Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
The Leap Academy Podcast with Ilana Golan is all about honest and inspiring conversations about what it really takes to leap to bigger things, amazing careers, and craft the life you want.
Stories and tips you won't find anywhere else.
Ilana speaks with some of the world's most influential people, experts, and thinkers who created incredible careers, massive impact, built a reputation, and an extraordinary life.
Together we discover the untold truths, the emotions, and important lessons that enabled them to reinvent themselves & leap.
We take our audience on a journey that will not only inspire but also teach concrete lessons on how to leap careers: fast-track to leadership, jump to entrepreneurship, build a personal brand, portfolio career, and much more.
Episodes (52)
How to Win Investors: The Brutal Truth About Raising Capital | Elizabeth Yin
After quitting her job at Google, Elizabeth Yin took a bold leap into entrepreneurship by founding LaunchBit, an adtech company. Despite facing challenges with fundraising and customer acquisition,...
LeapCon 2025: Ilana Golan on Taking Bold Risks That Lead to Unstoppable Career Growth
After her first startup collapsed, Ilana Golan lost her job, salary, and investment. Feeling like a failure, she spiraled into doubt and uncertainty. But instead of giving up, she made a promise not...
Emmy Nominee, Bastiano Ferrari: From Broke and Sleeping on Beanbags to Building Hollywood Success
Bastiano Ferrari’s journey is one of resilience and perseverance against all odds. At just 11 years old, he faced financial hardship when his father lost everything. Despite his family’s disapproval,...
Former Obama Foundation President: How to Lead Through the Toughest Moments | David Simas
David Simas grew up in a Portuguese immigrant family in Massachusetts. His mother, who lost two fingers in a factory accident, instilled in him the power of resilience and the importance of community....
Amy Porterfield: I Quit a Prestigious Job with Tony Robbins and Built a $100M Business
Amy Porterfield had a dream job working with Tony Robbins, one of the world’s top motivational speakers and business strategists. But deep down, she wanted to be her own boss. During a high-level...
Styling Beyoncé, Cher, and J.Lo: Norma Kamali’s Rise from Losing Her Company to Dressing Icons
Norma Kamali built a business with her then-husband, but he controlled the money and decisions and even rehired the woman she had fired. Realizing the partnership was toxic, she walked away with just...
Ilana Golan: 7 Steps to Unlock Your Zone of Genius
Ilana Golan knows what it means to start over. After losing her job, startup, and investment all at once, she faced uncertainty head-on. Instead of settling for what she was merely good at, she...
Dr. Rajiv Shah: Working with Bill Gates, Barack Obama, and More to Tackle Global Crises
At just 36 years old, Rajiv Shah got a call from Hillary Clinton. Days later, he was running USAID. Less than a week into the job, a massive earthquake leveled Haiti. He had no time to prepare. He...
Ilana Golan: 100X Your Personal Brand and Unlock Opportunity
Ilana Golan watched others rise while she felt stuck in her career. Her identity was built around job titles and companies until she lost it all. Realizing she had spent years growing businesses but...
Grant Cardone: Reinventing at 50 to Build a Multi-Billion Dollar Business from Rock Bottom
At just 10 years old, Grant Cardone lost his father. This moment flipped his world upside down. He spiraled into teenage addiction, hitting rock bottom in his mid-twenties. Determined to change, he...
This is the LEAP Academy
The Leap Academy Podcast with Ilana Golan is all about honest and inspiring conversations about what it really takes to leap to bigger things, amazing careers, and craft the life you want.
Stories and...
Steph Curry Enterprise: From Receptionist to Driving Business Success for a Sports Icon | Tiffany Williams
Tiffany Williams started as a part-time receptionist with the Golden State Warriors, just looking to get her foot in the door. Two weeks later, she was offered a full-time role and quickly rose into...
Seth Godin: Turning 800 Rejections into a Roadmap for Success
Where most people give up after a handful of rejections, Seth Godin got rejected 800 times by editors before finally making a big break. For him, every “no” was a clue. He adapted and mastered the...
Gil Shwed: Building Check Point into a $20B Empire and Defining the Future of Cybersecurity
Gil Shwed built Check Point into a $20 billion cybersecurity giant, but it all began with a flaw he spotted as a programmer in the Israeli military. Tasked with connecting classified networks, he...
Too Broke for Bankruptcy: How Michael Hyatt Rebuilt Success Without Sacrificing His Life
After the crash of his company, Michael Hyatt was determined to rise again. Returning to his old publishing firm, he took on a failing division and turned it into the most profitable. His hard work...
How I Lost My Company and Built a $500M Business Instead | Brandon Dawson
At 29 years old, Brandon Dawson was on top of the world. He had taken his company public, stood on the American Stock Exchange floor, and rang the bell. He felt unstoppable until his private equity...
Craigslist Founder, Craig Newmark: How I Transformed a Simple Email List Into a Billion-Dollar Business
After Craig Newmark moved to San Franciso in 1995, he had a simple idea: a mailing list to share local events with friends. It wasn’t fancy and certainly wasn’t meant to change the world. However, as...
GaryVee: From Earning $2 an Hour to Running a $350M Digital Empire
Gary ‘Vee’ Vaynerchuk was born to be an entrepreneur. At six years old, he was already running a lemonade stand like a boss, later flipping baseball cards for cash. By age 14, he had made thousands...
Trent Shelton: Your Pain Has a Purpose, Unlock Its Power
Trent Shelton hit a low point after his NFL career ended, leaving him lost and questioning his purpose. Tragedy struck when his best friend, overwhelmed by his own struggles, took his life. The loss...
Crippling Anxiety: How I Beat Panic Attacks to Become a 3x USA Memory Champion | John Graham
John Graham went from being a shy, anxious kid to becoming a three-time USA Memory Champion and performing before 400 million viewers in China. Despite these achievements, John faced severe anxiety...
If You Want to Have Life-Changing Conversations, Ask These Tough Questions | Topaz Adizes
After his parents’ divorce, Topaz Adizes discovered the power of connection through the camera. His drive to explore human connection led him to become a filmmaker. From filmmaking to his work with...
Shark Tank’s Matt Higgins: How I Beat Poverty, Loss, and Cancer to Become a Global Investor
Matt Higgins grew up in abject poverty, caring for his sick mother at just 9 years old. At age 16, he dropped out of high school to focus on financial growth, eventually earning his GED and getting...
Bluestone Lane Founder: How Nicholas Stone Is Redefining the U.S. Coffee Culture With Zero Coffee Experience
It seemed like all was lost after Nicholas “Nick” Stone was cut from three different teams during his sports career. However, he used this setback to transition into finance, eventually founding...
Former Medtronic CEO: Leadership Secrets for Achieving Success Beyond Profits | Bill George
After losing seven elections in college, Bill George realized that leadership is about building relationships and helping others grow. Personal losses, including the deaths of his mother and fiancée,...
Former Managing Director of Facebook India, Kirthiga Reddy: How to Seize Life-Changing Opportunities
Kirthiga Reddy’s legacy is built on bold decisions and breaking barriers. Defying cultural norms, she became a top engineering graduate in a society where her mother was denied an education. After...
How Lacy Garcia Conquered Financial Fear and Transformed Wealth Planning for All
Despite her background in financial services, Lacy Garcia faced significant financial challenges after her marriage ended. She struggled with imposter syndrome, advising clients on finances while...
Neil Patel: From Crushing Failures to Building a Global Marketing Empire
Neil Patel’s story shows how hard work, persistence, and learning from failure lead to success. As a teenager, he started businesses, including building websites, but struggled with ineffective...
Peloton VP, Robin Arzón: Surviving a Hostage Crisis and Building a Relentless Fitness Brand
A former lawyer turned fitness powerhouse, Robin Arzón’s journey is one of resilience and inspiration. After surviving a traumatic hostage situation in college, she turned to running as a way to heal...
Naveen Jain: Turning Audacious Ideas Into Life-Changing Innovations
Naveen Jain believes that no idea is too crazy to pursue. With the right questions and focus, you can turn big ideas into life-changing solutions. After his father's battle with stage 4 pancreatic...
From LA Dodgers to George Clooney’s Cocktail Hour: How Jeff Krauss Plans Iconic Events
Jeff Krauss went from being a shy kid with no prior experience in event planning to a trusted name in celebrity event management. Despite facing setbacks, including financial struggles and failed...
Empowering 5 Million Entrepreneurs: Making Business a Force for Global Good | Jessica Jackley
Jessica Jackley grew up with values of generosity and compassion, which inspired her passion for helping others. Initially uninterested in business, she had a life-changing moment after hearing Dr....
Former Zillow CEO, Spencer Rascoff: Leading Billion-Dollar Startups Through Crises
Spencer Rascoff’s career is a masterclass in navigating crises. After co-founding the travel site Hotwire, the 9/11 tragedy devastated the travel industry. Spencer helped steer the company through...
Tom Bilyeu: How I Proved Everyone Wrong and Built a Billion-Dollar Brand
Tom Bilyeu’s journey is a powerful story of transformation, from self-doubt to self-mastery. His early years were shaped by fear of failure, a lack of direction, and doubts from those around him....
Wistia CEO, Chris Savage: Master the Art of Pivoting, How to Adapt and Grow Against the Odds
Chris Savage is a master at pivoting. He co-founded Wistia with his best friend in his living room, originally aiming to create an online filmmaking competition platform. When that didn’t work, they...
Russell Brunson: From Rock Bottom to $100 Million in 5 Years with ClickFunnels
At age 12, Russell Brunson was inspired to become an entrepreneur after watching an infomercial about making money. Over the years, he faced massive personal and professional setbacks, from losing...
Nextdoor’s Bryan Power: Turning Big, Scary Opportunities into Career-Defining Success
Known for seizing “big, scary opportunities,” Bryan Power has defined his career by embracing risk, adapting to change, and staying focused under pressure. After turning down a promotion at Google...
The Accidental Entrepreneur: How Andrew Lacy Turned Rejection into Health Tech Innovation
Andrew Lacy stumbled into entrepreneurship after failing to land a tech job. His first company did so well that he eventually sold it to Disney. Believing he had business all figured out, he launched...
Surviving Lies, Rumors, and Digital Hate: Dan Ariely’s Guide to Thriving Online
Dan Ariely didn’t just accept the hand life dealt him. He turned it into something powerful. After a traumatic burn accident that scarred 70% of his body, he struggled to find his place in the world....
Howard Behar, Former Starbucks President: Putting People Over Profits for Lasting Impact
Howard Behar went from making $300,000 a year to working at Starbucks for a third of that. Driven by his passion for the business, he rose to become president of Starbucks North America and later the...
Lisa Bilyeu: Radical Confidence, My Journey From Housewife to Billion-Dollar Boss
In a world that imposes expectations, Lisa Bilyeu is all about defying them. Raised in a traditional Greek Orthodox family, her path was set: get married and raise a family. But after eight years as...
Taking Big Risks: How David Jones Built a Billion-Dollar Brand Against All Odds
Convinced that technology was the future of advertising, David Jones set out to build Brandtech. But again and again, investors rejected his model, doubting the potential of AI and digital technology...
Shopify President: The Golden Age of Entrepreneurship Has Arrived | Harley Finkelstein
Harley Finkelstein didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. He had no choice. With his father out of the picture, he had to pay for university and support his mother and sisters. So, he turned to his...
Richard Branson: The Journey to a Multi-Billion Dollar Empire
From struggling in school because of his dyslexia to starting a magazine at just 15, Richard Branson has always found ways to turn his challenges into unique opportunities. Even his iconic airline...
Jeff Dudan, Undercover Boss: How I Built a Thriving National Franchise From Scratch
Jeff Dudan started his first business in college, painting apartments to pay the bills. The business grew beyond his expectations, allowing him to support his younger brother and create jobs for...
Making Big Ideas Happen: How Katrina Spade Transformed the Funeral Industry Forever
One day, while watching her baby somersault, Katrina Spade thought about how quickly time flies. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks that she would be in her 70s by the time he turned 40. This...
Going All In: How Russ Ruffino Went from Bartender to $100M CEO
Russ Ruffino spent his 30th birthday sobbing into his bourbon because he felt like a failure. He had spent the last decade bartending while clinging to his dream of becoming a movie star. So, how did...
How to Win: Master FBI Negotiator’s Secrets for Getting What You Want | Chris Voss
Chris Voss excelled as a lead FBI international kidnapping negotiator. At the start of his career, he thought it was all about being tough and direct. But over time, he discovered the secret to...
Turning Pain into Purpose: How Anne Beiler Built a Pretzel Empire from Nothing
Before building a global snack empire, Anne Beiler’s dream was to have her own family like the loving one she grew up in. Like a fairytale, she met the man of her dreams. But years later, she found...
Your Authenticity is Your Superpower, Master The Art of Authentic Leadership with Scot Safon
Early in his career, Scot was told that he wasn’t “tough enough” for the media industry. He didn’t fit the traditional image of a hard-nosed executive. But instead of changing who he was, Scot...
How Forbes 30 Under 30 Kira Radinsky Turns Every ‘No’ Into Opportunity
Fascinated with science as a young child, Kira Radinsky was driven to make a meaningful impact on the world through technology. She faced rejection after rejection while building her first startup,...
The Woman Who Transformed How We Think About Inclusive Leadership | Sally Helgesen
Frustrated by how women’s voices were being ignored in the corporate world, Sally Helgesen started documenting the leadership styles of successful women. Her efforts culminated in the groundbreaking...
Brian Tracy: The Unbreakable Laws of Money and Success
Brian Tracy went from struggling with a series of menial jobs to achieving remarkable sales success. A relentless self-learner, he transformed his life by mastering the science of sales. Then, he...
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© 2024 The Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
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