Nicole Malachowski

Nicole "FiFi" Malachowski’s name is etched into the chronicles of aviation history including the National Women’s Hall of Fame. As the first female Thunderbird pilot, she shattered barriers at supersonic speeds, inspiring a generation of aviators. Her distinguished career as an F-15E pilot and commander of the 333d Fighter Squadron for nearly two decades showcased unparalleled skill, courage, and leadership in the unforgiving skies. Though a tick-borne illness halted her time in the cockpit, she turned her resilience into a new mission: inspiring others. Now a sought-after keynote speaker, she uses her experiences in aviation, leadership, and personal adversity to deliver powerful lessons on perseverance, determination, and rising above life’s challenges. #nicolemalachowski #trailblazer #legend #breakingbarriers #defyinglimits #fighterpilot

17 years ago today, my selection as the first woman Thunderbird pilot was publicly announced by the Air Force. I was blissfully naïve as to what I'd gotten myself into at the time. That said, I certainly had more ups than downs during that whirlwind assignment. I’m often asked by folks if I have any video of me flying, like the current team has. I chuckle, because we certainly didn’t have that fancy technology back then. To put it in perspective, I joined the team before the first iPhone was ever released. We used old-school 8mm tapes. Admittedly, I didn’t keep all of my tapes, and the ones in my possession have certainly faced an unfortunate environment in storage (oops!). But, we managed to find a few usable snippets. So, this is as good as it gets from my ancient archives, a video montage that I hope you enjoy.

I’ve met a lot of new people on social media over the past few months and it’s been wonderful! So, let me introduce myself. Here’s a quick summary, it’s nice to meet you. I'd love to learn more about you.

Ticks are active all year, but activity ramps up in spring and summer! Awareness isn’t optional. Protect yourself from tick bites, do regular tick checks, and immediately remove ticks you find attached to decrease the chance of infection. 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗔 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞 1️⃣Using clean, fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin’s surface. 2️⃣Pull the tick away with steady, even pressure. Do NOT crush the tick! 3️⃣Place the tick in a tightly sealed container and send it for testing. 4️⃣Clean the bite area after removal--use soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or even hand sanitizer. 5️⃣See a healthcare provider for further assessment and/or treatment. . . . #TickAwareness #RemoveTicks #TickRemoval #TickborneDisease #TickborneIllness #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski

This week on #Unfiltered, @realmalachowski and @amymcgrathky take on the week’s news, including #Hegseth and Iran. This episode’s out now! 👆🏼 #amymcgrath #kentucky #nationalsecurity

As a leader, your 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆. Every time you say “yes” without intention, you deplete the fuel you’ll need when it really counts. Every hour you let stress go unchecked wears away your situational awareness, your decision-making, and your ability to show up. In high-performance environments, you can’t leave energy on the table--you have to manage it and spend it like it matters. What does that mean? ➢ 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅e 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. ➢ 𝑺𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔. ➢ 𝑨𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕. These things are signs of real leadership strength. You must 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 as a leader. Your team--and the mission--depend on it. . . . #Energy #EnergyIsAResource #ManageYourEnergy #LeadershipStrategies #LeadershipTips #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski

➡️Surround yourself with people who see your potential, believe you can fulfill it, and are willing to support you as you work to achieve your dreams. The right people don’t just cheer from the sidelines--they show up in hard moments, too, and remind you of what you’re capable of when you forget. Those are relationships you have to choose, invest in, and protect. People who hold you to high standards, encourage you in your efforts, and keep you accountable? They’re the ones who’ll be there for you when you struggle. 🎯𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪. ⭐As a leader, believing in your people and their capabilities can mean the difference between falling short and hitting the target. Show your team that you believe in them--and fuel a mission that matters--with gear from my online store. 𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝘾𝙀𝙀𝘿𝙎 go to organizations supporting tickborne illness research, education, and patient advocacy. As a tickborne disease survivor, this cause is personal. 🛒𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙋 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀: /collections/all (🔗 in Bio) . . . #Believe #AccountabilityPartners #SupportSystem #Mentors #GrowthMindset #SuccessMindset #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski

Are you feeling burned out? It can happen to anyone. But burnout doesn’t happen overnight--it’s a slow drift off course. In aviation, pilots constantly assess their environment and scan their instruments to make corrections before minor deviations lead to major problems. Your well-being deserves the same discipline. If you’re a leader running on empty, your team feels it. If you don’t address this, it will normalize exhaustion--and your team will start operating accordingly. Recognizing when it’s time to recalibrate is key. So, check your instruments. Monitor your fuel, adjust your altitude, and know when it’s time to land and tank up again. Because the mission can only be accomplished if you can sustain yourself. . . . #Burnout #BeatBurnout #StayOnCourse #LeadershipTips #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski

👉There’s been a great increase in research about ticks and tickborne diseases in America. If you want to learn more, ✅check out these 5 organizations leading the fight against the tickborne illness epidemic in this country: 1️ - 𝗖𝗗𝗖: Serves as the nation’s frontline tracker of Lyme disease and more 2️ - 𝗡𝗜𝗛: Focuses on funding and conducting cutting-edge treatment and pathogen research 3️ - 𝗖𝗗𝗠𝗥𝗣 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: Supports innovative research on preventing, detecting, and resolving Lyme and other tickborne diseases 4️ - 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵: Connects researchers studying the latest tick ecology and diagnostics science 5️ - 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀: Conducts long-term ecological research on tickborne disease, including pathogen screenings of ticks 💚May is Lyme Disease and Tickborne Disease Awareness Month. 🕷️𝗕𝗘 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗘. . . . #LymeDiseaseAwareness #TickborneDiseaseAwareness #BeTickAware #TickResearch #Epidemic #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski

🕷️𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙎 𝙎𝙐𝘾𝙆! They can transmit disease-causing pathogens to you through one bite. That’s why it’s so important to protect yourself. One key way to defend against tick bites is by using repellents. One of the most effective repellents isn’t for application on your skin; it’s a treatment for clothing and gear called 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗡. ⭐Permethrin has been studied for years, and the case for its effectiveness in 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 gets stronger at every turn. It is toxic to tick species studied by scientists and researchers from the University of Rhode Island and the CDC, impacting the ticks’ movement and ability to bite. In fact, some findings show that people wearing permethrin-treated shoes and socks were 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 73 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 by a tick than those wearing untreated footwear. ✅𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀. For more on this and other personal protection treatments, check out the 🔗links in my bio! RESOURCES ➜ “Tick bite protection with permethrin-treated summer-weight clothing” by Nathan J. Miller, et al in the Journal of Medical Entomology (2011) /mtcteabc ➜ “New CDC Tick Study Adds to Promise of Permethrin-Treated Clothing” in Entomology Today (June 2018) /4mbry2d9 . . . #TicksSuck #TickAwareness #ProtectYourself #PersonalProtection #TickBitePrevention #Repellents #Permethrin #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski

🚨📢🚩𝗜𝗖𝗬𝗠𝗜: A new study came out last week, and it is 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗘! ⚠️𝘍𝘋𝘈-𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘺𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 78% 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘓𝘺𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴. It’s worse than we could have imagined. How many are misdiagnosed? How much chronic illness has developed because of this? How much unnecessary suffering has been caused for patients and families? 🆘𝗪𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗚𝗡𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗪!! ➡️Read the details from Bay Area Lyme Foundation here: /3s4ptcw2 (🔗‍️ IN BIO) @bayarealymefoundation . . . #LymeDisease #LymeDiagnositics #EarlyDetection #TickborneDisease #PatientAdvocacy #PublicHealth #LymeDiseaseResearch #BayAreaLymeFoundation #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski

✨Elevate your style with quality merch from my official online shop! 😊100% of proceeds from ALL purchases are donated to organizations supporting tickborne illness research, education, & advocacy! 🛒Shop here: /collections/all (🔗 IN BIO) . . . #TickborneIllnessAwareness #TickborneDiseaseAwareness #OnlineShop #Merch #ShopForACause #ExcellenceUnscripted #KeynoteSpeaker #MotivationalSpeaker #NicoleMalachowski