Hala Taha

Young and Profiting Podcast 🚀 CEO & Founder 💁🏻‍♀️ YAP Media Network - #1 Business Podcast Network 🚀 The Podcast Princess 👸🏻 YAP Media - #1 Linkedin Marketing Agency 💁🏻‍♀️ LISTEN. LEARN. PROFIT 🤓💕🔥🚀

Hala Taha, known as “The Podcast Princess,” is the host of Young and Profiting (YAP) Podcast, a #1 Entrepreneurship podcast with over 30 million downloads. A Top 100 podcast globally, YAP features star-studded guests like Matthew McConaughey, Gary Vee, Alex Hormozi, Deepak Chopra, Daymond John, Mel Robbins, and countless others. The show was recognized as a 2022 Webby Honoree, and Hala graced the cover of Podcast Magazine in January 2021.

Hala is also the Founder and CEO of YAP Media, an award-winning, premier white-glove social media and podcast production agency for CEOs, celebrities, and top podcasters. With nearly 60 employees and a dozen high-profile clients, YAP Media was named the #1 LinkedIn Marketing Agency and voted Best Podcast Agency of 2022.

In 2022, Hala launched the YAP Media Network, a podcast network that helps top podcasts land sponsorship deals with major brands like LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Shopify. YAP Media is pacing to hit 8-figures in 2025, and represents some of the most popular business podcasters in the world including Jenna Kutcher, Russell Brunson, Neil Patel, and John Lee Dumas. 

Hala is well-known for her engaged following and influence on Linkedin, leading to the creation of YAP Academy. Her first two-day LinkedIn Secret Masterclass has had 9 cohorts with hundreds of new influencers following Hala’s expertise to achieve successful LinkedIn growth and monetization. The next YAP Academy Masterclass is currently in the works with a focus on podcast creation, growth and monetization.

Hala is a 2025 Real Leaders Top 50 Keynote Speaker, sharing her expertise in podcasting, LinkedIn, social media, personal branding, sales and entrepreneurship through in-person keynotes and panels such as Funnel Hacking Live 10 and IAB Upfronts.

Hala has had a knack for inventing successful products and motivating teams since a young age. She began her career in radio production while in college, working at HOT97 on The Angie Martinez Show. In her senior year of college she founded The Sorority of Hip Hop, building a community of 50 female bloggers who hosted a popular blog, events, concerts, and radio shows. When the blog boom slowed down, she got her MBA, graduating #1 in her class with a 4.0 gpa, and spent the next 6 years in various corporate marketing roles at Hewlett Packard and Disney Streaming Services.

Host of Young and Profiting Podcast

Host and Producer of #1 Education Podcast, Young and Profiting.

Here’s what’s in vs what’s out for B2B marketers in 2026… #️⃣LinkedInPartner 

❌ What's out: Not reaching your target audience.

✅ What’s in: Using LinkedIn Ads to get the highest B2B returns.

With unmatched precision targeting and access to over 130M decision-makers…

It’s the go-to platform for reaching the people who actually matter to your business.

No wasted budget. No wrong audiences. Just qualified leads that drive real results.

Ready to make your B2B ads work smarter in 2026?

Learn more at linkedin.com/createads

In 60 seconds, I'll teach you a secret approach to close more sales 💰

(Save this for later 👇🏼)

Most people think they chase opportunity.

But that’s hardly true.

They run from LOSS ‼️

It’s called the Loss Aversion Theory.

👉🏻 We are more stressed about missing the flight than excited about the trip.
👉🏻 We are more afraid of losing $100 than thrilled to gain it.
👉🏻 We'll work harder to keep what we have than to get something new.

This is how the brain works. And the best salespeople use it.

Most people sell the dream:
"You'll 10x your revenue."
"Imagine the freedom."
"Think of the possibilities."

Sounds good… But it doesn't close 🤷🏼‍♀️

Here's what actually closes: 

Instead of: "This will 10x your revenue."
Say: "Every month you wait is costing you $10K."

One inspires. The other creates urgency.

Urgency closes deals.

The best pitch I ever made wasn't about what they'd gain.

It was about what they were already losing by staying stuck.

Stop selling the destination.

Start selling the price of standing still.

What's one thing you've been putting off that's quietly costing you?

Overcome Resistance to Change Today with Results Focused Outcomes • Trusted Advisor & Strategist To StartUps & Billion Dollar Visionary Companies • TEDx Speaker • C-Suite Masterclass • Forbes • Humanitarian 🏆🎤🎙🎥🎬 📚

Executive Advisor to Boards and Senior Leaders in Risk, Crisis Leadership & Strategic Intervention 

Empowering leaders to accelerate growth, build momentum, and lead when the stakes are highest.

Where I Add Value
Resilience. Results. ROI. Risk Reduction. Operational Momentum. Leadership Performance. Decision Clarity &amp; Communication.

♦ Risk, Crisis &amp; Intervention Leadership – Executive authority, crisis, governance, escalation & risk control

♦ AI Strategy, Governance &amp; Risk Alignment  –  AI frameworks | guardrails, adoption, ethics & value realization

♦ Strategic Advisory &amp; Operating Models – Portfolio & PMO governance, enterprise prioritization, OKRs & KPIs

♦ Organizational & Leadership Transformation – Leadership dev., succession resilience & workforce enablement

♦ Change &; Readiness Management – Stakeholder alignment, high-stakes communication & adoption execution

♦ Champion Culture (High-Performance Systems) – Accountability, performance, cohesion & trust 

♦ Global Diplomacy & International Relations – Geopolitical fluency & leadership collaboration & alignment

Who I Serve
Government & Public Sector | Transportation, Infrastructure &amp; Utilities | Architecture, Construction & Engineering | Aerospace &amp; Defense | Technology | Healthcare &amp; Life Sciences | Financial Services | Education & Non-Profit | Media & EntertainmentClient 

Success Highlights 
🏆 28% supply-chain cost reduction via operating model &amp; process redesign 
🏆 +75% engagement and −49.5% turnover through culture transformation 
🏆 −41% risk/policy violations through governance &amp; compliance improvements 
🏆 96% satisfaction on digital-health adoption and enterprise change rollout

What Others Say: 
Izabela's focus on high-performance, forward-thinking leadership is paramount.With over 30 years of leadership experience, I can vouch for her exceptional influence in this domain. ~ Michael A. Massetti, VP, Gartner 

Certifications & Training 
CSM, CSPO (Scrum Alliance) • Prosci ADKAR, Kotter &amp; Change Methodologies • DiSC, MBTI, EQ-i 2.0, StrengthsFinder • Google, Microsoft & IBM AI Training • Miller Heiman, TAS, Challenger, Solution, Consultative &amp; Conceptual Sales 

Professional Recognition
#1 International Bestselling Author • LinkedIn Newsletter with 35,500+ subsribers • Forbes &amp; Forbes Coaches Council • TEDx Speaker &amp; Global Keynote • Top 1% Global Podcast Host • Award-Winning Producer • Polyglot

📩 Strategic Inquiries &amp; Advisory Engagements: Izabela@IzabelaLundberg.com

Izabela Lundberg, M.S.

Talent development fails the moment we assume everyone learns or leads the same way…

They do not.

Some people learn by doing.
Others by observing.
Some need time to reflect before acting.
Others think best while moving fast.

Yet many organizations still design talent programs as if growth were a standardized process.

One framework.
One timeline.
One path.

But people are not software updates.
You can not “download” potential.

They are living systems of curiosity, experience, motivation, and possibility.

The best leaders do not force people into identical molds.

They create environments where different strengths can thrive.

Because talent development is not  about producing uniform performers…

It is about unlocking individual brilliance.

Great talent builders know that real growth happens through:

• Experience 
Real challenges that stretch capacity

• Exposure
Fresh perspectives and environments

• Reflection
Time to connect insight with action

• Coaching 
Guidance that activates confidence and clarity

• Trust
The freedom to experiment, fail, and rise again

Research from Deloitte and McKinsey confirms it: the greatest professional growth does not  happen in classrooms alone. 

It happens through meaningful challenges supported by leaders who care.

The boldest organizations are rewriting the rulebook with a new playbook for 2026 and beyond.


They are asking and focusing on 
“What system helps our people flourish?”

Because the most valuable asset in any organization is not talent that is managed.

It is talent that is discovered, developed, and trusted. 

The future of talent is not standardization.
It is  humanization. ~ Izabela Lundberg, M.S.  

What helped you grow most in your career, a formal training program or a leader who believed in your potential? Or both? 

Enjoy this epic video clip that ties all together. 

🎥: @primenetflixvideos 

♻️ Repost if you agree it is a time to rethink talent development.

🔔 Follow Izabela for actionable leadership insights.

Izabela Lundberg, M.S. 

Strategic Advisor, Board Member & Mentor • Driving Resilience, Results & ROI • Guiding Organizations Through Complexity & Change • AI Transformation • Top 40 Global Thought Leader • TEDx & Keynote Speaker • Author

In times of uncertainty and rapid change, more than ever
Small businesses need direct access to decision-makers.

That is why COMTO Colorado's 2026 Annual Kick-off Celebration is designed to bring the right people into the same room!

Leaders from RTD, Denver International Airport - City & County of Denver Dept of Aviation (DEN), Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT), 
DOTI, major AEC partners, and the small businesses helping shape Colorado's transportation future.

As a small business owner myself (Legacy Leaders Institute) and COMTO Colorado Vice President of Fundraising & Development, I am committed to ensuring strong representation and real connection opportunities for firms across our ecosystem.

What to expect:
• CEOs from RTD and DEN sharing 2026 priorities
• Introduction of COMTO Colorado's new Board of Directors
• Meaningful networking focused on collaboration, visibility, and opportunity

If you want to attend, increase visibility with industry leaders, or explore complimentary tickets for your team, send me a DM.

📅 March 4, 2026 | 5:30–9:00 PM
📍 McCarthy Building Companies 
     1701 Platte St., Denver

Details & registration: https://lnkd.in/gwytbhtw

Small businesses, let's not just survive uncertainty. Let's lead through it together. ~ Izabela Lundberg, M.S. ❤️

Ready? 

#COMTOColorado #SmallBusiness #DEN #RTD #CDOT #DOTI

Why do 90% of transformations fail...
even with a perfect strategy and airtight business cases?

It is not resistance to change.
It is resistance to loss: certainty, competence, identity, control, status.

Your brain treats organizational change like a saber-toothed tiger. 
Neuroscience does not care about your PowerPoint. 

The amygdala hijacks rational thinking. 
Survival beats strategy.

Leaders engineer roadmaps. 

Humans cycle through uncertainty → resistance → exploration → ownership. 

Skip those phases? Get performative agreement and shallow adoption.
Sounds familiar?

The fix is not more communication. 
It is about psychological stewardship.

✅ Psychological safety (voice fears without penalty)
✅ Meaning-making (connect to personal stakes)
✅ Emotional steadiness (model calm, not chaos)

Culture decides everything. 
Perfectionism kills learning. 
Curiosity builds change fitness.

There is a better way. 

Leaders exist who treat transformation as a mission-critical craft...
by blending behavioral science with strategy to read human signals like radar.

Before every initiative, they ask:

1️⃣ What loss will hit my people hardest?
2️⃣ Where is the trust gap I am not seeing?
3️⃣ How will I pace this so we do not burn out?

Discover more in today's Legacy Magazine article, 
Why Transformations Fail: Mastering the Psychology of Change

What is the biggest change failure you have seen, and what was the real psychology behind it? Drop it below.

**New to Legacy Magazine?***
Join THE LEGACY LEADERS GLOBAL MOVEMENT with 35.5K+ Legacy Leaders & Readers By Subscribing To Your Leadership & Legacy Guide To Inspiration, Innovation, Impact & Influence: https://lnkd.in/gS-C5UPM

#Leadership #Transformaton #Change #LegacyMagazine

In boardrooms across industries, a quiet crisis is unfolding. Organizations pour billions into AI overhauls, restructurings, hybrid work redesigns, an

Open article: Why Transformations Fail: Mastering the Psychology of Change by Izabela Lundberg, M.S. • 4 min read

Why Transformations Fail: Mastering the Psychology of Change

What happens when we confuse movement with progress?

Teams stay busy. 
Calendars fill. 
Initiatives multiply.

From the outside, everything looks like momentum.

But inside the organization, something else is happening.

People are exhausted… not because they are doing too little, but because they are doing too much that does not connect.

I have seen this pattern across public systems, large enterprises, and transformation efforts under pressure:

• More meetings, less clarity
• More strategy decks, less ownership
• More urgency, less alignment
• More activity, less impact

The risk is not slowdown.
The risk is silent drift…

When teams work hard but no longer know what truly matters.

Real progress starts when leaders ask uncomfortable questions:

• What are we doing that no longer serves the mission?

• What are we measuring because it is easy, not because it is meaningful or necessary?

• Where are we creating motion instead of outcomes?

High-performing organizations do not just accelerate.

They subtract.
They simplify.
They create clarity strong enough that people can focus their energy where it actually counts.

Because leadership us not about keeping everyone moving as many may think. 

It is about making sure movement has direction.

Question for leaders:
Where in your organization is activity being mistaken for progress and what would change if you paused long enough to redefine success?

♻️ Repost to help leaders navigating complexity.
🔔 Follow Izabela for insights on leadership and transformation.

No alternative text description for this image

Most transformation efforts do not fail…because of technology.

They fail because leadership and culture can not absorb the speed of change…

Across public agencies, infrastructure systems, and Fortune 500 environments, I continue to see the same pattern:

Organizations are adopting AI, digital tools, and modernization strategies faster than their leadership alignment, governance structures, and culture are prepared to support.

The result?

• AI adoption failure
• Fragmented executive alignment
• Cultural resistance disguised as “change fatigue”
• Wasted investment in platforms that never scale
• Elevated operational and reputational risk

This is not a technology problem.

It is an execution risk problem.

Boards approve transformation strategies.
Vendors implement platforms.

But leadership teams often underestimate the human and governance capacity required to operationalize change.

I see this way too many times over and over again.


📍Transformation without cultural readiness creates friction.

📍Transformation without leadership alignment creates internal conflict.

📍 Transformation without clarity creates silent resistance.

And silent resistance is the most expensive risk on the balance sheet.

High-performing organizations understand something critical:

Modernization is not a systems upgrade.
It is a leadership upgrade.

When executive teams are aligned, 
When decision rights are clear, 
When accountability frameworks are established, 
When risk governance is embedded into rollout strategy,

Adoption accelerates.

This is where real value is created.

No shortcuts, no silver bullets, no extra pay to expedite the specific outcome. 

AI & Transformation Execution  reduces execution risk at the leadership level.

It ensures: 

• Strategy translates into behavior
• Governance supports innovation rather than blocking it
• Culture accelerates adoption rather than absorbing it
• Leaders model the change before they demand it

Organizations that can move fast without breaking trust, governance, or cohesion are alredy operating in the future. ~ Izabela Lundberg, M.S.  

The question that I get a lot  “Should we to adopt AI in our highly regulated industry?” is not the right question. 

The question leadership should be asking is:
Is our leadership system capable of absorbing it?

If you are modernizing in 2026, execution discipline will matter more than ambition.

Agree? 

Follow Izabela for insights on leadership alignment, AI execution, and high-stakes transformation.

What will matter more in the next  AI wave …capability or reliability?

When Boston Dynamics  raises the bar, the world notices.

The new Atlas moves with fluid, almost human coordination , then goes beyond human limits.

Balance recovery. 
Whole-body control. 
Real-time adaptation in unpredictable environments.

Impressive, yes. But the real story is not the backflips.

It is what this moment reveals about where AI and robotics truly stand.

For years, we have celebrated what machines can demonstrate.

Now we are entering the phase where we must ask what they can sustain.

Because acrobatics do not equal usefulness.

I have watched this pattern repeat across every technology cycle…

AI pilots that shine in controlled demos often stumble when real-world conditions introduce fatigue, cost pressure, unpredictability, and scale.

The question that matters now:
Can it operate all day under load, safely, reliably, and economically?

That is where innovation turns into transformation.

Not in viral videos.
Not in applause-worthy demos.
But in endurance, reliability, and trust.

The next competitive advantage is coming from the company that masters integration
where engineering meets operations, and capability meets consistency.

This is more than robotics.
It is a leadership lesson for 2026.

Technology is advancing faster than most organizations can absorb it.

The winners will not only build smarter systems but also systems that actually work at scale, in reality, every day.

What will matter more in the next wave …capability or reliability? Or both? 

Bravo, Boston Dynamics! 

🎥: @newverse.ai   

♻️ Repost to spark a higher-level conversation.
🔔 Follow Izabela for insights on actionable AI and leadership.

AI Is Not Failing Leaders... 
Change Leadership Is.

When infrastructure programs stall, public initiatives lose momentum, or workforce adoption quietly collapses behind polished decks, the problem is rarely technology.

The real breakdown happens between change and trust.

AI compresses timelines from years to months, sometimes weeks, exposing leadership gaps that traditional models were never built to handle.

In my latest Legacy Magazine article, I unpack "Trust at Speed", the capability regulated-sector leaders need to harness AI velocity without losing alignment, credibility, or people.

Key concepts:
-> Resistance is intelligence, not obstruction. 
AI amplifies what leaders must address

-> Trust becomes infrastructure
Clear governance + visible feedback loops at AI scale

-> From events to systems
 Leadership designs adaptive change cycles, not discrete rollouts

-> The new cycle
Continuous sensing → living strategy → stakeholder co-creation

-> Human judgment rises
 AI provides foresight; leaders provide direction + ethical reasoning

What trust gap would AI surface in your next major project before it hits the headlines?

**New to Legacy Magazine?***
Join THE LEGACY LEADERS GLOBAL MOVEMENT with 36K+ Legacy Leaders & Readers By Subscribing To Your Leadership & Legacy Guide To Inspiration, Innovation, Impact & Influence: https://lnkd.in/gS-C5UPM

#Leadership #ChangeManagement #AIinBusiness #DigitalTransformation #LegacyMagazine

When major infrastructure programs stall, public initiatives lose momentum, or workforce adoption quietly collapses behind polished strategy decks, le

Open article: Trust at Speed: Reimagining Change Leadership for the AI Era by Izabela Lundberg, M.S. • 4 min read

Trust at Speed: Reimagining Change Leadership for the AI Era

Most leaders think the pressure is increasing...
The reality: the margin for leadership error is shrinking.

After working with boards, public institutions, and executive teams, one pattern keeps repeating:

The pressure has changed.
• 2020–2024 rewarded speed.
• 2025 rewarded resilience.
• 2026 will reward integration.

Integration of:
• AI into real workflows, not pilot programs
• Strategy into daily behavior
• Risk awareness into decision-making
• Generational differences into cohesive teams
• Discipline into innovation

Here is the uncomfortable truth:
Organizations do not fail because technology moves too fast...
They fail because leadership maturity does not keep pace.

AI outpaces culture.
Transformation outpaces trust.
Data outpaces clarity.

The result?
• Wasted investment
• Internal resistance
• Silent execution risk

The leaders who will stand out in 2026 are the ones who:
• Regulate the emotional temperature of the room
• Translate complexity into clarity
• Reduce risk before damage occurs
• Align stakeholders early
• Move deliberately when others panic

Leadership in 2026 will be less about charisma and more about coherence.

Maturity under pressure will separate organizations that evolve from those that stall.

What capability do you believe leaders must strengthen most in 2026?

♻️ Repost to spark a higher-level conversation.
🔔 Follow Izabela for insights on leadership, AI integration, and execution risk.

It is never too late...
When you show up for the next run.

Elana Meyers Taylor just proved it, winning Olympic gold at 41 in her fifth Games. 

Six total medals. 
Tied U.S. Winter records. 

All while mothering, breaking barriers, and dominating bobsled.

Women in sports are not “feel-good” stories. 

They are a masterclass in leadership, strategy, and business value.

Here is why boards, CEOs, and investors need to pay attention:

1. Long-game mastery:
She did not peak once. Decades of adoption through rule changes, injuries, and motherhood. That is strategic endurance, exactly what volatile markets demand.

2. Pressure execution: 
Gold by 0.04 seconds. When margins vanish, she delivers. Zero excuses. Pure C-suite clutch.

3. Platform leverage: 
Medals become boards, investments, speaking fees. Serena. Osaka. Meyers Taylor. They do not just compete, they build enterprises.

4. Team intelligence: 
Piloting mixed crews, mentoring rookies, and elevating women in sliding sports. That is not talent. That is leadership ROI.

5. The business math is simple: 
Sponsor. Hire. Partner. Women athletes deliver discipline, resilience, and pattern recognition that crush in high-stakes environments.

This is not charity or “diversity.” 
It is the smartest bet you are not making.

To every woman in sport and business: 
Your training builds more than speed. 
It builds boardroom weapons: decision velocity, emotional command, unrelenting focus.

Agree? 

♻️ Repost to help others overcome leadership challenges.
🔔 Follow Izabela for actionable leadership insight.

taplio

The Battle

Hala Taha

Izabela Lundberg, M.S.

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreHala Taha's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreIzabela Lundberg, M.S.'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Hala Taha

Izabela Lundberg, M.S.

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Hala Taha's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreIzabela Lundberg, M.S.'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreHala Taha's LinkedIn Performance