It's often said that you never forget your first experience, whether it's good or bad, and career burnout is no different. I've unfortunately encountered this twice in my career. The first instance occurred when I was 23, after finishing my first full year as a Flight Instructor. I had just flown the maximum allowable number of hours (1,000) annually and was completely exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. For nearly a month, the idea of being near an airplane, let

During one of my final interview workshops for MIT, an attendee asked me about overcoming impostor syndrome. The question surprised me, not because it was unusual, but because it was the first time anyone had raised the topic in any of the 400+ workshops I'd conducted throughout my career. My answer to her question was simple: You belong. Imposter syndrome affects many professionals, causing feelings of self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evident success.

At the age of 12, I woke up one Saturday morning and decided I wanted to be a pilot and nothing else. I bought my first flight manual several days later and didn't put it down for the next five years. I started flying at age 17, earned my Private Pilot's License at 19, my Commercial Pilot's License at 21, and my Flight Instructor credentials a year later. By age 22, I had acquired over 1,000 flight hours and was instructing students twice my age. Finally, at 23, I experienced