FLYING MYNDZ

Send us Fan Mail The flight deck gives us structure: SOPs, checklists, and a clear division of roles. Real life does not. That gap is where a lot of pilot mental health struggles grow, especially when stress, grief, relationship strain, or isolation on layovers meets the easiest coping tool available: numbing out. I’m joined by Doug McKibbon, a psychologist and workplace consultant who has support...

Send us Fan Mail Arctic lakes for runways, fuel drums as baggage, and a young pilot learning to think three moves ahead—Jesslyn’s story grabs you from the first minute. We sit down with a Twin Otter alum who went from ramp work and SMS to flying floats, skis, and wheels across Canada’s North, then faced a harsh culture shock in pipeline surveillance that triggered burnout and a hard stop. What fol...

Send us Fan Mail Buckle up for an extraordinary journey with Captain Dan Stewart as he takes us from the wheat fields of southern Alberta to the skies over tsunami-ravaged Indonesia. What begins as a childhood fascination ignited by a daring airplane landing on a highway near his farm transforms into one of aviation's most remarkable career paths. Dan's raw account of flying 29 daily sec...

Send us Fan Mail The cockpit can be a lonely place when you're struggling—paddling frantically below the surface while maintaining that calm, unflappable exterior passengers expect. This vulnerability lies at the heart of my conversation with Captain Rhea MacKay, a trailblazing 737 pilot and operations manager whose 25-year journey through aviation's male-dominated culture offers profoun...

Send us Fan Mail The line between passion and obsession blurs when aviation seeps into your blood at an early age. For Gerry Murphy, watching the first DC-8 jet land in Calgary as a wide-eyed child sparked a lifelong love affair with flight that would carry him through 24,000 hours in cockpits around the world. Gerry's remarkable journey takes us from the Canadian Arctic flying Twin Otters to...

Send us Fan Mail How does a former radio broadcaster with a marketing degree end up becoming a key player in aviation logistics? Jenna Heacock's career path is anything but conventional, yet somehow perfectly aligned with her family's storied aviation history. Jenna's grandfather flew Spitfires during World War II before piloting for the RCMP in the Canadian Arctic. Those stories fo...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the person flying your plane is struggling beneath the surface? Ian Gracie's extraordinary journey reveals the hidden battles pilots face, and how one man transformed personal crisis into systemic change for aviation safety. Born into northern Canada's unforgiving landscape, Ian's passion for flight led him from dodging moose on frozen lakes to com...

Send us Fan Mail When a pilot faces addiction or mental health challenges, where do they turn in an industry where admitting weakness can mean losing everything? Dr. Brendan Adams, with decades of experience as both a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner and addiction specialist, offers a powerful perspective on this critical issue. What begins as "layover shenanigans" can evolve into career-...

Send us Fan Mail Beneath the polished exterior of aviation careers lies a turbulent financial reality most flight schools never discuss. In this deeply personal conversation, Captain Alex Wozniak pulls back the curtain on 15 years of navigating the unpredictable skies of the pilot profession. From his first position loading aircraft in remote Northern Ontario to commanding Boeing 737s and flying i...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what happens on the other side of the cockpit door? Not inside the aircraft, but back home where spouses and families wait, worry, and build lives around constantly shifting schedules. Denise Taylor pulls back the curtain on 42 years of marriage to a commercial pilot in this raw, honest, and occasionally colorful conversation that reveals aviation's hidden emotion...

Send us Fan Mail Buckle up for a candid exploration of pilot mental health with Dr. Diane Walters, a psychologist with over 25 years of experience supporting aviators through their unique challenges. This eye-opening conversation reveals how mental wellness affects not just pilots themselves, but their families, colleagues, and ultimately, flight safety. Dr. Walters guides us through the complex l...

Send us Fan Mail Flying through more than four decades of aviation history, pilot Tom Taylor takes us behind the cockpit door to share a career journey that spans generations of aircraft and airline transformations. From his early days as a teenage flight enthusiast to becoming an international captain for one of Asia's premier carriers, his story captures the evolving landscape of commercial...

Send us Fan Mail The hidden health crisis in aviation rarely makes headlines, but it affects thousands of professionals whose work keeps our skies safe. In this eye-opening conversation, Michelle Stiles—flight attendant base lead and wellness coach—reveals the physical toll that aviation takes on those who call the skies their workplace. Michelle's story begins with her first operational flig...

Send us Fan Mail From a farm boy in Saskatchewan to a world aviator, Warren has some great stories. From learning to fly an Ultra-lite on the farm, to flying overseas in China,  to being an instructor with Dehavilland Aircraft of Canada. Sit back and hear some pretty entertaining stories and the challenges faced during his journey. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail One of Canada's leading aviation experts, Tim Morgan, from starting a flight school to being part of one of the most successful airlines in Canada. His successes, his challenges, and how he managed to compartmentalize the stresses of running several aviation businesses. Untold stories of how small the aviation world is and how he navigated through these.  BetterHelp, a paid p...

Send us Fan Mail A brief description on the conception of Flying Myndz. Your Captain, Stephan, talks about the end of a Ultra Low Cost Carrier Airline in Canada, that coincided with the end of a 4 decade flying career that started Flying Myndz. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail  FLYING MYNDZ IS HERE TO NAVIGATE THE MENTAL LANDSCAPE OF AVIATION INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS. BetterHelp, a paid partner. Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My paid partner BetterHelp makes therapy easy. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show