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Martha is an inspiring example of what’s possible if you never, ever, ever give up.
Her keynotes provide leaders and teams with a proven model to use in their business and life.
She gives audiences the courage to be honest about who they are, the path to break free from their past wounds/failures, and the strategy to live the life they really want.
Colonel McSally’s Journey Embodies Resilience, Courage, Leadership, and Boundless Achievement
Dad dies suddenly of heart attack when she was 12
Survives sexual abuse by high school coach and sexual assault in military
Distinguished Graduate U.S. Air Force Academy & Harvard Masters in Public Policy
Won women’s military division of grueling Hawaii Ironman Triathlon
Fought and won 8-year battle with Pentagon over treatment of servicewomen in Saudi Arabia
1st woman in U.S. history to command a fighter squadron, earning the Bronze Star
Deployed 6 times to Middle East and Afghanistan, 325 combat hours in A-10 Warthog, Bronze Star and 6 air medals; won multiple Top Gun awards
#1 in class of 261 senior military officers at Air War College (Masters in Security Studies)
Climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, Mt Blanc, Mt Monch; earns paragliding license
Retired from Air Force as a Colonel
U.S. Senator and U.S. Congresswoman
In-demand keynote speaker, corporate board director, executive coach
“By the time we finished Martha’s presentation, it was evident what type of skills and psychology are needed to succeed. Martha was able to demonstrate how to succeed despite any circumstances or what life might throw at you. She painted a picture of what success looks like and how all of us can continue building character to get there.”
ALEX YASTREBENETSKY
CEO/CO-FOUNDER INFOTRUST
(Fortune Magazine Best Place to Work, 8 Times Inc 5000 Fast-Growing Company)
Martha sends audiences soaring out the room feeling confident, engaged, and empowered with actionable insights for real-time application.
With riveting frankness and humor, Martha shares her personal life lessons and formula for success—providing attendees with a proven system to conquer fear, create trusted teams, and face any challenge with agility.
She believes that no one is born courageous. Courage can be learned, and she has the unique ability to teach it to your team. She demonstrates HOW each of us can succeed when we are expected to fail—by learning how to embrace fear and overcome our perceived limits.
Martha inspires everyone to turn their challenges into opportunities, to break barriers and paradigms, to endure turbulence… and to find their personal pathway to fulfillment, purpose, and joy.
Get ready to see your team members on their feet, fueled up and ready to soar!
Helping audiences connect with the values of who they truly are
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face throughout life is the ability to confidently know and declare who you are. Whether you’re trying to level up in your career or thrive in your personal life, you can’t move forward if you avoid what’s held you back in the past.
Martha McSally’s experience as a pioneering decorated fighter pilot, trauma survivor, and in-demand speaker has taught her that facing your fears and negative experiences head-on is the key to conquering them and allowing your actions to be dictated by your true self instead of just what you feel.
If you want to create your 10x future and live the life you desire and deserve, you have to connect to and declare: I am… instead of defining yourself by what you’ve experienced, what others want, how you feel, or what you’re afraid of, Martha’s process is built around connecting with who you truly are to thrive, elevate, and transcend.
By acknowledging the impact your past has had on how you see yourself and how you act today, you will shed your limiting beliefs, face and heal from negative life experiences, and build routines and decisions that align with your core identity. Then, you can unapologetically create the life and future you want freed from the things that have been holding you back.
From Tragedy To Triumph
Devastated at age 12 by her father’s death, Martha made his dying words “make me proud” her life’s motto.
A rape and sexual abuse survivor, she refused to let these traumas hold her back and instead turned them into jet fuel to propel her flight path and fight for others.
A standout cadet at the Air Force Academy, she was told she couldn’t be a fighter pilot just because she was a girl and it was against the law! That pissed her off.
Telling her NO and that her dream was impossible fueled her desire even more. She refused to give up.
She made history by becoming America’s first woman to command a fighter squadron.
A decorated aviator, she took on the Pentagon on behalf of women and WON. She fought for 8 years to overturn discriminatory policies towards servicewomen deployed to Saud Arabia. Martha put her career on the line, sued the Secretary of Defense, then drafted legislation that passed unanimously.
She became a top Ironman triathlete, mountain climber, paragliding pilot, and adventurer.
And she lives her value of “never walk by a problem” by turning her frustration with politicians into action. She served four years in the U.S. House of Representatives and two years as a U.S. Senator.
Remarkable Achievements
During her 26-year military career, Martha was deployed six times to the Middle East and Afghanistan, flying 325 combat hours, 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 set up a U.S. Africa Command from scratch, building a complex organization with limited time and resources.
She then led all African continent operations, including counterterrorism and disaster relief.
She excelled in this role because of her leadership skills and her expertise in strategic planning, process creation, knowledge management, logistics, and operations.
Colonel McSally is a values-driven trailblazer who demonstrates courage and integrity in her leadership.
And it’s the combination of skills, perseverance and leadership qualities that makes Martha one of America’s most sought-after speakers.
“She brings a level of engagement that you just don’t get with most motivational speakers.”
John Ratliff
Scaling Up
For latest insights, ideas, and encouragement from Martha.
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