Pick Yourself Up
Ready 4 Pushback
Nik Fialka
4.8 • 716 Ratings
🗓️ 28 August 2025
⏱️ 8 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome back! In this solo episode, Nik records live from OBAP 2025 in Tacoma, WA, and shares a powerful reminder for pilots at every stage of their career: give yourself grace. Between long days, high stakes, and the pressure to perform—whether at a conference, in training, or in the cockpit—it’s easy to stumble and even harder to forgive ourselves when we do.
Nik uses a simple moment—a missed step, spilled coffee, and a stranger’s encouragement—to highlight the importance of self-compassion and extending grace to others. He connects this idea directly to flying, leadership, and career growth, showing how empathy and forgiveness make us better pilots, crewmembers, and professionals. If you’re working toward the next step in your aviation journey or just need encouragement to keep going, this episode is your reminder that progress doesn’t require perfection.
What You'll Learn:
Why giving yourself grace matters during high-pressure moments in aviation and life
How showing forgiveness and empathy makes you a stronger leader and teammate
The connection between grace, CRM, and performing under pressure in the cockpit
Why progress is about consistency and growth—not perfection
A practical mindset to carry into job hunting, interviews, and everyday flying
CONNECT WITH US
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If you want to recommend someone to guest on the show, email Nik at [email protected], and if you need a professional pilot resume, go to www.spitfireelite.com/podcast/ for FREE templates!
SPONSOR
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, pilot, welcome to Ready for Pushback. It's Nick Fialca. I am sitting at Obap right now. |
| 0:10.9 | Nobody's in here except for the cleaners, and there's a couple ladies walking around vacuuming. |
| 0:15.4 | This is my first solo show from a conference. It all started as a spark. |
| 0:22.2 | Maybe it was the sound of jets racing across the sky. |
| 0:26.3 | Or the feeling of your heart racing as you watch Crop Duster flying low and slow. |
| 0:32.7 | Even then, you knew you were meant to fly. |
| 0:36.5 | For pilots, it's more than just a job. |
| 0:39.4 | It's a calling. |
| 0:41.5 | The early mornings, the long hours, the relentless training. |
| 0:45.5 | You didn't do it for the money. |
| 0:47.3 | You did it for that moment. |
| 0:49.3 | That moment when the wheels lift off and the earth falls away beneath you. |
| 0:54.0 | But flying is just the beginning. |
| 0:55.0 | The journey to your dream job takes more than just skill in the sky. |
| 0:59.0 | It takes strategy on the ground and a lifetime of learning. |
| 1:03.0 | Most pilots don't understand what career opportunities are available in the world of aviation. |
| 1:10.0 | Learn how to go from good to great, from flight school to regional to major, and from hopeful to hired. |
| 1:17.8 | Whether you're sharpening your skills, building your resume, or preparing for that big interview, |
| 1:23.5 | this is where pilots come to level up. |
| 1:26.1 | Let's get ready for pushback. |
| 1:28.2 | Here's your host and my dad, Nick Fialca. |
| 1:32.1 | This is Obap 2025. |
... |
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