Entrepreneurship isn’t an elevator ride, it’s more like climbing to the top of a huge mountain, peaks, valleys, and all. Rather than a smooth express ride straight to your dreams, you’re met with steep climbs, ravines to traverse, obstacles to overcome, and paths that bend, fork, and disappear beneath your feet. One woman who’s actively helping others climb mountains to success is Leigh Burgess, CEO and Founder of Bold Industries Group (BIG), a company helping people and organizations solve problems through coaching, consulting, and curated events. In my recent conversation with Burgess, we discussed her forthcoming book releasing this November, Be BOLD Today: Unleash Your Potential, Master Your Mindset, and Achieve Success, which is the culmination of a discovery Burgess had during her tenure in healthcare and education and through the founding of BIG—that some of us needed a little boost up toward boldness to achieve our full potential.
“The inspiration to start BIG and create the manuscript for my new book, Be BOLD Today, was born from a realization that while many people and organizations possess immense potential, they sometimes need a boost of bold to support their strategy, mindset, and wellness Framework to unlock its potential fully,” Burgess said.
In our conversation, Burgess revealed a snippet of the Be Bold Today blueprint, diving into her signature BOLD Framework. Read on for an early look at what it takes to be BOLD, and some first steps you can use as a boost in scaling that mountain toward your full potential.
Believe in your boundless potential.
Believing in yourself is at the root of what it takes to reach your dreams. If you don’t believe in what you’re capable of you won’t be able to comprehend the full extent of your potential. As Burgess describes the “B” in her BOLD Framework, “It's about nurturing a deep-seated belief in your abilities and the possibilities that lie ahead. This belief is the cornerstone, setting the stage for growth and empowering you to pursue your dreams with confidence.”
Some strategies Burgess offered to overcome self-doubt and firmly believe in oneself include identifying and challenging limiting beliefs that might be holding you back, regularly visualizing success, including the goals you’d like to achieve, incorporating affirmations into your daily routine, setting small goals for yourself that connect back to your larger vision, and surrounding yourself with a solid support network of peers and mentors that can help build you up. “By actively working to reframe your mindset,” Burgess says, “you're not just preparing yourself to be a leader, you’re setting the foundation for a journey marked by growth, resilience, and success.”
Own your journey.
The “O” in BOLD is something I firmly believe to be vital to carving out success no matter where you are in your career, and that’s owning everything you do. Burgess defines owning your journey as empowering yourself to make decisions that align with your true purpose and values. As Burgess said, “Taking authentic ownership of one’s narrative is a powerful step in carving out a path to success, especially for entrepreneurs.”
To fully and authentically take ownership of one’s own story, Burgess suggests acknowledging your journey (embracing all the highs and lows), defining your mission and vision (outlining what you stand for and where you want to go), and making intentional choices (ensuring your decisions are purposeful and tie back to your personal and professional ethics). Burgess states that owning every part of your narrative and choices is what will lead to a truly fulfilling career journey, noting that it’s “about steering your life and business with intention, integrity, and a deep sense of purpose.”
Learn continuously.
The “L” in BOLD stands for learn. When done effectively, learning can take you a step closer to comprehending the full extent of your abilities through accepting different experiences and perspectives. Burgess defines learning as the “secret sauce” to being a great leader, embracing open-mindedness, and being dynamic and adaptable as you tackle life’s challenges. Burgess sums up learning as an ongoing process in which you must “Think of every challenge as a new chapter in a textbook, every setback as a valuable lesson, and carry an unquenchable curiosity for the world's constant changes.” Burgess further emphasizes the importance of “continuous learning” by explaining that
"Well, it keeps the gears of innovation, creativity, and adaptability turning and deepens our understanding in ways only lifelong learning can. Leaders who see life as an endless classroom are the ones who not only adapt but flourish, creating their leadership journey with their experiences and knowledge.”
Design your life.
Last but certainly not least, the “D” in bold stands for designing your life. According to Burgess, designing is all about intentionally forging your journey toward growth in both your business and your personal life. As Burgess explains, “In successful leadership, planning and goal setting serve as the foundation that stabilizes and directs the journey. They allow leaders to foresee challenges, allocate resources wisely, be thoughtful, pragmatic, and measure progress, adapting as necessary.” Designing goes beyond aiming for the top, it’s the intentional strategic mindset that forges the price path that will get you from where you are to exactly where you want to be. It’s the roadmap, choices, and actions that bring your dream to fruition.
Be BOLD.
Being BOLD is all about achieving your fullest potential, reaching your dreams, and making your mark on this world. Embracing boldness is a path to self-empowerment. This is something Burgess imbues into her BOLD Framework, noting that it “fosters a mindset that celebrates boldness, authenticity, and intentionality, encouraging women to lead lives marked by purpose, passion, and profound achievement unapologetically. This approach is about rewriting narratives, breaking barriers, and creating spaces where women's voices and visions are amplified and actualized.”
WRITTEN BY
Liz Elting