My next guest on The Richard Robbins Show has overcome incredible obstacles in her life to achieve some truly remarkable things. This guest boasts a 26-year military career, she served 4 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and 2 years as a U.S. Senator.

Colonel Martha McSally is a pioneering combat-proven leader, inspiring speaker, and celebrated author. Growing up in Rhode Island, Martha was the youngest of 5 children and grew up in a humble household. However, losing her father at the age of 12 altered her life dramatically. “It shifted the trajectory of my life in profound ways,” Martha tells me, “It can be a tough mantel to carry and can sometimes be taken too far.”

In Martha’s pursuit to make her father proud, she found herself at the doorstep of the U.S. military. While in basic training, the door to her future presented itself. “I thought I was going to be a doctor. I had zero desire to be a pilot but I got there and found out it was against the law for women to be fighter pilots.” Martha put it simply, “It just pissed me off”.

From there, Martha became the 1st woman in U.S. history to fly a fighter jet in combat and command a fighter squadron in combat. She has flown 325 combat hours, earning the Bronze Star and six Air Medals for her service.

As we continued our conversation, Martha tells me plainly, “Every failure, every tragedy, every diagnosis, all of it is an opportunity for growth.”