace culture, emphasizing each employee’s value and creating an environment where people felt comfortable learning. It worked.
But she was left with a bigger question: How did these adults reach the workforce without the confidence to believe in themselves? After selling the business, she decided to address that problem at much earlier stages in life.
My Talent + My Heart = My Superpower
Jan founded Global Game Changers around a simple formula:
My Talent + My Heart = My Superpower.
The idea is to help children discover what they’re good at, identify something they care about, and find ways to put those abilities to work helping others. A talent doesn’t have to be something obvious like mathematics, music, or athletics. It might be listening, organizing, communicating, or solving problems.
Jan harnesses that understanding and uses philanthropy as a way to develop these skills. Giving, then, becomes part of how they discover and develop them. A child who learns that their abilities can make a difference in someone else’s life also learns something important about their own value.
Global Game Changers has now reached approximately half a million students, with educational resources offered free to schools, teachers, and families.
A different way to think about giving
Jan’s story also illustrates something I’ve been exploring throughout this podcast. For years, her philanthropy largely involved financial contributions to causes she supported. Today, she’s investing her entrepreneurial experience, ideas, time, and energy into building an organization she hopes will serve children for generations.
She’s even launched a social enterprise, Everyday Heroes, to help create a sustainable source of funding for the nonprofit. It’s a reminder that giving isn’t limited to what we can afford to part with. And sometimes the key is helping someone recognize what they already have.
I truly enjoyed my conversation with Jan Helson. We discussed her transition from business to philanthropy, what schools may be overlooking, and why helping children discover their strengths could change their futures.
Watch or listen to the full episode of You Are What You Give on Spotify:
Listen to the full episode of You Are What You Give on Apple:
Learn more about Global Game Changers and Everyday Heroes.
Special thanks to Victoria Hearst for her generous support of You Are What You Give.