When Covid-19 struck I was laid-off from my job as a pilot interview consultant with Cage Marshall Consulting. After the initial wave of grief and fear passed, I decided to use this opportunity to start that business I always dreamed of. The three things I always wanted are: to be of service, inspire the next generation of pilots and be self-employed. So, I started doing the footwork. I took 60 hours of online classes and received my Neuro-Linguistic Programming Certificate. I also invested in myself by joining a 12-week coaching course. I have been learning like crazy, listening to 1-2 business centered podcasts a day, reading entrepreneur books at night, and following personal branding experts all while narrowing in on what I could do to check those three boxes.
One thing that kept coming up for me when I was an interview consultant was that some pilots needed a 1-on-1 coaching geared specifically for teaching confidence, body language and self-presentation. How many student pilots quit during their training because they lacked these important traits and did not have a support system in place?
Theories abound why there are only 6% of pilots are female and a common answer is that you can’t be what you can’t see. But one day I had an epiphany and realized that I needed to flip this question upside down and start asking what these 6% of pilots share. What traits did they all exhibit? Why didn’t they quit? Is there a common denominator for success? If I can find specific things that make a successful aviatrix, then perhaps we can teach them to student pilots and increase the retention rate at flight schools and ensure future success for them.
That is where my research started, my mission to interview 50 female pilots and #50flygirlinterviews took-off! I’ve been in aviation for 20 years and am so excited to finally be in a place to put years of knowledge and experience into a field I love and to help others coming up in the ranks!
