Nicole Malachowski Quotes

The severe illness taught me that being a fighter pilot gave me the skills and traits I needed to survive my illness and turn to my new mission of advocating for others.”

I used to think my destiny/legacy lay in having been an officer and fighter pilot,

The Thunderbirds taught me nothing of significance is ever accomplished alone,” she says, recounting the time she tried and failed, multiple times, to master an extremely difficult air show maneuver requiring the jets to move from diamond formation into trail formation, putting the wing tips within inches of one another. Ultimately, getting it right required her to take a deep breath and admit to her teammates: “I need help.”

When I was a fighter pilot, when we would go into combat, which in a lot of ways is what we are in against this disease and the medical system that doesn't support us," she said. "I would say to my wingman before we would launch, "No matter what, be a help, not a hindrance. Ask yourself, is what I'm about to say or do going to be helpful? Or is it going to be a hindrance?"

People like you don’t become Thunderbird pilots.”

“It’s ok to reminisce about the past, but not ruminate about it.

It was the unconscious bias," she said. "What was coming out were the cultural paradigms of the U.S. Air Force at that time, and the expectations about what I should or should not be doing. I removed that application and said, 'You're right, I'm so sorry for bothering you.'"

unnecessary controversy, the unnecessary stigma, and the outright mocking of patients that makes it hard for other people to be courageous on your behalf.

What happened is, we did it over and over until I got it right. It was the right thing to do by our customer and client [the audience on the ground]. My teammates helped me from a place of kindness and commitment,” she says. “It’s never beneath any of us to offer help, too.”

"You know, whether we like it or not sometimes when you’re a first, you end up speaking on behalf of the group and that can be hard and that can be complex and gnarly but somebody has to go first,""And you definitely want to do it in a way that creates more opportunity for the people that follow.

You're having to navigate a system that doesn't believe you, doesn't support you, and honestly has not much right now to offer you in terms of care.

This disease stops you from being as reliable and dependable on follow through as you can be. There’s compassion fatigue.”

I now know that your job shouldn’t be your identity. Boom, I go from this elite, high-performing person, physically and mentally, to just being completely broken overnight. I’m this independent confident type A fighter pilot, and now I can’t even go to the restroom by myself or bathe by myself—overnight,”

Blue skies and tailwinds are the best weather you can get,”

You build trust by being trustworthy,” “Avoid the idea of, ‘That guy needs to prove I can trust him.’ Trust never comes to you; trust emanates outward to a team from your behaviors.”