Shed and Shine Episode 93 Summary

Laugh, Learn, and Let Go: The True Practice of Humility

Hosts: Gino Wickman & Rob Dube
Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Gino Wickman and Rob Dube dive deep into the nuanced topic of humility, especially as it relates to driven entrepreneurs. Through personal stories, candid reflections, and practical advice, they explore what true humility looks like amid ambition, leadership, and public recognition. The discussion touches on the confusion between confidence and arrogance, navigating praise, letting go of others' judgments, and how humility is both a discipline and a practice for entrepreneurial freedom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Humility in Practice

• Humility ≠ Lack of Presence: The hosts challenge the notion that being in the spotlight or commanding a room equates to a lack of humility.
• Litmus Tests for Humility:
  • The ability to laugh at oneself and at one’s mistakes (01:47, Gino).
  • Comfort with being wrong and even enjoying the ability to admit error (02:54, Gino).
  • Being able to smile and find humor even amid intense debates or disagreements.

“Just imagine that ability. But now imagine when you know you're wrong and you can laugh at being wrong and you're willing to be wrong. So, like, humility is the ability to be wrong.”
— Gino Wickman (03:25)

2. How Recognition and Ego Interact with Humility

• Seeking recognition isn’t inherently un-humble—what matters is intent and what one does with the accolades (00:56, Rob).
• The key is accepting compliments without letting them inflate ego or define worth (01:01, Rob).
• Early in their careers, both hosts struggled to accept praise, either deflecting it or feeding on it for validation; with maturity, they now accept recognition graciously but don’t crave it (11:54, Gino & Rob).

“If you're feeding on it, if you need it, if you're seeking it, you know, that's where I think you're crossing a line.”
— Gino Wickman (10:31)

3. The Public Perception of Confidence and Humility

• Strong personalities and leaders may be perceived as arrogant by some, regardless of their true intent (06:10, Rob). This is often a reflection of the observer's own biases.
• The importance of authenticity and letting go of controlling others' judgments:
  • “That’s their stuff. I'm just being me. As long as I feel like I'm being real and authentic, then I think I'm doing my part. I can't control what everybody thinks.” — Gino Wickman (06:27)

4. Navigating Feedback and the Trap of People-Pleasing

• Gino shares his evolution from obsessing over negative feedback (“the one 6 out of 100 nines and tens”) to adopting a healthier perspective with advice from his father, a Hall of Fame speaker:
  • 30% of any audience wants to be entertained, 30% motivated, 30% educated, and 10% will never be satisfied (08:12, Gino).
  • The reality: you simply can’t please everyone, and that’s okay.

5. Humility in Leadership Roles & the “Fixer” Mentality

• There’s a danger for entrepreneurs in identifying as the sole “fixer”—this often stems from ego (14:17, Gino).
• Authenticity and appropriate delegation are key so that only the right issues come to them as leaders.

“As long as they are being their true, authentic selves... the things that fall to that person will naturally fall to that person that they need to get involved in.”
— Gino Wickman (15:09)

6. Humility Throughout the Entrepreneurial Journey

• Most founders start by taking on everything; it’s not so much about arrogance as much as drive and responsibility. Burnout often humbles entrepreneurs, teaching them to let go and trust others (16:04, Gino).

7. Gratitude and Humility: A Symbiotic Relationship

• When Gino created his Ten Disciplines, humility narrowly beat out gratitude for the final spot, as he felt gratitude is the root of humility (17:11, Gino).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Humility as a Muscle: “When I'm able to just laugh at myself, that, to me, is like a litmus test of humility.”
  — Gino Wickman (02:00)

• On Accepting Recognition: “Your ego likes recognition... why don’t you accept that? And then just be grateful for it.”
  — Gino Wickman (10:13)

• On Letting Go of External Judgments: “We can't control what they think of us... That's judgment, and that's letting go of that.”
  — Gino Wickman (07:06)

• On Leadership and “Fixer” Syndrome: “He created a monster, so they're just all defaulting to him. So that's obviously what he needed at the time. And like you said, he's a different person now in terms of how he handles that. So, I mean, I think that's all ego when you're saying give me all of your problems.”
  — Gino Wickman (14:17)

• On Audience Reactions: “In an audience, you know, 30% are there to be entertained, 30% are there to be motivated, 30% are there to learn something. And 10% you'll never please.”
  — Gino Wickman (08:27)

• On Celebrity and Humility: “It's so freeing to just be me. And there's still pain... It's a blessing and a curse, you know, make sure you're tough enough to handle the fact that you are not going to please them all.”
  — Gino Wickman (18:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:46 – Opening, definition of humility, setup for discussion
• 01:47–04:18 – Litmus tests for humility; laughter, debates, being wrong
• 04:19–07:24 – Strong personalities, perception of arrogance, self-acceptance
• 08:12–09:21 – Audience feedback and letting go of people-pleasing
• 10:05–11:27 – Reconciling humility with enjoying recognition/praise
• 11:28–13:28 – Early struggles with feedback & learning to accept praise
• 13:30–15:23 – Humility and “fixer” mentality among entrepreneurs
• 15:40–16:52 – Are entrepreneurs inherently arrogant? The role of drive
• 17:11–18:08 – How “be humble” made Gino’s list of top ten disciplines
• 18:11–21:15 – Final thoughts, pain of public perception, humble-arrogant exercise, embracing the inevitability of not pleasing everyone

Practical Takeaways

• Practice laughing at yourself and your mistakes regularly.
• Accept compliments with gratitude, but do not define your self-worth by them.
• Recognize that being present and impactful doesn’t negate your humility.
• Remember, you cannot (and should not try to) please everyone.
• Delegation and authenticity in leadership foster both humility and business health.

This episode offers a candid, compassionate look at humility in entrepreneurship, with actionable wisdom for anyone—founder, team leader, or team member—seeking to “shed their shit” and shine from their true self.