Sylvia talks to Sarah Halas, flight instructor and mountain guide. Challenging assumptions and defying gender roles from the beginning, she has built her life around a love for exploring and pushing limits of endurance, 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 and trusting yourself to color outside the lines.

Dawn Cook was introduced to the world of flight by her mother, a flight attendant. 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. In this episode, Sylvia and Dawn discuss Dawn’s journey, the role of mentorship for women, starting F.A.S.T. (Female Aviators Sticking Together) and more.

Sylvia talks to Vanessa Blakeley, a certified pilot by 17 who experienced a a family tragedy during her junior year of college, changing the trajectory of her life. A decade later, Vanessa rekindled her love for flying while teaching English in Spain and commit herself to a life in aviation.

Merryl Tengesdal is one of aviation's most fascinating women. With accomplished careers in both the Navy and the Air Force, Merryl’s perhaps most notable achievement is being the only African American woman to fly the United States Air Force's U-2 aircraft, a spy plane used for specialized high-altitude reconnaissance missions. As a leader, mother, author, philanthropist, and more, Merryl inspires people from all walks of life to believe in themselves and chase their dreams.

In this episode, Sylvia and Michelle talk about Michelle's path to becoming a fighter pilot, the experience of being a Thunderbird during the pandemic, the flyover at the Superbowl, the power of change to enable dreams, the birth of "Upside Down Dreams", and why she views empathy as her superpower.

In this episode, Sylvia speaks with Pilot Carole Hopson. Before becoming a pilot, Carole spent decades working in various corporate careers from journalist to an executive-level employee in human resources. Carole stepped away from her corporate career to pursue her dream of flying, and it has taken her to places she couldn’t have imagined.

In 2011, award-winning executive creative director Libby DeLana challenged herself to walk every day for 30 days. Libby has recently discovered another way to slow down and gain perspective – learning to fly! In today’s episode, Sylvia and Libby discuss how to shift to higher consciousness in simple and accessible ways, overcoming limitations, the power of slowing down, cold plunging, and much more.

Where is your growth edge? What action can you take today to push yourself outside of your comfort zone?

Sylvia takes questions from When Women Fly listeners in this first installment of the Ask Me Anything series. She explores finding your growth edge, stepping outside our comfort zone, and how committing to a practice that challenges us can push us towards growth.

This week we talk to Shaesta Waiz, the first certified civilian female pilot from Afghanistan who's global flight earned her a record the youngest woman to fly solo around the world in a single engine aircraft. Shaesta has a burning desire to help others like her – underserved as a youth - to work hard, never give up and follow their dreams. As an Earthrounder, Shaesta's story is layered with grit and determination alongside a deep desire to serve.