Michelle 'Mace' Curran

But I was able to acknowledge it and have perspective on it and realize that my perspective on where I was didn't always match up with the truth and with reality. And it's like super easy to write this narrative in your head. And it can be very difficult to actually shed light on how everyone else sees it. And sometimes it takes other people's perspectives to be like, oh, I'm actually doing great.

But I was able to acknowledge it and have perspective on it and realize that my perspective on where I was didn't always match up with the truth and with reality. And it's like super easy to write this narrative in your head. And it can be very difficult to actually shed light on how everyone else sees it. And sometimes it takes other people's perspectives to be like, oh, I'm actually doing great.

But I was able to acknowledge it and have perspective on it and realize that my perspective on where I was didn't always match up with the truth and with reality. And it's like super easy to write this narrative in your head. And it can be very difficult to actually shed light on how everyone else sees it. And sometimes it takes other people's perspectives to be like, oh, I'm actually doing great.

Because there was a point earlier on when someone could have told me that over and over and over, and it wouldn't have mattered. It would have just bounced off and I would have gone home that day and been like... I'm not good enough to be here. But I learned to control that with some practice over time.

Because there was a point earlier on when someone could have told me that over and over and over, and it wouldn't have mattered. It would have just bounced off and I would have gone home that day and been like... I'm not good enough to be here. But I learned to control that with some practice over time.

Because there was a point earlier on when someone could have told me that over and over and over, and it wouldn't have mattered. It would have just bounced off and I would have gone home that day and been like... I'm not good enough to be here. But I learned to control that with some practice over time.

Practice is huge. What about mentors? Was there anybody there mentoring you that was really pulling you along?

Practice is huge. What about mentors? Was there anybody there mentoring you that was really pulling you along?

Practice is huge. What about mentors? Was there anybody there mentoring you that was really pulling you along?

So initially I did not have a mentor and I did not seek one out when I should have. When I was in that part of my career where I was really new and everything felt very overwhelming, I also felt like I had to prove myself in this new culture that I didn't really naturally fit in with, being a little bit more reserved.

So initially I did not have a mentor and I did not seek one out when I should have. When I was in that part of my career where I was really new and everything felt very overwhelming, I also felt like I had to prove myself in this new culture that I didn't really naturally fit in with, being a little bit more reserved.

So initially I did not have a mentor and I did not seek one out when I should have. When I was in that part of my career where I was really new and everything felt very overwhelming, I also felt like I had to prove myself in this new culture that I didn't really naturally fit in with, being a little bit more reserved.

You've seen Top Gun and the personalities portrayed on there are very type A, in-your-face, confident, bordering on arrogant in the movie, but... And that's the arrogance part isn't really true, but the confidence part is true. And I just didn't feel like I naturally fit into that. And so one of the big ways that I dealt with that is I did not want to show weakness. I did not want to ask for help.

You've seen Top Gun and the personalities portrayed on there are very type A, in-your-face, confident, bordering on arrogant in the movie, but... And that's the arrogance part isn't really true, but the confidence part is true. And I just didn't feel like I naturally fit into that. And so one of the big ways that I dealt with that is I did not want to show weakness. I did not want to ask for help.

You've seen Top Gun and the personalities portrayed on there are very type A, in-your-face, confident, bordering on arrogant in the movie, but... And that's the arrogance part isn't really true, but the confidence part is true. And I just didn't feel like I naturally fit into that. And so one of the big ways that I dealt with that is I did not want to show weakness. I did not want to ask for help.

I had to prove myself. And so it's very difficult to find a mentor and develop a deep relationship with anyone when you're afraid to be vulnerable with anyone in any of your peers, anyone in your career field. Um, as I got into it a couple of years, I started to find other women, other female fighter pilots.

I had to prove myself. And so it's very difficult to find a mentor and develop a deep relationship with anyone when you're afraid to be vulnerable with anyone in any of your peers, anyone in your career field. Um, as I got into it a couple of years, I started to find other women, other female fighter pilots.

I had to prove myself. And so it's very difficult to find a mentor and develop a deep relationship with anyone when you're afraid to be vulnerable with anyone in any of your peers, anyone in your career field. Um, as I got into it a couple of years, I started to find other women, other female fighter pilots.

The community is so small that we kind of seek each other out when we end up in the same country or city together. And so there were four of us. Masao, Japan was where I was first stationed. So way up North in Japan, where they get a ton of snow, very isolated. There ended up being four of us. And Two of the women there were further along in their careers than I was.

The community is so small that we kind of seek each other out when we end up in the same country or city together. And so there were four of us. Masao, Japan was where I was first stationed. So way up North in Japan, where they get a ton of snow, very isolated. There ended up being four of us. And Two of the women there were further along in their careers than I was.