Joining us on the AVIATE with Shaesta podcast this week is Rucsandra Magdalena Mihai, Founder and Managing Partner at Train Aviation in Romania. Rucsandra also serves as the Vice President of Women in Corporate Aviation. Mahai has over 30 years of experience working as a Corporate Flight Attendant, flying predominately in Africa, Europe, and the United States. Her company offers Silver Service for Corporate flight attendant training, EASA Cabin Crew training, and more. In our conversation, Rucsa...
Apr 19, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 5
"Every woman's success should be an inspiration to another. We're strongest when we cheer each other on." Our guest this week on the AVIATE with Shaesta podcast is Laura Heltebran. Laura received a Bachelor and Doctor of Law from George Mason University. She serves as a C-suit executive- the Chief Legal Officer at Wheels Up. During her free time, Laura takes flight lessons and works towards her Private Pilot License. Heltebran has worked and represented Fortune 500 companies like The Coca-Cola C...
Apr 12, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 4
According to We Are Tech Women, role models can be a vital influence on anyone's career, providing guidance, support, advice, and much more. This is especially true for women in technology, where it can be hard to establish yourself. This encouraged us to find an inspiring young woman who is paving her path in aviation and Tech. Our guest this week on the AVIATE with Shaesta podcast is Angelina Tsboui. Angelina has been solving problems through her passion for computer coding and building apps s...
Apr 05, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Our guest this week is Madelyne Paulk, the Marketing and Communications Manager at Jet It. I recently met Madelyne at an aviation conference, and I was drawn to how genuine, professional, and personable she is. Moments after speaking with her, I immediately knew she would be a great guest to feature on this podcast, and her perspective on diversity and inclusion would be valuable to the audience. Madelyne had some reservations initially because she was new to aviation, which was precisely why he...
Mar 29, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 2
The launch of season four of the AVIATE with Shaesta is here. This week's special guest is Zahra Hirani, the Chief Financial Officer of Boeing Capital Corporation. Zahra has a compelling story that I resonate with. In 1972, Hirani and her family were expelled from their home in Uganda and were placed in a refugee camp in the United Kingdom. Eventually, Zahra and her family settled in Canada, where she would spend her early years figuring out her place in the world and her passions. With her pare...
Mar 22, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Our guest in this episode is Director Vanessa Wyche from the NASA Johnson Space Center. Wyche is a dual alumna of Clemson University, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering. She began her career at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and eventually found her way to NASA in 1989. At NASA, Vanessa has served in different positions, like Project Manager within the Space and Life Science Directorate. In this role, Wyche applied her engineering background towards develo...
Nov 18, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Dr. Saralyn Mark is a world-renowned leader in women's health and precision innovation. She founded SolaMed Solutions, LLC, a premier consulting firm, and iGIANT®, a nonprofit accelerator for gendered innovation, to provide scientific and strategic direction and public outreach for agencies, academia, industry, and professional and advocacy organizations. Dr. Mark served as the Senior Scientific Policy Advisor to the White House and the Senior Medical Advisor to HHS and NASA. She holds four acad...
Oct 27, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Our guest today, Kendra Kincade, wears several hats, but she is most recognized as a celebrated Canadian Air Traffic Controller and Founder/Chair at Elevate Aviation. Kendra’s introduction to aviation came later in life at age 24. She was a single mother of four with no aviation background at the time. At age 13, Kendra ran away from home and eventually settled in a foster home. She got married at age 18 and started growing her family. When Kendra found herself going through a divorce, hope seem...
Oct 07, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Our guest today is aviation attorney Alina Nassar. Alina was born and raised in Costa Rica. Her father, an attorney, also had a love for aviation that was passed along to Alina. As a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the prestigious university in Belgium, KU Lueven, Alina practices Aviation and Competition Law as a partner in her home country. I met Alina a few years back when she became the president of the International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA). She was relatively yo...
Sep 22, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 4
As a young girl growing up in Atlanta, chemistry and math were a passion for Stephanie Espy, our podcast guest, this week. This passion followed Stephanie to college, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT. Upon earning her degree, Stephanie became one of the women who earned 19 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering, as well as one of the minority women awarded 3 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering. Stephanie went on to further her education by gr...
Sep 13, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Our guest today is the extraordinary Jessica Cox. Jessica is the world’s first licensed armless pilot, as well as the first armless black belt in Taekwondo and a certified Suba diver. Born with a rare birth defect, Jessica adapted to life without arms by using her feet to support her everyday activities. In my conversation with Jessica, we talked about changing the narrative, breaking barriers, and how she is setting up aviation to be more supportive of people who have disabilities. Learn more a...
Aug 30, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Our guest today, to launch us into season three, is Lalitya Dhavala. Lalitya, who joined me from London, is an aviation consultant working for Ascend, the consultancy arm of the aviation analytics firm Cirium, aerospace engineer, and Board member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Originally from India, Lalitya grew up in the United Arab Emirates in a passionate family about education. Following in her father’s footsteps, Lalitya decided to become an engineer at a young age. In 2013, she receive...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Our guest today, who will conclude season two of the AVIATE with Shaesta podcast, is Colonel Nicole Malachowski. At age 5, during a time when women were not permitted to fly for the military, Nicole knew that someday, she would fly a fighter jet. Finishing fourth in her class, Nicole graduated from pilot training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, and was selected for the only F-15E slot allotted to her class. Nicole has served in a few operational tours and went into combat for the United States Air...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 10
Vanessa Blacknall-Jamison is our podcast guest today. Some of you may be familiar with Vanessa’s leadership from OBAP (the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals) or her advocacy and hard work with the FAA. Vanessa grew up in Denver, Colorado, and was introduced to aviation by her mother, a Flight Attendant talent recruiter. Inspired by her mother’s ability to connect with people and her work in aviation, Vanessa started her career as a Flight Attendant. In the last 40-plus years, Vanessa...
May 11, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Today, our guest is a corporate pilot, Founder and President of the Hera Aviation Group, and mommy of two, Jessica Webster. As a Massachusetts native, Jessica attended airshows with her family and admired the aircraft from afar. It wasn't until the Commander of a P-3 Orion invited Jessica to sit on the aircraft's wing with the crew that she believed aviation was a career possibility. It was a defining moment that inspired her to pursue flight. After a non-linear path to becoming a corporate pilo...
May 04, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Joining me on this episode of the AVIATE with Shaesta podcast is the CEO and President of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Amy Spowart. Amy grew up in central Pennsylvania and took a non-traditional route in aviation. Her first flight experience was when she was 19 years old on a TWA flight. Although Amy had her hesitations about flying for the first time, this was a big deal back home in her hometown, where people didn’t travel much. During her twenties, Amy lived in England, and when she ca...
Apr 26, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Our guest today is the Chief Executive Officer of The Registry of Aruba, Alexandria (Alex) Colindres. Alex had fond childhood memories of spending her summers at The Registry of Aruba, which is a company founded by her dad. Although she was surrounded by business aviation, Alex had a soaring interest in the arts. After receiving a bachelor’s in fine arts and a master’s in art management from Columbia College Chicago, Alex started her art career in Miami, working for an Art Gallery and Spinello P...
Apr 04, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Today, our guest, Shelley Svoren, is the Founder and CEO of Infinite Branches, which connects and transforms business aviation investments. With over 30 years of experience in finance, Shelley received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon in Finance, Economics, International Business, and Scandinavian Studies. Her interest in aviation came from her father, who served in the marine corp, but because she didn’t see people in aviation who looked like her, she didn’t explore the inter...
Mar 25, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Our guest today is Guyanese American pilot Beverly Drake. In the 1970’s Beverley became one of Guyana’s first female pilots, flying both military for the Guyana Defense Force and commercial operations for Guyana Airways. By the end of the 1970s, Beverly left her country as a celebrated aviator, got married, had her first child while settling in America, and embarked on a different career track as an analyst for Goldman Sachs. Longing to return to aviation, Drake decided to work as an investigato...
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Our guest today is Kimberly Perkins who is a Gulfstream 650 Captain, writer, researcher, and mother to two adorable girls. Discovering the possibility of an aviation career during a college campus tour, Kimberly was determined to earn her wings to fly. After building her flight time and finding unique ways to instruct pilots, Kimberly landed a job flying a CRJ for a US regional air carrier. When the 2008 recession hit, impacting air travel, Kimberly moved to a different continent to operate a CR...
Mar 08, 2022•55 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Carole Hopson, our guest today, is a New Jersey native who took notice of the airplanes flying above her in the sky at the young age of four. Although she admired flight because she didn't see other black women pilots, let alone pilots who wore glasses like her, Carole didn't consider an aviation career. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and a master's in journalism from Columbia University. Carole's impressive career path includes being a journalist, work...
Feb 27, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Rachel Jacobson, President of the Drone Racing League, is our guest launching us into season two, centering our conversation on the Act theme in AVIATE. A New Jersey Native, Rachel graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's in Hotel and Business Management. Rachel spent 21 years at the National Basketball Association (NBA), where her career culminated as the Senior Vice President of Business Development. Rachel pivoted from the NBA and followed her other passion in tech by joining Landi...
Feb 20, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Zara Rutherford, the Youngest Woman to Fly Solo Around the World, joins me in the exclusive conversation where we discuss her historic and inspiring trip around the world. On January 20, 2022, Zara broke my record of being the youngest woman to fly solo around the world at the young age of 19, capturing the hearts of so many who followed her flight. As we launched season two of the podcast, it is important to capture this historical moment of two earth-rounder women coming together to share thei...
Feb 20, 2022•45 min
Michael Wildes, our Executive Producer for Aviate with Shaesta, joins for a very special season one, three-part series recap. Michael stays busy. Outside of his role as Producer, Michael is the Business Editor for Flying Magazine and sits on the board of Dreams Soar. Michael is also a pilot, recently working at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a Check-Pilot. In this episode, you’ll hear how the podcast came together from its inception, and hear how we worked behind the scenes for many mon...
Dec 14, 2021•27 min
Michael Wildes, Executive Producer for Aviate with Shaesta returns for this second episode of a three-part season one review. This time we discuss our favorite moments of the season. Did Michael answer fully? You decide. She reveals why it was important to lead off with Mental Health and we briefly outline our plans for more. Michael shares what he learned from Ariel Tweto’s episode. Finally, we gush about Stephanie Chung. In this episode: Mental Health with Airline Pilot, Linda Berlin, Pioneers...
Dec 14, 2021•21 min
In this final of three-part season one review series, Michael Wildes, Executive Producer for Aviate with Shaesta returns. Michael joins to talk about why he’s a “superfan” of Patty Wagstaff: hint, she’s a 3-peat legend. Shaesta shares the pressure women face to be perfect, as we review Episode 7 with Erika Armstrong. Michael wants to know if Shaesta feels pressure to be perfect. Is there a premium to being a woman in a male-dominated space? Also, we reveal and discuss why the episode with Kiah E...
Dec 14, 2021•17 min
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 14, 2021•5 min
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 14, 2021•6 min
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 14, 2021•5 min
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 14, 2021•7 min
