Confidence Classic: NEVER Let Imposter Syndrome Hold You Back with Michelle “Mace” Curran Former Fighter Pilot & Founder of Upside Down Dreams
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What is imposter syndrome and how can we overcome it?
I think it's a false assumption that a lot of people have that vulnerability equals weakness, equals people looking down on you, not respecting you, it hurts your credibility. But I think about the leaders that I had that I worked for throughout my career and the ones that really changed my trajectory and were the best to work for and built these amazingly cohesive teams. We're the ones that would admit when they didn't know something, when they didn't have the answers and didn't always appear confident and unwavering. There's a time for that, especially in the military. But when you have those walls up all the time, it actually, that turns out to be a weakness.
Come on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals, overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow. I'm ready for my closeup.
Tell me, have you been enjoying these new bonus confidence classics episodes we've been dropping on you every week? We've literally hundreds of episodes for you to listen to. So these bonuses are a great way to help you find the ones you may have already missed. I hope you love this one as much as I do. I'm so excited for you to meet my guest today, Michelle, or you can call her Mace Curran. She has led an impressive career as a fighter pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. From 2019 to 2021, she flew as the only female pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds and performed for millions across the country and internationally. Michelle was also named the Distinguished Alumna of the Year by the University of St. Thomas in 2021.
She's been featured on several well-known media platforms, including The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS Evening News, Glamour, and of course, today on Creating Confidence. Before joining the Thunderbirds, Michelle was a combat proven fighter pilot completing missions across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. She has a passion for pushing her limits clearly, inspiring others, and changing lives. As the lead solo for the Thunderbirds, Michelle realized that flying was cool, but the best part was inspiring others to overcome their fears and pursue their dreams just like she did. Since transitioning out of the military, she's founded her company, Upside Down Dreams, and is committed to empowering men and women of all ages to overcome obstacles and the fear of failure.
She has inspired thousands through her passion for breaking barriers, setting the example of what can be accomplished through hard work. When she isn't speaking, she volunteers. I mean, this woman has an amazing family. She's living her best life. Michelle, thank you so much for being here with us today. It's a pleasure to be here, Heather. When people hear about you being a fighter jet pilot, I mean, it sounds so crazy looking at you and seeing this very attractive young woman You assume in your mind, and I know it's not the case, but I want you to share with everyone. I assume in my mind, like you grew up in this military family. You were groomed from day one to like fly jets. And you've always had this passion for flying and fighting. But tell me, is that what it was like growing up in your life?
No, definitely not. People, when I was on the Thunderbirds, would always be like, how did you get to this spot? Which is just such an open-ended question. I was like, well, how much time do you have? But I always would say that I kind of just stumbled into it, which is half joking, but sort of true. I grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin. kind of in the middle of nowhere. I grew up in the country. I was a really outdoorsy kid, very adventurous, but super shy, super quiet. I would be the last kid in class that would want to get in front of my peers, that would want to raise my hand. I was just a little bit of a wallflower. And I was also driven though. So kind of a dichotomy there with being pretty quiet and introverted.
But behind the scenes, I was working my butt off, which led to me being A straight A student, which eventually opened up a bunch of doors for me, but not a military family, not an aviation family. I never went to a single air show as a child, which is so funny now, but I needed a way to pay for college and Air Force ROTC kind of filtered to the top. after exploring some options.
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Chapters
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