Taking Flight After 40 with Pilot Sarah Cortez

Sarah Cortez knew she wanted to be a pilot from the age of three, watching out the window of her dad's plane. It took her almost 40 years to act on it. In this episode, Sarah, a longtime sales professional, keynote speaker, and student pilot, joins Steph Lokelani to talk about what it took to finally start flying: clearing her schedule, ignoring the excuses, and pushing through nearly 200 two-week training cycles to earn her private pilot's license.

Sarah shares the story of her dad's skepticism, a helicopter-pilot father with 1,500 skydiving jumps of his own, and how being told she didn't have the focus became the moment she stopped calling flying a "pipe dream." She and Steph swap adventure stories, from flying into the Grand Canyon at dusk to heli-snowboarding in Whistler, and dig into Sarah's work as fundraising chair for Women in Aviation Gem State Chapter, including the upcoming Girls in Aviation Day, on September 19, 2026.

About Sarah Cortez:

Meet Sarah Cortez, the "GOALden Girl," a National award-winning sales professional and pilot with a remarkable journey. Moving an incredible 34 times before 5th grade, she developed adaptability and resilience at a young age.

With over 25 years of sales and management experience, Sarah's expertise shines through her training company, established in 2018.

As a sought-after speaker and trainer, Sarah captivates audiences across the United States at national conferences, sales kick-offs, and company retreats. Her ability to inspire and motivate stems from her relentless tenacity in accomplishing her own GOALS.

Beyond her sales career, Sarah's journey of becoming a pilot after the age of 40 exemplifies the power of self-belief, action, and surrounding oneself with remarkable HUMANs.

The "GOALDEN GIRL" has formulated a winning approach to help others achieve greatness in their lives. She loves nothing more than helping others accomplish their BIG GOALS.

Key Takeaways:

- Action beats readiness. Sarah didn't wait to feel ready, she cleared her schedule and started studying six months after deciding to pursue her pilot's license, despite three kids, a full-time job, and a side business.

- A "pipe dream" becomes real the day you stop calling it one. Her dad's doubt, and his honest explanation that she "didn't have the focus," became the turning point that made her commit.

- Progress is a cycle, not a straight line. Sarah calls her approach "the art of achievement": take action, reflect, adjust, and take action again. However many cycles it takes.

- Representation matters early. Through Girls in Aviation Day, Sarah has watched what happens when young girls see women in flight suits, cockpits, and maintenance bays: "if they can see it, they can be it."

- A childhood of constant motion built resilience. Moving 34 times before fifth grade for her father's power line construction work taught Sarah to connect with people quickly and keep those connections going.

- Signs can show up anywhere, even a coffee cup. While questioning whether to keep pushing toward her pilot's license, a Starbucks cup reading "stay the course" convinced Sarah she was on the right path.

- Sarah's answer to Steph's closing question: at her core, she's a fun-loving, people-loving person who feels most herself in the air, on the snow, and grounded in her faith.

Chapters:

0:00 – Cold open: meeting Sarah and her aviation dream

0:39 – Knowing she wanted to fly since age three

1:03 – Encouraging others to take action on their dreams

1:46 – Turning 40 and deciding "if I'm going to do this, I better start"

2:36 – Behind the yoke for the first time on her own

3:16 – Flight school: instrument rating and commercial training underway

6:59 – What Women in Aviation Gem State Chapter does

9:01 – 100,000 female pilots and counting

12:00 – Her dad's "when horses fly" reaction to her pilot dream

14:26 – Keynote speaking and sales training

15:01 – Girls in Aviation Day: growing from 150 to 250 attendees

17:16 – "If they can see it, they can be it"

18:11 – What flying feels like: total presence, total release

19:55 – A yoga parallel: losing yourself in the moment

20:36 – Flying into the Grand Canyon at dusk

24:03 – Flying into the backcountry: Indian Creek and smoke-filled skies

26:45 – What company would you fly for?

30:00 – Her kids' very different dreams: skiing, ranching, baseball

33:37 – Her dad's helicopter career and 1,500 skydiving jumps

34:39 – Heli-snowboarding in Whistler, BC

39:52 – Favorite Idaho flight: a solo cross-country to Coeur d'Alene

41:24 – Landing a Kodiak backcountry plane at Flying B

42:51 – Would she buy back her dad's old plane?

44:19 – A childhood of 34 moves before fifth grade

50:11 – Flying a Black Hawk during the "boss lift"

53:52 – A shoutout to Women in Aviation founder Sarina

1:02:23 – Closing question

1:03:53 – Outro