Chapter 1: What challenges did Ilana Golan face in her early career?
Could you imagine starting a business with a partner, a co-founder, raising capital, and then all of a sudden getting kicked out of that business? Well, that's what happened with my great friend today, Ilana Golan, and we're gonna talk through IQ and EQ, emotional intelligence has been a thing, but what about your AQ, that adaptability quotient?
And if your AQ isn't strong in 2026, you're gonna struggle. We're gonna break that down at the end in our rapid fire top five, and then we're gonna find out the one word that defines your legacy. Ladies and gentlemen, I present my good friend, the leader's leader, Miss Alana, come on.
You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place.
Chapter 2: How important is adaptability in today's workforce?
Let's get unplugged.
Alana, how you doing today, dear?
Oh, my God. Can you always introduce me wherever I go? I'm going to have a Mick coming with me to introduce me. Thank you so much. So great to be here.
No, I am the honored one. Thank you so much for taking the time. I know how busy you are, so I know you just don't do things to do them. So this is why I have goosebumps, because I've been a huge fan of you, honestly, since like... Over a year ago when like our podcasts were like beside each other, like all the time.
And I was like, oh, who's this podcast that I keep getting recommended that I should listen to? And then I started listening and I was like, wait, this podcast is amazing. And so like literally from episode one to what are you like 141 now, 142? Like I literally have listened to every single one of them and most of them I've listened to twice. Thank you for being here.
Oh, my God. That makes my day, Mick. And I obviously listen to you as well.
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Chapter 3: What is the significance of finding your 'because'?
And I loved Unplugged. So let's go. And I hope to add a ton of value to your listeners, because if you're on this podcast, then, you know, you know what's coming. So it's going to be gold. So let's go.
Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. I know you're going to bring it. And you know how I like to start it. And I know a little bit about this, but we get to go deeper. I want to know, Alana, with all the amazing things that you do, from helping entrepreneurs to helping leaders become better, what's your because? What's that deeper purpose that you have to do all that you do?
Because honestly, at the end of the day, Alana, you don't have to do the things that you do. There's a purpose behind it. What's your because?
I love that question. And you know that, Mick. And it's interesting because you actually opened my eyes to the idea because that's kind of all happened when I was listening to your podcast, right? And initially, I was just like, well, I just want to help people.
Chapter 4: How can setbacks be transformed into learning experiences?
I want to feel like I'm making a difference. And it's true. Like, Losing my identity, feeling stuck in my career was one of the hardest moments in my life. And if I can help somebody get out of that unstuck and feel accomplished and the better version of themselves, that is my mission. However, you lit my eyes that there's a deeper sense of it.
And when I was reflecting on it and my biggest reflection always comes when I hike and I realized that it was that moment where, you know, and I think I told you that story. I hold my mom's hand and she was passing from cancer. And I remember trying to ask her if she has regrets. And I couldn't ask. I felt ashamed or I didn't want to admit that we lost the fight.
I was so hungry to fight for her and to win. And I'm not used to giving up. And I realized that I don't have a chance. She has a week or two to live. And I remember thinking, what are the regrets? What are the regrets? And when she passed, not feeling regret.
became so prevalent for some reason and that became my fuel that became my because so and that you know basically lit a fire under me because you're right I don't have to do what I do my husband is cycling and in you know in in all these countries and he keeps like let's retire together and I'm like I'm not ready for it I I I'm on this planet for a bigger purpose and I have to do this so that's it make
I love it.
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Chapter 5: What does Ilana mean by 'success leaves clues'?
I love it. Alana, again, being such a huge fan of yours, like this episode, I'm going to ask a whole bunch of just personal questions, not personal questions, but personal questions that I want answered because you are someone that I look to for advice. You are that person that I'm like, there's synergy. I know that Alana has resources on this or that you've gone through this.
And one of the things that I love, and for those that don't know, I'm going to kind of highlight this a little bit, You know, this journey kind of started for you. You had just raised money, right? One of your companies that you were starting with a co-founder, everything's going well. And then one day you get kicked out of your own company.
So my first question, how in the heck do you get kicked out of your own company?
Oh, Meg, this is such a humbling experience. And, you know, and I always say to people like you can talk on any kind of like I love vulnerability, but the truth is you can only only be vulnerable when you're from the scars, not from the wound. And if you would have asked me this a decade ago, I could not talk about it. Like I was so embarrassed. I was so ashamed. And you're right.
So basically we lived the Silicon Valley dream. Like I live here in Silicon Valley, right across my fence is the Steve Jobs basement. This is where he started. You know, like, I mean, I'm covered with this like incredible Silicon Valley vibe.
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Chapter 6: How can clarity drive career opportunities?
So at that point I was already vice president in, you know, a very successful company. I literally built it from, buying the printer and the router to this mega five sites, multimillion dollar deals. It was incredible. But I was burned out. I was tired. I was flying every week. And then a friend of mine, yeah, somebody I knew for 20 years said, hey, let's start this company together.
And I got lit up again, Mick. I was just so excited. So even though I was busy, I was working on this thing day and night. And I was so excited. And we did this whole Silicon Valley thing. We went to visit investors. And it was incredible because our story was so good that within a few weeks, there was a term sheet. They were evaluating a little baby at $5 million.
So they were investing about $800,000. And it was three prominent Silicon Valley. It wasn't even just one. And I remember like, oh my God, I'm so lucky.
Chapter 7: What role does branding play in professional success?
How did I get so lucky? And so during the goodbye party, I told everybody about the startup. I was so proud about the money we raised. And within 24 hours, Mick, 24 hours, My co-founder decided to take the money to his bank, throw me out of the business, and I was left with nothing. No job, no salary, no startup, no investment. So you're asking, how is that possible? The truth is, it's ignorance.
I didn't have somebody to tell me what to do. I didn't know that I need to put a founder's agreement. I didn't know I need to put things in rules like I, you know, it was all kind of like excitement and doing things and like hustling and creating stuff. And then Yeah. And I think one of the things that you raise is like that embarrassment of how on earth did I let that happen?
And, you know, one of the hardest thing about this moment is that your ego just comes crushing down like you. Like, who am I without that identity? Who am I without my title? Who am I without my company? Like, who is Ilana? And to make it even worse, I didn't know where I want to go.
Chapter 8: How can individuals reinvent themselves effectively?
So now I look all confused and they go to all these, you know, like events and people are like, Ilana, who are you? You know, it's like, I don't know. What do you do? I don't know. What do you want to do? I don't know. You know, like, who am I, Mick? Anyway, so that was my story.
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make sure your paperwork protects you. Make sure you review the paperwork. Like we all do it at some point. Like even now, one of my companies is with one of my really good friends. But the first thing that we did was make sure the paperwork was right. His attorney reviewed, my attorney reviewed.
And then we had a separate attorney that didn't know either of us draw up the actual agreement, right? Because we didn't want to feel a certain type of way. And then the second thing that I think is important that you said was that you had an ego. And I think people try to say, oh, I don't have an ego. We all do. We all have some type of pride, some type of emotion.
It doesn't mean that you have a big ego. But I think everyone has that sense of pride. And to lose that, right, is tough. Is that right, Alana?
Yes, Mick, but I'm going to be honest. I think when you ticked some of these boxes of success in corporates, as a VP, running some big things, I kind of have bigger ego than I should. And I think that confuses you. Again, I do believe I was a great leader. I hear it from my people all the time, and they're still in touch with people that reported to me.
But I didn't realize that when you're trying to do something you've never done before, You don't know what you don't know. And to make it even worse, the worst part is actually not what you don't know that you don't know. It's what you absolutely sure you know, but you know wrong. And I was absolutely sure that I will know how to start a company. And I was absolutely wrong, Megan.
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