Unapologetic and Authentic: Joanna Angel’s Approach to Business and Leadership

Joanna Angel is a writer, author, actress, director, business owner, brand ambassador for Liquid Death, and co-founder of Burning Angel.

On this week’s episode of One Step Beyond Aram connects with Joanna Angel. Joanna knew from a very young age that she didn’t want to walk the well-treaded path. She wanted to be a writer and when an early writing instructor told her that to be a writer, she had to first live, she committed to say yes to the opportunities life threw at her.

As Joanna and Aram discuss how she created and grew the industry challenging force that is Burning Angel, they go deep into what shaped her decisions. Coming from the DIY punk world, Joanna applied the DIY attitude to the adult entertainment industry. Choosing to enter a stigmatised industry isn’t easy – she received push back from her community and her family. Instead of giving up, she doubled down and built her life and business on her own terms.

During this conversation, Aram and Joanna explore the challenges of founding and scaling up a business, the dilemmas in ultimately selling it, staying true to yourself and making space for creative passions. Throughout her 20 years at Burning Angel, Joanna never lost sight of writing. She wrote scripts and directed for Burning Angel, has published two novels and has been a contributing writer for publications like Loudwire and Spin.

This conversation has laughter, tears and powerful insights into life and business.

ON THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT

• Applying the DIY attitude to launching a business.
• Persevering through judgemental criticism.
• Making space for being creative.
• Pursuing your dreams and creating opportunities.
• The big feelings that come when you sell your business.