Your career path doesn’t need to be linear for you to fulfill your dreams. 

Today’s guest brings an amazing journey to our conversation. Former NASA Astronaut and retired US Air Force Colonel with more than 180 days in space, Cady Coleman is a popular Public Speaker and Media Consultant, Research Affiliate to MIT’s media lab, and much more. 

During this conversation, she shares some of the unexpected twists and turns that her career has taken, along with key insights on being industrious as you map out your career. We delve into her experiences in space, what it was like to fly twice with NASA, and why, given the opportunity, she would spend another six months on the international space station. 

Join us as Cady talks about her leadership philosophy and reveals who she is most inspired by, why she leads from the back, and more. 

Key Points From This Episode:

•   The non-linear journey behind her multi-faceted career.

•   The rewards of being part of a mission. 

•   Experiencing NASA, flying twice, and spending six months on the international space station.

•   Research at NASA and understanding the marriage of humans and spacecraft.

Quotes:

“People tend to think that any job of their dreams is going to be a straight line and it’s this maze of intersections where you actually don’t really know whether to turn right or left, but you try to pick the one that seems to make the most sense.” — Cady Coleman

“Giving back to your community is important for everyone so that you understand what life is like for somebody else.” — Cady Coleman

“I think the purpose of leadership is to get stuff done, which often involves making change.” — Cady Coleman

“I wake up in the morning and I say ‘I am enough’ because it’s hard to remember that when you’ve got really big dreams and big goals.” — Cady Coleman

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Cady Coleman

Cady Coleman on Instagram

Cady Coleman on Facebook

Cady Coleman on X

A Man on the Moon

The Exceptions

Inspiring People & Places Podcast

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn