Nicole Malachowski Quotes

Despite the suffering, there are a lot of great things going on in the tick-borne illness community. “I have seen the momentum in the last three to five years accelerating at a pace that I could have never imagined. Look at the scientists, the doctors, the clinicians, the nonprofit leaders, the advocates who are out there making a difference. We are so close, I think, in my lifetime, to this tipping point. This is something we should all be excited about, and this is something that gives me hope.”

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

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?"

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.”

Yielding is not about quitting, weakly surrendering, or giving up. "In my mind, yielding is all about accepting the present moment.

That phrase means everything”, “It is the gentleman’s handshake. It means: We have an expectation of the professional execution of this mission. I promise you I will hold myself accountable to that standard, and you will hold me to that standard. That wingman contract is the culture. It’s the principles and values that drive you.”

Well, we don’t have Lyme disease in North Carolina, so it must be a spider bite.” Nicole surmised, “That was the day my life changed forever. That was the day I became chronically ill.”

You have been a high-performing woman in a male-dominated career field for many years. Maybe this is your body’s way of saying it’s time to retire.”

I didn’t know what the word gaslighting meant prior to becoming a tick-borne illness patient, but I know what it is now. I found that I was treated more seriously, and more respectfully, and with dignity every time I brought somebody with me.”

Only you have the power to reinvent yourself and write your own story," she insists. "When the unexpected happens, are you asking yourself the right questions?

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.”

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

"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.

The runway behind you is always unusable; all we ever have is the runway in front of us.

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