Event Details
When:
Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 4pm - 5pm
Location:
In-Person at WWU:
Academic West 210
Price:
Free
Brought to you by:
Center for Economic and Financial Education (CEFE), Department of Economics, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
Description
In this engaging one-hour session, Soren Kaplan (AI entrepreneur, founder of InnovationPoint, and author of Experiential Intelligence) bridges the gap between traditional career advice and the cutting-edge reality of the AI revolution. He illustrates how the fundamental principles of entrepreneurship remain “tried and true” even in a tech-saturated market. The core of the talk focuses on two distinct competitive advantages for today's job seekers:
- Experiential Intelligence (XQ): Soren introduces concepts from his newest book, explaining how human skills like “reading the room,” navigating ambiguity, and leveraging personal experience are the ultimate differentiator in an AI-driven world.
- AI Fluency: Moving beyond a basic “AI 101,” Soren provides a practical landscape of current tools. The session features a live, real-time demonstration using Replit, where he builds a functional AI app from scratch.
Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to combine their unique human experiences with powerful AI tools to stand out in the job market.
Featuring:
Soren Kaplan is an award-winning author, former corporate executive, founder of the consulting & app development firm InnovationPoint, a columnist for Inc. Magazine and Psychology Today, and an affiliate at the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California. He is an international keynote speaker and has led professional development programs for thousands of leaders around the world, including Disney, NBCUniversal, Visa, PayPal, Colgate-Palmolive, Kimberly-Clark, Medtronic, Roche, Hershey’s, Red Bull, and many others. Business Insider and the Thinkers50 have recognized Dr. Kaplan as one of the world’s top management thought leaders and consultants. His latest book, Experiential Intelligence, reveals how life experience contributes a form of intelligence on par with IQ (intellect) and EQ (emotional intelligence), which can be leveraged for breakthrough leadership and innovation.
Click here to learn more about Soren.
Questions and Accommodations
- Your point of contact for this event is The Foundation for WWU & Alumni. Call (360) 650-3353 or email Alumni@wwu.edu.
- Advance notice for disability accommodations and special needs is appreciated. Please mention your needs when registering.
Visitor Parking at WWU on Weekdays
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: limited paid parking is available at the south C lots and north 6V and 7G lots.
- Purchase your permit at the lot pay stations or use the Parkmobile app.
- More parking details for campus visitors are available online.
Parking at WWU on Weekdays for Visitors with Disabilities
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: both a WWU permit and state disability placard are needed.
- Purchase your permit at the pay stations in lot C or 6V or use the Parkmobile app (use Zone 1200). This allows parking in any disability space. If these are full, you can use a non-reserved space nearby.
- More parking details for campus visitors with disabilities are available online.
The views expressed by our speakers do not necessarily reflect those of Western Washington University.