Get empowered to achieve your dreams
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A 21-year veteran combat pilot of the U.S. Air Force, former advisor for the First Lady and security provider
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About Nicole
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Ever since she first saw an airshow as a child, Nicole dreamt of flying military jets.
Ruthlessly pursuing her dream brought her further than she could have ever imagined.
Nicole became not only a successful pilot, but she also became the first female Thunderbird pilot and served as a squadron commander. She flew at twice the speed of sound, advised the first lady and proudly provided security for Iraq’s democratic elections in 2005. However, after 2 decades of serving in the US Air Force, Nicole’s life took an unexpected turn, when an illness forced her to retire from the career she had worked so hard to build.
After being diagnosed with a neurological illness, speaker Nicole Malachowski had to learn to walk and talk for a second time. Yet she has no regrets. Her positive attitude and willingness to redefine herself have brought Nicole through hardship and helped her pursue her audacious dreams – and this attitude is infectious! As she speaks, audience members find themselves empowered to achieve their dreams.
Aside from her great qualities as a speaker Nicole Malachowski also earned numerous rewards throughout her career. She is a White House Fellow, an inductee into both the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame and the aircraft, the very first woman to fly with the Air Force Thunderbird aerial demonstration team. As a woman vanguard to break tradition, Nicole is repeatable for both men and women with a captivating narrative and real-world lessons about how to pursue your dreams and make the right choices in life.
See keynotes with Nicole MalachowskiLeaders across every industry and experience level share one thing in common: To be successful they need to effectively navigate failure, organizational change, and the unknown. Like headwinds to a pilot, these perceived barriers can force you to change direction, cost you momentum, and even take away options. These headwinds can feel confusing, disorienting, and downright uncomfortable. In this talk, Nicole Malachowski uses the aviation-based idea of headwinds as a metaphor to show how with the right mindset, individuals and teams can learn to harness the energy of these headwinds in their advantage.
Nicole inspires individuals and organizations and bolsters their ability to:
• Overcome personal and professional failures.
• Effectively navigate organizational and cultural change.
• Endure the discomfort of the unknown.
• Increase resilience, reinvention, regroup, and adaptability.
• Have courage to rise above self-doubt and cultural paradigms.
• Support and mentor others on the team.
To be successful, leaders from every industry and experience level need to effectively navigate moments of self-doubt, master the role of a trustworthy team player, and embrace moments of personal and professional vulnerability. Using the idea of an aircraft performance envelope as a metaphor, this elite fighter pilot and military leader will share inspiring personal stories and practical tools to ignite individuals and teams to reach beyond commonly-assumed limitations to achieve their maximum capabilities and impact.
Nicole Malachowski’s presentation will bolster the ability of individuals and teams to:
• Overcome self-doubt that often inhibits personal and professional growth.
• Model the selfless trust needed to be an effective teammate.
• Practice vulnerability and transparency to build trust and galvanize teamwork.
• Build accountability, dependability and reliability that drive performance.
• Break down silos to unleash creativity and adaptability.
Everyone faces barriers, both personal and professional, that may appear to place limits on what’s possible. When people pursue only what is expected, accept cultural norms that hold them back, and view barriers that appear unsurmountable, their personal and professional lives become limited—scripted. A powerful trailblazer herself, Nicole Malachowski reminds audiences to not let others draw their boundaries, and to break tradition with grace and purpose. She inspires people to see obstacles and challenges as opportunities to grow—a chance to reach new levels of personal and professional excellence.
Nicole delivers actionable insights for pursuing dreams, making choices, living an unscripted life and how to:
• Define your own possibilities and overcome self-doubt.
• Reevaluate traditions, paradigms, and overcome limitations.
• Welcome challenges to the status quo.
• Why having the courage to ask for help is key to, reaching your potential.
• Acknowledge the work-life balance myth.
“No war plan survives first contact with the enemy” is a truism. In the military, leaders must acknowledge and address the fog (things we can’t see, know, or predict) and friction (the forces which impede progress) of war. In such times, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. Using the challenges and uncertainties of combat as a metaphor for organizational challenges, Nicole Malachowski stresses perspective, priorities and positive leadership as she provides tools for leaders to use in times of crisis—or anytime—to keep their organizations successfully moving forward.
Nicole offers leaders a framework to lead through fog and friction in times of crisis, and how to:
• Proceed regardless of the unknowns your organization facing
• Maneuver around or through impediments to your organization’s progress
• Understand the leadership challenges that are unique to times of crisis
• Keep focused on your purpose; perspective is critical to manage risk and adapt
• Positivity and calmness are essential. Instill confidence; don’t add to the chaos
One popular pilot saying is “speed is life,” because without enough speed, an airplane is nothing more than an expensive rock. In the business world, especially when technology is involved, speed can be just as crucial. The organization that moves the fastest often realizes the most success. Having flown a high-tech fighter aircraft that can reach speeds of up to twice the speed of sound, Nicole Malachowski offers principles that keep any organization functioning smoothly, efficiently, and at high speed, even when chaos and the unexpected occur.
Nicole’s insights help leaders create a culture where decisions get made quickly.
• Assess the dynamics that slow your organization down
• How turmoil in your operating environment slows you down
• How does a need for speed impact decision-making
• Trust, clear roles, and communication are vital to navigate the unknown at speed
• Practice, planning, and preparation underpin organizations that move quickly
Nicole has a multi-faceted story of overcoming adversity to achieve peak performance and she has adapted to tell that story in a compelling way during this time of virtual leadership meetings. Her messages about overcoming unexpected turbulence and harnessing headwinds were especially powerful for our leaders as we’ve shifted to serve customers and support our teams differently during a time of crisis. Nicole is a high flyer, brings great energy and would be a smart addition to any program.
This is the second time I have used Nicole. She is powerful. She connected so eloquently to the ‘business’ and made all her themes resonate and apply pragmatically. The audience was buzzing – and really enjoyed her. They are requesting another go around on her patient level view as well as her advocacy role. I am incredibly inspired by Nicole – and in awe of her achievements.
In this age of virtual events, Nicole’s energy and focus kept our participants engaged and prompted an enthusiastic chat conversation among our participants who were effusive in their praise of her. Her message is up-building, life-giving and brings value for anyone who is struggling to keep their head up in challenging times, looking for inspiration in the journey.
OMG – I could go on and on all day about how AMAZING Nicole is and was during her presentation!!! She is absolutely the best hands down. Each year it’s my personal challenge to raise the bar, and I have no doubt that we did that this year with Nicole onboard. I have received so many emails, text messages, and instant messages about how fantastic Nicole was.
United Way had to cancel our in-person Women United extravaganza and pivot to a virtual event but not without great trepidation. BUT, I am so glad we did because Colonel Malachowski kicked it out of the park and exceeded our (and our 400 guests) expectations. We received so much positive feedback regarding Nicole that I could not keep up with my text messages and emails praising her. “Not only was she so well received by the audience, she was so wonderful to work with, personable and spent extra time answering questions from all the guests. Her visual set-up and pre-preparation with us was Top of Class and added visually to her inspiring storytelling and genuine nature of relating to the audience. It felt like she was directly and personally speaking to each of us.
You are a spectacular speaker and I have never been to a meeting with our entire team mesmerized by anyone like they were with you. Your story is unbelievable and you are able to deliver it in such a natural and powerful way that had me in awe for days after. I haven’t been so motivated or inspired by anyone in a long time.
Col. Nicole Malachowski took our financial professionals by storm – three weeks later, people are still talking about her. She has a unique gift of being able to relate her very interesting and exciting professional and personal life experiences to a diverse audience in a completely different profession. Her genuine conversational style made each attendee feel she was talking directly to them.
Nicole was exceptionally well received. She—truly—did a magnificent job. Connected with the audience, inspiring, thought-provoking, funny, real, open. Our colleagues couldn’t stop talking about it. Was the highlight of our event.
Not only did she receive a standing ovation, but the line of attendees seeking to talk with her after the meeting was the longest I had ever seen at such an event – and she took the time to meet all of them.
Everyone…I mean everyone…left raving about your message. As you can imagine being in healthcare as executive, I hear a lot of people speak. You are an exceptional speaker and have an incredible message to share with anyone that’s looking at ways to be motivated to improve themselves. So yes, count me in as a card holding member of your fan club
Chairman
I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that Nicole was an absolute homerun. I know her message made a profound and lasting effect on many of my colleagues, including me. Plus, she is just so nice and human. It’s really special. I’m not sure how I will top her for future events!
Colonel Malachowski is an inspiring, authentic speaker and leader. She speaks from the heart as she tells a story of determination, grit, attention to details and service to others.
We have been fortunate to have over 30 speakers over the few years present at our sales conference. Based on survey results, your session was the highest ranked ever! You have a great message and more significantly, an incredible way to connect with the audience. I personally loved the way you weaved in our values and our message with your message of Pushing the Envelope.
CEO
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