Podcast
Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Long-form conversations with the operators, founders, and behavioral experts shaping the next decade of work. New episodes weekly.
- Ep 155Apr 23, 2026 · 65m
The Dark Truth About Venture Capital: Confessions of a Unicorn Founder
Ra'anan Cohen"Ra’anan Cohen walked into the tech world with no fancy degree and no startup pedigree; just a phone call from a friend and the promise of free food and a gym membership."
Listen on your app → - Ep 154Apr 14, 2026 · 56m
9x Founder Kim Perell: How I Turned a $10K Loan Into a $235M Company
"When Kim Perell was fired, she had to fire all her friends on the same day."
Listen on your app → - Ep 153Apr 7, 2026 · 64m
How Basecamp's CEO Lost 30% of His Team, Faced Backlash, and Came Back Stronger
Jason Fried"Jason Fried didn’t follow the startup rules most founders swear by."
Listen on your app → - Ep 152Mar 31, 2026 · 61m
Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire: How to Stay Relevant, Resilient, and Ready for Change
"Don McGuire did not build his career through a straight line."
Listen on your app → - Ep 151Mar 24, 2026 · 53m
What It Takes to Scale a Company Without Breaking It
Mike Seckler, Justworks CEO"In the late 1990s, Mike Seckler started a company with little experience, plenty of curiosity, and no idea what was coming."
Listen on your app → - Ep 150Mar 17, 2026 · 57m
Benchmark Partner, Bill Gurley: The Strategy That Makes You Stand Out in a Crowded Job Market
"When Bill Gurley wanted to break into Wall Street, there were no job postings waiting for him."
Listen on your app → - Ep 149Mar 10, 2026 · 53m
Behavioral Design Expert: The Hidden Belief Blocking Your Growth
Nir Eyal"Nir Eyal grew up clinically obese, ashamed of his body, and convinced that food controlled him."
Listen on your app → - Ep 148Mar 3, 2026 · 64m
From Burned-Out Doctor to Global Wellness Founder: Dr. Amy Shah's Bold Career Pivot
"Dr. Amy Shah did everything she was supposed to do."
Listen on your app → - Ep 147Feb 24, 2026 · 67m
Discover Your Working Genius and Beat Career Burnout
Patrick Lencioni"The world tells leaders they must be everything: visionary, innovator, operator, executor."
Listen on your app → - Ep 146Feb 19, 2026 · 53m
From Homeless Shelter to Building a Billion-Dollar Mortgage Company
Damian Maldonado"Before Damian Maldonado was negotiating billion-dollar valuations or building businesses across Puerto Rico, he was a kid living in poverty and sharing bunk beds in a homeless shelter with his brothers."
Listen on your app → - Ep 145Feb 17, 2026 · 56m
From Pastor to Million-Dollar Days: Eileen Wilder on Charging Your Worth
"After two decades as a pastor making $50K a year, Eileen Wilder woke up to a terrifying truth: she was meant for more."
Listen on your app → - Ep 144Feb 10, 2026 · 61m
Inc. & Fast Company CEO: How Stephanie Mehta Redefined the Path from Editor to CEO
"Stephanie Mehta never chased the CEO title."
Listen on your app → - Ep 143Feb 3, 2026 · 49m
Zoom CMO Kim Storin on Leading Through Brand Change When the Stakes Are High
"At just ten years old, Kim Storin was writing letters to CEOs, asking for donations and clearly outlining why her cause mattered."
Listen on your app → - Ep 142Jan 27, 2026 · 52m
OpenAI's Former Head of GTM: What Leaders Get Wrong About AI & What’s Coming Next
Zack Kass"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 technology they barely understood or cared about."
Listen on your app → - Ep 141Jan 20, 2026 · 48m
From Childhood Trauma to Building High-Performance Leaders
Mick Hunt"At just 10 years old, Mick Hunt made a promise that would shape the rest of his life."
Listen on your app → - Ep 140Jan 13, 2026 · 53m
Care.com Founder Sheila Lirio Marcelo: How a Struggling Mom Built a Million Dollar Caregiving Empire
"As a young mom, primary breadwinner, and full-time professional, Sheila Lirio Marcelo understood the relentless struggle of balancing work and family."
Listen on your app → - EpisodeJan 6, 2026 · 43m
Peloton’s Robin Arzón: From Hostage Survivor to Fitness Icon Inspiring Millions
"Robin Arzón’s leap from lawyer to fitness powerhouse wasn’t just a career shift; it was a radical reinvention."
Listen on your app → - EpisodeDec 30, 2025 · 56m
Russell Brunson: From Broke to $100M in Five Years, How I Bounced Back from Rock Bottom
"Russell Brunson failed more times in his early 20s than most founders do in a lifetime."
Listen on your app → - EpisodeDec 23, 2025 · 55m
Building Wired Magazine: Kevin Kelly’s Unconventional Path from College Dropout E139
"When Kevin Kelly dropped out of college in the 1970s, it was almost unheard of."
Listen on your app → - Ep 138Dec 16, 2025 · 71m
The Untold Story of Napster's Success, Collapse & Hard-Won Lessons
Jordan Ritter"Jordan Ritter didn’t grow up surrounded by tech; he grew up on a farm, tinkering with computers in total isolation."
Listen on your app → - EpisodeDec 11, 2025 · 45m
The Reinvention Queen: Guy Kawasaki Interviews Ilana Golan on Leaping Across Careers
"Ilana Golan has reinvented herself more times than most people switch job titles."
Listen on your app → - Ep 137Dec 9, 2025 · 47m
Blackstone Medical’s Founder Vick Tipnes On Scaling a $500 Office Into a Healthcare Empire
"When Vick Tipnes launched Blackstone Medical Services, it was the worst possible moment: newly divorced, broke, and with two young kids."
Listen on your app → - Ep 136Dec 2, 2025 · 72m
The Powerhouse Behind MAC, Tom Ford Beauty & More: John Demsey’s Untold Career Lessons
"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 roles while learning the business in ways no MBA could ever teach."
Listen on your app → - Ep 135Nov 25, 2025 · 51m
Raising $24M After 107 Rejections: Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen’s Journey to Scaling Female Invest
"When 19-year-old Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen walked into a bank hoping to secure a loan to buy a property, she was denied on the spot."
Listen on your app → - EpisodeNov 20, 2025 · 82m
Brian Tracy: The Secrets to Doubling Your Income and Achieving Your Biggest Goals
LEAP Replay"Brian Tracy was fired from washing dishes, cars, and floors, and began to believe that “washing things” might be his destiny."
Listen on your app → - Ep 134Nov 18, 2025 · 73m
Build-A-Bear CEO, Sharon Price John: The Mindset Behind a Billion-Dollar Comeback
"When Sharon Price John was a kid, she spent a summer determined to climb a massive tree."
Listen on your app → - Ep 133Nov 11, 2025 · 63m
Wikipedia Co-Founder: How Jimmy Wales Changed the Internet Forever
"He could have built a billion-dollar company, but instead, Jimmy Wales built a movement."
Listen on your app → - Ep 132Nov 4, 2025 · 50m
How Reebok’s Co-Founder Joe Foster and Ben Weiss Are Revolutionizing the Footwear Industry
"Ben Weiss set out to create the future of footwear."
Listen on your app → - Ep 131Oct 28, 2025 · 49m
Square Co-Founder, Jim McKelvey: How to Build a Business No Competitor Can Copy
"Jim McKelvey did the impossible."
Listen on your app → - Ep 130Oct 21, 2025 · 64m
Betting $250M on Women’s Sports: How Rejection Became Kara Nortman’s Superpower
"At a 2015 World Cup match in Vancouver, Kara searched nine stores for her daughters’ jerseys and found none."
Listen on your app → - Ep 129Oct 14, 2025 · 46m
How a Panic Attack Revealed the Secret to a Meaningful Life
Robert Glazer"Robert Glazer collapsed in his kitchen in front of his son, convinced he was having a heart attack."
Listen on your app → - Ep 128Oct 8, 2025 · 56m
How Thai Randolph Built a $100M Media Company
"Most people would assume that raising capital for a celebrity-backed business would be a cakewalk, but Thai Randolph knew that was far from the truth."
Listen on your app → - EpisodeOct 3, 2025 · 74m
Lisa Bilyeu: From Housewife to Billion-Dollar Boss, My No-BS Guide to Radical Confidence
LEAP Replay"For eight years, Lisa Bilyeu lived the life others expected: a traditional Greek wife focused on supporting her husband and running the home."
Listen on your app → - EpisodeOct 2, 2025 · 23m
Richard Branson: Virgin Group Founder on Turning Bold Risks into a Billion-Dollar Business
LEAP Replay"As a teenager, Sir Richard Branson had already mastered the art of taking bold leaps to pursue opportunities."
Listen on your app → - Ep 127Sep 30, 2025 · 30m
From Losing Everything to Startup of the Year: Ilana Golan’s 5 Shifts to Reinvent Yourself
"Ilana Golan knows what it feels like to lose everything."
Listen on your app → - Ep 126Sep 23, 2025 · 84m
Techstars Co-Founder, Brad Feld: How to Find Meaning While Achieving Success
"Despite outward success, Brad Feld struggled with depression, exhaustion, and feelings of emptiness."
Listen on your app → - Ep 125Sep 16, 2025 · 55m
1 Million Followers in 30 Days: Brendan Kane’s Proven Strategy for Going Viral
"Brendan Kane didn’t break into Hollywood through connections."
Listen on your app → - Ep 124Sep 9, 2025 · 47m
NetApp CEO George Kurian: From Humble Beginnings to Leading a Fortune 500 Giant
"George Kurian’s journey from a modest upbringing in Kerala, India, to becoming CEO of NetApp is an extraordinary story."
Listen on your app → - Ep 123Sep 2, 2025 · 61m
Former Siemens CEO on Building an $80B Business While Avoiding Burnout
Klaus Kleinfeld"Klaus Kleinfeld’s journey from a difficult childhood in Germany to leading two Fortune 500 companies, Siemens and Alcoa, was anything but easy."
Listen on your app → - Ep 122Aug 26, 2025 · 72m
Nathan Blecharczyk: The Raw Truth of Scaling Airbnb to a $75B Empire
"Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder of Airbnb, built his first software business as a teenager, earning nearly a million dollars before shutting it down to attend Harvard."
Listen on your app → - Ep 121Aug 19, 2025 · 54m
How Case Kenny Turned His Podcast into a Multi-Million Dollar Brand
"After 12 years of working in corporate advertising, Case Kenny launched a podcast, New Mindset, Who Dis?"
Listen on your app → - Ep 120Aug 12, 2025 · 67m
How Julia Hartz Built Eventbrite from a Startup to a Billion-Dollar IPO
"What do you do when the dream you've chased no longer fits?"
Listen on your app → - Ep 119Aug 5, 2025 · 69m
68 Rejections, One Yes: How I Built a $100M Startup Against All Odds
Dan Shapiro"After getting laid off from his corporate job, Dan Shapiro launched his first startup, Photobucket Inc."
Listen on your app → - Ep 118Jul 29, 2025 · 52m
Dr. Josh Axe: From Healing My Mom of Cancer to Building a Multi-Million-Dollar Health Brand
"Dr. Josh Axe’s passion for health and wellness began when his mother’s breast cancer diagnosis led to chronic health issues after chemotherapy."
Listen on your app → - Ep 117Jul 22, 2025 · 48m
Sahil Bloom: The 5 Types of Wealth, How to Find True Success and Fulfillment Beyond Money
"Sahil Bloom was living the "dream" life, climbing the corporate ladder, earning well, and hitting all the career milestones."
Listen on your app → - Ep 116Jul 15, 2025 · 60m
Christiana Figueres: Building a Lasting Legacy in Global Climate Action at the UN and Beyond
"When Christiana Figueres was a young mother, she longed to share her love of nature with her daughters, a love sparked by watching golden toads shimmer like coins under the moonlight in a Costa Rican forest."
Listen on your app → - Ep 115Jul 8, 2025 · 42m
GaryVee: The Mindset That Took Me from Zero to Multi-Million-Dollar Success
"Being scrappy wasn’t just a choice for Gary ‘Vee’ Vaynerchuk; it was his only way forward."
Listen on your app → - Ep 114Jul 1, 2025 · 44m
Matt Abrahams: How to Conquer Anxiety and Lead Powerful Conversations Under Pressure
"Matt Abrahams's passion for communication was shaped by his parents during his childhood."
Listen on your app → - Ep 113Jun 24, 2025 · 51m
From Singing in Parks to Selling Out Arenas: AJR’s Adam Met on Building Success from Scratch
"As a teenager performing on New York’s streets and parks, Adam Met never imagined selling out arenas nationwide."
Listen on your app → - Ep 112Jun 17, 2025 · 61m
From Near Bankruptcy to a $745M Exit: The Raw Truth Behind Kass & Mike’s Entrepreneurship Journey
"Kass and Mike Lazerow’s entrepreneurial journey began with a leap of faith and a lot of grit."
Listen on your app →