Episode 307: Stop Thinking You Have to Pick a Lane | Alice Reed | Commercial Pilot and Founder of Cedar & Sky
Alice Reed is a commercial pilot, solo traveler, and the creative force behind Cedar & Sky Co. In this inspiring episode, Kara and Alice talk about finding freedom in flight, navigating nontraditional paths, and embracing all sides of yourself. They discuss how solo travel builds confidence, what it’s like to be a woman in aviation, and the journey of building a creative business from the ground up. If you're exploring new directions, balancing multiple passions, or wondering how to have it all on your own terms, this conversation is for you.
“I think a lot of women have dealt with this—just being a female pilot and feeling the need to overcompensate to prove that we know what we’re doing, that we belong. ”
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Follow along using the Transcript
Chapters:
(00:00:06) - Introduction to Alice Reed and Her Journey
(00:02:39) - Discovering a Passion for Flying
(00:04:37) - Overcoming Fears and Building Confidence
(00:07:21) - The Importance of Solo Travel for Women
(00:09:35) - Navigating the Standby Process and Travel Tips
(00:16:06) - Challenges of Being a Female Pilot
(00:19:14) - Future Aspirations in Aviation
(00:22:44) - Exploring Creativity and Multiple Passions
(00:24:18) - Defining What It Means to Have It All
(00:43:20) - Embracing Individual Journeys and Mental Health
(00:45:42) - Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts
I just think it's so important to be able to look at your own journey and not compare it to others, to realize that maybe this is how it's supposed to be. And that's okay. As long as you're still going, that's all that matters. Like you'll get there eventually.
That's Alice Reed. I'm Kara Duffy, and this is the Powerful Ladies Podcast.
Welcome to the Powerful Ladies Podcast. Thank you. I'm excited to be here. Let's tell everyone your name, where you currently are in the world and what you're up to.
My name is Alice Reed. I live in Bend, Oregon at the moment, and I'm just finishing up my commercial pilot's license as well as working on my own little small business, creating jewelry, sewing hats.
Just, it's a little bit of everything. you were recommended to us by Shae LaPlace, who's been on the Powerful Ladies team for a long time. She's been, took a break. She's come back right now for some consulting. She's one of my favorite humans. I just adore her. She's incredible. I love her. Love her. And then we also recently had Brianna Media on, who's another one of my favorite people, who, when we were looking, when Shae shared your social pages, it was just like everything you posted, Bri was losing her mind on, which I really appreciated.
Bri is one of my best friends. We, it's awesome. Like we just lift each other up, which How did you and Brie meet? I actually met her when I took her and Willie flying and it was her first time up in like a small plane, and it was just around the mountains here in Bend, and we just hit it off, and we were just like goofing around, and then after that, we Just started hanging out and just hit it off. Yeah.
I like when that just happens. It just it's just easy. Why wouldn't it work?
Yeah. Yeah, and it's just so easy to be around each other and it just yeah, just flows.
So there aren't a lot of women who are becoming pilots And how did you end up deciding that you wanted to be one and did you fall in love with flying first? Was it about getting yourself places?
So it came to me A little bit later than most people who are getting into it now I, my father is a pilot. He has five months left with American Airlines until he retires. So I grew up just like around aviation in general. My parents actually met because my mom, when she was 18, she was taking flying lessons and my dad was her flight instructor and basically the rest is history.
They're still married, they're still in love and so yeah, just growing up with that. Yeah. It just, it, I don't know, it, just like being able to travel with my family and living in that kind of lifestyle, it was like a little bit different, but yeah, I, after college, I took some time to travel and just explore and when I got back, it just really sparked my interest because it felt like it was filling that, part of me.
Same kind of feeling of traveling and just it was exciting and it was fun to be able to go different places. And obviously just learning something new is so fun and exciting. And that's when I realized okay, I think I want to do this. This is, this feels like me. And.
Yeah, so that's how I got into it, and it's been a journey ever since, I have my private license, my instrument rating this past summer I drove up to Alaska in my van with just my dog and I got my float rating to fly seaplanes, and it's just, it's a blast, and there's so many different directions you can go with it, and yeah.
With your dad being a pilot, did you ever go through a phase of being nervous to fly?
Not really, no. I've never felt nervous to fly. It's been You know, as you're going through training, you work your way up to flying into like inclement weather or flying in the clouds or flying with like stronger winds.
And you just build your confidence along the way. Yeah, and it's actually, it's funny because asking that question, both my dad and I in our family are. Very afraid of heights. Don't love heights, but for some reason, being in the plane I don't, it doesn't register. I don't know.
I can look down at the ground and I don't feel scared. I just, I think it's because I'm in control. I don't know what it is, but it's just funny.
Because I've always wondered because I've, I have. Definitely logged more flight miles as a traveler than most humans have. And I've always had an underlying flight anxiety.
But I've always wondered is the anxiety because I'm not in control? And is the anxiety because I'm stuck in a plane with a bunch of people I don't know and probably don't trust? Like, how would it shift if I was the one flying the plane? Because when I let all that go, and I get the chance to look out a window, like it's just stunning the fact that we get to be floating up above this beautiful planet and what we can see, and then I also love, like adventure is such a value of mine, and just getting to in a few hours, you can be anywhere you want in the world.
Yeah. And it, it's just crazy. And so there's something that there's this, I have a real push and pull about what traveling by plane means for me. And usually I just step it down and just go like deal with it. But there must be, I'm a little envious I think of your perspective of the control and the freedom that you get to combine.
Yeah, no, it's truly incredible and I still have moments where Like even while I'm flying, just being like, wow, this is crazy. Like I am flying and the fact that we have come up with a way to fly. And like you said, be somewhere within a couple of hours. It's truly incredible.
You also mentioned that you traveled a lot. And so when Shae recommended you for this podcast, she's like pilot, nomad, maker of things. Awesome. She's listed all these words. So I want to hear about you. You was a nomad and. Where does your love for travel and adventure come from?
It definitely comes from growing up in a family where we got to travel like free on standby with my dad's benefits. And when I was 20, three, I believe. I had the free flying benefits standby until I turned 24. And that's when I was really like, okay, I need to take advantage of this. I'm going to save up, work my butt off and. Go on like a solo adventure around the world. And I took eight months to go to Southeast Asia Australia, Japan, just a little bit of all over.
And it was truly one of the best times of my life. Like I cannot, and even to this day, traveling up to Alaska by myself. I just feel solo travel is so important and I cannot recommend it enough. Especially as a female, I think it's really empowering. And I think it's, you just learn so much about yourself and yeah, my mom always, I think she, a little bit. regrets it now. But she was always encouraging my brother and I to get after it. You can do anything you put your mind to. The world is your oyster. And just, we grew up with that kind of mindset. And so then when you're older, we're like, okay let's do it. And yeah, my mom, I think it just like worries a little bit now about that. But yeah, it's I think it's great and I really just can't recommend solo travel enough.
So I have two immediate follow up questions. One is, how do you mentally prepare for the standby process? Because you show up and you might get on a flight, you might not, you have to wait forever you just accept it and show up? Or how do you keep yourself entertained?
Yeah, there were definitely times where, You would have to show up in the morning and your flight wasn't until the evening time and you don't even know if you're going to get on and. During that time, I would always it's just so anxious, you're so anxious because you're like looking at the standby list and you're like, okay, how many open seats are there?
How many standbys are there? What number am I on the list? And it can change at any moment. A flight cancels and you're like, oh, I might not be able to go for a few days. Yeah, at the time when I was 23, It was fine. I didn't care. I would sleep on an airport floor. But Yeah, now I definitely don't mind buying tickets just to know that I'm going to get there.
Yeah. I think that every woman I know who has traveled by herself said like raves about it, says you have to do it, it's the best thing. I think so many women and so many people listening get nervous about where is it okay to travel as a woman? Where is it? safe or not safe. And even for myself, like I, I consider myself a pretty well traveled person.
And there are some countries that I haven't gone to yet because I don't know if going to them as a solo female would make sense. So how did you navigate the worries and feeling safe? Did you have a game plan going into it? Did you just show up and trust yourself? How did you be smart about it, but also allow yourself the freedom to take all those stereotypes aside and experience the place?
Yeah so I started my trip in, I flew to Australia and I was only there for two days and then from there I went up to Bali and I had heard that Bali was a really good place for just solo travelers and there's a lot of young people and I had heard that a lot of female people.
Travelers go there solo and to stay in hostels and there's an app where you can see the reviews of hostels and so I dug into that and when I had started planning it, I really wanted to keep my plan open like I just see where I want to go next and how long I want to be there for is just up in the air and that worked out so well.
I think that's the way to do it is keep an open plan because I went to Bali and I met these two ladies that are still really good friends of mine. One lives in Europe and the other one actually lives in Salt Lake City. And we just hit it off and we ended up traveling together a little bit. I unexpectedly went to Nepal a week later with them.
My friend Lark, after hanging out for four days, she invited me to go to Nepal with her and hike to ever space camp and obviously I could not say no to that. And it was funny because I was not expecting to go anywhere cold during my travels, like I had packed all warm clothes.
It was December, but over there it's warm. And. So I like had, I had nothing. So I actually ended up buying a lot of the gear in Kathmandu. And yeah, it was so unexpected, but that's what I love about traveling, especially solo, is you meet so many other people from different places. And you get to learn from them and you get to travel with them.
And it's just, it's something that I will never forget.
For people who don't own a passport. Like I just don't, my brain doesn't work when I hear that comes up and. I know that there's a whole thing of passport privilege and all that fine. And not to not leave your home city or your home state or your home country.
There's so much magic that we're missing out on getting to see, like some of my favorite days were traveling.
Yeah, and just seeing what the rest of the world is like and seeing how other people live and seeing just like the culture. There's some places like in Vietnam where you could just sit outside at a cafe and people watch all day and it's just so interesting.
When you think about where you want to go next, what's high on your list?
So when I was over there. My friend Lark, who I went to base camp with, she was telling me about her trip in India. And I don't know why I've never been drawn to India, but for some reason after going to Nepal, I was like I want to just see India, like it just feels so far away and so different from anything I've ever experienced just like hearing her talk about it.
I think I want to check out India, there's, I want to go to Antarctica, like there's so many places honestly, it's hard to choose.
No, I agree, it's it's almost easier to say like where I don't want to go because it's two places, right? I want to come back to you and being a pilot. Have there been things that have surprised you that were stereotypical or have people been weird about you being a pilot and being female that's shown up in that process?
Yes, definitely. I think, I feel like. A lot of women have dealt with this and are currently dealing with this of just being a female pilot and having to almost overcompensate to prove yourself that you do know what you're doing. You are worthy. Like you are supposed to be here. Had comments about how I look so young and I've had a male come over and ask me if I need help pre flighting. And it's I know what I'm doing. Yeah, it's, yeah, there's definitely been some struggles in that realm and just feeling like I have to really overcompensate so that I'm not just looked at as a small, young, blonde, female pilot.
Does it happen all the time?
No, definitely not. Like I have definitely had. A lot of people who are so supportive and stoked for me and just I think it's great that there's more females that are getting into aviation and that is incredible. It's so supportive and it's so nice to hear and it's so nice to learn from those people.
Yeah.
Yeah. So definitely not all the time, but there are definitely instances that where you're just like, Oh come on yeah, I know what I'm doing.
When you look at what being a pilot has given you access to what are you going to use it for to get to next? Do you think?
A transitional period right now. Actually just had my, Okay. Commercial check ride on Wednesday, and it's a two part test. So you go in and you do the oral part, which is sitting down with a D. P. E. Designated pilot examiner. That's. Sent by the FAA and you, he basically asked you questions and you have to answer them or find out where to get the answers for them. And I passed that, which felt really good. Thank you. And we didn't get to do the flying part because the weather was bad. So I'm waiting for that part. But recently I've definitely, that's been on my mind of like, where do I want to go next with this? A lot of people. end up going the CFI route. Teaching others how to fly. And it's harder to get entry level jobs with the low hours that I have now, but it's not impossible. So I've been thinking about maybe doing the CFI route and applying for other jobs in the and just seeing if I can get other gigs. I did. When I was up in Alaska, the chief pilot wanted me to come back with my CFI and teach people how to fly seaplanes, which is very tempting.
Was that at a Juno or where was that out of? That was in Moose Pass.
Yeah. Alaska float ratings is what it's called and they're great. I cannot recommend them enough. Just, an incredible place to learn to fly. The instructors are great. Yeah, it was amazing.
You are also a creative. You design products and jewelry under the Cedar and Sky co name. Were you surprised that people wanted your creations? Yes, a little bit.
I, I've always. been pretty creative. And there was this time where I felt like I needed another outlet. And my boyfriend had encouraged me to really just dive into that and pursue it and I did. And I, it was almost like a snowball effect because as soon as I started doing one thing, I was like, Oh, I really want to try this.
And I really want to try that. And I remember having a conversation with my mom about it. And I was like, Oh, but I already have these two things that I'm working on. Like I already Make seed bead earrings and homemade stamps. And at that time, I was really wanting to learn how to silversmith. And she was like, you can have multiple hobbies, like you can have like as many as you want.
And I was like, you're right. And honestly, that really helped me with just everything in life of okay, but like, why not? Why can't I? And so I just went for it and silversmithing is it's just, it's really interesting to me. And I think that it's a really great creative outlet for me. And it's just been nice to see so much support from like friends and people in the community about just getting my art out there.
And. To be honest, like it's Cedar and Sky, I feel like it's just for me. Like I'm just doing it when I can, when I want to, and if it takes off, that's great. And if not, that's totally fine too. I love making art and I'm not going to stop.
One of my methodologies as a coach is called the have it all method. And I've been asking women. What does it mean for you to have it all and How do you try to have it all in your own way when I am coaching people in this space? I'm a big believer that to have it all you can only have your all you can't have your mom's all your friends all someone you're inspired by is all like you and Shae and Brie all have a very different all When you look at what that means to you, even if there's overlap, and I think that a lot of times women in particular are told that we can't have it all like you have to choose.
We're always told you have to choose. Are you going to work? Are you going to be a mom? Are you going to support your partner or, support your own career? Like we never get to have it. both versus all. And I just think it's a lie. I think it's a bunch of BS and we may not be able to have it all at one moment in time because you can't have almost anything at one moment in time.
But I think that there's so much more room for us to chase after what. all looks like for us. And I know for me, it keeps evolving, right? Because we evolve and we see new inspiration and things like that. But I think that we're limiting ourselves by not asking, how can we have it all? Like, how do we stop compromising and choosing?
Right? Yeah. I think for me, I resonate with that because a couple of years ago, I'd felt like a lot of the people that I was surrounding myself with it felt like becoming a pilot had to be my whole identity. Yeah. And I had met other pilots where it felt like that became their whole identity. And that's so great. But for me, I had felt like this isn't it. Like I have so much more to me. And I want that to be seen and recognized. And that's also why I decided to Just dive right into my creative side, which just, like I said, snowballed of just, I can be both. I can become anything I want to be. I can, if I want to pursue both passions, I can do that. I don't have to choose just one. And I think that's really important because I think sometimes we do feel stuck and we feel like it's just this one thing like I have to go down that path and it's like you can have so many different things going on and I mean I remember talking to my hairdresser who's also my friend Rosa and she said the same thing like it's just there's more to us and I think it's so important to just explore that and yes.
Realize that it's okay to do multiple things.
I can't imagine a life where we're not like when I meet someone and they're like, I am a teacher. And that is it. And I'm like, that's it? You don't have 80 million things you're trying not to do all at once? I don't get maybe that's, maybe I'm envious.
That, that could be really freeing. But I have a to do list of everything. Places to go, and things to try, and recipes to cook, and new business ideas. I'm like, Is that I'm such a weirdo, aren't I?
No, I totally relate with that. It's so funny you say that because sometimes, I have thought, I'm like, I almost feel envious of people who are like, This is what I'm doing for the rest of my life. Yeah, and that's fine. And I feel great about it. And I'm coasting. And I do sometimes I like romanticize it and I'm like, Oh, that seems so nice. Because on my end, I'm like, but I have to do this. And I have to do that. And I still want to travel here. And I really want to live here. And I want to work on this. And it's, but that's also great. There's, it's just a love for life and
exploring. I do sometimes fantasize, I really love challenges also, because I think it just causes you to take action on things you want to, faster. Like I did the 30 by 30 challenge with friends, 30 countries before we were 30.
I've been trying to play 100x50, but we have gotten very off track recently. But I fantasize sometimes about forcing myself to go to middle America for a year, and I'm not allowed to leave. I'm gonna go to pick a town in Iowa, I'm gonna be a librarian, and it's almost it's starting to turn into a weird Hallmark Christmas movie almost.
But it's like what would life be like if I knew I couldn't leave? I had to stay in this community. I don't know if I would be, like, end up creating new businesses I didn't need to create, or if I'd be like running for mayor I don't know if I could just like. Yeah. But I sometimes fantasize about that challenge and what kind of perspective on American life it would reveal, let alone myself.
But there are moments that I'm like, if we took all these things away for one year, what would it be like?
Yeah. Yeah. It's it's this pull between. Do I want to live a simple life, which sounds great build a house, have a little hobby farm have the same kind of day to day life, or do I want to do something more extravagant and always be traveling and always be exploring, and I feel like I'm at the point in my life where I feel poles Both ways, 100%.
And like, when I was obviously in my early 20s, it was like travel and do whatever I want and just go explore. And I don't know, I think there is a happy medium, you can do both. Like we were saying.
Yeah. Do you feel like Bend is a place that you're going to build out more roots or is it a place for right now?
I think it's a place for right now. I I'm from Vermont originally and it's beautiful back there. I haven't been back in like I haven't lived there in, Six years, maybe seven. Yeah. And my boyfriend is actually from there as well. So we had been doing long distance this past year and he's here for this winter and we're just figuring things out.
I think eventually I'll go back to Vermont. I'm not sure when, cause like I said, I'm in a very transitional period of just like where I can find a job and what's next. So yeah,
we'll see. I grew up on the East Coast, most like Philly, New York, but I consider Boston home. It's where I finished high school, went to college in Massachusetts.
And there's something that I'm so thankful that I had a New England upbringing. There's something really nice about. a open, liberal, expansive perspective with a lot of very traditional values grounded in it as well. Like it's hard to almost explain this mix, which sometimes there's bad parts of it, like everything, you can only be Puritanical views can go too far in many ways, but there's something that's, I think, just so nice about it.
And I know I was just in New York a few weeks ago. I can feel my soul needs that fill up the same way it needs to be like refilled in Europe as well. There's things that I know I need to like recalibrate. And I've been on, I've lived in California since 2012 now. And there's so many things here that are, life is so easy.
And it's so comfortable, which sometimes makes me feel itchy. So we can tell that balance is an important thing for me, but there's something just for people who haven't been to Vermont or New England. I'm like, it's, it is a place that we under, I think, tell people to visit because I'm like, Oh, go to Mongolia and see Tokyo.
Yeah. And I'm like, there's something about the. Groundedness, there's like a, every time I'm in New England, I'm like, and I don't know if it's from from an origin perspective for me, or just that's how the space is.
Yeah, no, I truly feel like Vermont is such a hidden gem. And I hope it stays that way forever.
It's almost one of those things where I'm like, don't talk about it because it's I'm sure you've seen this, but living out West, so many of these towns have blown up and gotten really busy and overpopulated. And yeah, anytime I went back to see my boyfriend in Vermont, it was like, Oh man, nothing has changed since I left.
And I love that. Everything is the same, and it's so great, and it's beautiful, and yeah, it's a great place, and I agree, I am so grateful that I grew up in New England, I think New England's great, I honestly love the people from back there, and it is one of those things that it's if you're from New England if And it's hard to, it's hard to explain it to other people of what it's like and why it is so special. It's a feeling.
Yeah. And I do think that Vermont and Alaska have so many parallels where people are so proud to be there and love being there, but they also really encourage everyone to leave, go explore, come back.
Yeah.
And I, not every place is like that. Like I know people from Massachusetts who have never left this, who have never lived anywhere else.
And some have never gone like beyond New York from a, and I'm like that, I don't understand, but it's almost like when you are so isolated, you, it's like sending out the community as missionaries, go tell us what's out there. Come back.
Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. Yeah. I do feel like Alaska is pretty similar.
I have. family that lives in Haines, which is Southeast Alaska. And I used to live there as a kayak guide. And yeah, there's so many people that go there, go somewhere else and then end up returning right back. I know my cousin had gone out and she lived in Pennsylvania for a little bit with her now husband.
But then she went back to Alaska and she loves it. Mhm. It's just her place.
When you hear the words powerful and ladies, what are those words mean to you? And do their definitions change when they're next to each other?
I think to me, being a powerful lady means being you, regardless of what everyone else is thinking or, pressuring you to be.
And it also just means being it. supportive of other women. I think lifting women up is so important. And I think you actually had maybe touched on it a little bit, but, so I went out to get, went to this like wine and oysters bar last night with some girlfriends and how Being a powerful lady can be, can mean so many different things and can be so many different things.
And I thought it was so cool because I was sitting at a table with three other girlfriends and they're, I think of them all as. very powerful ladies, and they're all incredible in their own ways. It's Jess is a new mom, and she's doing an incredible job. And she's absolutely killing it.
And then Jodi is just like a badass in the outdoors. Like she is just she gets after it. And I really admire that. And Was there and she, is a two time New York Times bestselling author and like we all have our own things and I just think that's so cool to be . A part of, and also just be surrounded by other women that are doing their thing and also being supportive of each other in that.
Yeah. Yeah. I just thought that was cool. .
No, I think it is, it's so true. I want women to know that whatever you're up to is powerful. Yeah. It, you just are, like, the fact that you're existing is powerful. There's so many choices we have to make every day for ourselves, for other people to just allow ourselves to be heard or have our light shine.
Just to show up is an act of resistance and power. And You don't have to be, you can be powerful as a being. There doesn't have to be a powerful doing attached to it.
Yes. Yeah. And it goes back into the comparing of Oh, but I'm not doing what she's doing. And it's yeah, but you are doing your thing.
And that it's I couldn't do that. And you're doing it. And everyone has their own thing. And that's what's.
Our own thing and also our own timeline. I think we forget that everyone has different seasons. And you traveled when you were 23, 24. Someone else is traveling at 33, 34.
Someone else is traveling at 63, 64. And it's the goal. of being the same. That's being the same is not the goal. No, no one would want to be. No, it'd be so boring. It'd be so boring. We need everyone to be in their gifts and in their space and in their own timeline, because One, it just gives us freedom to be ourselves, but it also allows us to be contributions to each other and to carry different weight at different times or, there's this whole again, going back to the flow.
But for me, it's often like a braiding, like we're braiding our lives together. We're blatant. We're braiding who we are as humans together. And if it was all equal and consistent in the same, it would feel really weird.
Yeah, and that, that's why it's so beautiful, is because everyone has their own path, and everyone is, it's so different, and that's what's so great, and there's just beauty in that, and it's great that you can all come together and share it together, yes,
I agree. Hear. Yes. I'm so glad that you made sure we talked about that because, yeah, it's so important.
Yeah. Yeah. I just, after I left, I was like, oh, it's so cool that we're all just incredible and badass in our own ways and are all hanging out talking about everything that's going on differently in our lives, but yet we connect and yeah, it's just beautiful.
It is. I think as well, what's really interesting about you in particular is that you have this, what occurs to me is like an expansion, expansive flow capability. You're like, when things come up, when they're exciting, like we'll follow where they go. Being in that flow state and open to new possibilities and seeing what comes seems in contradiction to the precision and execution people want from a pilot. So how do you balance your ability to jump into those two spaces?
So being able to go with the flow, but also I feel like it depends on what it is. Yeah. When there's things that come up, like driving to Alaska by myself, it was like, Yeah, I can make this work.
This works with my life right now. Why not? I'm gonna go for it. And that is important for me. I love those adventures. But then there's also the times where it's I know that I have to get X, Y, and Z done and I'm going to just put my head down and get it done. And that's like getting my commercial done.
Yeah, just knowing when those times are appropriate for me and when they work for me. And then knowing when I need to really get my head in the game and get things done.
Which I really do think that most powerful ladies can tap into that, right? Like part of this whole podcast and this entire company is that the. Examples were given of what powerful means have been so limited and so extreme, like you have to be Oprah, you have to be Taylor Swift, you have to be Beyonce, you have to be Amal Clooney unless you are dedicating your life to human rights activism, like we're failing and Again, it's like such bullshit.
That's not the reality. It's like all these women that I've had the pleasure to meet and know and talk to on here were such a kaleidoscope of interesting thoughts and feelings and hobbies and capabilities. And when we talk about. Patriarchy is such a conversation in the past five, 10 years, and I think the simplicity, the biggest crime that's been committed against women may be the oversimplification of who we are and what we look like and the uniformity that we've been described as.
And that's why it's so important to me to have guests like yourself on here who are showing like it's totally normal and amazing to be able to be super focused and diligent and, go through the processes that need to happen to be safe and to make this engineering marvel happen. And at the same time, like you can be doing all of that while being enchanted with the world below you and you can be as free as you are flying anytime you want to be.
And I just, what I think is so impressive having just met you today is That like you feel, it feels so true to you to just navigate as things come and what else do you want in a pilot? What else? That's I don't want somebody who's not going to be aware and paying attention. I don't want somebody who is no, we must land here.
And you're like, maybe we're not supposed to.
Yeah. Yeah. No, I appreciate hearing that. I I, yeah. Definitely, like this last two years, I've really been working on not comparing my path to others. And it's so hard sometimes. Just seeing where other women are in my Like their aviation career and being like, Oh man, if I had done this, maybe I could have been there or with social media.
It's it's so hard sometimes, but I really let go of that idea that I need to compare myself to somebody else instead. It was more, this is my journey and whatever that looks is okay. And that's just how it's supposed to be. And that's okay. I, I almost two years ago got out of a very toxic relationship and it.
Really it threw me for a loop. I needed to take some serious time to get back to myself and be a stronger version of myself. And so I wasn't flying very much. And a lot of people talk about mental health with pilots. And it's so important to know when your head is there and when it's not. And so I really took some time off to get back to myself, worked on some other things.
That's really when I started to create. And use that as like an outlet. And then I was able to get back into flying and re spark my love for it. And come back stronger. And be able to just hit the ground running and be like, Cool, I'm going to go explore this. Maybe I want to be a seaplane pilot. And now I feel ready to get my commercial done and to just go for it.
And yeah, I just think it's so important to be able to. Look at your own journey and not compare it to others to really just realize that maybe this is how it's supposed to be and that's okay. And like As long as you're still going, that's all that matters. You'll get there eventually.
I love that. So we have a few rapid fire questions to give you as we're wrapping up today. The first is, where do you put yourself on the Powerful Ladies scale? If zero is average everyday human and ten is the most powerful lady you can imagine, where would you rank yourself today and on an average day? Ooh.
Today, I would say like a seven. I feel pretty good about getting half of my commercial checkride done and just, I don't know. I'm doing it. Yeah. On an average day, like a four, maybe a five. It's so funny that you say this because last night I was with a couple of girlfriends and we were talking about how we know so many incredible women and how we're like, What can't she do? But then, if you are one of those incredible women, you're like, I'm not doing enough, or you have anxiety about it, and it's like, why do we like, I don't know, make ourselves smaller than we are?
What is, you're up to so many things. What is something that you want, you're trying to manifest, you need more of? This is a connected, powerful community. What do you want to ask for? Ooh.
Like just in general, what I want to see more of, I think I want to see more of women supporting women and lifting each other up. I think just women supporting women is so important.
How are you maintaining your mental health with everything that's going on in the world and balancing everything that you're also up to yourself?
Trying to have a healthy amount of time to myself is very important. Being able to get outside, get some exercise, spending time with my dog, super important. As well as just spending time with the people that I love and friends that are supportive and friends that can listen. And yeah, just having a good community.
For everybody who wants to now find you, follow you, support you, hire you for fun plane rides maybe be taught by you someday, buy your jewelry, just be, like, they're just a yes to everything that you are. Where are all the places they can find, follow, and support you?
Yeah, I think the main place would just be Instagram. I have my personal account and then I also have cedar and sky on there and that's a good place to reach out to me or just to follow along.
And we'll have all those listed in our show notes. So everyone can go to the powerful ladies dot com and find them. Awesome. I am so glad that she connected us. I know that if she recommends somebody, they're going to be great people.
And I think most importantly are you going to mountain film this year?
Oh, I don't know. I went last year. And it was a blast. So I hope so.
Yeah. We're sponsoring it again. So I would love to see you there. We're always playing the game of how big can our crew get? And then we're also going to be doing a retreat two days after for, I think there's so much power in seeing those films and that community and that weekend.
That I want to give women in particular a space to decide how we're going to integrate what we just learned and take action on it and just be like, leave with that power and that momentum and take it with us versus have it just hang out and tell your ride. So yeah, so hopefully I get to see you there and if not I hope, yeah, maybe cross paths between here and Bend and wherever else we might be.
Yeah, that would be incredible. You'll have to send me the information for the retreat.
I will. I will. Thank you so much for being a yes to me and powerful ladies and all the work that you're doing. I sleep better at night knowing that there are women like you chasing all your dreams just like I am and that we're doing our magic in our part of the world. So thank you for everything you're up to. The light that you are for other people. Thank you.
Thank you for having me on the show.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend. Head to the powerful ladies. com where you can find all the links to connect with Alice and Cedar and Skyco, as well as learn more about powerful ladies. Come hang out with us on Instagram at powerful ladies.
You can find me and all my socials at Kara Duffy. com. I'll be back next week with a brand new episode until then. I hope you're taking on being powerful in your life. Go be awesome and up to something you love.
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Instagram: @aliceannreed @cedandsky.co
Facebook: Alice Reed
Created and hosted by Kara Duffy
Audio Engineering & Editing by Jordan Duffy
Production by Amanda Kass
Graphic design by Anna Olinova
Music by Joakim Karud
