The Agility Quotient: Why IQ and EQ Are No Longer Enough
5/15/202651 min
I help founders & executives generating more than $10M in revenue find their Easy Mode. Start here: https://ryanhanley.com/subscribe
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/ryanmhanley
What got you here will not get you there.
The world is moving faster than any of us expected. Jobs are disappearing overnight. Industries are getting rebuilt from scratch. And the people who are winning are not the ones with the highest IQ or the most emotional intelligence. They are the ones who can handle change, disappointment, and uncertainty without losing their footing.
That is AQ. Your Agility Quotient.
In this episode, we break down why hustle culture is a lie. We explore the difference between taste and pastiche in an AI-driven world. We dig into the four archetypes of agility and how to figure out which one you are. We talk about the end of history illusion and why your past success might be the biggest threat to your future growth.
This one is a gut check. Take notes.
Liz Tran coaches the CEOs and founders of the fastest-growing companies on the planet. Her clients have raised more than $1 billion in funding from firms like A16Z, Sequoia, and Y Combinator. She spent a decade in tech, including four years as the only female executive at one of the largest venture funds in the world. She is the author of "The Karma of Success" and "AQ: A New Kind of Intelligence for a World That's Always Changing" (Penguin Random House, 2026 ).
Take the AQ Quiz: https://aqquiz.com/
Connect with Liz Tran:
- Website: https://liz-tran.com/
- AQ (Book ): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/786825/aq-by-liz-tran/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liztranwrites/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liztran1/
Follow Ryan:
- Website: https://ryanhanley.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryan_hanley
This show is part of the Unplugged Studios Network — the infrastructure layer for serious creators. 👉 Learn more at https://unpluggedstudios.fm.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRyan Hanley· Host0:00
Outsourcing taste, to me, seems like a death stroke to your long-term success But what's missing, and I think what AI will never replace, is that human sense of intuition.
Liz Tran· Guest0:09
I really believe that what's more important is what you release and what you let go of. How are we gonna compete as the world rightfully becomes more driven by AI and more optimized?
Ryan Hanley· Host0:19
We all know IQ. Most of us have heard of EQ. How does AQ fit into the equation?
Liz Tran· Guest0:23
And AQ stands for your agility quotient, and it's your capacity to handle change, disappointment, and uncertainty. What got you here won't get you there.
Ryan Hanley· Host0:31
[upbeat music] I'd love to start our conversation actually in your first book, and you have this, like, the four pillars of spiritual strategy, um, inquiring inward, manifesting mindfully, enriching your energy, and becoming brilliant. I'd love for you to dig into this concept bec- th- you know, just, just maybe break down these four pillars and why the idea of, of spirituality, which, which some people have a reaction to, right? There... Certain people have different perceptions and biases or whatever, um, around this idea of spirituality. Like, why use that term and, and how does spirituality work into being a leader, being an executive, and, and really growing in, in our work?
Liz Tran· Guest1:24
Where it comes from is from lived experience, and when I started thinking