Skip to content
The Day My Ego Almost Killed Me | Fighter Pilot Michelle Curran (PT. 1)

The Day My Ego Almost Killed Me | Fighter Pilot Michelle Curran (PT. 1)

The Daily Stoic
Sep 10, 2025 44 min
Open in Hinto

About this episode

<p>When failure can mean life or death, you learn fast what ego and fear really cost. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with Michelle “MACE” Curran about the brutal reality of fighter pilot training, how she battled imposter syndrome in a male-dominated world, the mistake that gave her a call sign for life, and why fear is an essential part of real courage.</p><br><p>Michelle “MACE” Curran is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot with nearly 2,000 hours of F-16 flying time. She flew combat missions in Afghanistan and honed her skills across the globe, becoming the second woman in history to serve as the Lead Solo Pilot for the Thunderbirds, the Air Force’s elite demonstration team. Known for her signature upside-down maneuvers, Mace performed for millions, inspiring audiences at airshows and flyovers like the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, and Indy 500.</p><br><p>You can follow Michelle Curran on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mace_curran/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Mace_Curran</a> and learn more about her work at <a href="https://macecurran.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://macecurran.com/</a></p><br><p>📚 Check out her book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1538768100/?bestFormat=true&amp;k=the%20flipside%20michelle%20curran&amp;ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_k0_1_14_de&amp;crid=49ORZPBW0NKQ&amp;sprefix=the%20flipside%20m" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower</em></a>, which just released this week!</p><br><p>👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content coming soon: <a href="http://dailystoic.com/premium" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dailystoic.com/premium</a></p><br><p>📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work":<a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work</a></p><br><p>🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast</a></p><br><p>🎥 Watch top moments from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Daily Stoic Podcast</a> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast</a></p><br><p>✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at <a href="https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail</a></p><br><p>🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: <a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://store.dailystoic.com/</a></p><br><p>📱 Follow us: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;Instagram</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Twitter</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@daily_stoic?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, and<a href="https://www.facebook.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Facebook</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Listen to this episode in English to learn English

Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. The Day My Ego Almost Killed Me | Fighter Pilot Michelle Curran (PT. 1) from The Daily Stoic gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.

In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.

Episodes to Learn English

More podcasts in English