Podcast Summary: Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan

Episode: Confidence Classic: Overcome Imposter Syndrome To Go ALL-IN On Your Purpose with Michelle “Mace” Curran
Date: December 10, 2025

Overview

This episode features Michelle "Mace" Curran, former USAF fighter pilot and member of the Air Force Thunderbirds, in a candid and inspiring conversation with host Heather Monahan. Together, they explore overcoming imposter syndrome, the realities of pursuing bold career transformations, the power of vulnerability, and the vital importance of mentorship, trust, and personal purpose.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Michelle’s Unlikely Journey to Fighter Pilot

• Small Town Beginnings: Michelle shares she did not come from a military or aviation background but was an introverted, academically-driven kid from rural Wisconsin.
  • “I grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin… super shy, super quiet… But I was also driven… so kind of a dichotomy there with being pretty quiet and introverted.” (03:05)
• Accidental Inspiration: A visceral reaction upon seeing her first fighter jet during Air Force ROTC set her on a new path.
  • “I saw a jet taking off in full afterburner… and I was like, holy crap, I want to do that. It was just like a visceral reaction.” (04:16)

2. Tackling Imposter Syndrome and Early Challenges

• Persistence Amid Doubt: Michelle admits imposter syndrome was a pervasive challenge, especially as a newcomer in overwhelmingly male environments.
  • "I definitely didn't drop the imposter syndrome. It was something that I… struggled with for a lot of my career." (05:31)
• Structured Environments vs Isolation: She notes doing well in structured pilot training, but struggling after entering her first combat squadron—a transition marked by high expectations and feelings of inadequacy.
  • "It was more when I got to my first combat squadron where I suddenly felt in way over my head…" (07:15)
• Accountability Through Commitment: The obligation to fulfill her Air Force contract kept her from quitting in her toughest early days.

3. The Power of Vulnerability, Mentorship, and Authenticity

• Dismantling the “Mask of Confidence”: Both Michelle and Heather discuss the pitfalls of acting constantly confident and the competitiveness that discourages authenticity in male-dominated settings.
  • “I think it's a false assumption… that vulnerability equals weakness… But… the best leaders… were the ones that would admit when they didn’t know something.” – Michelle (00:00 & 19:35)
• Mentorship’s Transformative Role: Michelle emphasizes how eventually connecting with female pilots changed her outlook and gave her strength.
  • “There were four of us… two of the women there were further along in their careers than I was… I started to realize that all those things I was dealing with, I wasn't the only one.” (14:04)

4. Leveraging Uniqueness and Gender

• Visibility as a Tool: Being one of very few women enabled Michelle to connect and inspire audiences at air shows, especially as the only female Thunderbird pilot.
  • “My gender in [the Thunderbirds] role… was a strength. I could reach people they could never reach… I became very aware of that.” (21:21)
• Symbolic Impact: Her distinctive braid, visible in the cockpit when flying inverted, became a beacon for girls and women in the crowd.
  • “My braid would stick up… and you could actually see it from the ground… it was like this beacon to women and little girls…” (23:11)

5. Trust, Culture, and Accountability in Elite Teams

• Culture of Extreme Accountability: Detailed debriefs after every flight fostered humility, honesty, and constant improvement within the Thunderbirds.
  • “Every single flight, you sit down with all the other pilots and you analyze… everything that went wrong and how you can do it better. And there’s never a perfect flight.” (25:36)
• Psychological Safety: Michelle contrasts supportive “cultures of trust” with punitive environments, showing how real support propels people further.
  • “They talk about psychological security, right? Where you can fail and it’s okay… I call it a culture of trust.” (29:25)

6. Psychology of High Achievement: Navigating Perfectionism

• Accountability vs Self-Criticism: The constant push for improvement can blur into unhealthy perfectionism; recognizing this line and having a supportive environment is crucial.
  • “The stick works, but it’s not sustainable… I think that helped give me perspective on the mistakes… but… it would bother me. So I think it’s something I still struggle with.” (29:25)

7. Reinventing Yourself: From Pilot to Entrepreneur & Speaker

• Building “Boldness Muscles”: Michelle describes purposely choosing discomfort and challenge (“making the bold choice”) to increase her resilience.
  • “I made a conscious promise to myself… that I would make the bold choice when those chances, when those forks in the road came up…” (33:09)
• Transitioning to Purpose-Driven Work: Discovered her passion was empowering others, more than just flying—leading her to found her company and start public speaking.
  • “The part of being on the team… that I love the most… was that feeling I got when I saw… this kid… come up, and I could see it impact them… it was just so fulfilling.” (36:01)
• Courage to Leap: Michelle attributes her ability to leap into entrepreneurship to her belief in her capacity to “save herself” and her history with embracing fear.
  • “I believe in my own ability to save myself so much that I can deal with those small moments of doubt and push through them.” (39:02)

8. The Power of Purpose and Visualization

• Purpose as a Catalyst: Both attribute their resilience and growth to aligning with a sense of purpose larger than themselves.
  • “When you align with your purpose and what you’re really meant to do, there’s something so much bigger than ourselves that’s at work behind you.” – Heather (43:08)
• Visualization, Not “Woo-Woo”: Rehearsing mentally (“visualization”/“chair-flying”) is a powerful, science-backed practice they both endorse.
  • “We use [visualization] in the cockpit all the time to rehearse stuff… and I do that with speaking as well.” – Michelle (44:30)

9. Continual Growth and the Bold Choice

• Imposter Syndrome Isn’t Forever: Michelle shares her imposter moments as a new professional speaker and how again, “making the bold choice” led to success.
  • “I considered sabotaging myself… But I’m reminded again to not get in my own head.” (47:00)
• Encouragement to Listeners: Heather reinforces the value of boldness and deliberate reps in discomfort to build confidence and reshape future opportunity.

Notable Quotes

• On Vulnerability and Leadership:
  • “The best leaders… were the ones that would admit when they didn’t know something, when they didn’t have the answers… when you have those walls up all the time, it… turns out to be a weakness.” – Michelle (00:00, 19:35)
• On Imposter Syndrome:
  • “From the perspective I was at, at that point, I was in a place I shouldn’t be and I didn’t deserve to be there.” – Michelle (08:47)
• On Cultural Impact:
  • “My braid would stick up… and you could actually see it from the ground… it was like this beacon to women and little girls…” – Michelle (23:11)
• On Growth Through Discomfort:
  • “You can do that with your mind and with your level of discomfort that you can tolerate…” – Michelle (34:03)
• On Purpose and Fulfillment:
  • “The fulfillment that I felt from the secondary part of the mission… was more fulfilling than anything I ever experienced in the cockpit…” – Michelle (43:22)
• On Visualization for Success:
  • “I guess I do use visualization, and we use it in the cockpit all the time to rehearse stuff. We call it chair flying.” – Michelle (44:30)

Important Timestamps

| Time | Topic | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:05 | Michelle’s childhood and accidental pathway to flying | | 05:31 | Acknowledging, not erasing, imposter syndrome | | 07:15 | Structured training vs. first squadron isolation | | 14:04 | Finding female mentors and realizing universal struggles | | 19:35 | Vulnerability as strength; lessons from leadership | | 21:21 | Leveraging gender in the Thunderbirds for greater visibility and impact | | 23:11 | Detailed description of Thunderbird demonstration and being a visible role model | | 25:36 | How the Thunderbirds foster trust, accountability, and humility | | 29:25 | Navigating perfectionism versus healthy self-accountability | | 33:09 | “Making the bold choice” as a tool for building resilience | | 36:01 | Realizing her passion for inspiring others, not just flying | | 39:02 | Trusting herself through entrepreneurial uncertainty | | 43:08 | Purpose as the engine for risk-taking and fulfillment | | 44:30 | The role and power of visualization | | 47:00 | Facing new imposter syndrome in speaking—making the bold choice again | | 49:04 | Michelle’s contact information (Instagram & LinkedIn) |

Actionable Takeaways

• Embrace discomfort deliberately; building “boldness muscles” is a trainable, cumulative process.
• Seek and offer vulnerability and mentorship; authenticity forges deeper connections and accelerates growth.
• Foster or join environments where accountability and psychological safety are prized over punitive measures.
• Lean into purpose: aligning with what matters to you can propel you past fear and self-doubt.
• Use visualization tactically, not just for performance, but also for reducing anxiety and improving outcomes.
• Don’t let imposter syndrome drive decisions—acknowledge it, but act boldly anyway.

Connect with Michelle “Mace” Curran

• Instagram: @mace_curran
• LinkedIn: Michelle “Mace” Curran

Michelle’s story underscores that “bold choices” and honest self-work are at the root of building lasting confidence and living a purpose-driven life. Her candidness about vulnerability, trust, failure, and high performance offers a blueprint for anyone ready to go all-in.