Grow Her Wings

Jenn and Carrie sit down to talk about Veterans Day and the special meaning it has to so many. They reflect on their careers in the military, tell some stories, and celebrate a new job!

Jenn and Carrie are excited to share our conversation with one of the experts in the field of Aviation Research- Dr. Becky Lutte- who has been studying the barriers and complexities facing women in the aviation community. She was commissioned by the FAA Women Advisory Board to help determine ways forward that might help to increase women representation in aviation. She shares her results with us in this podcast as well as her own story of how she has worked almost all aspects of the aviation industry- including becoming a pilot and instructor herself!

Join us as we discuss what the FAA and other organizations are doing to help women in aviation, what you can do and how we can all inspire others to follow our lead. We answer questions about whether STEM programs are working? What type of girls gravitate towards aviation and what the future might hold for anyone interested in flying.

Today we have Nick and Meredith, a father and daughter, who both fell in love with aviation early in life for different reasons and continue to share their love of flying today.

Dad, “aka” Nick, grew up in Hamburg, Germany, directly under the route of the Berlin Airlift. He watched the steady flow of resupply airplanes pass over head as he played in the streets and fields. The experience affected him so much that when he graduated high school, he signed up for the US Air Force (hence the t-shirt) - where he continued to pursue his passion for aviation. With his enlistment came a GI Bill, and Nick decided to use that bill to get his private pilot’s license.

Meredith describes spending time at the airport watching her father fly, listening in on a handheld radio, and getting to fly with her father when he was a pilot. She now owns a flight school, Holladay Aviation, in Jacksonville, FL but her path to where she is now was not what you would expect!

Listen in to learn more this unique family’s passions and vision and how it could apply to something you are doing!

A journey to achieving your dreams can be riddled with all kinds of set backs, from furloughs to budget issues to time restrictions.  But you can get through all of those challenges if you stay focused on your dreams and persistent in your work.

United Airlines Capt Claudia Zapata Cardone, Community Outreach for the Airline Pilots Association, joins us to share her story of achieving her dream of being an airline pilot.  Claudia represents the few women (1%!!) that are airline captains, and her journey and words are inspiring.  Join Jenn (since Carrie was out with Covid19!!- get better soon Carrie!) she and Claudia talk about deciding to take the leap towards commercial flying, ways to approach receiving and giving instruction, how to get out of your “this isn’t for me” mindset and find your way to your success.  Claudia and Jenn navigate some of the experiences they have both had in aviation.

Some things we talk about are how to handle:

When every move is questioned.

Getting non effective communication.

Asking for more to find ways to make things less stressful.

When to ask for clarification.

Gender roles in the gun community seem to persist – despite the diversity of the field. Defining gender is not based on “the bathroom you chose to use” as Rob says. Rob Pincus and his daughter Cindy Lou join the Grow Her Wings podcast to talk about firearms are integrated into their family. Being a professional in weapons education and training, Rob puts a lot of emphasis on handling safety with his daughters. We all know the value of getting education on sexual health, drug and alcohol use and other possibly dangerous things in our world, it doesn’t make sense to not be educated about gun safety.

Listen in as we talk about the success of I.C.E.’s Family Firearms Safety Course, examples of women like Christina Pincus, Carrie and Jenn who grew up with and used firearms, and the confidence using complex and dangerous devices like guns and airplanes gives to children. It’s not just the confidence building that is important, but the gift of knowledge on the safety and practical uses of these machines that we emphasize on this podcast.

Sites:

https://www.heckler-koch.com/en/products/military/submachine-guns/mp5/mp5/overview.html

14 year veteran Theresa Gathers joined us to talk about all of her experience as a Security Forces professional. She started out enlisted and then commissioned. One of her greatest achievements was that she led the only AF ground movement team in all of Iraq- as the only female officer in both AF and Army– learn more about why and what she values. But the Milieux Project, Inc connects girls to aviation so why are we interviewing a cop? Tune in as We cover concepts from Bene Brown and Allyson Byrd, talk about active duty and joining the Air National Guard. Watch to find out more.

Hat from @30secondsout

DISCLAIMER: All of the opinions stated in this interview are those of the individual and do not

reflect any position of the USAF, ANG or the DoD.

Join us for our second installment of our "Making Space to Talk" discussion series!

Join us as we talk to Jason Harris and his daughter, Alena, to learn about their journey, family, and goals in life.  What is it like for Jason to be a #GirlDad and how does he share his passion for general aviation (GA) with his daughter. Are all things timing, luck, and circumstance? Or are some people meant to be successful from the start? These are the questions we hope to answer on this episode of Grow Her Wings. 

Learn more about Jason at nofailtrust.com or jasonoharris.com or send him an email at [email protected]

Information on VWise and how to sign up: “Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship” – website at https://vwise.vets.syr.eduInOurImage Consulting: https://www.inourimageconsulting.com

Michele Johnson is a 20 year Army Veteran who saw a need to help girls and women “clean out their filter”; teaching them positive self-images and connections to their purpose. She was recently awarded the Federal Employed Women’s Maryland Chapter Award (www.FEW.org) for her work in this field and has plans to continue her work in Atlanta, GA upon her retirement.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers only and do not reflect an official stance by the USAF, USA or the DoD.

Jenn jumps right in while Carrie tells a story about allies in the office meeting. Can you see when she notices we are recording? : ) They go on to talk about how Jenn and Carrie came up with the idea to start The Milieux Project, Inc- a 501c3 non profit organization. They wanted to “give better advice than we were given.” How do we “growherwings”? This is our introduction to our podcast - Follow us as we talk to mothers, daughters, fathers and sisters about how girls find their way to flying and other cool careers. Thanks for giving us a listen!

Carrie is a recently retired Special Forces Pilot who is now working for UPS full time. She is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and an avid triathlete. Jenn currently serves in the Florida Air National guard and she is a Combat Search and Rescue helicopter pilot. Jenn is also a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and enjoys general aviation on her down time.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers only and