Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angela Gill Nelms. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Angela, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

At The AGN Group, we believe every individual, team, and company can unlock their inner badass, one brave step at a time. About 14 years ago, the founder, Angela Gill Nelms, decided to go from running her first 5K in one year to racing in her first IronMan the following year. On this journey, she was repeatedly told she was crazy—no one does that. Angela was familiar with this kind of doubt, as she had heard similar remarks at 29. As a single mother of a special needs 2-year-old, she chose to return to Georgia Tech to pursue her degree in Biomedical Engineering. Angela ignored the naysayers, including the voices in her head, and she went for it. As she prepared for her IronMan, she began encouraging others with her self-made hashtag #BeBraveBeBadass. Her vision is that every person, team, and company has their unique form of badass, representing the absolute best they can be. Many lack the bravery to dismiss their doubts and overcome obstacles to reach that level of badassery. Therefore, she has built a company focused on identifying what badass means to each customer and helping them find the courage to achieve it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Angela Gill Nelms entered the world of entrepreneurship in 2015 when she was recruited to serve as the head of product at a startup called Florence Healthcare. She was employee number four and was key in growing the company to more than 100 employees globally. During her time there, she transformed Florence from serving one customer in 2016 to empowering over 18,000 clinical sites in more than 50 countries worldwide (as of Fall 2023), revolutionizing clinical research processes and driving global impact. Through this experience, she learned how to build a mission-driven company that team members loved working for, which offered unparalleled white-glove customer service. She applied these lessons to her next two startups before establishing The AGN Group.

At the AGN Group, she and her team offer keynote and panel speaking, leadership and team-building workshops, fractional and management consulting, brand strategy, and storytelling services. For each service, the team seeks to tackle several common challenges that prevent individuals, teams, and organizations from reaching their potential. These challenges include cultural issues, inconsistent branding, insufficient management training, and disconnected teams or operations that hinder their progress toward sustainable success.

The team’s values focus on:
– People First: We prioritize people over profit, serve with empathy and gratitude, and strive to understand humans as humans.
– Learners: We embrace lifelong learning and provide the grace to learn, fail, and grow.
– Respect: We engage with respect through inclusion, diversity, and integrity. We listen first and ensure that everyone has a voice.
– Excellence: We always strive to deliver that extra 10%. We look for opportunities to create personalized, memorable moments.
– Trust: We do what we say we will do, are transparent, and tell the truth to others, not just what they want to hear.

The AGN Group also produces the leadership podcast, “Badass Leaders Podcast,” which features discussions titled “Brave Hearts, Brave Conversations, Badass Leaders.” Industry experts join host Angela Gill Nelms for intimate and insightful conversations about the challenges and joys faced by today’s leaders. Tune in and prepare to scale your company, grow your brand, and unlock your full badass potential.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The backbone of The AGN Group and the Badass Leaders Podcast is founded on the following books:
– Raving Fans
– Radical Candor
– Culture Map
– Make Your Brand Legendary
– Unreasonable Hospitality
– Think Again
– Supercommunicators

These books shaped the philosophy of building a brand customers genuinely rave about. They contributed to a management style that emphasizes transparency with team members through constructive conflict to achieve the best outcomes. Ultimately, they led to the understanding that getting to know humans as humans is essential for success at every stage of the process.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The founder, Angela Gill Nelms, grew up in a severely abusive household, faced the stillbirth of her first child, and raised her second child with special needs while attending engineering school as a single mother. She pivoted her career multiple times, escaped a kidnapping and hostage situation, and now works to help others understand that no matter the goal or the obstacles in your mind, you can be your badass self. Through these challenges, she has maintained her love for service and people. She has learned that individuals often face more than you might realize, so it’s essential to be kind and seek to understand the person beyond your assumptions about them. She discovered that tough times build resilience, and if she “just keeps swimming,” she can achieve greatness. And if she can do it, so can you.

Building resilience has empowered her to lead startups through difficult times related to customers, layoffs, and industry uncertainties. Her ability to adapt has enabled her to mentor others in doing the same. She has found true joy in her life, and she and her team work diligently to help everyone they collaborate with achieve that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.angelagillnelms.com/theagngroup/, https://www.angelagillnelms.com/, https://www.angelagillnelms.com/podcasts/badass-leaders-podcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bebravebebadass/, https://www.instagram.com/badassleaderspodcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bebravebebadass, @badassleaderspodcast, https://www.facebook.com/theagngroup/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelagillnelms/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/theagngroup, https://www.linkedin.com/company/badass-leaders-podcast2
• Twitter: https://x.com/theagngroups, https://x.com/BeBraveBeBadass, https://x.com/BALeadersPod
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bebravebebadass/podcasts
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@baleaderspod