Discover how influential women lead with empathy and compassion rather than dominance. Learn why vulnerability builds connection, collaboration thrives through team support, and true success means lifting other women up alongside you.
In Conversation
Angela Horton for Bold. Brilliant. Unstoppable.
Read the transcript
Angela Horton: Being an influential woman doesn't mean being the loudest voice in the room. It means being the voice that makes others feel heard. It isn't about standing in the spotlight alone. It is about using whatever light you have to eliminate the path for the people walking beside you and the generations coming behind you. What makes a woman truly influential is her resilience and her authenticity. True leaders are not born in perfect conditions. They are forged in adversity. An influential woman is someone who has known defeat, who has faced bias, who has felt the sting of failure, but who chose to get back up anyway. So to every woman here today, you do not need to wait for a specific title to start being influential. You are influential when you mentor a colleague. You are influential when you advocate for fairness in your workplace. You are influential when you lift up a friend who is struggling or when you raise your children to love, respect, and respect others. Let us commit to rising together, lifting as we climb, and changing our concerns in our corners of the world, one act of courage at a time. Thank you.
What's one piece of advice you would give to younger women chasing their dreams?
Angela Horton: If there is just one piece of advice for a younger woman chasing her dreams, it is this: Do not wait for permission to claim your space. Too often women are conditioned to wait until they feel 100% qualified, until they are invited to the table, or until everyone else approves of their path, but the truth is you belong in the room today. Trust your voice early. Speak up in meetings and classrooms, even if your voice shakes. Your unique perspective is your power, not something you need to hide. Your dreams do not belong to the critics. The doubters or the people who came before you. They belong entirely to you. Define your own success. Trust your instincts, and run toward your goals without apologizing for your ambition.
Full transcript available
Her Story
About Angela
Angela Horton is a customer service and patient support professional with more than 15 years of experience delivering compassionate, solutions-focused service across healthcare, manufacturing, and retail industries. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, she currently serves as a Customer Service Representative with Optum and previously worked as a Quality Patient Navigator Care Team Associate for UnitedHealth Group. In these roles, she has supported patients through health risk assessments, prescription assistance programs, appointment coordination, and care plan adherence while helping address barriers such as transportation, financial challenges, and access to community resources.
Before transitioning into healthcare, Horton built a successful career in manufacturing, spending seven years with a window manufacturing company where she advanced from welding window frames in the warehouse to managing shipping operations. As a shipping manager, she supervised a team of 14 drivers, coordinated routing and dispatching, and worked closely with company leadership on production scheduling. She also gained valuable customer-facing sales experience with Omaha Steaks, further strengthening her communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving abilities. Her educational accomplishments include earning her GED and multiple computer certifications, including a Microsoft Word Expert certification, demonstrating her commitment to continuous learning and professional growth.
Horton's career reflects resilience, determination, and a passion for serving others. She credits her success to hard work, consistency, and a willingness to embrace new opportunities, values that continue to guide both her personal and professional life. Outside of work, she volunteers through her church and participates in community outreach, including feeding the homeless during Thanksgiving. Looking ahead, Horton plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in Information Technology to expand her technical expertise and prepare for the growing impact of artificial intelligence and digital innovation in customer service and healthcare.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Angela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to hard work, resilience, and always seeking opportunities to grow. After leaving school in the ninth grade, I earned my GED in prison and took computer classes, an experience that changed the direction of my life.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to work hard and never give up. I believe you can achieve anything if you’re willing to put in the effort, stay persistent, and continuously learn through hands-on experience.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I encourage young women entering this industry to stay consistent, work hard, and never give up when challenges arise. Set clear goals and stay committed to them, even when the journey is difficult. I learned that perseverance pays off—I kept going through tough conditions instead of quitting, and that dedication made all the difference.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, kindness, and family are the values that matter most to me. I believe in treating others with compassion because you never know what they may be going through, maintaining strong relationships, and avoiding judgment. In my work, I value a positive attitude, open communication with my team, and taking pride in doing my job well.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Angela
Leading with unapologetic empathy
The Power of Leading with Empathy, Vulnerability, and Collective Growth
For too long, women were told to leave their emotions at the door if they wanted to be taken seriously. Today, we know that empathy is not a liability; it is our greatest asset.
Influential women lead by listening. They understand that vulnerability is a bridge to deep connection and that compassion drives better collaboration, greater innovation, and stronger communities. Leading with heart doesn't make a leader weak—it makes her unforgettable.
We are moving away from the toxic myth of the "lone woman at the top." True influence is a team sport. An influential woman operates from a mindset of abundance, not scarcity.
She understands that another woman's victory does not diminish her own—it paves the way for it. When she breaks a glass ceiling, she doesn't pull the ladder up behind her. She reaches back down, grips the hand of the next woman, and pulls her up, too. The metric of success is no longer how many doors you walk through, but how many you hold open.
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