Kim “KC” Campbell is a retired Colonel who served in the Air Force for over 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. She has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2003, Kim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission.
As a senior military leader, Kim has led hundreds of Airmen both at home and abroad in deployed locations and enabled them to succeed in their missions. She has experience leading complex organizations and driving cultural change. Kim knows what it takes to be a successful leader, to inspire and empower high performance teams to achieve success. Kim is passionate about leadership and feels strongly that leaders earn trust by leading with courage and connecting with their team.
-
Quick Episode Summary:
Kim "KC" Campbell shares lessons on courage, mistakes, leadership, and resilience.
-
🌟 Torch Takeaways:
- Courage is about action, not the absence of fear
- Learning from mistakes—and moving forward—is essential
- Positive self-talk can help conquer nerves and self-doubt
- Trust, authenticity, and connection are at the heart of leadership
- Gratitude for the team makes the mission possible
-
Chapters:
00:00 Podcast Guest Pursuit Journey
04:15 Pilot's Challenges and Lessons
09:03 Reflecting on the Challenger Experience
10:51 Enjoy the Journey
12:50 Chief Robinson's Inspiring Leadership Mentorship
16:59 Airplane Incident and Aftermath
20:38 Courage in Fearful Moments
24:01 Redefining Leadership Expectations
28:46 "Write Your Own Success Story"
32:30 "Flying with Reassuring Leader Spanky"
33:01 Gas Mask Drill Recollection
39:27 "Book's Message"
Connect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartin
More Amazing Stories:
Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure
Episode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way
Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.