305. Geopolitical Strategist Vlada Galan on Advising Heads of State, Global Crisis Management & Building From Nothing

<p>What does it take to advise Heads of State, broker back-channel diplomatic deals, and operate inside the world&#39;s most complex political environments, all while building a global firm from scratch?</p><p>In this episode, Julian sits down with Vlada Galan, geopolitical strategist, crisis management expert, and founder of Oracle Advisory Group. Vlada advises Heads of State across five continents, has worked on elections and conflicts in over a dozen countries, and was awarded a medal by the Ukrainian government in 2023 for her work on behalf of her home country.</p><p>But the bio only tells part of the story. Vlada arrived in America at six years old with her mother, a cardboard sign, and two words of English. Everything she&#39;s built—a Harvard master&#39;s degree, a multimillion-dollar advisory firm, a career at the highest levels of global power—came entirely from scratch.</p><p>This is a conversation about what power actually looks like from the inside, what separates the people who own the table from everyone else trying to get a seat at it, and what a Ukrainian immigrant who once knew two words of English learned about success that most people never figure out.</p><p><strong>— Episode Chapter Big Ideas (timing may not be exact) —</strong></p><p>0:00 — Intro</p><p>1:35 — Finland trip: disconnecting in the Arctic Circle</p><p>7:50 — What do the people who own the table actually have?</p><p>11:51 — &quot;Everything you need is within yourself”—did she believe it on Day 1?</p><p>15:06 — Standing outside the private city club: the three A&#39;s of overcoming imposter syndrome</p><p>18:16 — How she found her way into geopolitical consulting</p><p>22:03 — Why she prefers the harder, less glamorous engagements</p><p>25:53 — What the first 48 hours of a crisis actually look like</p><p>28:09 — Track 2 diplomacy: the back-channel work that never makes the news</p><p>32:20 — Managing personal identity and professional neutrality as a Ukrainian consultant</p><p>36:30 — The bank governor story: aggression as an asset</p><p>40:45 — How to be the honest advisor in a room full of yes people</p><p>43:41 — The most enjoyable part of running her own firm</p><p>45:05 — How she takes care of herself: weight training, cooking, and real disconnection</p><p>48:18 — How she determines what&#39;s a good fit as a client</p><p>50:20 — The biggest misconception about her field</p><p>54:05 — The hardest part of building something from nothing</p><p>55:23 — Book recommendations</p><p>57:44 — What would that six-year-old girl on the plane say?</p><p><strong>— Key Quotes from Vlada Galan — </strong></p><p>“If you want to hang on for the long term and develop a reputation for actually bringing change and bringing results, be the no person because that is the person in the room that is the most courageous to say what they actually think, no matter what the consequences might be.”</p><p>&quot;People will test your boundaries. The more you allow them to cross those boundaries and steamroll you, the more they&#39;re going to take advantage of that.”</p><p>&quot;You learn a lot more from losing than you do from winning. That acquiring of knowledge that you actually get from failing is exactly how you become successful.&quot;</p><p><strong>— Connect With Vlada Galan —</strong></p><p>Website: <a href="https://oracleadvisorygroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://oracleadvisorygroup.com/</a> </p><p>Book website: <a href="https://success-mentality.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://success-mentality.com/</a></p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vladagalan/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/vladagalan/</a></p><p><strong>— Connect with Julian and Executive Health —</strong></p><p>LinkedIn — <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianhayesii/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianhayesii/</a></p><p>X — <a href="https