I had the privilege of attending the opening session of WAI2025, where Lynda Coffman, CEO of Women in Aviation International, delivered what I can only describe as a thunderclap of a keynote. It wasn’t polished to perfection—it was raw, righteous, and real.

This week, Denver becomes the epicenter of aviation inspiration as the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference kicks off—right in our own backyard.

In male-dominated fields like aviation and aerospace, women face a unique challenge: the constant need to prove their worth. Whether we’re engineers, pilots, executives, or technicians, we often find ourselves in roles where we’re the only woman at the table or one of a few in the room. In these spaces, there’s an unspoken expectation that we must be exceptional—not only to excel in our jobs but to “justify” our place. For women, this often translates into bending over backwards, making sacrifices, and putting personal needs on hold just to keep up.