Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour

Based on her New York Times bestselling book, this keynote delivers the complete Zero to Breakthrough framework — a seven-step, battle-tested system for identifying the goals that actually matter and pursuing them with the relentless discipline of a combat pilot on a mission. FlyGirl draws on her extraordinary journey from Nashville cop to Marine aviator to Hall of Fame speaker to show audiences that breakthrough is not a matter of circumstance — it is a matter of commitment. Participants leave with a concrete, personalized action plan for the goal they have been putting off, and the gutsy mindset to actually execute it. Ideal for sales kick-offs, leadership conferences, and any audience ready to stop talking about results and start producing them.

Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour is best known for being America's first Black female combat pilot — a historic milestone she achieved as a U.S. Marine Corps aviator who flew two combat tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before her military career, she was the first woman of color on the Nashville Police Department's motorcycle squad. After leaving active duty, she became a celebrated keynote speaker, bestselling author, and founder of VAI Consulting & Training. In 2025, she was inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, one of the most prestigious honors in the professional speaking industry. She has been featured on Oprah, CNN, MSNBC, The View, and Fox News.

"Cleared Hot" is the phrase FlyGirl would hear in the cockpit — the signal that she had permission to engage. In this flagship keynote, she challenges every person in the audience to stop waiting for someone else to give them that signal and start granting it to themselves. Drawing on the leadership lessons of combat aviation, she explores what it means to own your identity as a leader, make decisions at the speed of change, and build teams that don't hesitate when it counts. This is not a keynote about leadership theory — it is a full-contact activation that shifts how people think about their own authority, their own voice, and their own capacity to lead differently in an organization that needs them to. Customized for executive leadership teams, DEI initiatives, and culture transformation programs.

Great organizations are not built by people who wait for direction — they are built by leaders who create it. In this high-energy keynote, Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour breaks down the cultural conditions that produce bold, proactive, high-performing teams, and shows leaders exactly what they need to do — and stop doing — to build them. Drawing from her dual career in law enforcement and combat aviation, she identifies the specific behaviors, communication patterns, and leadership decisions that either unleash or suppress the gutsy instincts your team already has. The result is a practical blueprint for building a culture where psychological safety and accountability coexist, and where diverse voices drive competitive advantage rather than just checking a box.

Adversity is not a leadership test you can prepare for in theory — it is one you survive by building the right habits before it arrives. In this keynote, FlyGirl draws on her experiences flying combat missions, navigating life as a pioneer in spaces that weren't built for her, and building a thriving business after military service to deliver a framework for genuine, operational resilience. She distinguishes between the resilience that bounces back and the resilience that transforms — and shows audiences how to build the latter through identity, preparation, and the willingness to lead anyway when conditions are anything but ideal. Particularly resonant for organizations navigating disruption, rapid growth, or periods of sustained pressure.