Waves Business Coaching Podcast with Jacob Karnes

In this episode of the Waves Business Coaching Podcast, host Jacob sits down with Angela Gill Nelms, executive leader, entrepreneur, and former COO of multiple startups, for a deep, practical conversation on leadership, company culture, and how to hire for scale. Angela shares lessons from her career spanning biomedical engineering, healthcare startups, board leadership in Atlanta, and her current role helping early-stage companies grow sustainably.

You’ll learn why most founders hire for what they need now instead of what they’ll need next, how to avoid the costly mistake of keeping “brilliant jerks” on your team, and how to intentionally build a culture that grows alongside your company. This episode dives into real-world strategies for hiring leaders who can scale teams, creating values that actually guide decisions, and designing a culture of trust, feedback, and accountability from day one.

Angela also opens up about her personal journey, from an abusive childhood to executive leadership, and how seeing people as humans, not just roles or results, is the foundation of strong leadership and long-term business success. Whether you’re a founder, CEO, manager, or emerging leader, this conversation will challenge how you think about hiring, culture, and leading in a rapidly changing business landscape.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Hiring for growth and scale, not just today’s needs
• Building company culture intentionally instead of by default
• Leadership mistakes founders make as teams grow
• Why values fail and how to make them actually matter
• Retention, feedback, and human-centered leadership
• Scaling startups without sacrificing culture

Listen now to learn how to build a team and culture that scales with confidence, clarity, and courage.

Learn more about Angela Gill Nelms and Jacob Karnes.

Watch the full interview here: