Second Acts: How Captain Carole Hopson Found Her ‘One True Thing’

Everyday Better with Leah Smart

Carole Hopson is a Boeing 737 captain for United Airlines and the author of ‘A Pair of Wings,’ a historical fiction novel about Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to get her pilot license. After a successful twenty-year career working for iconic brands like the National Football League, Foot Locker and L’Oréal, Carole quit her job to pursue her lifelong dream of flying planes. 

On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Carole tells the story of how she turned that childhood dream into a second-act career. She shares wisdom on balancing your career alongside the responsibilities of being a parent, demonstrating why moms make for some of the best employees. She also discusses her novel and her next big dream: sending 100 Black women to flight school by 2035. 

Follow Carole Hopson on LinkedIn. 

Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.

To learn more about the life of Bessie Coleman, check out Carole’s novel A Pair of Wings.

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