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.
160 episodes transcribedDon McGuire did not build his career through a straight line. He lost elections as a kid, moved every few years, started over again and again, and had...
In the late 1990s, Mike Seckler started a company with little experience, plenty of curiosity, and no idea what was coming. Then the dot-com bubble bu...
When Bill Gurley wanted to break into Wall Street, there were no job postings waiting for him. So he flew to New York, knocked on doors, and asked str...
Nir Eyal grew up clinically obese, ashamed of his body, and convinced that food controlled him. He tried every diet: low-fat, keto, vegetarian, and in...
Dr. Amy Shah did everything she was supposed to do. Ivy League education. Elite medical training. Multiple board certifications. On paper, her life lo...
The world tells leaders they must be everything: visionary, innovator, operator, executor. Patrick Lencioni tried, but it nearly crushed him. He wasn’...
Before Damian Maldonado was negotiating billion-dollar valuations or building businesses across Puerto Rico, he was a kid living in poverty and sharin...
After two decades as a pastor making $50K a year, Eileen Wilder woke up to a terrifying truth: she was meant for more. Her body was breaking down. Her...
Stephanie Mehta never chased the CEO title. She chased the story. She built her career in some of the toughest newsrooms in the world, including The W...
At just ten years old, Kim Storin was writing letters to CEOs, asking for donations and clearly outlining why her cause mattered. That instinct to con...
Long before ChatGPT became a household name, Zack Kass was walking into boardrooms as Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI, introducing executives to a tech...
At just 10 years old, Mick Hunt made a promise that would shape the rest of his life. Growing up in a home marked by abuse, Mick stepped into a role n...
As a young mom, primary breadwinner, and full-time professional, Sheila Lirio Marcelo understood the relentless struggle of balancing work and family....
Robin Arzón’s leap from lawyer to fitness powerhouse wasn’t just a career shift; it was a radical reinvention. After surviving a traumatic hostage sit...
Russell Brunson failed more times in his early 20s than most founders do in a lifetime. From broken funnels to failed product launches, he turned ever...
When Kevin Kelly dropped out of college in the 1970s, it was almost unheard of. Instead of following a traditional path, he chose a life driven by cur...
Jordan Ritter didn’t grow up surrounded by tech; he grew up on a farm, tinkering with computers in total isolation. But that early curiosity led him t...
Ilana Golan has reinvented herself more times than most people switch job titles. From becoming one of the first women to train F-16 pilots in the Isr...
When Vick Tipnes launched Blackstone Medical Services, it was the worst possible moment: newly divorced, broke, and with two young kids. For years, he...
John Demsey didn’t become a powerhouse in the beauty industry by a mere stroke of luck; he built that influence on retail floors, taking on scrappy ro...
