Leila Gharani

I’ve worked with Excel my entire professional life.

It started in Ottawa, with a view of the Parliament buildings, doing basic lists and calculations in my first job as an economist. Nothing fancy. Just sum, filter, and a lot of cell coloring 🙂

Then came the corporate years. Consultant. Project manager. Excel saved me more times than I can count, from project planning to making sense of things like group consolidation and intercompany elimination.

But nothing improved my skills faster than helping people solve their problems. Seeing how differently people work with data forced me to understand things more deeply and try and explain them more clearly.

Turns out it's also what I enjoy doing the most.

Excel turned 40 this year and ‪@Microsoft‬ sent me this box a few weeks ago. (Yes, I'm late, but at least before it turns 41)

Thank you to Microsoft and to everyone here who watches, learns, and keeps me doing this.

Happy holidays and see you in 2026.
#excel #mvpbzz #microsoft

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 3,492

Leila Gharani

Voting is officially OPEN for SXSW London 2026, and I'd love your support.
As AI generates endless info, people are craving real guidance from experts who've lived what they teach and that's exactly what our panel is about.
I'm excited to join a powerhouse conversation with leaders from Teachable and ManyChat, alongside Gabriel Nussbaum, to explore how creators are blending irreplaceable human experience with technology's power to scale, make a deeper impact, and reshape the creator economy.
If this topic matters to you, cast your vote to help get it on the SXSW stage here.
How to Vote:
1. Login/Register here: sxswlondon.awardsplatform.com/entry/vote/bEmMeNzM/…
2. Give our panel a heart
Excited for this!

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 135

Leila Gharani

I was so wrong about how much Excel I actually knew.
Early in my career, I thought I had Excel figured out. Then a consultant opened a file and everything changed.

What they showed me led to a job offer I wasn't qualified for. They hired me purely for my Excel skills.

That moment put me on a completely different path.

If you use Excel every day, it's worth asking: how deep does my knowledge actually go?

We're running Black Friday bundles through Dec 2 (tomorrow) - Excel Confidence Kit and Advanced Analytics Toolkit, built from 15+ years in corporate: www.xelplus.com/courses/

1 month ago | [YT] | 63

Leila Gharani

Black Friday sale is live!

Yes, I share a lot of great tips on YouTube. But the truth is, I can never go as deep as I'd like.

Many topics are too niche for general interest, and there's SO much more to tools like Power Query, Power Pivot, Power BI, Python in Excel etc... than I can cover in short videos.

That’s where my courses come in. They cover the full scope with all the pitfalls and solutions when you work with real data.
We've created special Black Friday bundles we don't usually have (save up to 45%):

1. Excel Confidence Kit
2. Advanced Analytics Kit
3. Complete Analytics Kit

View bundles here: www.xelplus.com/course/black-friday

Offer valid till Dec 2nd.

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 206

Leila Gharani

The 10 Excel features I actually used in the last 40 days:

As you probably heard by now, Excel turned 40. So today as I got to work I was thinking: What are the top 10 features I actually used?
Not my favorites. But ones I ended up using the most.

Here's my list:

1. Power Query
2. FILTER function
3. XLOOKUP function
4. Python in Excel
5. Custom Number Formatting
6. Checkboxes
7. Pivot Tables
8. Power Pivot
9. GROUPBY function
10. Copilot (mainly testing to see what's useful vs. hype)

Ten years ago only TWO of these would be on my list!

You know what's crazier though?

Most people I talk to don't even know Excel has half these features. Meanwhile, I can't imagine doing my work without them.

If you're curious about any of these, I have multiple videos covering each one on the channel.
Do any of these make it on your list?

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 980

Leila Gharani

Excel's 40th Birthday is TODAY...
So Giles at Full Stack Modeller decided to create a musical.
When he asked me to fly to the UK for this, I was like:
what? what is this? what do you mean?

He said: Don't worry.
So I didn't.... until I heard the lyrics. 😅

Yeah, we all have serious jobs. But you gotta have some fun sometimes right?

#excel40

3 months ago | [YT] | 54

Leila Gharani

Ask me anything!
I'm planning a Q&A video and I want your questions. What do you want to know?
Let me know in the comments or send them anonymously through the form: forms.gle/dTSetpXdQkVw4rU39
I'm planning to release this video in October, so please submit your questions soon.
I'm excited to share some of the things you don't normally see on the channel.

3 months ago | [YT] | 336

Leila Gharani

First video on YouTube: 21 views.

0 comments. Next ones?

Pretty much the same. Apart from the odd comment, which was usually an Excel question.

Next video answered that question. At least 1 view guaranteed.
And it went on for years...

This week I found out I’m LinkedIn’s #1 Top Voice in Austria.

That's just wild!
But the truth is, it wouldn't have happened without that first cringey video.

Coming from corporate, I had no idea about social media.
I used to say it's for "social" people, and that's not me. Turns out it’s perfect for introverts.

You don't need much. I mean, just check out my first ever YouTube video. I recorded the whole thing with my iPhone at the time (yes, even the audio, and that was 9 years ago).

Putting yourself out there just feels weird. Specially if you're an overthinker. You might hate it at first.

Then one person says it helped.

And you're ready to do it again.

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4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,471

Leila Gharani

Python in Excel for the Real World is LIVE!
Yep, doors are open.
🗓️ Early bird launch offer is on now.

Get ready to feel like a data superhero.
See pinned comment for details.

6 months ago | [YT] | 616