Angela Brown–in her own words–dreams big. As the owner of both Empowering Actions for Leaders and Blo Blow Dry Bar – Scottsdale, Brown inspires other women to lead, live and follow their dreams. Learn more about Brown…
Hometown: St. Louis
First job: Box office girl at the local movie theater.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in AZ: Hiking trails and relaxing at CIVANA Spa.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: I have two that are notable. The first is raising three successful adult children. My husband and I had one goal when we got married and had children 33 years ago. We wanted to raise our kids to have an unshakable character. I am extremely proud that each of them are kind, successful, hard working and give back to others in so many ways. The second is building a multi-million-dollar corporate wellness company where I had the privilege to lead, coach and train over 1,700 independent business women throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico in the wellness and beauty industry. I sold the company in 2008 and since that time I have owned Empowering Actions for Leaders where I coach leaders at NASA, Duke University and other fortune 500 companies.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: Growing up in a home of generational domestic violence and choosing to adopt a “warrior” mentality and not a victim mentality. I choose to live life with great intentionality. I dream big and create a personal vision that pushes my boundaries. Every relationship, encounter and endeavor matters. Every day I am writing my legacy in advance; therefore, I must be intentional in everything I do.
Someone who inspires you and why: My grandmother who left me a legacy of how to feel the fear, but battle through anyway. My grandmother was one of the first African-American women to own her own hair salon in the 1940’s. As a single mom fleeing an abusive marriage, she worked her way through cosmetology school to support herself and her young son. The work ethic of both my mother and grandmother is a legacy that I see in my own children. Sixty years after my grandmother opened her salon, I would purchase my own. However, not as a cosmetologist, but as a business owner as the owner of Blo Blow Dry Bar in Scottsdale. I have the privilege of paying my grandmother’s legacy forward through encouraging and inspiring women to lead, live and follow their dreams.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Learn to be authentic and vulnerable. People don’t follow perfection, they only admire the illusion. True influence and leadership comes from your ability to be vulnerable enough to let your imperfections show. This is the essence of authenticity and one of the keys to living your best life!
Favorite quote: “I am not a product of my circumstance, but a product of my decisions.” –Author Unknown
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I used to stutter profusely as a child.
What makes someone fabulous: When they can laugh at their own mistakes and forgive others for theirs.