Meet Angela Gill Nelms
Angela Gill Nelms (AGN) is a powerhouse leader, engineer, entrepreneur, and podcast host helping leaders build bold brands, transform culture, and lead with courage. From blacksmithing to beekeeping, she brings fearless diversity to badass leadership. Explore her blog, listen to the Badass Leaders Podcast, and connect on social for inspiration and impact.
Angela's Awards
Angela (AGN) is a passionate leader in healthcare innovation, advancing cures, and building diverse, collaborative teams. She coaches on communication skills, conflict resolution, and leadership development, while optimizing companies, developing software, and giving back through extensive volunteer work. Angela serves on multiple boards at Georgia Tech, including the Georgia Tech Advisory Board (GTAB) and the College of Engineering Advisory Board.
Her leadership excellence has been recognized with Georgia Tech’s Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni honor (2010) and the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award (2022).
A driven athlete, Angela has completed six IRONMAN 140.6 triathlons, four IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons, and five marathons—in addition to countless miles in training.
Today, Angela focuses on motivational speaking, hosting the Badass Leaders Podcast and Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow podcast, building impactful companies, and pursuing her passions as a lifelong learner—whether that’s traveling the world, woodturning, blacksmithing, beekeeping, or connecting deeply with people from all walks of life.
Helluva Engineer
Angela’s journey began with an Air Force ROTC scholarship in electrical engineering. She then shifted to pre-med at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). After a year, she decided to leave the medical path to focus on motherhood, working in finance while completing her degree.
At 29, as a single mother to a special needs daughter, Angela enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Department of Biomedical Engineering—a joint program with Emory University. There, she served as President of the Biomedical Engineering Society, joined the Student Advisory Board, and founded the Student Awards Program, now proudly displayed in the department’s lobby.
Her dedication to engineering and education continued long after graduation. Angela has served on multiple Georgia Tech engineering boards, established two student scholarships, and earned prestigious honors, including the Young Alumni Award and the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from the College of Engineering.
Angela’s story reflects the resilience, leadership, and service that define a Helluva Engineer—qualities she now channels into her work as a leader and entrepreneur focused on STEM education advocacy, mentorship, and hosting the Badass Leaders Podcast.
Executive Leadership
Angela has built a career on executive leadership, scaling high-growth companies, and building exceptional teams. She is known for fostering strong company cultures, leading software development initiatives, generating loyal customer bases, and getting hands-on to create innovative products that deliver real impact.
After graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Angela aspired to join the startup ecosystem. As a single mother with a 5-year-old daughter, she initially focused on building financial stability. Years later, she seized the opportunity to step into the startup world—a decision that transformed her career.
Angela went on to serve as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for multiple high-growth companies, including Florence Healthcare, RenovoRx, and Aetos Imaging, where she led operations, strategy, and organizational growth.
Today, Angela serves as managing director of Biolocity, driving the commercialization of life science innovations at Georgia Tech and Emory University. She also leads The AGN Group, her consulting firm dedicated to leadership coaching, personal branding, and organizational culture development.
Through her work, Angela mentors and empowers the next generation of leaders, sharing lessons from decades of experience in executive operations, strategic scaling, and innovation leadership. Explore her insights in the Leadership Blog and on the Badass Leaders Podcast.
Badass Leaders Podcast
Angela, host, and Katie Hart, executive producer, are on a mission to build badass leaders and spotlight trailblazers making an impact in their industries. Each episode of the Badass Leaders Podcast features intimate, eye-opening conversations with industry experts, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and innovators who share the real stories behind leadership success—and the lessons learned along the way.
From tackling the challenges of leadership to celebrating the joys of building thriving teams, Angela and Katie dive deep into what it takes to scale your company, grow your brand, and unlock your full badass potential.
Whether you’re a founder, a corporate executive, or an emerging leader, you’ll discover actionable strategies on emotional intelligence, resilient leadership, authentic branding, and culture building—all infused with Angela’s Be Brave. Be Badass. philosophy.
🎙 Start listening today:
- Browse past episodes in the Podcast Archive
- Learn more about Angela’s leadership philosophy
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Follow on all major podcast platforms to not miss an episode
Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow Podcast
Angela Gill Nelms is the co-founder and host of the Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow podcast—an inside look at the people actually turning science into real-world impact.
At the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, the future of healthcare isn’t theoretical—it’s being built right now.
🎙️ Through candid conversations with researchers and innovators, Angela pulls back the curtain on how breakthroughs move from the lab to patients—highlighting the decisions, challenges, and momentum required to change medicine.
Featured Posts
Start Here (Don’t Scroll Forever)
If you’re new, begin with a few of the most impactful insights on leadership, execution, and building teams that actually perform.
Building Your A-Team: Who You Need in Your Corner for Leadership Success
Stop Doing It All: The Best Leaders Build Leaders Already On Their Team
7 VIRTUAL Team Building Activities
