Premium

From the Cockpit to the Keynote Stage: How a Fighter Pilot Found Her Voice

Gaining the confidence to charge what you’re worth begins long before you quote your fee.

The HEROIC Journey

New students

Public speaking

Julianne

Hitner

President

minute read

Published on

October 20, 2025

At HEROIC, Tammy found a supportive community and master teachers who helped her find her place in the spotlight. Photo courtesy of Tammy Barlette.

When Tammy Barlette retired from the military, she didn’t have a polished keynote. She didn’t know how to find speaking engagements. And she didn’t have a clue what to charge. But she did have a story, a mission, and a spark inside her that refused to be ignored.

‍

Deep down, she knew she had to continue to lead: this time, not from the cockpit, but from the stage. She would show other female veterans that their stories mattered, and that the spotlight wasn’t just for someone else. It was for them, too.

‍

There was just one problem: Tammy had mastered maneuvering the A-10 “Warthog”, flown in combat support missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and instructed hundreds of young Air Force pilots—but the idea of speaking onstage made her sick to the stomach.

‍

Fighter jets? No problem. A microphone and an eager audience? Terrifying.

‍

“A couple years before I retired, my husband said, ‘You should be a professional speaker.’ I thought he was crazy. Initially I just blew it off because it made me nauseous. I thought: No way! I don't want to be onstage,” Tammy recalls.

‍

However, as Tammy’s final years in uniform wound down, something shifted. “I realized too many women quietly go off into the night after they finish their careers, and they never talk about what they’ve done. I realized that we need more women out there speaking.”

‍

But to help other female veterans find their voices, Tammy would need to find hers first.

Full Transcript

Don't

From the clouds to the stage, Tammy Barlette inspires female veterans to find their voice in the exciting next chapter of their careers. Photos courtesy of Tammy Barlette.

We Are Always Performers, Never Critics.

‍

Tammy knew that quality training is essential for peak performance. So she started to study everything she could about public speaking. She read books, listened to podcasts, and watched YouTube videos on repeat.

‍

One day, she was listening to a podcast with Michael Port, HEROIC co-founder, as a guest. At the end of the podcast, he mentioned a live speaking event they were hosting. His words caught Tammy’s attention like a flash of lightning.

‍

“He said, ‘Everyone needs to know that we don't allow critics. If you're a critic, we're just going to kick you right out. We just don't allow that.’ And I thought to myself: that's awesome. I need to go there.”

‍

It was like a spark ignited inside her. The idea of learning in a space where she could play, test, fumble, and try again—all without a critic breathing down her neck—felt like discovering a secret personal-growth oasis.

‍

“I was so tired of being constantly ripped to shreds. That's the fighter pilot way—brutal honesty. It’s how we get great. But I was just done with that.”

‍

Tammy was ready for something different: a challenge that would stretch her, push her, and ultimately turn her into a transformational speaker.

‍

From Nauseous and Uncomfortable to Confident and Unstoppable

‍

At HEROIC, Tammy watched people just like her step onstage to deliver part of their speech, receive valuable feedback, then apply it and improve tremendously. All in what felt like seconds.

‍

“The changes I saw so quickly onstage during Masterclasses were incredible. I had no idea there was so much to speaking.”

‍

“I quickly realized that I could stand up and give a speech. But I absolutely could not perform a speech in a way that would connect with the audience,” Tammy shares.

‍

Over the following months, Tammy used the Foundational Five to craft her speech, mastered the power of storytelling, and learned how to perform for emotional connection.

‍

It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t comfortable, but it led to huge transformations. “I've definitely been very uncomfortable in my life and throughout my career. That's just how you learn, grow, and get better. But I’d never been uncomfortable and vulnerable in a performance way before. And HEROIC is the place where I learned to step out of my comfort zone in that way,” Tammy says.

‍

As she internalized her speech and the stories she shared, her onstage nervousness slowly melted away. Her cohort cheered her on as she stepped onstage for Masterclass sessions and shared her stories in rehearsal groups. They were there by her side all along, offering encouragement during the low moments and celebrating together during the high ones.

‍

“The people are absolutely there for you. They’re high-quality people who want to do better, be better, and make the world better. It was so incredible to see everybody coming together to grow and learn,” she says. Tammy made lifelong friends and colleagues who she stays in contact with to this day, more than six years after she first started her HEROIC training in 2019.

‍

“HEROIC helped me know that I belong on the stage.”

‍

Slowly but surely, Tammy’s speech became a performance, one that connected deeply with her audience. Her stories started to come to life, her words now seemed to echo through the room, and her confidence was sure, steady, and unwavering.

‍

Tammy discovered that her message, her voice, and her story mattered. And that made all the difference. “Now I’m up onstage because I have something to say, and a story to tell. HEROIC helped me know that I belong on the stage,” Tammy says.

Don't

Tammy Barlette brings both the fighter pilot and the performer mindset to the stage. Photo courtesy of Tammy Barlette.

Achieving a Five-Figure Speaking Fee

‍

“At first, I really wasn’t comfortable sharing my speaking fee,” Tammy admits. Like many new speakers, she wasn’t sure what to charge or how to negotiate with event organizers. Fee conversations were always nerve-wracking. “It’s difficult to get the fee you’re asking for when you're not even sure yourself.”

‍

As Tammy’s confidence onstage grew, so did her confidence in her speech, her value, and herself. Her message got sharper. Her delivery got stronger. Today, she knows what she’s worth.

‍

“I finally have my speaking fee at a place where I’m happy with it. And I don’t have any hesitations or qualms or shame about sharing it. That's one of the biggest things I'm happy with: that I'm finally okay, just saying, this is what I'm worth. And to give a speech and to have people pay for it multiple times over at that fee, it feels good,” Tammy says.

‍

From the beginning, Tammy had a goal: one paid speaking gig per month. Today, she’s doing just that, and at a fee that used to feel like a pipe dream. She raised her fees from four- to five-figures, and confidently owns her speech’s value.

‍

But she didn’t stop there. She knew she needed to help female veterans share their stories too. So she founded Athena’s Voice, a speaker collective featuring all female pilots. Now almost a dozen female pilots take the stage through Athena’s Voice, sharing stories of leadership, courage, and perseverance with audiences across the country.

Don't

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

“The HEROIC Faculty are the ones who helped me shape my speech into what it is and make it something worth sharing with the world. They're the experts, and they definitely, absolutely know what they're doing.”

Tammy Barlette

Retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Keynote Speaker

“It’s not about how unique your story is, it’s about how you share it.”

‍

Not too long ago, Tammy was at lunch with an old work acquaintance. Suddenly, she bluntly asked Tammy: “Why would anyone want to hear you speak?”

‍

A few years earlier, Tammy had asked herself that same question.

‍

When people told her she should share her story, those doubts would immediately enter her mind. “I’d think: What am I going to say? What am I going to share? How am I going to change the way people think?” Tammy recalls.

‍

But that was before HEROIC, before mastering storytelling, and before earning the confidence to step onstage with power, poise, and purpose.

‍

Today, Tammy doesn’t just hope she’s making an impact for her audience. She knows she is.

‍

So when her lunch companion tossed out that unsolicited question, Tammy didn’t flinch. She smiled. “You could be a server in a restaurant and still share stories that change the world. It's not about how unique your story is. It's about how you tell it.”

‍

That’s one of the biggest lessons she took from HEROIC. “At first I was trying to find this really unique speech,” Tammy recalls. “One of the HEROIC Faculty just said: ‘Tammy, your story is about perseverance.’ I was resistant. I said, ‘But everyone talks about perseverance.’ But he said: ‘It's about you sharing that message in your unique way, in a way that makes people think differently,’” Tammy says.

‍

That changed everything for Tammy. Because a story doesn’t have to be one-in-a-million.

‍

Your story doesn’t have to be unique or different. If it’s powerful enough to change your life, it can change someone else’s too.

‍

Today, Tammy knows exactly how to tell that kind of story, one that’s audience-focused, captivating, honest, and deeply human. She’s earning the fees she deserves. She has the confidence to share her voice and inspire others to do the same.

‍

And she knows that she, too, belongs onstage.

Don't

|

Helpful Links

Find your voice.

CORE

|

The Breakthrough Experience

To reach your full potential and become a transformational speaker, you need craft. Here at HEROIC, speakers don’t just get better, they master the craft of speech writing and stage performance.

Learn more

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

We Are Always Performers, Never Critics.

‍

“I was so tired of being constantly ripped to shreds. That's the fighter pilot way—brutal honesty. It’s how we get great. But I was just done with that.”

‍

Tammy was ready for something different: a challenge that would stretch her, push her, and ultimately turn her into a transformational speaker.

‍

From Nauseous and Uncomfortable to Confident and Unstoppable

‍

At HEROIC, Tammy watched people just like her step onstage to deliver part of their speech, receive valuable feedback, then apply it and improve tremendously. All in what felt like seconds.

‍

“The changes I saw so quickly onstage during Masterclasses were incredible. I had no idea there was so much to speaking.”

‍

“I quickly realized that I could stand up and give a speech. But I absolutely could not perform a speech in a way that would connect with the audience,” Tammy shares.

‍

Over the following months, Tammy used the Foundational Five to craft her speech, mastered the power of storytelling, and learned how to perform for emotional connection.

‍

“HEROIC helped me know that I belong on the stage.”

‍

Dont

From the clouds to the stage, Tammy Barlette inspires female veterans to find their voice in the exciting next chapter of their careers. Photos courtesy of Tammy Barlette.

Achieving a Five-Figure Speaking Fee

‍

As Tammy’s confidence onstage grew, so did her confidence in her speech, her value, and herself. Her message got sharper. Her delivery got stronger. Today, she knows what she’s worth.

‍