LinkedIn Voices: Michelle “MACE” Curran
- Bahaa Nuweihed
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Michelle “MACE” Curran is one of the most recognizable voices in modern leadership, a former U.S. Air Force Thunderbird pilot who transformed high-stakes aviation lessons into a global movement around courage, vulnerability, and high performance mindsets.
From pulling 9Gs in the F-16 to teaching Fortune 500 leaders how to overcome fear and trust themselves under pressure, MACE embodies what happens when discipline, self doubt, and conviction collide. Her book The Flipside became a national bestseller not just because of her story, but because it gives leaders a repeatable system for reframing fear as fuel.
Who Is Michelle “MACE” Curran?
Michelle Curran is a former fighter pilot, combat veteran, and the Lead Solo of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds (2019-2021), one of the most elite demonstration teams in the world. As only the fifth woman ever to fly as a Thunderbird pilot, she performed in front of millions, showcasing precision, teamwork, and mental resilience.
After 12 years of active duty service, she left the Air Force to launch a new mission:
empowering people to face fear differently.
Today, MACE is:
A national bestselling author of The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear Into Your Superpower.
A professional speaker trusted by Microsoft, Boeing, Kyndryl, AbbVie, and other global organizations.
A mindset and performance coach specializing in high pressure leadership.
A creator of workshops and training programs through her company, Upside Down Dreams.
Her storytelling blends adrenaline with practicality, turning cockpit lessons into actionable tools for everyday performers and executive leaders.
Her mission?
“To help you reframe fear, silence self doubt, and show up boldly even when the stakes are high.”
From Fear to Flight: The Turning Point
MACE’s journey didn’t begin with fearlessness. It began with fear (big, uncomfortable, and paralyzing fear.)
Early in her Air Force career, she struggled with:
Imposter syndrome
Performance anxiety
Fear of not belonging
There were moments in training flights where panic hit so hard she could hardly breathe. But instead of letting fear define her, she learned to interrogate it to flip it.
This became her signature philosophy: Fear isn’t the enemy. It’s information.
That mindset shift changed everything.
It propelled her from a hesitant pilot to the Lead Solo of the Thunderbirds responsible for some of the team’s most dynamic and high risk maneuvers.
After eleven years in a cockpit experiencing some of the most intense environments on earth, Curran left the Air Force with a new mission: helping others build courage the same way fighter pilots do through training, trust, and perspective.
Her book The Flipside captures this evolution, giving readers the mental framework that helped her transform from intimidated rookie to elite performer.
Mission: Courage at Scale
Through her speaking company and content platforms, MACE focuses on leadership with a specific lens: high performance under pressure.
Her training and keynotes teach:
How to interpret fear as data
How to build micro habits to ground yourself
How to create “debrief cultures” that normalize vulnerability and continuous improvement
How to use trust as an accelerator inside teams
She works with executive leaders, conferences, military groups, HR and L&D teams, and organizations seeking deeper emotional intelligence in stressful environments.
Her impact in numbers:
Millions reached through keynotes, TV features, and podcasts
Fortune 500 clients across tech, aviation, healthcare, and finance
National bestselling author (USA Today)
Hundreds of thousands across socials engaged in her mindset content
YouTube videos with 200k+ views on fear, aviation, and resilience
Her brand blends inspiration with systems, “courage, but with checklists.”
Themes & Message Pillars
1. Fear as a Tool, Not a Threat
MACE teaches leaders to stop avoiding fear and start analyzing it. Her framework “Invert Your Perspective” helps audiences treat fear like a cockpit warning light: a signal to interpret, not panic over.
2. The Inner Critics & Counter-Scripts
A repeatable, tactical system to identify and neutralize self doubt using short counter-scripts stored on notecards. A practical tool for moments of high pressure.
3. Micro Resets for High Stress Situations
From simply “wiggling your toes” to controlled breath resets, MACE shares tiny physical interventions that prevent cognitive overwhelm and restore focus.
4. Debrief Culture & Vulnerability in Leadership
Fighter pilots succeed because they normalize reviewing mistakes without ego. MACE teaches teams how to build the same culture of trust, candor, and continuous learning.
5. Systems Beat Motivation
She emphasizes rituals, habits, and structured preparation over hype.In elite aviation, motivation doesn’t matter at 500 mph systems do.
LinkedIn Content Strategy: Leadership in Motion
On LinkedIn, Michelle Curran’s presence is a blend of vulnerability, high performance psychology, and flight deck storytelling. Her posts regularly earn strong organic engagement, often reaching hundreds of reactions with consistent conversations in the comments.
Strategy Highlights
Short Tactical Frameworks: “Micro resets,” “Aviate Navigate Communicate,” “Next Closest Alligator,” and Inner Critics tools.
High Pressure Stories with Universal Lessons: She often begins with a cockpit moment a blackout, a panic spike, a trust challenge, and transitions into a leadership lesson.
Authenticity Through Imperfection: MACE shares moments she was afraid, overwhelmed, or doubting herself. This has become key to her credibility.
Book + Program Ecosystem: Posts often connect insights back to her bestselling book or speaker programs.
Trust + Vulnerability as High Performance Assets: A recurring theme: courage is built through vulnerability, not bravado.
Why Michelle “MACE” Curran Matters
In an age where leadership advice is often surface level, MACE brings something rare: evidence based courage from one of the most stressful professions in the world.
She represents a new breed of thought leader one who blends:
Combat-tested discipline
Has more than 41,000 followers.
Raw emotional honesty
Tactical tools anyone can apply
Storytelling that captures both the adrenaline and the humanity behind courage
Her message is simple but powerful: You don’t need fearlessness. You need tools.
And she’s helping leaders, teams, and individuals build those tools at scale.
“Fear isn’t a stop sign. It’s a signal. Learn to read it, and you’ll go further than you ever thought possible.”- Michelle “MACE” Curran
Some of Her Talks & Stories
Media Appearances
Profile Summary
Info | Detail |
Name | Michelle “MACE” Curran |
Title | Author of The Flipside; Former Lead Solo Thunderbird Pilot; Professional Speaker |
Focus | Courage, fear reframing, high-pressure leadership, resilience, team trust |
Experience | 12+ years USAF; F-16 instructor & combat veteran; Lead Solo Thunderbirds |
Programs | Keynotes, workshops, virtual events, Inner Critics system, corporate training |
Platform Reach | Strong LinkedIn presence; 200k+ video views across YouTube & TV features |
Notable Achievements | USA Today bestselling author; elite demonstration pilot; Fortune 500 speaker |
Website | |
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