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227 Say It Skillfully® – Riel Erickson: Courage, Failure & Leading Where the Stakes Are High
What does it take to lead when the stakes are life-and-death, failure is inevitable, and doubt never fully disappears?
In this episode of Say It Skillfully®, Molly sits down with Lieutenant Colonel Riel Erickson — one of Canada’s first female fighter pilots, senior Royal Canadian Air Force officer, instructor, and leadership mentor.
Riel shares her extraordinary journey from farm life to the cockpit, revealing the internal battles behind elite performance: self-doubt, fear, identity, and resilience. She explains why embracing failure is essential to growth, how leaders create psychological safety, and what it really means to move from doing the work… to leading people… to shaping institutions.
This conversation is a masterclass in grounded leadership, courage under pressure, and using humanity — not perfection — as your greatest strength.
You’ll learn:
• Why failure can be freeing
• How to manage fear instead of eliminating it
• The hidden cost of masking to fit in
• What great mentors actually do
• How leaders scale impact through others
If you’ve ever questioned whether you belong in the room, this episode is for you.
00:00 — Introduction: Leadership Where Stakes Are High
00:01 — Riel’s Background & Breaking Barriers
02:09 — International Women’s Forum & Finding Belonging
05:57 — Early Life & Choosing the Military Path
09:17 — Culture Shock of Military Training
11:13 — Hating Pilot Training… at First
12:57 — The Freedom of Detaching Identity from Success
14:16 — “Embrace Failure” as a Life Mantra
15:18 — Discovering Love for Flying & Challenge
16:27 — Family Support & Sacrifice
19:17 — Overcoming Self-Doubt
22:29 — Managing Fear Under Pressure
26:15 — Career Path: From Pilot to Instructor to Leader
29:06 — Being the Only Woman in the Room
32:12 — Leadership & Psychological Safety
34:16 — Moving from Doing → Teaching → Leading Systems
35:32 — Work-Life Integration, Not Balance
40:07 — Mentorship That Changes Careers
44:55 — Why Mentoring Others Matters
47:10 — The Moment She Realized Her Visibility Matters
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By Molly TschangWhat does it take to lead when the stakes are life-and-death, failure is inevitable, and doubt never fully disappears?
In this episode of Say It Skillfully®, Molly sits down with Lieutenant Colonel Riel Erickson — one of Canada’s first female fighter pilots, senior Royal Canadian Air Force officer, instructor, and leadership mentor.
Riel shares her extraordinary journey from farm life to the cockpit, revealing the internal battles behind elite performance: self-doubt, fear, identity, and resilience. She explains why embracing failure is essential to growth, how leaders create psychological safety, and what it really means to move from doing the work… to leading people… to shaping institutions.
This conversation is a masterclass in grounded leadership, courage under pressure, and using humanity — not perfection — as your greatest strength.
You’ll learn:
• Why failure can be freeing
• How to manage fear instead of eliminating it
• The hidden cost of masking to fit in
• What great mentors actually do
• How leaders scale impact through others
If you’ve ever questioned whether you belong in the room, this episode is for you.
00:00 — Introduction: Leadership Where Stakes Are High
00:01 — Riel’s Background & Breaking Barriers
02:09 — International Women’s Forum & Finding Belonging
05:57 — Early Life & Choosing the Military Path
09:17 — Culture Shock of Military Training
11:13 — Hating Pilot Training… at First
12:57 — The Freedom of Detaching Identity from Success
14:16 — “Embrace Failure” as a Life Mantra
15:18 — Discovering Love for Flying & Challenge
16:27 — Family Support & Sacrifice
19:17 — Overcoming Self-Doubt
22:29 — Managing Fear Under Pressure
26:15 — Career Path: From Pilot to Instructor to Leader
29:06 — Being the Only Woman in the Room
32:12 — Leadership & Psychological Safety
34:16 — Moving from Doing → Teaching → Leading Systems
35:32 — Work-Life Integration, Not Balance
40:07 — Mentorship That Changes Careers
44:55 — Why Mentoring Others Matters
47:10 — The Moment She Realized Her Visibility Matters