Ep 180 Deborah Lawrie - The sky was never the limit

Australia's first female commercial airline pilot was told she'd never get hired because she’s a woman. So she took the airline to the High Court and won. On this week's episode of the Stand Out Life podcast, Deborah Lawrie, author of Touching the Sky and the longest-flying female airline pilot in the world, sits down with me to share her story. You'll hear how she refuses to accept ‘no’ when Ansett Airlines continually rejected her pilot application. Her stubborn, sometimes naive fight became a landmark High Court discrimination case that cracked open commercial aviation for every female pilot who followed. She then went on to work for the very company she’s spent years in court fighting. Deborah's story is one of grit, equality, and backing yourself when no one else will. Tune in to hear about: Why stubbornness beats talent when the odds are stacked against you The moment at 16 that lights her up and never lets go What it really takes to earn a commercial pilot's licence The sneaky age trap Ansett used to stall female applicants The High Court case that changed Australian aviation forever The advice she gives every woman still waiting to be picked for something The wish flight that reminds her why she flies in the first place Tap play and hear how one woman rewrote the rulebook for an entire industry. Key moments: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:50 The father who wanted to fly 00:07:10 Caught by the flying bug 00:10:10 The backup career plan 00:12:30 Commercial licence at 18 00:17:10 Air racing around the bay 00:19:50 Applying to the airlines 00:21:50 The 27 cutoff trap 00:23:50 Filing the discrimination case 00:27:10 Two wins in one day 00:35:30 Icing over the North Sea 00:39:50 The boy and the Ferrari 00:43:50 Advice for women who wait - 👉About Deborah Lawrie Deborah Lawrie AM was the subject of Australia's first contested equal opportunity anti-discrimination case. After more than a year of fighting Ansett Airlines, she won the landmark High Court battle in 1979, and became the first female airline pilot for a major Australian airline. Her accolades include induction into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001, the Master Air Pilot award in 2017, and a place in the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2022. In November 2023, Sydney Airport named a flyover in her honour. It sits directly over Sir Reginald Ansett Drive. - 👉Get your copy of Deborah Lawrie’s book https://harpercollins.com.au/products/9781460718599_touching-the-sky-the-extraordinary-story-of-an-australian-trailblazer-who-became-the-longest-flying-female-airline-pilot-in-the-world - 🟡Subscribe and follow along for more meaningful conversations with extraordinary people about living a boldly, connected, standout life. - 👉Here’s how we can stay in touch https://pragmaticthinking.com/ https://www.instagram.com/alihill/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fromalihill/