Leap Academy with Ilana Golan - LeapCon 2025: Ilana Golan on Taking Bold Risks That Lead to Unstoppable Career Growth

Episode Date: April 1, 2025

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 t...o be the person who does nothing. That decision led her to reinvent herself and found Leap Academy, a community helping others make bold career shifts. In this 2025 LeapCon, Ilana shares her emotional journey from feeling stuck in her career to becoming an impactful leader. She provides actionable insights for navigating hidden markets, building a personal brand, and growing continuously in your career. Ilana Golan is an entrepreneur, board director, and investor in over 100 companies. As the founder of Leap Academy, she helps professionals navigate career transitions, leadership, and personal branding. In this episode, Ilana will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (02:27) The Power of Dreaming Big (05:06) Breaking Free From Career Stagnation (09:21) Turning Tragedy into Fuel (11:49) The Collapse of Her First Startup (16:06) How to Reinvent Yourself Again and Again (18:12) The Cycle of Ego, Fear, and Growth (21:35) Handling Critics and Naysayers (22:49) Building True Confidence in Business (25:34) How to Open Doors in Hidden Markets (26:36) The Three Levels of Personal Branding (30:11) Learning From Others to Accelerate Growth (31:41) Inspiring Success Stories From Leap Academy Ilana Golan is an entrepreneur, board director, and investor in over 100 companies. As the founder of Leap Academy, she helps professionals navigate career transitions, leadership, and personal branding. She has been recognized as a Silicon Valley Woman of Influence, a Top 40 Woman to Watch, and a CEO World Award winner. Ilana is also a sought-after keynote speaker and has been featured on Yahoo Finance, Fox, NBC, and more. Connect with Ilana: Ilana’s Website: ilanagolan.com  Ilana’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ilanagolan  Resources Mentioned: Leap Academy Website: leapacademy.com  Leap Academy: Ready to make the LEAP in your career? There is a NEW way for professionals to Advance Their Careers & Make 5-6 figures of EXTRA INCOME in Record Time. Check out our free training today at leapacademy.com/training

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Well, I am so excited about the show today, and I'm sure you're going to have an amazing time listening. But I have a favor to ask. See, I'm on a mission to help millions leap their careers, elevate their careers, land their dream rules, fast-track to leadership, jump to entrepreneurship, create portfolio careers. And this podcast is about giving you the map of how some of the biggest leaders of our time reach success.
Starting point is 00:00:23 So subscribe, download to never miss it. Plus it really, really helps us continue to bring amazing guests your way. So let's dive in. I'm alive, everything is cool. I have two kids, things are cool. But something was wrong. I could not dream and it drove me nuts.
Starting point is 00:00:43 So I moved from engineering to technical sales to product, but what I realized is every time I get good at something, I get stuck. So when a friend of mine, somebody I knew for probably two decades, wanted to start a company together, I was like, oh my God, yes, that's it. We raised capital. It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life.
Starting point is 00:01:03 And little did I know that it's going to blow up in my face. Within 24 hours, I lost my job, I lost my salary, I lost my startup, I lost the investment. You see me doing and reinventing myself again and again and again. So there's actually like steps. So the very first thing is... LeapCon 2025 was absolutely transformative. We brought together over 300 incredible individuals from around the world for a weekend of growth, inspiration, and powerful connections. Some rooms change you, some moments redefine you, and this was one of them. From incredible speakers sharing game-changing insights
Starting point is 00:01:53 to the magical moment when we all stood together, holding hands, with massive energy in the room, it was truly unforgettable. This is where careers take off, where innovation meets action, and where you step into your next big leap. All right, everybody. It is happening. Are you ready? Are you really, really ready?
Starting point is 00:02:15 How ready are you? Get up and let's give the biggest, warmest, most fantastic welcome to the phenomenal Ilana Golan. Come on down. Let's give her some love. A little more. I love you guys so freaking much. You're amazing.
Starting point is 00:02:33 I love you. You're amazing. Oh my God. Thank you guys so freaking much. You're amazing. You're amazing. Oh my god. I admit this is freaking unbelievable. And I don't get emotional very easily. I can't believe you all are here.
Starting point is 00:03:00 And that this is how it started. What I want you to do for a second now is I want you to get up for a second. All of you get up. I want you to put your hands on your heart. I want you to close your eyes. I want you to put aside everything that it took to get here, the hustle and the flights and the security
Starting point is 00:03:22 and the packing and the logistics with the family and all of this. I want you to put all of it to the side and I want you to close your Eyes and think why are you here? What is the goal? What do you want? What do you want for yourself? What are you creating? What is the dream and there's no judgment? Do you want to be on stages? Do you want to be on stages? Do you want to be in magazines? Do you want the seat at the table?
Starting point is 00:03:51 And to feel like you make a difference? Do you want the job of your life? And to feel incredible? Or to have that first class or private jet or whatever it is? So let's go get it this weekend. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:04:10 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we're gonna say yes to that dream. And I wanna tell you a little bit deeper in the story of why this was so impactful for me and why I'm so emotional this weekend.
Starting point is 00:04:26 Mark Twain says, the most important day of your life is the day you were born and the day you discovered the why. And if I would have seen this quote probably a decade ago, I don't think it would resonate because I didn't really understand, what do you mean the why? I'm alive, everything is cool, I have two kids, things are cool.
Starting point is 00:04:46 But something was wrong. I could not dream. A decade ago, I lost the ability to dream. And I'm laughing because even my dog has a dream, either the bones or chasing the cat. But he has a dream. And I didn't because I was in survival. I Was trying to figure out where on earth the next fake check. Why am I losing relevance at the speed that I can't understand? Why do I feel like such a freaking failure and it drove me nuts and The reason this was so important and I want to kind of share a little bit of the journey of leap Steve Jobs said you can't connect the dots forward, but you can connect them back. And I wanna kind of reflect a little bit of that journey.
Starting point is 00:05:31 And I wanna also remind you, success leaves clues. Go look for yours. They're there. So when I was a kid, I was a pretty shy kid. I stepped into my confidence towards age 16, 17, a little more. And then I think the Air Force, what changed my life, I became an F-16 flight instructor and the first woman to ever become a commander in my squad. So that created like a pretty big boost of confidence.
Starting point is 00:06:00 In a classic hidden market way, and usually I think maybe next event I should tell you some stories about some fuckups in the Air Force. I think that's going to lighten your day because it sounds all glamorous and it was mostly scraping my knees. But fast forward in a classic hidden market way, I was the youngest student they ever hired in Intel. The only reason they probably hired me is that their competition will not hire me. But that's okay because I got my claim for fame there.
Starting point is 00:06:29 But after four years of writing code, I realized this is not my zone of genius. Am I trapped? Is this the only thing I know how to do? And it was 1999. Don't do so much math, and it was 1999 and if you had any kind of resume with anything around computers you would get a job. But here I was looking for a job and looking for my first client facing role and nobody wanted me. It was devastating. It was like did I lose my relevance? Am I done? Do I have to code all my life?
Starting point is 00:07:06 And it's amazing how fast you get trapped. Think about it for yourself as well, right? And at that point, eventually I realized what I've done wrong. My story, and by the way, some of you are already in Foundation or Millionaire's Club or President's Club, so you understand how these dots connect. Guests, you'll see it in a second. But at some point I realized, wait, my story,
Starting point is 00:07:32 I'm talking about all these cool algorithms that I'm running, but if I want a client facing role, I need to emphasize different points in my story. So this is when I started to emphasize different points. I found a job pretty quick, negotiated the worst salary in the history of Silicon Valley. Good job, Ilana. But again, I got a chance at field engineering.
Starting point is 00:07:54 It was the first client facing role. It was like getting in the arena. A lot of issues, a lot of the company wanted one thing. The clients wanted one thing. You know, you're like, but when you get good, what guess what happens you get stuck again. Right. So there's like this stuckness. So I moved from engineering to technical sales to product. But what I realized is every time I get good at something, I get stuck. And the reason why I get stuck is because I get to be known as the problem solver,
Starting point is 00:08:30 but not according to what I want to be known. How many does that resonate like ways? Like how many of you are getting stuck because you become the person that you don't want to become, right? And again, you raise your hand to opportunities, but they're not the opportunities you want. So that's what, you know, and I was just like, okay, so what is happening? Fast forward, I can tell you, and it took me a few decades to find this out, no pressure. But what I realized is that this like whole stuckness area right there at the corner, and it's a circle that every high achiever will go through. So we work really, really hard, and then we get stuck, and then we work really, really hard to prove ourselves, and we get stuck again. And what work really, really hard to prove ourselves and we get stuck again.
Starting point is 00:09:05 And what I realized, there's like other people up the mountain, right? They're like, they become these impactful leaders, they come in the room, they command the room, they have the executive presence, they become this like indispensable leader, they have the seat at the table, they're called to all the coolest meetings
Starting point is 00:09:20 and they have the authority, they have the reputation and like, why them? And when they do have all of that, guess what, what's happening to them is that they're in this kind of a hidden market. And they're getting all these opportunities, because all of them are in some kind of hidden market opportunities. I'm not getting them. They co found companies, they invest in companies, they become executives, they get on board, they get advisory.
Starting point is 00:09:45 I'm like, what am I missing? Because I can outwork them. Why am I not getting the chance? So that drove me nuts. Now I wanna take you back also, there was a pivotal moment and this is a pretty emotional story. I've never shared it this way. Is that interesting for you guys?
Starting point is 00:10:04 Do you wanna hear with a pivotal moment? Okay. So meet Lil Yelana, was my mom. When I became a mom, 2007, the first kid, 2009, the second kid, my mom gave basically all her career and gave up on it for me. And the first kid, it kind of looked normal, right? Like, I'll settle on my career. I'll put it to the side because all I'm trying to do is be a mom. Did it again for the second kid. And at some point when she was about five months old, it started nagging me, this can't be it. I love them to the moon and back, but this can't be all my life.
Starting point is 00:10:48 My mom wasn't feeling well and we flew to Israel. I had one more week for my maternity leave. So I figured I'll just hop to Israel and see what's going on. About three days later, she collapses. In the hospital, we start realizing that she has a tumor, and it's actually not just a tumor, it's a cancer that went from her lungs all the way to her brain, it's all over the body.
Starting point is 00:11:10 And we're essentially counting the minutes. And for me, I still remember holding her hand, and it's basically just me and her, I'm an only child. And I remember holding her hand, and I was trying to figure out like, does she have regrets? But I didn't have the, you know, I couldn't really ask this and I didn't feel like I could. And I kind of like regret a little bit not asking some more questions.
Starting point is 00:11:35 But at that point, like I was holding her hand and it felt not enough. Like I knew she was really appreciating that I love her. But is this really all there is to her life? And the funeral was really appreciating that I love her, but is this really all there is to her life? And the funeral was really small. I mean, it was just like a few family members and some of my friends that showed up. But at that point, I made a promise that this can't be all there is to my life. And losing my mom became the biggest thing, the fuel that I needed to kick myself in the butt and just do more.
Starting point is 00:12:06 And there's this beautiful quote, I don't even know who this is, but scariest day of your life is the day you die when the person you are meets the person you could have become. And that to me was, this is not gonna happen to me. I'm gonna be the best version that I can be. Okay, so my daughter is five months old,
Starting point is 00:12:25 and I'm zooming up because that was the fuel. So I founded Israeli companies in the US. It was an incredible opportunity from buying the printer and the router to five sites, $15 million in yearly revenue. We were just taking off. So I was in this uphill trajectory. But five years after that, I look at myself, I fly every single week or every two weeks. My amazing husband, who is right here,
Starting point is 00:12:59 is the most supportive husband on the planet because he literally had the kids all on his own for the first five years. I was not around. And at some point I'm catching myself the most supportive husband on the planet because he literally had the kids all on his own for the first five years. I was not around. And at some point I'm catching myself and I'm like, is this really what I was meant to do? Like not being present at all.
Starting point is 00:13:15 And Sean here, by the way, he was part of this. Hey, Seanie boy. So, and I was like, is this really, is this what I was meant to do? Like to just fly all the time and not be with the family? Did I, you know, the pendulum flew a little too much. So how do I even it out? So when a friend of mine, somebody I knew for probably two decades, wanted to start a company together,
Starting point is 00:13:39 I was like, oh my God, yes, that's it. This is what I was meant to do. But I worked every second on this startup that we had. I was so excited. We raised capital. It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. And I thought, oh my god, how did I get this lucky? So when I left that VP role, it was like a big party.
Starting point is 00:14:01 I wanted to tell everybody about the money that we raised. It was really cool. And little did I know that it's going to blow up in my face. It was like amazing. It was like within 24 hours, I lost my job. I lost my salary. I lost my startup. I lost the investment.
Starting point is 00:14:16 And again, I can't tell you, like the ego comes crushing down in a way that it's like, what the fuck? And I think for me, it all came about like, was my promise that I'm not gonna be that person that does nothing. And here I am, what I didn't realize is that my identity was attached to my title. It was attached to the company that I was with.
Starting point is 00:14:44 I never built my own identity. It never occurred to me. So suddenly when I didn't have those, I felt like a complete nobody. And that was a hard realization. And to make it even worse, I didn't know where I was going. But I'm not the type of person that is all confused. Like, come on, I get my things together. Like why do I know where I'm going? Not knowing what I want to do was one of the hardest times in my life. Does anybody resonate with that, with not knowing what you want to do? Okay. Thank you for being honest. I started spiraling down. I couldn't sleep at night. I couldn't wake up in the morning.
Starting point is 00:15:25 I was snappy at everybody around me. I had my health deteriorated. I was like, why can't I figure this out? I think I'm a smart human being. Why can't I figure this out? I Googled everything. I found either very motivational, who you can do it, or people that live and inspire me.
Starting point is 00:15:41 I'm like, this can't be it. So at that point, I did make a promise that if I ever figure this out, I have to tell the world how. And I think this is part of why this weekend is so emotionally, because just seeing all of you in the room is just incredible. So first of all, thank you for being here. Eventually, I did leap again and again. I talked a little bit about it.
Starting point is 00:16:09 You saw it in the video. I started a company. I sold the company. I stood on boards. I've been on stages. I've been an advisor. And again, I realized that I was leaping again and again. I was just getting a little better at it so I can leap faster and higher.
Starting point is 00:16:23 And at that point, my geeky engineering brain was just like, oh my God, there's actually a way. There's actually steps that I'm doing again and again. By the way, a lot of you that have been following me, I'm doing it again and again in my podcast. I'm doing it again and again to grow really big. You see me doing and reinventing myself again and again and again.
Starting point is 00:16:43 So there's actually like steps. And for me, I was like, why is nobody teaching this? And that's part of why I'm so excited about this weekend because this is what I want to do, or at least give you at least some of the map. And again, it doesn't matter what you want. So when you put that hand on your heart, whether you want massive impact or legacy or thought leadership
Starting point is 00:17:05 or the stages or the awards or the medias, like it really doesn't matter. All we need to do is start getting relentless about it. But again, it starts with a dream. And if you're like me, when you couldn't dream, you can't achieve it. So my commitment to you this weekend, I want all of you to start dreaming big. Is that a good deal? Is everybody in? So let me go really quick over the steps. So the very first thing is to have an unstoppable story and confidence.
Starting point is 00:17:40 Ties into my Intel days why I couldn't find a job. So the unstoppable story is really, really critical. A lot of the people that I see, this is where they're missing out. Their story is just not clear or it's told without confidence, we'll talk about it. Strategically open any door, skyrocket your personal brand. If you actually do all of these,
Starting point is 00:17:59 you can leap and you can charge your worth. And you do it again and again and again, so you can leap again and again and again. You can create and you can charge your worth. And you do it again and again and again, so you can leap again and again and again. You can create these portfolio careers. It's amazing, we'll talk about it. But to change the world, you're gonna have to start with changing your world and the people around you, your family, the network, okay?
Starting point is 00:18:18 And I can't tell you how important that is because when I was slumping, I couldn't change the world. I was in survival mode. So make sure that you put your own oxygen mask on. Without your own oxygen mask on, you cannot help anybody else. So that's the first thing. But the truth is that even once you decide on something and you know it, it's freaking hard.
Starting point is 00:18:41 And I think this is probably the piece that I didn't understand well enough. So there's a little bit of a pendulum and I'm curious about you in the room. So when I was this VP feeling like a big shot, the pendulum was like my ego was my ceiling. I didn't really understand that at that time, but I didn't think I need anybody's help because like I'm gonna crush it. Being there was actually the lid that prevented me from doing big things. So that's probably why I needed to slam down in order for the pendulum to go all the way
Starting point is 00:19:14 to the other side, but then when it was all the way to the other side, I was freaking out. I felt like a failure, I felt like I lost every relevance. And the interesting thing is to get the pendulum right back in the middle, where you're actually coachable and you're actually listening. Because again, from ego, I wasn't listening. I was hearing, but I wasn't listening.
Starting point is 00:19:35 I was hearing to argue. I was listening to say that it's BS. I wasn't really listening to lean in. And when the pendulum flew all the way to my fear and my doubt and my darkest moments, I couldn't really believe anybody or anything can save me from it. So I needed the pendulum to be somewhere in the middle. But if you're in one of those areas,
Starting point is 00:19:57 first of all, just know that I was there and it's solvable, okay? But one of the things that people don't share enough is how hard it is. And Tom Bell? But one of the things that people don't share enough is how hard it is. And Tom Bilyeu, which by the way was another amazing speaker on my podcast, an amazing guest, says he sold his Quest Nutrition for a billion dollars and he says, don't ask what's the least you can do, ask what's the most you can bear. And I can't tell you how many, I think and they
Starting point is 00:20:26 are something I had a few conversation in my home yesterday. And I said, she's like, how many times do you ask yourself, can you do this? And I'm saying every goddamn day. Seriously, my husband is a witness. Every goddamn day, I say this is the hardest fucking thing ever on the planet. But I still go. So there is no shortcut, there is no easy pill. That does not exist. But that's why you want the map, you want the guide by your side, you want the network to lean on, and you still just continue. Okay?
Starting point is 00:21:01 And that was really important. Hey, I'm pausing here for a second. I hope you're enjoying this amazing conversation. Don't forget to subscribe and download. Now, if you're looking to leap your own career, figure out what's next for you, fast-track your own growth and create portfolio career, check out my free 30-minute training at leapacademy.com slash training. That's leapacademy.com slash training.
Starting point is 00:21:25 Now back to the show. This is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt. And he basically said, it's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong person stumbles or where the doer of the deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood. And at best, they'll know at the end the triumph of high achievement and at worst, if they fail, at least they fail while daring greatly.
Starting point is 00:21:58 And when I listened to Brene Brown talk about this quote, I realized two things and I wanted to think about it for yourself. One, when I held my mom's hand, I promised that I want to be in the arena. I knew I wanted something bigger in my life. So that was already decided. So once you decide that, I want you to know only one thing that is absolutely guaranteed you will get your ass kicked.
Starting point is 00:22:27 Period. Is that a good deal? Okay, good. The second thing you need to understand is that there's always going to be naysayers, haters, critics. Always. Does that hurt? Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:22:43 But if they're not in the arena with you, I don't give a damn, or at least I will try not to. I will listen, I will listen to all the feedback. I always wanna get better. There's always things that we can learn, but I can already guarantee that the people that are in the arena are not the people that will criticize you, because they know what it takes.
Starting point is 00:23:04 They will be the people that will criticize you, because they know what it takes. They will be the people that will hold your hand or hold on and double check that you're okay. Okay, so just realize the people in there that are criticizing you are probably not where you wanna go, so don't give it a wait. Okay, that was probably the hardest thing for me. Again, when you get into the arena, it is really, really hard, but I want you to think of names of people inspire you. Are they on the sidelines or are they in the arena?
Starting point is 00:23:34 Probably in the arena. So we're gonna go in there with them. This weekend, it's not about just to change your weekend. I don't give a damn about your weekend, but I appreciate that you're all here. We're here to put a line in the sand and to transform the second part of your life. That's why I'm here. Are we a good deal with that? Is that a good deal? Okay.
Starting point is 00:23:58 And in order to transform the life, we are moving from the sidelines, from the fear, from the doubt. The sidelines is where everything is the haters the naysayers that doubt the like everything that you can think of that the teacher that hurts You the failures that you had like everything is in the sidelines But you're gonna move from the sidelines into the arena because this is where the possibilities are So we are getting into the arena this weekend. Is everybody a good deal with that? Is everybody has a yes? Say yes. Okay, great.
Starting point is 00:24:28 So in order to get into the arena, there's a really clear map. Okay, there's steps. And again, we're going to go over these steps really, really quick. Again, unstoppable story and confidence, stretches if you open any doors, skyrocketing your personal brand. That is it. So if I go over these really, really quick, the very first thing you need to remember,
Starting point is 00:24:49 your story is not about who you are now, it's about who you wanna become next, right? We learned that. And in order to do that, you're gonna have to build that confidence, but here's the catch. You can't fake confidence when you have no clue where you're going.
Starting point is 00:25:04 Trust me, I tried. So the very first piece is that bottom of the pyramid is that clarity. We have to get that clarity of where are we going. And after that we have to practice it again and again and again because guess what? We're not used to talking about our story. And after that then we can fake it. We can smile and we can stand tall, we can have our shoulders back. We can fake the core. We can't fake any of the other pieces. So we have to get
Starting point is 00:25:32 that clarity. We have to get that competence. Now, there's a few reasons why you're you it's probably harder for some of you. First of all, you have no clue what you want to do next. That was me. So it took about, I remember, I think I told some of you the story, I met the CEO that can probably have opened any door for me. He was a venture capitalist, he was a CEO of a big company. And it took him exactly five minutes to tell me, Ilana, you have no clue where you want to go, right? Not only that he's not going to open the doors now, I just became a red flag. So I realized that great tip that I got from people, go network, talk to your network,
Starting point is 00:26:08 see what they think, was actually hurting me. So I had to get an understanding where I want to go. Then I wasn't emphasizing the relevant points like I did in Intel. Impostor syndrome is another one, lack of confidence. Oh, but I don't want to brag. I get you. We'll fix it. So the big thing is there is a map.
Starting point is 00:26:29 And I want to make sure that we understand that. Strategically open any door. I'm not going to go over this too much, but whether it's cold outreach, warm outreach, get introduced, I can see a lot of you that don't understand the big people pile that exists. So you're just thinking somebody will give you 20 minutes of their time. No, they won't unless there's a reason for it.
Starting point is 00:26:48 Okay, so we'll learn how to do that. But the reason this is so important is because every single amazing opportunity you're ever gonna find is only in the hidden market. And if you're not playing in that hidden market, you're missing out on all the possibilities that this beautiful life has to offer. So we're gonna have to figure this out, okay?
Starting point is 00:27:12 This is exactly how I landed my executive roles, the public speaking, the businesses, whatever. And I think, Lash, who was in San Diego where I shared how I chased Richard Branson for a year and a half? Okay. Good. Solved. Okay. But seriously, like there's a people pile. You need to learn how to play the game. Okay. Another thing. Let's talk
Starting point is 00:27:35 about reputation. We are in an era of change. I know you heard me probably say it again, again, again. The pace of change is something we've never seen before. But I always also say in 2007, we all became a media company. You can like it, you can hate it. It doesn't matter if nobody hears from you. The assumption is that you don't have anything to say. On the other hand, it's the best time ever to control the narrative,
Starting point is 00:28:00 to decide what you wanna reinvent to and tell the world. So it's an incredible tool if you use it right. And this is what enables you to be in that hidden market, to be that impactful leader, to open portfolio career, to create your wealth. That's what creates that, but it needs to be done right. So in branding, there's only one goal. It's to lead faster and higher. Is that a good deal?
Starting point is 00:28:28 Okay. But here's the thing, there's three types of branding. One is the basics. If you don't have your crap together on LinkedIn, or you don't have something decent, at least, you're not going to get a chance, you're not going to get access, you're not going to get a chance at a door, right? But on the other hand, there's visibility. I want to be top of mind, right? And there's authority. I want to be paid my worth. So there's levels. You decide which level you want to be in, and probably you're going to need to mature to the next level. But all I'm saying, there's three types of levels, and we're going to work on all of them. There's also three types of levels and we're going to work on all of them. There's also three types of leadership building. Again, the basic one is just, I just don't want to be the
Starting point is 00:29:09 person that sits like this and nobody listens to me. Okay? The second one is the visibility. It's the people that come in the room and suddenly they command the room and everybody's quiet. And it's amazing, like you say something, they say the same thing and everybody's like, oh my God, that was such a great idea. I'm like, I just said that. That is this, okay? And the next level is the authority where you're a thought leader and you're brought in to the biggest rooms and the biggest decisions.
Starting point is 00:29:38 Again, you decide what the level that you wanna build. But it's incredible to see the possibilities that come with that. Again, once you master these, this is where we see people jump one level up, two levels up, three levels up, executive level roles, advising boards, et cetera. So it's incredible to watch what's possible
Starting point is 00:29:58 when you master these. So I just want to give you some context. And again, when you do this again and again, you can leap again and again, charge your worth. It really is incredible. And I think again, a lot of you have a front seat to how I've been reinventing myself to the With This Podcast, getting some of the biggest names on the planet
Starting point is 00:30:18 on the podcast. By the way, if you're not signing up for the, who's listening to the podcast, by the way? I'm just curious. Oh my God. Okay, that's amazing. Thank you. And I highly recommend it.
Starting point is 00:30:28 Like it's incredible blueprint of some of the biggest leaders of our time and how they build themselves. So if you're not listening, pick some names that you like and listen to them. Like I really think it's just gonna open your mind to how the biggest leaders achieve their careers. And by the way, how hard it is for everybody.
Starting point is 00:30:48 So for me, I'm learning from every single one of them, but it also gives me the fuel to continue when it's hard. So I highly recommend it. But also this is what I did again and again to speak in front of Richard Branson or whatever, right? Like I do this all the time. I'm not teaching this based on theory. You can watch me walk the walk. But again, many are trying too hard and they're not using the map or they're not using a guide. And I can't tell you how a map and a guide change my life. So lean on the map, lean on the guides and hack everything we do. Hack it. I'm not saying steal it, but hack the heck out of it.
Starting point is 00:31:27 Okay, do it for your own. Translate it to whatever it is that you wanna sell. When you created these portfolio careers, when you're creating your thought leadership, hack it. That's what it's for. Every big innovator is standing on the shoulders of somebody else and reaches higher. I remember being annoyed when I saw, you know,
Starting point is 00:31:45 like one of my coaches kept sending marketing emails and I'm like, why do I need to see all of this? This is all what you're, and then I'm just like, wait, this is incredible. Like I can actually learn more copy and more emails and more marketing than I learned in my lifetime just by reading the freaking emails. So hack everything instead of saying like, I mean, compile all like think why are we doing this? Why are we doing everything? Why? How can I
Starting point is 00:32:14 apply it to my own leap? Look at every single step. I can't stress how important it is to look at someone else hack the system. That's what it takes to leap. Okay. And again, I just we're gonna have an award ceremony in the evening is to look at someone else, hack the system. That's what it takes to leap, okay? And again, we're gonna have an award ceremony in the evening and we're gonna have an amazing dance party. So first of all, I wanna make sure, is everybody excited for this evening? Yes, it's gonna be epic.
Starting point is 00:32:38 But I wanna say, what I love about this community is that this is where you can also get inspired by other people leaping again and again. And these are just some of the people in our Melanous Club or our President's Club, like Doron, who is sitting here, who is amazing. Like he was already an executive, but, you know, he then leaped to another company and he rang the bell in Nasdaq and now he's doing this M&A thing. And he's incredible. And I can't wait to do some incredible things with you Doron and Itzyk is right there. I don't know some of you heard a story but he moved from being a director that was laid off
Starting point is 00:33:13 from his work. The best thing that happened to him because now he's a CEO of AI company like incredible Itzyk. Yes exactly. Eran, I don't know if I saw him here, everybody, I think you met him yesterday in my house, was Doron's accountability partner, by the way, he raised 22 million dollars to invest in startups that are doing impact. Lior, who I think some of you met him in San Diego. He literally started, you know, RUE's IT agency and sold it with the help of Doron for eight figures. Ghanit, I don't know who met her,
Starting point is 00:33:51 but she became a CEO of a public company. Mavish, who's seven extra salary. Mark, I think you're here, right? That landed, yes. So he leaps again and again, like just incredible to watch you mark. I just want to say welcome to the arena. Are you all in? Okay. Hey, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. If you did, please leave a 5 star review below.
Starting point is 00:34:32 This really helps us continue to bring amazing guests. Also, if you're feeling stuck or simply want more from your own career, watch this 30-minute free training at leapacademy.com slash training. That's leapacademy.com slash training that's leap academy dot com slash training. Now I will see you in the next episode of the Leap Academy with Zilana Golancho.

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