MACE shakes up your perception of failure, makes you relate to her experiences, and challenges you to get vulnerable and take action to be bold and learn from your experiences to grow!?
Michelle Curran
Combat Veteran: USAF Thunderbird Lead Solo, F-16 Fighter Pilot
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Las Vegas, Nevada
Michelle Curran
Biography
Michelle “MACE” Curran is a highly sought-after international speaker known for her dynamic storytelling and expertise in overcoming fear and self-doubt. A former fighter pilot, she spent 13 years in the U.S. Air Force and made history as only the second woman to fly as the Lead Solo Pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds, performing for hundreds of millions worldwide.
Mace has inspired teams at Microsoft, Boeing, John Deere, SpaceX, Purina, PwC, and more—helping them move from hesitation to decisive action. Her insights have been featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS Mornings, Glamour, and other major media outlets.
Beyond the stage, Mace is an avid writer. She has authored hundreds of articles on personal growth, multiple children's books—including the bestselling Upside Down Dreams—and her newest book, The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear Into Your Superpower, debuted in the top 20 on the USA Today Bestseller list. She also reaches millions each month through her social media platforms as a LinkedIn Top Voice.
Michelle Curran
Featured Keynote Programs
Flying Through Fear
Creating a Culture of Courage
We are constantly under pressure to hire the right people, create a cohesive team, and perform at a high level… to do more with less. However, success hinges on each team member’s ability to find courage, be bold, and expand their comfort zone.
In her signature keynote, MACE takes her audience on a surprisingly relatable journey through her career as a Fighter Pilot, culminating in her role as the Lead Solo Pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds. She helps her audience recognize that even those that may seem unflappable have overcome the same doubts and obstacles, suddenly making success seem within reach. Flying Through Fear is a unique intersection of elite performance and relatability that leaves audiences inspired and with a clear focus on how to take action in their own lives.
Attendees Will:
- Reassess their comfort zone
- Learn to use vulnerability as a superpower to accelerate toward goals
- Realize the normalcy of self-doubt and identify how to combat it
- Recognize how to step into their boldness and let go of fears
The Space Between
Winning the Moment Between Fear and Action
We’re living and working in a time of constant pressure—tight timelines, rapid change, and a relentless need to perform. In environments like these, fear shows up for everyone. Not always as panic, but as hesitation and second-guessing that quietly stalls momentum.
In this keynote, MACE takes audiences inside some of the most intense moments of her career as a Fighter Pilot and Thunderbird to reveal a powerful truth: organizations win or lose in the space between fear and action. Through unforgettable storytelling and practical tools, she shows teams how to respond instead of react—and move forward with clarity and decisive action when it matters most.
Attendees Will:
- Differentiate imagined fear from real fear—and understand how each shapes decision-making
- Learn how to respond instead of react under pressure
- Gain simple, practical tools to stay composed and think clearly in high-stakes moments
- Build habits that strengthen trust, intuition, and execution
Everyone Has a Callsign – 2 hrs
Workshop
Fighter pilot callsigns tend to sound at least kind of cool. However, they don’t get to choose them. They are given based on a mistake that was made as a young pilot. From that point on, they are worn on their nametags as a badge of honor.
The tradition of callsigns is based on humility, in celebrating the obstacles overcome to earn that name and to shape a productive view of failure. They help create a culture where mistakes are viewed as opportunities to learn and improve and where people feel safe to fess up when they misstep.
In this workshop, combat veteran Michelle Curran, callsign Mace, draws from her experiences as an F-16 fighter pilot and Lead Solo Pilot for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. She takes participants into the world of a fighter squadron, where admitting errors and using them as learning opportunities is the norm.
Participants will:
• Reflect on lessons from a previous mistake/failure
• Find silver linings in things that didn’t go as planned
• Identify how to reframe their view of failure
• Be empowered to face future mistakes with a new perspective and growth mindset
• Have fun and walk away with their own callsign
Going to War with Your Inner Critic - 2 hrs
Workshop
No matter how confident and independent we appear to be, we all face pressure to fit in, be liked, and meet the expectations of others. This pressure often leads to us becoming our own harshest critic and stands in the way of our success.
Despite this tendency, our inner critic can be reframed to be our biggest cheerleader.
We can make this change by diving into the inner workings of our self-critic. Shedding light on it takes away its power and gives us much-needed perspective.
In this workshop, combat veteran Michelle Curran, callsign Mace, draws from her experiences as an F-16 fighter pilot and Lead Solo Pilot for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Despite Mace’s success, she struggled with the same inner critic that we all do. Over time, Mace was able to harness this inner voice and use it to propel her toward success. She now uses these techniques to inspire attendees and help them generate positive change in their inner voice.
Participants will:
• Identify key attributes of their inner voice that have prevented them from taking action
• Understand their inner critic does not necessarily align with the truth
• Develop a new perspective on how to control the power their inner critic wields
• Have a plan to tackle at least one of their goals by a deadline
• Form accountability tools with the support of a wingman
Michelle Curran
Featured Book
The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower
by Michelle Curran
Former Thunderbird Lead Solo Michelle "MACE" Curran provides a blueprint for converting your fear into a strength based on the hard-earned lessons she learned in the cockpit and beyond.
Michelle Curran can fly an F-16 fighter jet upside down, but she’s afraid of spiders. And tight spaces. During high altitude chamber training, she wondered if her fellow airmen—and they were all men—could tell she was panicking under her oxygen mask. Yet she flew sorties in Afghanistan and served as Lead Solo for the Thunderbirds, performing in aerial showcases nationwide—often upside down. All this, while grappling with what was, to her, an even bigger opponent: imposter syndrome. In time, she learned how to turn fear into strength and self-doubt into confidence. Most of all, she learned how to make uncomfortable choices by flipping her perspective, like her jet, upside down.
In The Flipside, Michelle “MACE” Curran addresses how fear tends to force us back into our comfort zones and onto autopilot. She shares lessons she learned from high-stakes missions and life-defining moments, helping readers unlock their resilience to face life’s challenges with courage—and ultimately, rise above.
Michelle Curran
Featured Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to some of the most common questions about booking Michelle Curran for your event.
How do I book Michelle Curran for my event?
Booking Michelle Curran with Premiere Speakers Bureau is a streamlined 4-step process:
- Availability Check: Contact us with your event date and budget to verify if your desired speaker is available.
- Hold Date: We place a temporary "hold" on the speaker's calendar while you finalize internal approval.
- Contracting: We issue a contract outlining the fee, cancellation policy, and event expectations.
- Logistics: Once signed, our event management team handles all travel booking, itinerary, and AV requirements.
Why should I partner with Premiere Speakers Bureau rather than contacting speakers directly?
Partnering with Premiere Speakers Bureau provides a comprehensive safety net for your event that direct booking cannot match. You get the same speaker for the same price, but with a dedicated team with over 30 years of event experience handling contracts, logistics, and are prepared for any emergency. We know what it takes to run an excellent event.
What makes Premiere Speakers Bureau unique compared to other agencies?
Premiere Speakers Bureau distinguishes itself by having over 30 years of experience while partnering with more than 35,000 events. PSB has also built a streamlined, fully online process that makes booking a speaker, handling travel and payments extremely easy for anyone looking to plan a speaker led event.
How does Premiere Speakers Bureau's 'Zero Cost Service' model work?
Premiere Speakers Bureau operates on a 'Zero Cost Service' model for event planners. Our services—including research, booking, and logistics—are always free to the client. The speaker covers our commission from their standard honorarium as payment for our role in marketing and managing their engagements.
How are speaker fees structured, and what is typically included?
A speaker's fee typically covers the keynote presentation, a pre-event planning call, and standard customization. Travel expenses are usually billed separately.
What are the standard policies for speaker travel and expenses?
Travel expenses are negotiated during contracting. We generally recommend a flat travel fee for simplicity, though we also offer line-by-line invoicing when preferred. PSB ensures these expenses adhere to professional standards, and our Event Portal allows for easy tracking and invoicing.
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