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

In this episode of the Badass Leaders Podcast, journalist and author Kate Rope shares the untold story behind her career, her mission to help us all feel strong as humans, and the personal experiences that shaped her bestselling books Strong as a Mother and the forthcoming Strong as a Girl. Kate opens up about what she learned from investigating sexual harassment cases, supporting women and girls inside complex health systems, leading editorial teams, and navigating her own medically challenging pregnancy and postpartum anxiety.
The discussion also tackles questions listeners often search for:
  • How do you handle conflict resolution as a leader or caregiver?
  • How do you raise confident girls who trust their own voice?
  • How do you help kids manage anxiety, anger, or big emotions?
  • How do parents support a child struggling with body image or eating disorders?
  • How can caregivers model assertiveness, boundaries, and emotional intelligence?
  • How do we teach girls to say no, manage friendships, and avoid people-pleasing?
Kate brings real-world examples from her journalism career, her interviews with girls across the country, and her own lived experiences as a mother and mental-health advocate. This conversation is a strategic guide for parents, leaders, educators, and anyone committed to raising the next generation of strong, self-aware young women.

Learn More About Kate Rope:
Mentioned in this Episode: 

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@angelagillnelms.com.

Key Takeaways:
  • Girls already possess intuitive wisdom—the job of caregivers and leaders is to help them hear it, not override it.
  • Listening is a leadership skill, whether you're guiding a team or supporting a child through a difficult moment.
  • People-pleasing is learned early, and girls are often taught to accommodate before they're taught to self-advocate.
  • "No" is a complete sentence, and learning it young prevents burnout, toxic relationships, and career stagnation later.
  • Early conversations matter—teaching boundaries, assertiveness, and emotional awareness at age six makes adolescence easier.
  • Conflict resolution requires pausing and asking more questions, not rushing to fix things.
  • Eating disorders are often misunderstood, and early intervention is essential—they're metabolic and biological, not simply psychological.
  • Caregivers need support too—your own healing and emotional intelligence directly influence the young people you lead.
  • Leaders and parents should prioritize repair over perfection. Mistakes are part of the process. What you do afterward matters more.
Themes:
  • Raising resilient and confident girls
  • Emotional intelligence for kids and caregivers
  • Leadership through listening rather than control
  • Boundary-setting and assertive communication
  • Rejecting people-pleasing and perfectionism
  • Mental health in childhood and adolescence
  • Eating disorders, body image, and early warning signs
  • The intersection of caregiving and leadership
  • Storytelling as a tool for human connection
  • Strength, self-trust, and navigating difficult emotions

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

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