Retaliation is the workplace consequence of courage. It’s what can happen after someone does the right thing: speaks up, reports harm, participates in an investigation, or advocates for fairness.

In aviation, we train for the unimaginable. We rehearse engine failures, electrical fires, catastrophic decompressions—not because we expect them, but because we know they might happen. Culture in the cockpit is not a perk—it is a prerequisite for safety.

Last week, I asked a question that sparked a flood of quiet nods and thoughtful messages:

“Have you ever quietly wondered if it’s time to leave your aviation/aerospace career?”

There’s a moment many of us women in aviation and aerospace face, though few of us speak it aloud:

👉🏼 Can I keep doing this?
👉🏼 How much more can I take?
👉🏼 Is it time to go?

What draws a woman into aviation?

Sometimes, it’s the spark of childhood wonder—a paper airplane tossed across a classroom. A commercial jet seen up close on a family vacation. A school project on Amelia Earhart that somehow turned into a lifelong obsession.

I’ve been in this industry for more than three decades. And in that time, I’ve weathered plenty of ups and downs—reorgs, buyouts, shutdowns, layoffs, rebrands, shifts in leadership, and changes in “strategic direction.”

This morning, the media exploded with headlines: “Historic all-female Blue Origin flight takes off!” It’s true—six women boarded New Shepard’s suborbital vehicle and successfully completed an 11-minute flight, crossing the Kármán line and experiencing a few minutes of weightlessness before safely returning to Earth.

Not long ago, I sent a straightforward and respectful connection request to an aviation executive on LinkedIn:

“With a 37-year career in aviation and aerospace, I am on a mission to exponentially increase the number of women in these industries. I would very much like to connect with you.”

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.