Martha McSally
Col. Martha McSally, USAF (Ret.) on Finding Your Wingman
Martha McSally
Keynote Speaker
America’s 1st Female Combat Fighter Pilot; U.S. Senator and Representative (2015-2020); Author
“The one thing that has made my life turn out differently from what I expected is that I stopped waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect set of conditions, and the perfect answer.” – Col. Martha McSally, USAF (Ret.)
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Martha McSally's speaking fee: Under $25,000
Colonel (ret) Martha E. McSally is a pioneering combat-proven leader, inspiring speaker, and celebrated author. McSally is a compelling example of overcoming adversity and fear to achieve extraordinary feats. Losing her dad at the age of 12 and surviving sexual abuse and assault, she persevered to become the 1st woman in U.S. history to fly a fighter jet in combat and command a fighter squadron in combat. Along her journey, McSally had to overcome significant obstacles including U.S. law prohibiting women from flying combat jets. She persevered, held onto her dreams, continued to excel, and shattered glass ceilings.
During her 26-year military career, McSally deployed six times to the Middle East and Afghanistan, flying 325 combat hours and earning the Bronze Star and six Air Medals. As a commander of her A-10 squadron, she oversaw $500M in assets and $40M in annual resources and was responsible to deploy her unit worldwide with just 24-hours’ notice. McSally was deployed to Saudi Arabia on 9/11 and became a key leader in planning and executing initial air operations in Afghanistan. As a Colonel, she was hand-picked as initial cadre to stand up U.S. Africa Command from scratch, building a complex organization with limited time and resources. She then led oversight of all African continent operations, including counterterrorism and disaster relief. This experience built on her expertise in strategic planning, process creation/improvement, knowledge management, logistics, and operations.
Colonel McSally is a values-driven trailblazer who demonstrates courage and integrity in her leadership, even when coming at a personal cost. She bravely took on the Pentagon in an 8-year battle to overturn discriminatory policies towards servicewomen deployed to Saudi Arabia—and won.
McSally knows how to build excellent teams founded in camaraderie, trust, and the ability to perform under pressure when the stakes are extremely high. She now takes these lessons from the cockpit and the skies of Afghanistan to equip your team to reach maximum potential as high performing individuals and significantly contributing teams within your organization.
McSally holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government, a Masters in Strategic Studies from the Air War College where she graduated #1 in her class out of 261 senior military officers, and is a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. As a continuation of her service to our country and others and commitment to not walk by a problem, she served four years in the U.S. House of Representatives and two years as a U.S. Senator, which is not the focus of her writing. (She often quips it was the least interesting thing she has done in her life!) She is the author of Dare to Fly—Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up, which motivates readers to overcome fear and adversity to achieve their full potential. McSally lives in Tucson, AZ where she enjoys hiking with her rescue Golden Retriever Boomer, running, and paragliding.
Through determination, discipline and grit, McSally has run over a dozen marathons, won three national military triathlon championships, and competed in two Ironman triathlons including the grueling Hawaii Ironman world championship where she won the women’s military division and placed 12th in the world in her age group. She also summited many peaks including Mt Kilimanjaro (highest mountain in Africa at 19,340 ft) and Mt Blanc (highest in Western Europe). She is a force of nature who inspires you to find your courage and fly!
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Martha McSally
Col. Martha McSally, USAF (Ret.) on Finding Your Wingman
Martha McSally’s Speech Topics
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BE UNBREAKABLE: The Courage to Rise and Get Stronger from Life’s Hits
Face Fear, Navigate Adversity, and Move Forward Stronger
At some point, life hits everyone. A setback you didn’t see coming. A loss that changes everything. A moment that makes you question what comes next. Most people aren’t prepared for those moments. We’re taught to push through, distract ourselves, or wait for things to get better. But real resilience doesn’t come from avoiding difficulty. It comes from how you respond when things get hard. The difference isn’t talent or luck. It’s whether you’re willing to face reality and take the next step forward. Martha’s life has been shaped by moments that could have stopped her. She lost her father at a young age. She survived abuse and assault. She fought for nearly a decade to become a fighter pilot when the law said she couldn’t. She didn’t avoid those moments. She moved through them. And those experiences shaped how she leads and what she teaches today.
The Framework
Martha introduces the WEDGE Framework, a practical approach for navigating adversity and building real resilience:
• Who Am I: Anchor yourself in who you are
• Examine: Understand your reactions and patterns
• Drop the Drag: Let go of fear and limiting beliefs
• Gaze: Focus forward with clarity and intention
• Execute: Take action, even when the path isn’t fully clear
What Audiences Walk Away With
• A stronger, more grounded mindset
• Greater clarity in the face of adversity
• Tools for navigating fear and uncertainty
• The confidence to take the next step forward
• A practical way to keep moving, even when things are hard
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BE UNBREAKABLE: The Leadership Edge in Uncertain Times
Lead Yourself First with Courage. Adapt with Agility. Accelerate Growth.
Leadership today moves faster than ever. The margin for error is thinner. Markets shift overnight. AI is reshaping industries in real time. Teams are navigating uncertainty, burnout, and constant change. Most leaders know what to do. The challenge is what happens under pressure. When the stakes rise, even strong leaders hesitate. They overanalyze. They default to safe. They react instead of leading. This is a self-leadership problem. Martha learned that hesitation has consequences during her time leading combat missions. Later, in Congress and the Senate, the pressure looked different, but the leadership stakes were just as real. Today, she works with CEOs and leadership teams navigating that same reality: high pressure, high visibility, and no room for hesitation.
The Framework
Martha introduces the WEDGE Framework, a practical system for leading yourself first:
• Who Am I: Define who you are as a leader
• Examine: Identify patterns that show up under pressure
• Drop the Drag: Let go of what’s holding you back
• Gaze: Get clear on where you’re leading
• Execute: Take focused, aligned action
What Audiences Walk Away With
• Lead with clarity under pressure
• Make faster, better decisions
• Build trust and alignment across teams
• Navigate uncertainty without losing momentum
• Step into leadership instead of reacting
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BE UNBREAKABLE: The High-Trust Team Advantage
Build Teams That Communicate Clearly, Move Fast, and Deliver Under Pressure
Teams don’t break when things are easy. They break under pressure. Deadlines tighten. Priorities shift. Information is incomplete. And the small cracks start to show. Communication breaks down. People protect their turf. Decisions slow down because trust isn’t there. On paper, the team may look strong. But talent alone doesn’t create execution. Trust does. Martha learned this flying combat missions and leading as a squadron commander, where communication had to be clear, decisions had to be fast, and trust had to be absolute. If trust broke down, the mission was at risk. Those same dynamics show up in organizations every day.
The Framework
Martha introduces the WEDGE Framework, a practical approach for building high-trust, high-performance teams:
• Who Am I: Understand how individual leadership impacts the team
• Examine: Identify behaviors that strengthen or weaken trust
• Drop the Drag: Remove friction, silos, and hidden tension
• Gaze: Align around mission, priorities, and direction
• Execute: Move forward with accountability and clarity
What Audiences Walk Away With
• Stronger trust across teams
• Clearer, more direct communication
• Better alignment around priorities
• Increased accountability at every level
• Faster, more confident execution
Works by Martha McSally
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Martha McSally
Dare to Fly: Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up
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