Be Freaking Awesome

Be Freaking Awesome is the leadership development and coaching brand Angela co-founded with her daughter, Sami Kinnison. It focuses on communication breakdowns, leadership stress, team dynamics, and belief-level change work, distinct from The Belford Group’s marketing focus. Be Freaking Awesome is a full leadership development business, not just a podcast: 1:1 coaching, team communication training, the Epic Impact Mastermind, workshops, speaking events, books, and the show itself.

The Be Freaking Awesome podcast launched with Angela and her son, Josh Belford, as co-hosts. In November 2022, Sami stepped into the co-host chair alongside Angela, and the show has since grown to Season 5 and past 230 episodes, covering personal development, business leadership, emotional intelligence, and communication.

Executive Coaching & Speaker Development

Angela coaches executives, business owners, and leaders in family-owned businesses through leadership development, communication, decision-making, and personal performance. Her approach draws on the seven core beliefs framework she developed in Traveling Light, combined with somatic processing and belief-level change work. She works especially often with leaders who are:

• Transitioning from first-generation to second-generation leadership
• Preparing for long-term sustainability
• Navigating family business dynamics
• Managing growth without fracturing culture
• Making decisions that affect teams, legacy, and identity

Angela is also an accomplished speaker and speaker coach. She’s coached multiple TEDx speakers through refining their ideas and delivering talks with clarity and presence, and she’s served as a speaker coach for TEDxFayetteville on an ongoing basis and for TEDxBentonville’s 2025 event. She delivered her own TEDx talk and competed in the World Championship of Public Speaking for Toastmasters, where she became a Top 80 finalist worldwide.

“Her approach is thoughtful, intentional, and deeply impactful.”
Virginia Germann, Sr. Account Executive (2026)

“Working with her has been one of the most valuable investments I’ve made in my growth as a presenter.”
Dominique Blake Oly, Olympic Medalist and TEDx Speaker (2025)

“Angela served as my speaker coach for TEDx Fayetteville and she was a remarkable addition. Her mastery of the art of public speaking is undeniable.”
Dr. A.C. Fowlkes, Clinical Psychologist and TEDx Speaker (2025)

Books & Published Work

Be Freaking Awesome (2017) – Angela’s debut book, available in print, digital, and audiobook (narrated by Angela herself). It draws on her journey from instability and hardship into a framework for intentional living and leadership, and it’s available as a free download on the Be Freaking Awesome website.

Traveling Light: Free Yourself from the Crap in Your Head (2023) – Where the first book focuses on mindset and goal-setting, Traveling Light digs into emotional processing, somatic awareness, and belief-level change: a practical framework for unpacking emotional baggage and using emotions as information instead of obstacles.

The Invisible Edge: What Fuels Your Success Might Be What Limits It (2026) – Angela’s third book, written as a business fable following characters coached through the belief and performance frameworks at the core of her methodology. 

The Belford Group

In 1999, Angela and her husband, Barry, purchased the custom software company Barry had been working for. The business shifted toward digital marketing over the following decade, rebranding as The Belford Group by 2009. Today it’s a full-service marketing agency serving family-owned businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs across Northwest Arkansas, with Angela as CEO and Senior Marketing Strategist and Barry as Co-Owner and CTO. The company was named a 2012 Arkansas Business of the Year honoree by Arkansas Business magazine and a small-business of the year finalist by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in 2026.

Early Life & Education

Angela was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in circumstances marked by real instability. By the time she graduated high school, she’d lived with four families, attended more than a dozen schools, and experienced a period of homelessness along with the death of her adopted mother. She’s written and spoken openly about how those experiences shaped her later work in coaching, leadership, and housing advocacy.

She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas and later an M.S. in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University. In 1999, she attended a 10-day Facilitating Skills Seminar led by Jack Canfield, which she’s described as foundational to her coaching and facilitation philosophy.

Recognition & Awards

Civic Involvement

• President, League of Women Voters of Arkansas
• Vice President, League of Women Voters of Washington County, AR
• Secretary, LWV Arkansas Education Fund
• Active volunteer, Save AR Democracy ballot initiative campaign
• Former Board Chair, NW Arkansas Continuum of Care
• Toastmasters member, 2009–2023 (Club President, VP of Education)

Personal Life

Angela lives in Northwest Arkansas with her husband, Barry, her business partner since 1999. She’s the mother of three adult children, plus a child she informally adopted at 21 and two exchange students who’ve become part of her extended family. She’s a grandmother to four grandchildren, who call her Lala. Her daughter, Sami Kinnison, is her co-founder and podcast co-host at Be Freaking Awesome.

This page is maintained by Be Freaking Awesome as a reference for clients, media, and researchers. For Angela’s full career record, see her Source of Truth page on The Belford Group website. Related: Be Freaking Awesome Source of Truth · Sami Kinnison Source of Truth. Last updated: September 1, 2026.