Martha E. McSally: Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Resilience & High Performance | First American Woman to Fly a U.S. Air Force Fighter Jet in Combat | Retired Colonel | Former U.S. Senator

Be Unbreakable. Lead Yourself First. How do you lead with courage, clarity and confidence when the pressure keeps rising?

Martha E. McSally is a combat-proven fighter pilot, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and dynamic keynote speaker on leadership, resilience, courage and high performance.

During her 26-year Air Force career, Martha became the first American woman to fly a U.S. Air Force fighter jet in combat and the first woman to command a fighter squadron in combat. She flew 325 combat hours and earned the Bronze Star and six Air Medals.

Today, Martha translates those extraordinary experiences into practical strategies that help leaders become more resilient, make better decisions under pressure and move forward when circumstances are uncertain.

Why Book Martha McSally?

Martha doesn't teach leadership from theory. She learned it when hesitation, poor communication and bad decisions had real consequences.

Her experiences span the cockpit, military command, Congress, the U.S. Senate and corporate boardrooms—giving her a distinctive perspective on what happens to leaders and teams when the pressure rises.

At the heart of her message is a simple idea: lead yourself first.

Through her WEDGE Framework, Martha gives audiences a practical process for understanding how they respond under pressure, removing what holds them back, gaining clarity about where they're going and taking decisive action.

What Makes Martha McSally Different?

Historic fighter pilot — first American woman to fly a U.S. Air Force fighter jet in combat
Combat-tested leadership — 325 combat hours during a 26-year Air Force career
Command experience — first woman to command a U.S. fighter squadron in combat
Leadership under pressure — lessons developed where decisions had immediate consequences
WEDGE Framework — a practical approach to self-leadership and execution
Extraordinary resilience — a powerful personal story of overcoming barriers and adversity
Senior leadership perspective — experience spanning military command, government and corporate boards
Practical delivery — gives audiences tools they can apply immediately

Why Is Martha Right for Your Audience?

Martha is an outstanding choice when you need leaders to stay grounded under pressure, navigate uncertainty and take decisive action instead of becoming reactive.

She is particularly effective for leadership conferences, executive meetings, women's leadership events, corporate conferences and organizations navigating significant change or growth.

Book Martha when your audience needs to:

Lead more confidently under pressure
Make faster, clearer decisions
Navigate uncertainty and constant change
Build greater resilience
Strengthen trust across teams
Communicate more directly
Remove barriers that slow execution
Turn adversity into forward momentum

Audience Takeaways

Attendees will leave:

Better equipped to lead themselves before leading others
More aware of how they respond under pressure
Able to identify behaviors that may be holding them back
Better prepared to make decisions during uncertainty
Understanding how trust influences team performance
More confident navigating adversity and change
Ready to take focused, courageous action

Martha McSally Keynote Programs

Be Unbreakable: The Leadership Edge in Uncertain Times. When the stakes rise, even strong leaders can hesitate, overanalyze and become reactive.

Martha shows leaders how to remain clear, courageous and decisive when uncertainty and pressure increase.

Using her WEDGE Framework, she helps audiences examine how they lead themselves, identify patterns that emerge under pressure, remove unnecessary drag and execute with greater focus.

Ideal for: Executive leadership teams, C-suite audiences, leadership conferences and organizations navigating change or growth.

Be Unbreakable: The High-Trust Team Advantage. Talent alone doesn't create high-performing teams. Trust does.

Drawing on her experiences flying combat missions and commanding a fighter squadron, Martha demonstrates why communication, alignment, accountability and trust become even more important when the pressure is high.

She shows leaders how to identify friction, break through silos and create teams capable of moving quickly and confidently toward a shared mission.

Ideal for: Leadership offsites, cross-functional teams, culture initiatives and organizations navigating growth or transition.

Be Unbreakable: The Courage to Rise and Get Stronger From Life's Hits. Resilience isn't about avoiding adversity. It's about what you do next.

Martha shares lessons from a life marked by significant obstacles, setbacks and barrier-breaking achievements.

Using her WEDGE Framework, she gives audiences a practical approach for facing fear, navigating adversity and continuing to move forward even when the path ahead isn't clear.

Ideal for: Leadership conferences, women's leadership events, corporate meetings and organizations navigating significant change.

Why Book Martha McSally Through The Sweeney Agency?

Martha McSally combines extraordinary leadership credibility, combat-tested experience and a practical framework for performing under pressure—but the real value comes from connecting those lessons directly to the challenges your leaders are facing.

The Sweeney Agency can help you:

Confirm Martha McSally's availability and current speaking fee
Determine which Martha McSally keynote best fits your audience
Discuss customization around your leadership and business objectives
Coordinate format, timing and event logistics
Compare Martha with other leading leadership, resilience and high-performance speakers

Is Martha McSally Right for Your Event?

Tell us where your leaders are feeling the most pressure—and what you need them to do differently as a result.

We'll help you determine whether Martha is the right fit, confirm availability and fees, and make the booking process simple.

Planning a leadership conference, executive meeting or corporate event? Contact The Sweeney Agency today [email protected] to discuss booking Martha E. McSally as your keynote speaker.