Fifty Years Old. Five Years Since I Refused to Die.

Lessons on Survival and Living from my Kidnapping

This month, I celebrated two milestones that reshaped my life and my leadership journey:

• Turning 50.
• Marking five years since escaping captivity.

Half a century alive. Five years free.

Reaching 50 is often described as a personal milestone. Surviving captivity and rebuilding your life is something else entirely. Together, they forced me to reflect on resilience, leadership under pressure, personal reinvention, and what it really means to live with purpose after adversity.

If you’ve ever faced a life-altering turning point—whether in your career, relationships, or personal growth—you know that milestones aren’t just markers of time. They are moments that redefine identity, test strength, and shape the kind of leader you choose to become.

This isn’t a highlight reel, and it isn’t a trauma narrative. It’s an honest reflection on resilience, recovery, and purpose-driven leadership—and how we rebuild confidence, clarity, and courage after the hardest seasons of our lives.

Angela and her loyal service dog, Kuba von Brachtpetal, attend a Georgia Tech game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Key Chapters That Shaped Me

When you reach a milestone birthday—especially 50—you can’t help but reflect on the moments that shaped your leadership journey and personal resilience. These are the chapters that defined mine:

At 29, I chose courage over fear.
As a single mom with a toddler, I decided to return to school at Georgia Tech. It felt reckless. It felt impossible. But that leap became the foundation of my career in medical innovation, opened the door to executive leadership, and ultimately led me into entrepreneurship. Reinventing my life at 29 taught me that bold decisions often create the greatest breakthroughs.

Motherhood shaped my identity—and my strength.
My story includes both profound grief and immeasurable joy. I lost my son, Ashton, to stillbirth—a heartbreak that permanently altered how I see life and leadership. And I raised my daughter, Reanna, who has been my constant for 22 years—my grounding force, my perspective, and my greatest gift. Loss deepened my empathy. Parenthood strengthened my purpose.

Adversity became my resilience training.
An abusive childhood. Broken relationships. Professional risks that looked reckless from the outside. Each experience built the resilience, grit, and emotional intelligence that later defined my leadership style. Trauma didn’t end my story—it strengthened my resolve.

At 45, I survived a kidnapping.
It was a traumatic event I never imagined I would live through. But survival was only the beginning. Recovery required reclaiming my voice, confronting trauma directly, and understanding that healing is not passive—it is intentional, daily work. Trauma recovery reshaped how I think about courage, leadership under pressure, and what it means to rebuild your life.

Mother & Daughter Sushi Day

5 Lessons From 5 Years Free

Looking back on the last five years of trauma recovery and rebuilding my life, these lessons stand out — not just intellectually, but physically. They are lessons about resilience, healing, and what it truly means to reclaim your freedom after adversity.

1. Survival is not the same as living.

In the early days after escaping captivity, I was surviving — but I wasn’t living. Survival mode kept me breathing, but it didn’t create a life with purpose. The turning point came when I chose active healing over passive endurance. Real recovery required confronting hard truths, facing trauma directly, and intentionally rebuilding my sense of safety and identity.

2. Time doesn’t heal trauma — action does.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “time heals all wounds.” It doesn’t. Time creates distance. Healing comes from therapy, treatment, reflection, and the courage to confront what hurts. Trauma recovery is not automatic. It is an intentional process of growth, accountability, and personal work.

3. Joy is a discipline.

After trauma, joy can feel risky. Laughter requires vulnerability. Lightness requires lowering your guard. But I’ve learned that joy isn’t weakness — it’s resilience. Choosing joy on purpose became part of my healing strategy: my daughter’s laugh, a quiet walk, an audiobook at night. Small moments became powerful reminders that life is more than survival.

4. Rebuilding trust takes patience.

Trauma fractures trust — in others and in yourself. Relearning to trust my instincts and allowing safe people into my world has been a slow, intentional process. Vulnerability isn’t immediate; it’s built brick by brick. But rebuilding trust is foundational to long-term healing and emotional resilience.

5. Freedom is a daily practice.

Escaping captivity didn’t automatically mean I was free. Freedom isn’t a finish line; it’s a choice made every day. It’s choosing to speak up, take space, and step toward growth — even when fear suggests retreat. Some days, that looks bold and fearless. Other days, it looks like rest, grace, and giving myself permission to simply be.

Angela Gill Nelms with Service Dog Harley Quinn at a 4th of July party

What It Really Means to Be Brave. Be Badass.

People often tell me, “You’re so brave,” or “You’re such a badass.” I’m grateful for that — but I want to redefine what bravery and resilience actually mean.

Being brave isn’t about being fearless.
Being badass isn’t about being perfect.

True courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s the decision to move forward despite it. Authentic leadership isn’t about constant strength; it’s about showing up honestly, even when you’re struggling.

To me, being brave and badass means becoming the best version of yourself for that day — not the idealized version, not the highlight reel, but the real one.

Some days, that looks like:

• Standing on stage delivering a keynote
• Leading a company through uncertainty
• Making a bold decision that changes your future

Other days, it looks like:

• Rescheduling a meeting to protect your mental health
• Asking for help instead of pretending you have it all together
• Choosing rest when your body and mind need recovery

Both require courage.
Both build resilience.
Both are leadership in action.

Bravery is not performance.
It’s practice.

And being badass isn’t about dominance — it’s about intentional growth, emotional intelligence, and the discipline to keep showing up.

Angela learning knife skills and how to love cooking.

Half a Century Alive. Five Years Free. And Still Just Getting Started.

The last five years have taught me that survival is the spark—but living is the fire. Healing takes action. Joy, trust, and freedom are choices we keep making every day.

So here’s my invitation to you:
Whatever you’re surviving, whatever chapter you’re walking through, remember—your story doesn’t end there. You get to write the next one.

Be Brave. Be Badass. And most of all, Live Your Dash.

Angela’s favorite birthday cake – DQ to the rescue.

 If this resonated, share it with someone who needs it. And I’d love to hear your stories! Drop them in the comments or send me a note.

Want to learn more about Angela and her journey? Check out this interview.