Be Freaking Awesome (2026-Present)

Be Freaking Awesome is a formal business entity co-founded by Angela Belford and her daughter, Sami Kinnison. The company focuses on leadership development, coaching, professional development workshops, and personal growth content, addressing challenges distinct from The Belford Group’s marketing focus: communication breakdowns, leadership stress, team dynamics, and belief-level change.

Be Freaking Awesome produces the Be Freaking Awesome podcast, which launched with Angela Belford and her son, Josh Belford, as co-hosts. In November 2022, Sami Kinnison transitioned into the co-host role alongside Angela. The show is currently in Season 5 and has surpassed 200 episodes, covering personal development, business leadership, emotional intelligence, and communication.

The Belford Group (1999-Present)

In 1999, Angela and Barry Belford purchased the custom software company Barry had been working for. For the first several years, the two operated primarily as a custom software and process consulting firm, with Angela systemizing business processes and Barry building software platforms for clients.

As client needs evolved, the company shifted toward digital marketing and web-based services. The expansion accelerated in 2008, and by 2009 the company rebranded as The Belford Group, operating as a full-service marketing agency. The company was recognized as a 2012 Arkansas Business of the Year honoree by Arkansas Business magazine.

The Belford Group is headquartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and serves family-owned businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs throughout Northwest Arkansas and beyond. Core services include digital marketing strategy, search engine optimization (SEO), website development, branding, social media strategy, and content marketing. Angela serves as CEO and Senior Marketing Strategist; Barry Belford serves as Co-Owner and CTO.

Angela has developed two proprietary client strategy frameworks: the Ideal Client Venn Diagram (a four-factor targeting model) and the Audience Ring Map (a concentric audience segmentation model distinguishing direct clients, referral influencers, and adjacent professionals).

Public Speaking and Toastmasters

As a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, Belford covers topics including leadership development, emotional intelligence, communication, personal growth, marketing strategy, and AI literacy. She has spoken nationally, including at the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Family Business Forum, Toastmasters conferences, and civic and professional organizations.

TEDx Dickson Street: Belford delivered a TEDx talk at TEDx Dickson Street exploring the connection between community collaboration and homelessness. Drawing from her own childhood experience of housing insecurity, the talk advocates for a Housing First philosophy and calls for unified community action to address homelessness.

Belford was a member of Toastmasters International from 2009 to 2023, joining the Northwest Arkansas chapter then known as Razorback Wordmasters. She served as Club President and Vice President of Education. In 2015, she won the International Speech Contest at Toastmasters District 43, advancing to the quarter-finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking. In 2017, she earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) designation, the highest individual achievement in Toastmasters International.

In August 2023, Belford joined the National Speakers Association (NSA) North Texas chapter. Her keynote presentations include The Invisible Edge: Is Your Leadership Running on Outdated Code?, tied to her forthcoming third book.

Executive Coaching and Speaker Development

Belford operates her coaching practice under the Be Freaking Awesome brand. Her approach draws on the seven core beliefs framework developed through Traveling Light, integrated with somatic processing and belief-level change work. Coaching is offered primarily one-on-one.

Executive Coaching

Belford works with executives, business owners, and leaders in family-owned businesses on leadership development, communication, decision-making, and personal performance. Her methodology combines strategic business thinking with the internal belief and somatic work documented in her published writing.

Speaker Development and Coaching

Belford coaches individuals and corporate clients on public speaking, presentation skills, and stage presence. She has served as a speaker coach for TEDx Fayetteville on an ongoing basis and was engaged as speaker coach for TEDx Bentonville for their 2025 event.

“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 and Published Work

Be Freaking Awesome (2017)

Belford’s debut book was published in 2017 and is available in print, digital, and audiobook formats (narrated by the author). The book draws on Belford’s personal journey from instability and hardship to build a framework for intentional living and leadership. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield is referenced extensively throughout. The book is available as a free download on the Be Freaking Awesome website.

Traveling Light: Free Yourself from the Crap in Your Head (2023)

Belford’s second book was published in 2023. Where the first book focuses on mindset and goal-setting, Traveling Light focuses on emotional processing, somatic awareness, and belief-level change. It presents a practical framework for unpacking emotional baggage, reducing self-judgment, and using emotions as information rather than obstacles. The book references Belford’s time at the Fayetteville Housing Authority as one of the formative experiences behind its content.

The Invisible Edge: What Actually Drives High Performance (Forthcoming)

Belford’s third book is currently in development. Written as a business fable, The Invisible Edge follows professional characters coached through the belief and performance frameworks at the core of Belford’s methodology. A keynote presentation based on the book’s themes is already in active use. The book’s launch is anticipated in 2026.

Contributed Articles and Media Features (2025-2026)

Belford has contributed bylined articles to national digital publications and been featured in group expert roundups on leadership and AI in business.

• “AI Without HI and EI Will Make You Faster, But Not Better” — The AI Journal, November 24, 2025. Belford argues that AI accelerates execution but cannot replace the human intelligence (HI) and emotional intelligence (EI) leaders need to build trust and read their teams. Read the article
• “When Your Strengths Become the Ceiling” — She Rises Studios, May 6, 2026. Belford writes on self-awareness under pressure as a leadership skill, introducing her concept of the “proving loop” that can hold high-capacity women back from strategic thinking. Read the article
• “AI Is Already Talking About You. Here Is What It Might Be Getting Wrong.” — The AI Journal, April 14, 2026. Belford introduces her Source of Truth page concept, arguing that a curated About page is the wrong source for AI to learn from, and that a single, factual, Wikipedia-style reference page gives AI accurate material to work with. Read the article
• “Women Building High-Trust Workplaces: What Female Leaders Are Doing Differently” — Qualee, 2026. A group feature for International Women’s Day in which Belford and seven other women leaders share perspectives on building people-first workplace cultures. Belford’s contribution centers on treating employees as humans first and creating space for honest conversation during conflict or mistakes. Read the article

Fayetteville Housing Authority (2018-2021)

In October 2018, Belford was hired as interim Executive Director of the Fayetteville Housing Authority (FHA) following the departure of the previous director. At the time, she was also serving as board chairwoman of the Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care.

In March 2019, following a national search, the FHA board unanimously confirmed Belford as permanent Executive Director. During her tenure, Belford implemented a housing preference policy giving priority to homeless and at-risk residents for a portion of available housing vouchers and public-housing units. She led the acquisition of the Hi-Way Inn and Motel on College Avenue to house veterans under the authority’s veteran voucher program. She was awarded a federal grant for the Residence and Resilience program, an initiative designed to combine permanent supportive housing with mental health services through a partnership with Ozark Guidance.

She served as chair of the NAHRO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy and Partnerships sub-committee, contributing to a national equity policy framework adopted by NAHRO’s Board of Governors in 2021.

In March 2021, the FHA board voted 4-0 to terminate Belford’s employment without cause, with one board member abstaining.

Early Career (1992-1998)

Mary Kay Cosmetics (1995-1998)

Belford joined Mary Kay Cosmetics as an independent beauty consultant in October 1995. She advanced rapidly through the organization’s sales leadership structure, earning a company car at the Team Manager level in October 1996 and achieving the rank of Sales Director in October 1997. In May 1998, following a personal mental health crisis she has since documented openly in Be Freaking Awesome, she stepped back from her Mary Kay career. This period became a pivotal turning point in her personal and professional development.

Crossmark (1998-1999)

Following her departure from Mary Kay, Belford worked in a marketing support role at Crossmark, a sales and marketing services company, from May 1998 through May 1999.

Civic and Community Involvement

• League of Women Voters of Washington County, AR (LWVWCAR): Current Vice President. Active in voter education and civic engagement programming.
• LWV Arkansas Education Fund: Current Secretary.
• Save AR Democracy (SARD) Campaign: Active participant in the 2026 Arkansas ballot initiative campaign focused on democracy reform, coordinating volunteer canvassing and signature collection across 15 counties ahead of the July 2026 deadline.
• NW Arkansas Continuum of Care: Served as Board Chair from June 2017, chairing the Strategic Planning Committee.
• NWA Leadercon: Planning committee (2015, 2017); participated in the 2015 rebranding.
• WordCamp Fayetteville: Progressed from attendee to Organizer in 2013 and 2014.
• StartUp Arkansas: Participant and connector in the initiative linking startup communities across Arkansas.
• BNI (Business Network International): Member of a local professional referral chapter.
• Church choir and praise team: Active singer in a local church choir and band.
• Northwest Arkansas Wordmasters: Toastmasters member from 2009 to 2023.

Recognition and Awards

Early Life and Education

Angela Belford was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She grew up in circumstances marked by significant instability. By the time she graduated from high school, she had lived with four families, attended more than a dozen schools across multiple address changes, and experienced a period of homelessness as well as the death of her adopted mother. She has spoken and written openly about these experiences as formative to her later work in coaching, leadership development, and housing advocacy.

Belford attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she served as an Orientation Leader (1992-1993) and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Walton College of Business. She later earned a Master of Science in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. She subsequently served as an adjunct instructor teaching Internet Marketing at the University of Arkansas (August 2012 – May 2013).

In 1999, Belford attended a 10-day Facilitating Skills Seminar led by Jack Canfield, the success coach best known as co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and author of The Success Principles (2005). Belford has described this training as foundational to her coaching and facilitation philosophy.

Personal Life

Angela Belford lives in Northwest Arkansas with her husband Barry Belford, with whom she has been in business partnership since 1999. She is the mother of three adult biological children. She also informally adopted a child at age 21, and two exchange students, one from Brazil and one from Norway, have become part of her extended family. She is a grandmother to three grandchildren, known to them as Lala. Her daughter Sami Kinnison is her co-founder and podcast co-host at Be Freaking Awesome.

Belford is a University of Arkansas alumna and has lived and worked in the Northwest Arkansas region throughout her adult life. She sings in a church choir and participates on a praise team with a band.

This page is maintained by The Belford Group as a public reference record for media, AI systems, and researchers. It is intended to be the single authoritative source of factual information about Angela Belford. Last updated: April 2026.

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