One of the speakers, Sibongile Sambo of SRS Aviation. www.srsaviation.co.za

Through the “African Women in Aviation” conference I was invited to be a speaker at the “Leadership Development in Aviation Africa” conference in July, 2011. Another trip back to Africa and an opportunity to see my brother. This time they even gave my book to all the delegates as part of their package!!

Check out the brochure: Aviation Speaker Program

Recently, I was unexpectedly  invited to be the keynote speaker at the “African Women in Aviation” conference held in Johannesburg,  South Africa in May 2011.  See the brochure here.  WOMEN IN AVIATION The star on the Christmas tree for me was that my brother who I am very close to, lives in Johannesburg, which meant that not only was I going to be able to speak on my favorite subject,   “How to Navigate from Within – Accessing Your Greatest Resource – You”  but we  were also able to see each other, which was fabulous.

You see, although I have lived in Canada for 32 years, love living here and feel Canadian, I still feel very connected to Africa and its people. What was such an eye opener to me was how far women in South Africa have come since my country achieved its independence.  To me having left South Africa during the apartheid regime, it was such a thrill  meeting so many well spoken and well educated black women speakers at the conference, who were completely in their power and yet so unassuming and warm, in spite of  having achieved some amazing things.

The Namibian Airforce was well represented, all of the women in full uniform looking very professional and smart. See some of my attached photographs:

Me with members of the Namibian Airforce

Breakfast with my brother, Axel - the joys of winter in Johannesburg

Helicopter pilot Flight Lieutenant Desiree Brandt and I.

It’s funny that one can wake up one morning and decide to write a book about one’s  life and then have it be the most joyous journey. That said, there were times when during the process of writing, strangely enough, I had tears streaming down my face reliving events of my childhood, that I have since come to look at in ways that no longer fill me with sadness, but rather with gratitude for making me the person I am today

I started writing in May 2009 after having been prompted quite a few times by our son Marc, who felt my story was worth telling and certainly the way I see and  approach life  he felt was unique. My decision to write the book was born from the desire that he and his children some day would have a record of our life, our thought processes during pivotal times in our lives, something I sadly miss not having from my parents.

When you are younger, you are not really interested and when you are older, they are often not longer there to answer the question you have a burning desire to ask. So I would encourage any parent to write their life story even if you don’t have the intention of ever publishing it. Just do it for your kids, they will appreciate it down the road.

If you have the courage to take that first step on your journey, even if you don’t know how it will all unfold, but trusting that you are always guided and protected, then  life becomes exciting and magical.

My first step was to sit down and write the first pages, not even knowing for certain that it will ever become my book, but enjoying the process so much that there wasn’t anything that I would have rather done.  I feel incredibly blessed that at this stage in my life I get to completely re-invent myself and go on this amazing journey, that  I have no idea of where it will take me, but enjoying every step along the way.

Since the book has come out it has opened up so many wonderful opportunities and connection with people that I could not have possibly imagined.

AviationConf-Spkr-1

I will be speaking at the African Women in Aviation Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 24-25, 2011.

I will be updating content soon!

LOOKING BACK ON my life, I can appreciate the magical unfolding of my journey; arriving wherever I happened to get dropped off, having no clue where I was going and yet somehow being guided through my challenges by an inborn knowing, every step of the way. The premise that I now accept and trust with every fiber of my being is that there are no mistakes in the universe, that I am always at the right place at the right time and that my feelings always tell me whether I am moving in the right direction. That, for me, is the way to a First Class ticket on this amazing journey through life.

Although I now travel First Class (metaphysically speaking) most of the time, this was not always the case. It was only in the last few years that I was upgraded to First Class more and more often. Although Business Class was pretty good, I knew after having dipped my toe into First Class every now and again that that was the space I wanted to be in all the time. So my determination over the last ten years has been to move closer and closer to the First Class seat for an even more enjoyable and fun ride.

All of us on this journey through life experience days when it feels like we are flying First Class and days it feels like we are jammed into a seat in Economy with hardly enough room to breathe. My desire to share my story with you, about my experiences as a pilot as well as other aspects of my life, is that somehow my story of living mostly in joy, in spite of the circumstances, will activate the belief within you that if I CAN DO IT, ANYONE CAN!