One of the First 100 Women to FLY a BLACK HAWK | with Elizabeth McCormick

Before she wore a flight suit, she was working in a pizza shop with a degree she couldn’t use.

In this episode, retired U.S. Army Black Hawk pilot Elizabeth McCormick shares how she went from unexpected career detours to becoming one of the first 100 women to fly the Black Hawk helicopter in the Army. She opens up about what it took to survive Warrant Officer Candidate School, where women had to meet the same physical standards as men. Running in boots, carrying gear, and enduring grueling training whittled seven women down to just two. But the biggest battle was the mental one. As the only woman in her flight school class, Elizabeth faced open hostility from a biased instructor who tried to make her fail, but she refused to quit. Instead, she took the controls and rewrote the script, both in the cockpit and in her life.

Now a disabled veteran and sought-after motivational speaker, Elizabeth has built a thriving career helping others tap into their potential. She shares how her PILOT framework — potential, implementation, leadership, optimal performance, and tenacity — empowers people to push past limitations, rise under pressure, and take control of their own path.