Meet Angelica Ford

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angelica Ford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angelica below.

Angelica, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

The journey began back in college when I was a competitive swimmer. After my practices, I had the chance to collaborate with an adaptive swim team, and that’s when I realized that this was the community I wanted to be a part of indefinitely!

Post-college graduation, I experienced a significant void in my life when my new job lacked opportunities to work with individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. This led me to take the initiative to volunteer at a local non-profit, where I started teaching an adaptive health and fitness class.

With each passing day, my connection to this community deepened, and I consistently sought ways to contribute more.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Fueled by AF is a small but impactful company driven by a grand vision: to support and empower individuals with disabilities while providing them with high-quality gluten-free, vegan, protein-packed snacks! My name is Angelica, and my realization of the limited opportunities for people with disabilities in the workforce inspired me to transform my favorite snack into a thriving business. What started as a volunteer position at a non-profit quickly became my passion and purpose.

At Fueled by AF, we are determined to revolutionize perceptions of adaptive employment and challenge conventional notions about gluten-free, vegan snacks. We firmly believe that these snacks can be both nutritious and delicious, proving that they can be rich in protein while remaining low in sugar. We are on a mission to change how the world perceives and experiences gluten-free, vegan snacks, showcasing their outstanding taste and exceptional quality.

Our ultimate goal extends beyond mere profitability. We strive to create a more inclusive society by providing employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities. Through our endeavours, we hope to reshape the employment landscape and offer a brighter future for those who often face barriers in traditional workplaces.

This year we are looking forward to launching a new product line and open more jo opportunities for our community!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that I feel are the most trivial to starting and growing a business is 1- have a ton of patience (everything takes way more time than you think)
2- ignorance is bliss- take a leap of faith into the unknown it can yield the greatest out comes
3- always be kind,-you never know who you are meeting that will help you to the next level

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Growing up, I grappled with numerous learning disabilities, turning my school experience into a nightmarish ordeal. But my parents, steadfast in their commitment to overcoming challenges, spared no effort or expense to help me meet the academic expectations required for advancement. At the time, I couldn’t fully grasp or appreciate their dedication as I faced constant challenges. However, in hindsight, I am forever grateful, realizing that those early struggles equipped me with essential skills for navigating adulthood and pushing through life’s obstacles.

In my senior year of high school, I found myself technically reading at a fourth-grade level, a stark contrast to my enrollment in an advanced placement class—a college-level course. While this may seem perplexing to others, it made perfect sense to us. Despite taking four times longer to complete assignments and having to develop unique learning strategies, I not only passed the class with an A but excelled in it.

This resilience carried into my college years, where, despite continuing learning disabilities, I opted to pursue a double major and a minor by my sophomore year. Remarkably, I graduated with 175 credits, one of the highest achievements in the college’s history. My parents instilled in me the principle that if I started a class, I had to finish it—we didn’t undertake challenges just for the sake of it; we committed to seeing them through.

These experiences largely influence my love for entrepreneurship. Early on, I learned the value of approaching things differently to achieve exceptional outcomes. If my parents hadn’t stood by me, persistently pushing me through those challenges, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Their guidance shaped my ability to innovate and find success, making entrepreneurship a natural fit for me.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All photos we own the rights to

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where does your optimism come from?

Optimism is the invisible ingredient that powers so much of the incredible progress in society

Confidence
Stories of Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Learning from one another is what BoldJourney is all about. Below, we’ve shared stories and

Resilience
The Power of Persistence: Overcoming Haters and Doubters

Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made