When Women Fly

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How can we break through our perceived limitations and pursue our ambitions and dreams?

As part of Season III, we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes that grapple with big life themes, break down the components of change, and dive into strategies that are relevant and applicable to you today.

In today's episode, we are featuring Jessica Cox.

Being born without arms has not deterred Jessica Cox from being an ambitious dream chaser. In this episode, Sylvia is joined by Jessica to discuss the remarkable life she's created for herself as a pilot, martial artist, athlete, and keynote speaker. Jessica shares with listeners how we can dig deep and cultivate the resiliency needed to overcome life's greatest challenges.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" – Eleanor Roosevelt

Topics Include:

• Leaning into fear
• Adventures in scuba diving and surfing
• The problem with objectifying people with disabilities as brave or inspirational
• Limb differences and rejecting prosthetic arms
• The power of faith, family and prayer
• How the practice of gratitude can reshape your mindset
• The ACCEPT acronym
• and much more...

Jessica Cox earned a Guinness World Record medal for being the first armless pilot in aviation history. She has been featured on programs like Ellen, Oprah Winfrey Network, and the BBC. As a motivational speaker, Jessica teaches how to courageously tackle new challenges with creativity and unrelenting drive.

Resources Mentioned:
Book – Disarm Your Limits by Jessica Cox
Book – Fearless Filipinas
Movie – Right Footed

Connect With Jessica Cox:
Website – jessicacox.com
Nonprofit – rightfootedfoundation.com
LinkedIn @rightfooted
Twitter @jess_feet
Facebook @CMSofficial
YouTube @rightfootedwoman

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

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In this short companion episode, Dawn Cook joins us to go deeper on the topics of mindset, motherhood, and slowing down to speed up. Dawn shares the essentials of what she calls the aviatrix mindset, and how asking for help empowers us to be the strongest, boldest versions of ourselves.

Topics Include:
- The Aviatrix Mindset
- Creating a plan of action for your dreams
- Commitment and clarity in an uncertain world
- Slowing down to speed up
- Time management
- Asking for help
- Motherhood and parenting
- Sponsoring 10,000 discovery flights for young girls
- And other topics…

Resources Mentioned:
The Aviatrix Mindset by Dawn Cook: https://www.amazon.com/Aviatrix-Mindset-Stalling-Soaring-Aspect/dp/B09G9LQXZ2
Website: https://www.dawnwcook.com/about-me
FAST: https://fastpilots.org/
FAST on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/groups/fastpilots.org/
Email Dawn: [email protected]

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

Send a text

As part of Season III, we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes that grapple with big life themes, break down the components of change, and dive into strategies that are relevant and applicable to you today.

Today's episode features Sarah Halas, a flight instructor and mountain guide from Truckee, California.  Sarah shares her story of finding flying amongst other pursuits that would bring her deeper into the mountains.  Challenging assumptions and defying gender roles from the beginning,

Sarah has built her life around a love for exploring and physically pushing limits of endurance, alongside a passion for travel, language, and culture.  Join us as we dive deep into the issues and practicalities around valuing transience, crafting a life rid of preconceived notions of womanhood, trusting yourself to color outside the lines, and so much more.

Topics Include:
- Early adventures abroad
- The lasting influence of international travel
- Becoming a mountain guide
- The challenges of aviation school
- A life-changing trip to Antarctica
- Discovering a passion for pilot training
- Intuitive flying
- Self-care
- Designing a values-based lifestyle
- Truckee Flight Training
- And other topics...

Sarah Halas has been a professional pilot for over a decade. Hailing from Truckee, California, Sarah is the owner of Truckee Flight Training where she offers a full range of flight lessons from private pilot training to mountain flying courses and instrument training.

Resources Mentioned:
Website:  www.truckeeflighttraining.com 
IG:  @sarahhalas @truckeeflighttraining

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

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Today we continue an exploration of the ways in which we "fly". The facts of our experiences of flight are different. But so many of the emotions we experience along our journeys are remarkably similar.

Meet Linda Leary. Entrepreneur. Outdoorswoman. Angler.

She learned to fly fish as a child in Maine with her father, an avid fly fisherman. But, Linda noticed she was always having to wear baggy men’s fishing clothing that didn’t make her feel comfortable or confident. 

This is when her idea of FisheWear was born, a women’s fly fishing apparel company that makes functional, unique clothing that female fishers can feel confident and comfortable in. FisheWear makes clothing and accessories including leggings, belts, hats, and more, that have been designed through collaboration with artists. Since its inception in 2015, FisheWear has gone on to collaborate with companies like Orvis, XTRATUF, and more. 

In this episode, Sylvia and Linda talk about the beginnings of FisheWear, comparisons between fly fishing and flying, how fly fishing can be transformative, the importance of networks when starting a company, and inclusion in the fly fishing industry.

Topics Include:
- Linda’s history with fly fishing
- Getting out of your comfort zone and learning something new
- The importance of letting go of perfection while still exercising precision
- Experience of Alaskan lodges and fishing expeditions
- Future vision of FisheWear
- How nature is crucial for energy and inspiration
- Advice for entrepreneurs
- Starting a new career later in life
- Special places in Alaska
- The transformative nature of focus and patience
- And other topics…

Linda Leary is the founder of FisheWear, a woman’s fly fishing apparel company based in Alaska. FisheWear collaborates with artists to make unique, comfortable women’s fishing clothing and gear. FisheWear has collaborations with Orvis, XTRATUF, and others. Linda also owns Women’s Fly Fishing, a company that offers fly fishing classes and trips for women and couples. Before FisheWear, Linda worked as a partner and later president of Carlile Transportations Systems, a trucking and logistics company based in Alaska.

Resources Mentioned:
FisheWear: https://fishewear.com/
Listeners:  "SoFly15” at checkout for 15% off

Women’s Fly Fishing: https://womensflyfishing.com/
Cokie: A Life Well Lived by Steven V. Roberts: https://www.amazon.com/Cokie-Lived-Steven-V-Roberts/dp/0062851470/
How I Built This by Guy Raz: https://www.amazon.com/How-Built-This-Unexpected-Entrepreneurs/dp/0358216761/
Transitions by William Bridges: https://www.amazon.com/Transitions-Making-Sense-Lifes-Changes/dp/0738285404/
* No affiliate links. These are purely books mentioned or recommended in the conversation. No kickbacks received.

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

Send a text

As part of Season III, we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes that grapple with big life themes, break down the components of change, and dive into strategies that are relevant and applicable to you today.

Today's episode features Nathania Stambouli, Founder of Yogi Flight School and a devotee of transformation. Nathania is in the business of changing lives as a yoga instructor, retreat leader, and small business coach. In this episode, Sylvia and Nathania debunk misconceptions about yoga and who yoga is for. They discuss why everything you’re looking for in life is on the otherside of fear, and how finding the courage to follow your heart and pursue your dreams is the key to unlocking your best life.

Topics Include:
- How the early death of Nathania’s mother influenced her life’s trajectory.
- Why Nathania quit a 10-year career in marketing to pursue teaching yoga.
- What we learn when having the courage to do hard things.
- The tricky business of balance.
- Crafting a vision for your life, and keeping it in sight.
- Why Nathania focuses on handstands and inversions, and other topics...

Nathania Stambouli is the founder of Yogi Flight School, a transformational yoga program that teaches how to do hard things through the medium of yoga. With a focus on arm balances and inversions, Yogi Flight School helps us confront our perceived limitations by pushing us out of our comfort zone in a safe and supporting environment. Nathania is also the co-founder of SoulTribe Adventures which hosts yoga and fitness adventure retreats around the globe.

Resources Mentioned:
Yogi Flight School – https://www.yogiflightschool.com/
SoulTribe Adventures – https://www.soultribeadventures.com/
Radical Honesty by Tara Brach – https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Honesty-Transform-Telling-Truth/dp/B00EAH6UH6/
Mastery of Love – https://www.amazon.com/The-Mastery-of-Love-don-Miguel-Ruiz-audio/dp/B0007RWWQG/

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

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In this short solo episode, Sylvia connects with listeners on the topic of perceived limitations. With a little investigation, we often find these limitations are nothing more than a figment of our imagination. But how can we see this for ourselves?

What role does yoga practice play? Why do we need to overcome mental blocks? 

This episode 077 is a partial revisit to Episode 061 The Imaginary Tether that Holds Us Back.

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

Send a text

Dawn Cook was introduced to the world of flight by her mother, a flight attendant. Dawn loved flying and wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps. But, when Dawn told her mother she wanted to become a flight attendant, her response was, “No. Be a pilot.”

And that's just what Dawn did.

Dawn's path to becoming a pilot was not easy. As a double minority starting her career in the era of 9/11, Dawn had to battle the odds and fight for what she believed in every step of the way.
 
Dawn knew that strength is forged in the fires of adversity, and she overcame the many obstacles thrown her way to accomplish her dream of becoming a pilot. Dawn’s story is one of grit, determination, and a love of flight.

In this episode, Sylvia and Dawn discuss Dawn’s career journey, the role mentorship plays in the lives of women, starting F.A.S.T. (Female Aviators Sticking Together), overcoming adversity in the aviation industry, writing her book Aviatrix Mindset, and all she’s learned along the way.

Topics Include:
- How Dawn fell in love with flying
- The power of "yes, and"
- How her mentor helped her gain confidence in the skies
- How coaching changed Dawn's life
- The power of choice to change our lives
- What her children are teaching her about life and acceptance
- How women have pushed the aviation industry
- Two things Dawn would do differently if starting over
- Believing in yourself
- And other topics… 

Dawn Cook is a certified pilot with over 20 years of flying experience. She is also a certified life coach, a motivational speaker, an entrepreneur, and the author of The Aviatrix Mindset: Stop Stalling And Start Soaring In Every Aspect Of Life.

Dawn is the co-founder and President of the non-profit FAST (Female Aviators Sticking Together). FAST has a mentorship program for women seeking a career in aviation and offered over $100,000 in aviation scholarships in 2021.

Dawn graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a degree in Aeronautical Science and a minor in Psychology. She resides in Georgia with her husband and two daughters.

Resources Mentioned:
The Aviatrix Mindset by Dawn Cook: https://www.amazon.com/Aviatrix-Mindset-Stalling-Soaring-Aspect/dp/B09G9LQXZ2
Website: https://www.dawnwcook.com/about-me
FAST: https://fastpilots.org/
FAST on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/groups/fastpilots.org/
Email Dawn: [email protected]
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins: https://www.amazon.com/American-Dirt-Novel-Jeanine-Cummins/dp/1250209765

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

Send a text

In this companion episode, Sylvia and Tenille Hoogland discuss training essentials for female athletes. They discuss how unrealistic expectations of female bodies hurt our health and performance, and what we can do to train smarter.

Topics Include:
- Misconceptions around women's health
- Peri menopause and beyond
- Avoiding injuries as an athlete
- Body image stereotypes of female athletes
- Unique training challenges women face
- Tapping into cycles to improve performance
- Proper recovery cycles
- Avoiding burnout
- And other topics...

Tenille Hoogland is Founder and Head Coach of Elements Sports Coaching, where she  applies evidence-based science - including the emerging field of female physiology as applied to sport - into performance-altering individualized programs and experiences.  With 20+ years of experience and education in psychology, sport nutrition, exercise physiology, sport administration, race management, active travel guiding and triathlon and bike racing at the professional and local level, Tenille works with athletes to discover personal goals in sport, understand athletes' unique physiology, fitness strengths and weaknesses, and nutrition gaps.

Before coaching full-time, Tenille led Age Group Team Canada to International Triathlon Union World Championship events, organized IRONMAN events, and was a senior planner for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Federal Secretariat. She competed as an elite, professional, and sponsored triathlete from 2007-2013 earning titles in both short distance (ITU Pan-American Cup Champion) and long-distance triathlon (2 x 70.3 IRONMAN Champion).

She earned her Master of Public Administration at Queen’s University, a Master's Certificate in Project Management at Royal Roads University, and a BA in Psychology at Western University.

Resources Mentioned:
Element Sports Coaching: https://www.elementsportscoaching.com/
Athletes Thriving in Perimenopause and Beyond: https://www.facebook.com/groups/athletesthriving/about/

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Socials: @whenwomenfly

Send a text

Tenille Hoogland has always been an athlete. Her journey started as a young girl with dreams of being a synchronized swimmer in the Olympics. After years of intense training, Tenille hit bottom and left the world of competitive swimming altogether.

Despite early setbacks, the drive to compete stayed alive for Tenille. She would later lead Age Group Team Canada to International Triathlon Union World Championship events and become a professional triathlete, earning titles in short-distance and long-distance triathlons.

Through all of these experiences and her own struggles with body image and health, Tenille recognized there is a lack of educational programs and resources for female athletes.

Today, Tenille is challenging the narrative around what a female athlete can and should be. Her mission is to empower female athletes to fulfill their athletic goals through individualized coaching, mindset, nutrition, training, and recovery.

In this episode, Sylvia and Tenille talk about Tenille’s background in sports, the importance of relationships and community, advice for women experiencing setbacks, and much more.

Topics Include:
- Tennille’s career as a synchronized swimmer
- Becoming a professional triathlete
- How Tenille measured success as an athlete
- Lessons learned as a competitive triathlete
- Tenille’s relationship with her body over time
- Tenille’s fertility journey
- The power of surrender
- Body image
- The Resilient Athlete Project
- And other topics…

Tenille Hoogland is Founder and Head Coach of Elements Sports Coaching, where she  applies evidence-based science - including the emerging field of female physiology as applied to sport - into performance-altering individualized programs and experiences.  With 20+ years of experience and education in psychology, sport nutrition, exercise physiology, sport administration, race management, active travel guiding and triathlon and bike racing at the professional and local level, Tenille works with athletes to discover personal goals in sport, understand athletes' unique physiology, fitness strengths and weaknesses, and nutrition gaps.

Before coaching full-time, Tenille led Age Group Team Canada to International Triathlon Union World Championship events, organized IRONMAN events, and was a senior planner for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Federal Secretariat. She competed as an elite, professional, and sponsored triathlete from 2007-2013 earning titles in both short distance (ITU Pan-American Cup Champion) and long-distance triathlon (2 x 70.3 IRONMAN Champion).

She earned her Master of Public Administration at Queen’s University, a Master's Certificate in Project Management at Royal Roads University, and a BA in Psychology at Western University.

Resources Mentioned:
Element Sports Coaching: https://www.elementsportscoaching.com/
Athletes Thriving in Perimenopause and Beyond: https://www.facebook.com/groups/athletesthriving/about/
Books by Brené Brown: https://brenebrown.com/books-audio/
The Practice of Groundedness by Brad Stulberg: https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Groundedness-Transformative-Feeds-Not-Crushes-Your/dp/0593329899

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https

Send a text

As part of our Season III relaunch this month, we are revisiting a few of our favorite episodes that grapple with big life themes, break down the components of change, and dive into strategies that are relevant and applicable to you today.

When Michelle Snow was young, there was no professional basketball league for women in the United States. Despite no clear path to success, and despite her doubters, Michelle dreamed that she would one day realize her dream of making a career as a professional basketball player. And did she ever!

On November 30, 2000, Michelle’s fate of making it to a professional league was sealed when she became the first woman to dunk in a nationally televised basketball game.  She hasn’t slowed down for a moment since.

In today’s episode, Sylvia and Michelle discuss what it takes to pursue your dreams, with practical advice on where to start. They discuss Michelle’s transition from athletics into business, how being raised in a trailer park shaped Michelle’s approach to work, how social norms impact the performance of female athletes, and much more.

Topics Include:
- The importance of family and a moral compass
- Michelle’s mother and the huge impact she had
- Making a plan, breaking it down into a tangible “how”
- Obsessive action
- Sharing your success
- Prioritizing giving back and mentorship
- Why “be realistic” is bad advice
- Entrepreneurship and highly successful role models like Michael Jordan
- Why we need to dream even bigger
- Affirmations and manifesting practice and morning routine
- And other topics...

Michelle Snow is an ex-professional basketball player with the WNBA and international teams. She is currently a speaker, entrepreneur & business coach. While at the University of Tennessee, Michelle played for Pat Summitt, whose 1,098 career wins are the most in NCAA basketball history. Michelle was drafted 10th overall in the 1st round of the 2002 WNBA Draft. She was nominated to both the 2005 and 2006 all-star teams. In the midst of her twelve-year career as a professional athlete, Michelle founded several companies in different industries successfully leveraging proven certification trainings and workshops. Her training materials are customizable to each person’s unique situation to quickly maximize their full potential.

Resources Mentioned:
WEBSITE – https://www.michellesnow360.com/
IG: @Michellesnow2
PODCAST – ‎Across the Pond, a Premier League Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/across-the-pond-a-premier-league-podcast/id730239274)

Books Mentioned:
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/B0006IU7JK/
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Money-Timeless-Lessons-Happiness/dp/B08D9WJ9G8/
Start With Why by Simon Sinek: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591842808/

Stay Connected:
Signup for AIR BORN, our monthly newsletter! A letter from Sylvia will show up in your inbox, with links to her latest conversations and insights.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
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