Badass Leaders Podcast: Leadership, Career Growth, and Company Culture

Real Stories, Real Leadership: Georgia Tech Alumni
This episode features a deep, surprisingly personal conversation with two Georgia Tech powerhouses whose careers span biomedical engineering, venture investing, university leadership, and global innovation. They unpack what it looks like to build teams that solve real-world problems, how diversity fuels breakthrough ideas, and why Georgia Tech became a national model for AI adoption long before most institutions were ready.
Watch Full Interviews Here:
Mentioned in This Episode

The discussion also tackles questions people often search for, including:
  • How does Georgia Tech approach AI in admissions and engineering education?
  • What makes biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory so influential?
  • How do major universities build a culture of innovation instead of bureaucracy?
  • What does "return on investment" really mean in early-stage healthtech and translational science?
  • How can diversity and inclusion directly improve engineering and research outcomes
  • How do leaders manage autonomy, accountability, and innovation at large institutions?
Key Takeaways
  • Georgia Tech's early, unapologetic commitment to AI wasn't a gamble — it was a strategic pivot that's now shaping national standards.
  • True innovation requires proximity: engineers belong in ICUs, clinicians belong in labs, and teams must literally see each other's world.
  • Diversity isn't a slogan here. It shows up as better problem framing, richer solutions, and expanded opportunity.
  • Return on investment in academic innovation isn't just dollars — it's follow-on funding, regulatory milestones, and the long-term shaping of founders and researchers.
  • Autonomy is essential. Leaders who expect innovation must give people room to own decisions and be accountable for them.
  • The Georgia Tech–Emory ecosystem works because it prioritizes translation over theory; projects move, pivot, or end quickly.
  • Exposure changes trajectories. A single visit to campus, a commencement speech, or a STEM Saturday can alter how someone sees their future.
Themes
  • Innovation culture inside major research institutions
  • Diversity as a driver of engineering and scientific breakthroughs
  • AI adoption and ethics in higher education
  • Translational science and commercialization in healthcare
  • Leadership, autonomy, and accountability at scale
  • Resilience, reinvention, and nontraditional career paths
  • The power of community impact and early exposure to STEM
 Produced by: The AGN Group, Host: Angela Gill Nelms, Producer: Katie Hart
Tagline: Be Brave. Be Badass.
Websites: www.theagngroup.com and www.AngelaGillNelms.com
About The AGN Group: At The AGN Group, we believe every individual, team, and company can unlock their inner badass, one brave step at a time. www.TheAGNGroup.com.
Social Media Channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badassleaderspodcast/ Twitter: https://x.com/BALeadersPod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@baleaderspod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/badass-leaders-podcast2
Want to be a Podcast Guest? If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, email brave@badassleaderspodcast.com

Creators and Guests

Host
Angela Gill Nelms
Angela Gill Nelms is a founder, board leader, podcaster, and award-winning entrepreneur with a career spanning SaaS, medical devices, biotech, and clinical research. She builds high-impact teams and organizations rooted in culture, resilience, and strategic execution—helping innovators move ideas from lab to market and leaders grow with intention. She hosts three podcasts that reflect her mission to elevate leadership and accelerate biomedical innovation: Badass Leaders Podcast, Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow, and Recovery Advocate Network: Coffee & Conversation. Across each show, Angela creates space for honest conversations that drive impact, reduce stigma, and shape the future of leadership and health. A Georgia Tech Academy of Distinguished Alumni honoree and INC 500 award recipient, Angela serves on multiple boards across innovation and mental health ecosystems. Outside of work, she’s beekeeping, blacksmithing, turning wood, or training—6× IRONMAN and lifelong advocate for humans being human.
Producer
Katie Hart
Katie Hart is the Senior Client Relations Manager and Executive Podcast Producer at The AGN Group, where she leads podcast production, brand strategy, and client experience from concept to launch. Equal parts creative and operational powerhouse, she guides clients through branding, recording, and distribution while ensuring every detail runs seamlessly. Known as a customer experience magician, Katie is passionate about making every client and guest feel seen, supported, and celebrated—delivering a five-star experience that amplifies bold stories and builds meaningful impact.

What is Badass Leaders Podcast: Leadership, Career Growth, and Company Culture?

Welcome to The Badass Leaders Podcast: Leadership Without the Corporate BS.

This is where real leadership meets real life. Hosted by Angela Gill Nelms, founder, speaker, and executive coach, this show dives deep into the mindset, emotional intelligence, and bold decision-making today’s leaders need.

Each episode delivers raw, actionable strategies on leadership development, team culture, conflict resolution, personal branding, resilience, and navigating high-stakes moments. You’ll hear unfiltered conversations with founders, executives, innovators, and badass humans redefining modern leadership.

🎙️ Perfect for:
• Women in leadership
• Entrepreneurs
• Executive coaching & personal growth
• Leadership skills, communication, & EI
• High-performance teams & conflict mastery

👉 Subscribe to join the movement: @BeBraveBeBadass

Shop Badass Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BeBraveBeBadass

#LeadershipPodcast #ExecutiveCoaching #BadassLeadersPodcast #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurMindset #ConflictResolution #HighPerformanceTeams