227 Say It Skillfully® – Riel Erickson: Courage, Failure & Leading Where the Stakes Are High

What does it take to lead when the stakes are life-and-death, failure is inevitable, and doubt never fully disappears? In this episode of Say It Skillfully®, Molly sits down with Lieutenant Colonel Riel Erickson — one of Canada’s first female fighter pilots, senior Royal Canadian Air Force officer, instructor, and leadership mentor. Riel shares her extraordinary journey from farm life to the cockpit, revealing the internal battles behind elite performance: self-doubt, fear, identity, and resilience. She explains why embracing failure is essential to growth, how leaders create psychological safety, and what it really means to move from doing the work… to leading people… to shaping institutions. This conversation is a masterclass in grounded leadership, courage under pressure, and using humanity — not perfection — as your greatest strength. You’ll learn: • Why failure can be freeing • How to manage fear instead of eliminating it • The hidden cost of masking to fit in • What great mentors actually do • How leaders scale impact through others If you’ve ever questioned whether you belong in the room, this episode is for you. 00:00 — Introduction: Leadership Where Stakes Are High 00:01 — Riel’s Background & Breaking Barriers 02:09 — International Women’s Forum & Finding Belonging 05:57 — Early Life & Choosing the Military Path 09:17 — Culture Shock of Military Training 11:13 — Hating Pilot Training… at First 12:57 — The Freedom of Detaching Identity from Success 14:16 — “Embrace Failure” as a Life Mantra 15:18 — Discovering Love for Flying & Challenge 16:27 — Family Support & Sacrifice 19:17 — Overcoming Self-Doubt 22:29 — Managing Fear Under Pressure 26:15 — Career Path: From Pilot to Instructor to Leader 29:06 — Being the Only Woman in the Room 32:12 — Leadership & Psychological Safety 34:16 — Moving from Doing → Teaching → Leading Systems 35:32 — Work-Life Integration, Not Balance 40:07 — Mentorship That Changes Careers 44:55 — Why Mentoring Others Matters 47:10 — The Moment She Realized Her Visibility Matters