We recently connected with Ilana Kearns and have shared our conversation below.

Ilana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

While I initially went to school for Marketing and spent the early part of my career working in multi-faceted roles related to marketing and sales, that all changed when I became a mom and my first son was born on the Autism Spectrum. When I returned to work, I returned as a part-time Office Manager, eventually leading me to serve as an Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff to the C-Suite of Fortune 500 and privately-held organizations. 

Outside of Work 

This year, I am proudly joining a select group of athletes from around the world on TEAM IMF to support the mission of the IRONMAN Foundation. Together, we share a passion for creating positive, tangible change in our race communities and proving that “Anything Is Possible” as I train for my first 140.6-mile triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile ride and 26.2-mile run through Sacramento on October 23, 2022. In 2021 alone, the IRONMAN Foundation distributed more than $2.1 million to 1,500 organizations worldwide. $100 could mean bikes for several kids, money that helps keep a community center pool open or money that goes to honoring Gold Star families, or supporting diversity in sport through initiatives like Women For Tri. Check out my story here: 

https://ironmanfoundation.donordrive.com/participant/Ilana-kearns.

Ilana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I work behind the scenes to facilitate the smooth execution of day-to-day activities for senior leaders, so they can focus on what matters most to the business. This entails managing executives’ busy schedules to utilize their time most effectively to managing operations and communications, tackling special strategic projects, or executing special events and meetings. 

In addition, I manage senior executives’ personal brand(s), from orchestrating all speaking engagements (including the design of their keynote presentations), book printing, selling, and signing, to managing personal social media handles, contributing content, and pitching stories to relevant publications.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

On March 30, 2022, during a 9-mile run, I was hit by a car that knocked me to the ground. The world spun for a few seconds as I managed to stand up, looked at my Garmin watch, which read 8.5 miles, paused it, found my phone thrown to the side of the road, told the driver where to go, and finished my run home. Because I was wearing a long-sleeve black shirt, I assumed I was wet because of sweat, and I only realized my left elbow was clipped by the car when I changed clothes. 

I cleaned up, said hi to my dog, drove myself to the ER, where I got stitches and a splint, and headed home the same day. Despite road rash on my right hip, my wrists a mess, and hitting the concrete with my head, I walked away with nothing but an elbow injury. And a 2lb straight splint on my dominant left arm, which would accompany me for the next eight weeks.

I now had a decision to make. I could quit training for a legitimate reason, or I could persevere and keep going. I chose to keep going, and instead of focusing on what I couldn’t do, like swimming or riding outdoors, I tweaked my training to focus on what I could do. 

I returned to training on my Wahoo indoor trainer the following day for an easy ride. On day four, I returned to running. 11 days post elbow break, I was back to running nine miles at 9:16 split with a full elbow splint. 

Eight weeks later, I was running 17 miles at a 9:06 pace. The night I got my splint off, I returned to the pool, which also serves as my primary PT as I incorporate different swim strokes to improve my range of motion in my elbow. 

In the eight weeks that followed my car accident, I would run 252 miles and cycle over 1,200 miles on my indoor trainer. 

The mobility I gained from miles of swimming allowed me to get dressed and continue living without assistance on my own as my elbow healed up for eight long weeks. 

The most incredible part of this story is that running with the splint changed my form as I was forced to engage my core muscles in a new way to balance running with that splint. 

Today, I can run 17 miles at a pace of 8:41. I can knock out three miles in 23 minutes. You can see on my Strava log a clear pre and post-elbow break training pace. 

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

My demonstrated ability to handle pressure without crumbling for long periods and my demonstrated ability to not only survive but thrive in ambiguity for long periods of time. These executives are under a lot of pressure and need a stable business partner who can pivot with the ebbs and flow of the business without burning out or getting stressed out while serving as a trusted soundboard. Finally, my experience in multi-faceted roles within B2B, technology, cybersecurity, sports, wellness, start-ups, hospitality, franchising, SaaS, QSR, retail, real estate, global payments, and automotive sector(s) lends itself to connecting the dots for change management and successful business transformation.

Contact Info: 

• Website: https://goatmatters.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073763738978
•  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanakearns/
• IRONMAN Foundation: https://ironmanfoundation.donordrive.com/participant/Ilana-kearns