Ilana Golan: How to Build a Career and Life You Love in 2026 | Success | E26

When Ilana Golan’s close colleague of two decades approached her with the proposition to start a company together, she was thrilled. After their company was valued at $5 million, they secured three Silicon Valley investors. However, less than 24 hours after saying goodbye to her corporate job to chase her dream, her co-founder stole all of their money and kicked her out of the business. With no job, no money, no business, and no purpose, Ilana had to learn how to rebuild her career from nothing. Now, she helps other high performers pivot in their careers to set themselves up for long-term success in her award-winning company, Leap Academy. In this episode of Miracle Mentality, Tim and Ilana break down how to become more adaptable and build a versatile portfolio career in 2026. Ilana Golan is an entrepreneur, investor, and award-winning keynote speaker driven to help people leap in their careers and build a life they love. Her company, Leap Academy, is trusted by leaders at Fortune 500 companies, fast-scaling startups, and across five continents and has influenced over $100M in revenue.  In this episode, Tim and Ilana discuss: (00:00) Introduction (01:48) Ilana’s early entrepreneurial spirit (06:08) How corporate jobs keep you stuck (08:05) Losing $5 million in investments  (11:40) Advice for those hitting rock bottom (16:16) The danger of offering free services (20:18) Why the real indicator of success is not IQ or EQ (24:02) The importance of building a portfolio career (25:50) How Leap Academy is changing lives (29:40) The value of enduring adversity (31:43) Leap Academy’s services (32:52) How to stay relevant in the age of adaptability Ilana Golan is a serial entrepreneur and investor on a mission to help 10 million driven individuals bulletproof their careers by building a robust personal brand and learning the art of leaping so they can create the career and life they want. She is an award-winning international keynote speaker and has been featured on Yahoo Finance, Market Watch, Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, and more. Her company, Leap Academy, is trusted by leaders at Fortune 500 companies, fast-scaling startups, and across five continents and has influenced over $100M in revenue. It was named Startup of the Year in 2023 by the American Business Awards.  Get your free Leap Academy e-book and discounted tickets to LeapCon at www.leapacademy.com/storey Connect with Ilana:  Website: https://www.ilanagolan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanagolan/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilanagolanleap/?hl=en  Leap Academy: https://www.leapacademy.com Leap Academy's free trainings: leapacademy.com/training  The Leap Academy podcast: https://www.leapacademy.com/podcast  Connect with Tim: Website: https://www.timstorey.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtimstorey/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MiracleMentalitywithTimStorey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timstoreyofficial If this episode inspired you, leave a review and share it with someone who’s ready for their comeback. Every story has a comeback. What’s yours going to be? Motivation, Self Help, Mindset, Faith, Purpose, Resilience, Mental Health, Healing, Transformation, Inspiration, Growth, Leadership, Comeback, Spirituality, Personal Development, Breakthrough, Overcoming, Growth Mindset, Hope, Life Transformation, Determination, Confidence, Vision