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AVIATE with Shaesta

AVIATE with Shaesta

By: Shaesta Waiz Michael Wildes
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 AVIATE with Shaesta brings some of the most interesting female aviators together- trailblazers, record-setters, mothers, adventurers, entrepreneurs- to have honest conversations about what it means to be a woman in aviation. Join Shaesta Waiz, the Youngest Woman to Fly Solo Around the World, as she goes around the world (via a podcast) and connects with the industry to have honest conversations about being a woman in aviation. AVIATE, which stands for Acknowledge, Vocalize, Inclusion, Act, Travel, and Evolve, are the themes guiding each conversation. AVIATE With Shaesta is sponsored by Atlantic Aviation.2021 Aviate with Shaesta Drama & Plays Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Samantha Spencer: Why airport ops is the hardest job at the airport

    Samantha Spencer: Why airport ops is the hardest job at the airport
    Feb 12 2026
    Samantha Spencer oversees both landside and airside operations at South Bend International Airport—meaning she’s responsible for everything from FAA and TSA compliance to snow ops, badging, construction coordination, and daily airfield safety. She explains why airport operations has no “typical day”: her team can handle a fuel spill, a raccoon on a runway, a runway closure, a diverted aircraft, and pilot deviation reporting all before lunch—then make it look smooth anyway. She also breaks down what it’s like to lead young in an industry that often equates leadership with age. Instead of trying to look older or act tougher, she builds credibility through preparation, consistency, and stepping in wherever needed. She shares wins like driving strong compliance results and staying active in the industry through professional programs and young professional leadership—while pushing back on the idea that you have to “move out to move up” to be qualified. Looking forward, Samantha talks about how airports are modernizing fast—massive infrastructure projects, bigger aircraft capability, sustainability upgrades, and safer airfield geometry. She argues the next decade will demand leaders who kill the “that’s how we’ve always done it” mindset, take ownership, and invest in the next generation early—because the workforce pipeline is thinning and aviation needs new talent to step up. CHAPTERS(00:00) Running airside + landside(01:38) Modernization pressure is real(04:44) Meet Samantha Spencer(05:34) No background, chose aviation(08:12) Finding airport ops path(10:45) Young leader, proving herself(17:19) SMS without reinventing wheels(22:43) “Controlled chaos” before lunch(25:58) Notre Dame surge and “Irish apron”(39:47) Be happy, humble, know worth SPONSOR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Atlantic Aviation⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠atlanticaviation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ WORK WITH SHAESTAFor bookings and inquiries, visit: https://shaestawaiz.com/book MORE ABOUT SAMANTHA SPENCERLinkedIn: Samantha Spencer, C.M., ACE MORE ABOUT SHAESTA WAIZ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠shaestawaiz.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shaesta Waiz⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@aviateplatform⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@shaestawaiz⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠⁠⁠ Production, Distribution, and Marketing By Massif & Kroo Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MassifKroo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For inquiries/sponsoring: email hello@MassifKroo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • Amman Mujahid: There’s No Female or Male Engineer—There’s Just an Engineer

    Amman Mujahid: There’s No Female or Male Engineer—There’s Just an Engineer
    Feb 5 2026
    Amman went from rejection to finding her path in aircraft maintenance—then had to fight to be treated like a real technician. In a mostly male program, she was pushed toward admin work while men got hands-on tasks. A mentor’s line changed everything: “Engineer has no gender.” She kept showing up, asking questions, and pushing for harder work until the hangar floor had to take her seriously. Now based in the UK, she explains the shift from credential-focused hiring in Pakistan to a UK system that rewards networking and communication. She also breaks down why the industry is facing a technician shortage: universities often teach theory without enough real on-job training. Her answer is simple—make maintenance more approachable, rebuild practical pipelines, and recruit wider, including more women. CHAPTERS (00:00) “Engineer has no gender” (02:06) Meet Amman in the UK (03:01) Rejection to aviation path (06:45) Support that kept her going (12:24) Winning hands-on work (18:20) What AMEs actually do (23:23) Pakistan vs UK hiring (29:13) Why she launched newsletter (33:24) The training pipeline gap (34:24) Fixing the shortage SPONSOR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Atlantic Aviation⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠atlanticaviation.com⁠⁠⁠ WORK WITH SHAESTA For bookings and inquiries, visit:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shaestawaiz.com/book⁠⁠⁠ MORE ABOUT AMMAND MUJAHID ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: Amman Mujahid MORE ABOUT SHAESTA WAIZ Website: ⁠⁠⁠shaestawaiz.com⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Shaesta Waiz⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@aviateplatform⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@shaestawaiz⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠⁠ Production, Distribution, and Marketing By Massif & Kroo Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MassifKroo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For inquiries/sponsoring: email hello@MassifKroo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Sabira Rezaie: Afghan Helicopter Pilot Rebuilds Her Life in America After Losing Everything

    Sabira Rezaie: Afghan Helicopter Pilot Rebuilds Her Life in America After Losing Everything
    Jan 15 2026
    When Sabira Rezaie sits in a cockpit, she says she carries two things at once: the voices of Afghan women who never got the chance to fly, and the weight of everything she lost. That mix—purpose and grief—runs through this entire conversation with Shaesta Waiz. Sabira explains how aviation first meant freedom in Afghanistan: the sky was the one place culture and politics couldn’t fully control her. She became one of the first Afghan women to fly the MD 530, pushing through constant doubt from men who told her she didn’t have the “muscle” for it. She did it anyway—because it was never about strength. It was about skill, discipline, and will. Then the country collapsed. Sabira describes that moment as more than losing a place on the map. It was losing the version of herself she fought years to build. She talks about the shock of realizing she couldn’t go back, the sleeplessness, the grief, and the feeling that Afghan women’s futures were being erased in real time. From there, the episode shifts to what “starting over” actually looks like. Sabira says it’s learning to dream again after losing hope—while also dealing with personal loss, including her father, whose death anniversary comes up in the conversation. Flight training in the U.S. becomes both a rebuild and a tribute: proof that she can rise again, even when the people she wanted to make proud aren’t there to see it. They get practical about support, too. Sabira talks about how she helped other Afghan women—especially military women—navigate refugee pathways and paperwork, and why “network” isn’t a buzzword, it’s survival. She also makes a direct ask of aviation leaders: stop treating inclusion like charity. Recognize skill, fund mentorship and scholarships, and hire people for competence—not immigration background. The episode ends where it began: in the cockpit, with emotion. Sabira describes crying during her first solo in the U.S. because the win came with so much history attached. Her message to the next Afghan girl is blunt and simple: your dream is valid, and “no” isn’t a verdict. She was told no for years—until she sat in the flight deck, proved she could reach the controls, and forced the system to admit what it tried to deny. CHAPTERS (00:00) Carrying voices and grief (01:28) Kabul memory and why this matters (02:54) Reuniting on the podcast (03:43) Freedom then, resilience now (05:10) Becoming an MD 530 pilot (06:04) When Afghanistan collapsed (08:10) Starting over and her father (10:42) Helping Afghan women through networks (15:00) Why helicopters chose her (20:10) Inclusion isn’t charity: her message SPONSOR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Atlantic Aviation⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠atlanticaviation.com⁠⁠ WORK WITH SHAESTA For bookings and inquiries, visit:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shaestawaiz.com/book⁠⁠ MORE ABOUT SABIRA REZAIE ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: Sabira Rezaie - Former Commissioned Officer, Afghan Air Force MORE ABOUT SHAESTA WAIZ Website: ⁠⁠shaestawaiz.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠Shaesta Waiz⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@aviateplatform⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@shaestawaiz⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠ Production, Distribution, and Marketing By Massif & Kroo Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MassifKroo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For inquiries/sponsoring: email hello@MassifKroo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
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