Being BOLD: A Conversation with Leigh Burgess

by Ashley Cheung, Podcaster | Author | Principal & Founder, VPG

When Leigh Burgess, bestselling author of The BOLD Leader (Wiley) and Be BOLD Today (Simon & Schuster), invited me onto her Bold Lounge podcast, I almost said no. Over the past year, I felt as though I had been saying yes to everything. Then, as summer hit, I realized I hadn't taken a real vacation all year. That wasn't why I became an entrepreneur. I vowed to be more intentional with my “me time”: Alaska with my mom in August, a few small trips, and Disney World for Christmas. That was the life I started VPG to protect.

However, I said yes to Leigh because of her message and the guests who had previously appeared on her show, including Minda Harts and others. I later found out my friend, Melissa Cohen, was also a guest (Ep. 47). To prepare for the podcast, I did my homework, including binging episodes and researching Leigh's journey. The night before recording, I sat down with my team member, Gezelin Cantuba, to review my notes. Gezelin is quiet but deeply perceptive, and I trust her instincts. As I read through what I'd written, something felt off. The words were polished, but they weren't me.

So, I scrapped it. By 10 a.m. the next morning, I had three words on a notepad: go-getting; industrious; focused. I explained to Leigh the claim construction practice in patent litigation, which literally means going online to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary to look up the definition of the word BOLD.

Everything else was organic from there.

Just two women on Zoom, talking honestly about a winding career journey. I walked Leigh through it all: starting as a research associate at a private consulting firm in DC, leaving my first job when I felt disrespected, pivoting from construction litigation to patent law with almost no experience, and ultimately founding VPG after losing my dad — a turning point that forced me to ask what I actually wanted, including making fun a part of my vocabulary for the first time.

Leigh had done her research too, which made the exchange feel like a genuine dialogue rather than an interview. When she realized my three books weren't children's books — that the concepts are actually quite complex — it opened up a rich conversation about why I use illustrators: to make challenging ideas accessible, not intimidating.

We explored how VPG's creative process came together:

• Animal avatars illustrated by Michelle Kim to create psychological safety in team environments

• An Airbnb experience workshop that introduced me to creative illustrated fiction, thanks to mentors like Angie Evans. I also got to know and collaborate with Jane Channell, a 3X Canadian Skeleton athlete, and we even met in person twice, in Calgary and in Washington, DC.

• Collaborative in Competitive Ecosystems, my second illustrated work, weaves patent law (specifically PTAB — the Patent Trial and Appeal Board) with leadership principles and teamwork.

• Michelle Kim’s growth through our collaboration — practicing voiceovers, developing her craft — before moving on to her own path. I believe in helping others on their own paths. We have stayed connected; she now creates cake designs for our collaborative events.

I was most surprised and pleased when Leigh asked about the Raccoons Wheel of Wisdom from my third book, The Leadership Catalyst: Igniting Inspired Change. Each chapter ends with transformative microlearning moments — actionable strategies designed to spark innovation in real workplaces.

When she asked what the Wheel means to me right now, I found myself saying: inner peace, growth, and fun. Those three things are what I'm chasing most in this season of life.

Six Years In

We closed by reflecting on what's changed since I founded VPG. The honest answer? Almost everything — in the best way.

I left the recording energized, with a few new interview insights I hadn't expected, and genuinely looking forward to hearing how the episode sounds. I'll share the link when it drops.

Stay tuned — and as always, be bold.