When Women Fly Podcast: Unconventional and Unapologetic with Liz Booker

Listen to my interview with Sylvia Winter.

Today’s guest, Liz Booker, a consummate leader, shares what drives her dedication to amplifying the voices of women in aviation and her ingenuity. With just a GED, she worked herself up the ranks from a non-rate enlistee in the US Coast Guard to lieutenant commander, and eventually attended Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

She knows a thing or two about navigating adversity, flying under pressure, leading the way for women in the male-dominated fields, rising in the ranks (from barnacle scraper to senior military representative), transforming a personal passion into a community project, and books, books and more books about women and flying. 

Sylvia and Liz talk about what happened in 2020 that made community building so needed and relevant and the importance of a positive mindset. Liz shares the need behind amplifying the voices of women in aviation any how she promotes books, authors, and discussions via the Aviatrix Book Review website and Facebook Group Aviatrix Book Club.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

  • Women, visibility and access
  • Leveraging social media to build community
  • The power of vulnerability
  • Leadership and how to be an effective leader
  • Balancing career and family planning as a working mom
  • Pivoting, planning, and mentorship
  • Building online communities
  • Kiteboarding, seaplanes, and the Paris Airshow

Liz Booker is now a full-time writer working on her first novel and living in Florida with her dogs, husband and boys. She spent 28-years as a US Coast Guard helicopter pilot and cycled up to various positions such as national security expert, human resources manager, counter-narcotics and trafficking mission operator and foreign diplomat. She is experienced in networking and mentoring women and underrepresented professionals to help them achieve their goals. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.