NORFOLK, Va. — It all started with a little girl and a dream.
"I just thought that I could do almost anything I put my mind to," said Angela Reddix, Founder, CEO, and President of ARDX—a healthcare management and IT consulting firm.
Reddix said through encouragement and support, her dreams as a young girl grew into visions of the future.
"It's not really about where you start," said Reddix. "It's all about perspective. It's all about love. It's all about community. And that can be the difference in a young girl's life."
Reddix attributes her career success to the people that invested in her over the years.
"Very humble beginnings, but very rich with love and a real sense of community," Reddix said. "I didn't even know anything about, 'You can't.'"
That's why Reddix created her own nonprofit in 2016 called 'Envision Lead Grow' to inspire the next generation of girl bosses.
Through 'ELG' hundreds of middle school girls in low-income communities across the country have started the path to entrepreneurship.
'ELG' has summer camps, mentors, webinars and field trips designed to find the leader in every girl.
"Don't worry about the barriers. People are telling you, 'You can't. You can't.' No, we have to reprogram you. You can. You can," said Reddix. "We're trying to create an entrepreneurial mindset. So even if you don't have a business, owning your life and being the CEO of 'Y-O-U' is the most important role."
With every success story in 'ELG', Reddix said she's reminded of the little girl in her who just needed help turning a dream into reality.
'ELG' is accepting more applicants and partners for their entrepreneurship program. If you know a girl who wants to become a business leader, or you're interested in supporting the program, visit Envision Lead Grow's website.