The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower

by Michelle "MACE" Curran

Top Gun’s Maverick might have declared he had “a need for speed,” and that’s fun Hollywood dialogue, but my “why” in the fighter jet was the same why I have in my life: to live authentically while making a positive impact for others, and to have a blast doing it. That has been true from the day I set a goal to become a fighter pilot, and it remains true in my motivation for pivoting out of the military and for writing this book. How that positive impact for others is created has evolved over time, but it has always been part of my why. I’ve asked myself why I’d joined the military, why I wanted to fly, and what was most important to me. The answer: I had wanted to see the world, be part of an exceptional team, and serve my country. I wanted to do something that felt fulfilling and exciting. By the end of my flying career, I had done all of those things and more. I learned so much, so fast, as a fighter pilot, and a lot of what I learned applies to everyday life. You may not need to know how to engage in a dogfight up in the air, but you can use a lot of the mental skills and coping hacks that fighter pilots develop. My why centers around teaching others what I’ve learned, all the while being my true self and having fun.