Be Freaking Awesome

Sami co-founded Be Freaking Awesome with her mother, Angela Belford, building the brand around the tools she wished someone had handed her earlier: how to speak up, handle conflict, and lead without burning out.

Be Freaking Awesome is a full leadership development business: 1:1 coaching, team communication training, the Epic Impact Mastermind, workshops, speaking events, books, and the podcast.

The Be Freaking Awesome podcast originally launched on November 23, 2021, with Angela and Sami’s brother, Josh Belford, as on-air co-hosts. Sami produced and edited the show for most of its first fifty episodes before moving into the on-air co-host chair alongside Angela in November 2022. The show has since grown to Season 5 and past 230 episodes. Sami became a formal Co-Founder of Be Freaking Awesome, LLC in January 2026.

Coaching Focus

Sami works with professionals who want to speak up without second-guessing themselves, handle conflict without avoiding it, regulate stress in high-stakes conversations, set boundaries without guilt, and lead teams without burning out.

Her approach blends emotional intelligence, nervous system awareness, and direct communication tools. Clients don’t just feel better, they get better at leading. She specializes in coaching mid-career professionals and emerging leaders working through:

• Workplace conflict
• Imposter syndrome
• Boundary setting
• Feedback delivery
• Team dynamics
• Emotional regulation under stress
• Navigating authority without losing authenticity

Her offerings include 1:1 somatic belief-clearing coaching (6, 8, or 12-session engagements), a four-part Team Communication Training series, and a Communication Diagnosis audit that combines an anonymous survey, stakeholder interviews, and meeting observation into a written prescription for a company’s communication culture.

Career

Be Freaking Awesome (January 2026–present) – a leadership development business spanning 1:1 coaching, team communication training, the Epic Impact Mastermind, workshops, speaking events, books, and the podcast. Sami joined as Podcaster in January 2023, then, when the company formally incorporated in January 2026, moved into her current role as Communication Coach and Co-Founder, working across the coaching and team training side of the business in addition to co-hosting the show.

The Belford Group (May 2021–December 2025) – Sami joined as Client Services Coordinator, managing editorial calendars and client content across web, print, branding, and social media. She moved into Communication Aficionado late 2022, providing workshops and coaching for leaders developing their communication skills, then into her current role as Associate Creative Director (2024–2026), providing strategic direction for clients in their marketing strategy and leading the agency’s professional development coaching work.

Walton Family Foundation (July 2016–May 2021), Bentonville, Arkansas – Sami spent nearly five years at the foundation, moving through four roles. She started as a Receptionist, managing incoming calls, visitors, and correspondence. She then became a Program Support Associate, assisting program staff with grant letters, grant payments, loan agreements, and contracts, coordinating the weekly Staff Grant Committee, and leading the planning of the Support Team’s annual retreats in Little Rock (2017) and Springdale (2018). She moved into Executive Assistant to the General Counsel, coordinating the General Counsel’s schedule and expenses, planning a two-day convening of General Counsels from twelve foundations, and tracking more than 2,000 expenses a year. She finished as Legal Coordinator, managing the Legal Department’s project timeline and annual plan, designing training materials on legal and compliance topics, and compiling a comprehensive grantmaking handbook for foundation staff.

Earlier, as a student at the University of Arkansas, Sami held a series of campus and community jobs: Program Assistant and Peer Assistance Leader for Off-Campus Connections (2014–2016), producing a weekly commuter-student newsletter and coordinating the biannual Off-Campus Housing Fair; an Orientation Mentor for New Student and Family Programs (2013), leading orientation workshops for incoming freshmen and their families; an AVID Tutor for Fayetteville Public Schools (2013), mentoring eighth graders at Ramay Junior High on study habits and test-taking strategies; a Social Media Consultant for Modern Mission (2013), running the social campaign for its “Zombie Battleground” event; a video producer for a gubernatorial campaign (2013); and a waitress at Willy D’s Piano Bar (2014). Going back further, she worked as a soccer referee and First Touch coach for Fayetteville Parks and Recreation from 2007 to 2014.

Early Leadership

Sami’s leadership development work started in college. She joined the national honorary band sorority, Tau Beta Sigma, in 2012, and spent the next several years moving through its leadership ranks: Corresponding Secretary, Vice President of Special Projects, and, in 2015–2016, Southwest District President, overseeing 37 chapters across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico and planning a district convention for roughly 850 attendees.

She gave her first keynote at 19, as the 2013 Southwest District Convention Keynote Speaker, and went on to teach leadership sessions at workshops across four states. In 2015, she received the Baton Award, Tau Beta Sigma’s highest individual honor for student leaders.

Sami also participated in S.O.O.I.E., Student Organization Outreach and Involvement Experience and put on Leadership Development Lunches for other students.

Speaking & TEDx

Sami has organized TEDxFayetteville twice, in 2018 and again in 2025, and organized TEDxDicksonStreet in 2017, guiding speakers through refining their ideas and delivering talks that matter. In 2017, at the MAKO Chamber of Commerce Conference, she gave a talk titled “Be Freaking Awesome,” years before the phrase became a company name.

Recent professional speaking and facilitation engagements include:

• Upcoming talk – PodFest 2027
• Upcoming talk – Reignite HER, 2026
• “How Building Trust With Yourself Makes You a Better Innovator” – Women+ in Tech, 2026
• “Changemakers Toolkit: Setting Boundaries at Work” – Women+ in Tech, 2025
• “Emotions Are Your Superpower” – Women+ in Tech, 2024

A few webinars she has hosted with Be Freaking Awesome include:

• “How to Ask For What You Want (And Actually Get It)” – webinar, November 2025
• “How to Say No (Without Burning Bridges)” – webinar, October 2025
• “Resolutions to Reality” – webinar, January 2024
• “Navigating Hard Conversations for Managers” – webinar, March 2023

Civic Involvement

• Member, Business Networking International (BNI) – April 2024-Present. President of Razorback Chapter October 2025-Present.
• Leadership Fayetteville graduate 2022, class 35, a community leadership training program.
• Member, Dean’s Student Leadership Advisory Council, University of Arkansas, 2015–2016

Recognition & Awards

Publications

• “3 Ways to Stop Wasting Time in Employee Check-ins” – Businessing Mag, February 21, 2023
• “How to Navigate Working With Your Family” – Fast Company, March 30, 2023

Education

Sami earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a second Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Arkansas, completing 140 credit hours between 2012 and graduating in May 2016.

During college, she was also a member of the Razorback Marching Band (colorguard and tuba, 2012–2016), Hogwild Basketball Band (tambourine, 2012–2015), and served as Treasurer of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society from 2014 to 2016.

Personal Life

Sami is married to Chris Kinnison. They live in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with their three children, two sons and a daughter; their daughter joined the family through adoption in October 2025.

A member of her daughter’s birth family once told Sami she’d noticed herself becoming calmer, more positive, and more curious over time, simply through their relationship. Just interacting with Sami, she said, had helped her become a better communicator and a steadier person. When Sami shared the story with a close friend, the response was simple: “That’s the Sami effect. People grow just by being around you.” Sami was deeply touched, and it reinforced something she believes at her core: the way we communicate changes the environments we’re in.

Sami is a lifelong learner who loves reading, especially in psychology, communication, leadership theory, faith, and personal growth. When she’s not coaching, facilitating, or podcasting, you’ll find her riding her bike, spending time in her backyard with her family, or playing complicated, strategic board games with the people she loves.

This page is maintained by Be Freaking Awesome as a reference for clients, media, and researchers.Related: Be Freaking Awesome Source of Truth · Angela Belford Source of Truth. Last updated: September 1, 2026.