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Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour

America’s First Black Female Combat Pilot

Combat tests you. Being a beat cop tests you. Life tests you. Three brothers and being the only girl…tests you. Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour has been tested her whole life. A gutsy trailblazer, her resume is an impressive collection of “firsts” including America’s first Black woman combat pilot. She served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine. She was also a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon for Headquarters Marine Corps. After her military service, FlyGirl revved up her career in the private sector as an entrepreneur, consultant to business, and author of Zero to Breakthrough, The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter.

As a speaker, FlyGirl unleashes hard-hitting advice and amazing anecdotes from her adventures on the battlefield and in business. She helps individuals and organizations Get Gutsy and build a sustainable inner force and conviction, that results in accomplishing significant goals.

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour’s Demo Reel

Travels From:

Atlanta, GA

Fee Range:

Keynote: $50,000

Virtual: $35,500 – $55,500

Favorite Food:

Sushi

Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour Bio

In 2007, FlyGirl launched VAI Consulting & Training, LLC. Through that work, she helps individuals and organizations make gutsy moves and create breakthrough results by applying her “Zero to BreakthroughTM” Success Model – a mindset that helped to propel her career and kept her safe in air combat. FlyGirl regularly takes her message to premier meetings and conferences worldwide and is a Gutsy Confidence Mentor for elite senior executive Women in Tech.

As her newest business venture, in 2020 FlyGirl started FlyGirl Construction, a General Contracting Firm in the Atlanta, GA area.

As a Black gay woman and single mom, FlyGirl brings vital experience to her role as a member of the Forbes School of Business & Technology Board of Advisors and COMCAST/NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council.

FlyGirl has two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards as a pioneering pilot, including honors for her commanding role in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour’s story has been featured in the media including on CNN, MSNBC, The View, FOX News, Oprah Winfrey and many more, along with being a running back for the San Diego Sunfire professional women’s football team and two-time title holder of Camp Pendleton’s Strongest Warrior Competition.

She is currently working on her next book, The Gutsy Move.

Vernice "Flygirl" Armour Headshot

Partial Client List:

  • Authority Brands
  • Choice Hotels Owners Council
  • Church’s Chicken
  • Fastsigns
  • Frito Lay
  • Great Clips
  • International Franchise Association
  • Jani-King
  • McDonald’s
  • PepsiCo
  • RE/MAX
  • Smoothie King
  • Threshold Brands
  • As the first African American female combat pilot in U.S. history, I am certain your journey has not been an easy one. I am also certain that your presentation will influence VA employees because it speaks to a commitment to succeed. Your focus, your passion, your purpose, and your positive attitude are the necessary tools to handle obstacles and help you overcome any barriers. Your message will inspire all to do his or her personal best." 

    Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Vernice was a homerun!! She delivered a terrific presentation, high energy and engaging. The chat was blowing up during her presentation. She was really easy to work with, too!! 

    Executive Producer, Image Media for event with Kimberly-Clark
  • Your energy and message started the event off on such a high note, and we are so grateful for that! The attendees felt so empowered and motivated after listening to your story—they definitely feel gutsy now!” 

    Stanford Women in Business
  • The audience was absorbed by your stories of grit, determination and your lessons learned; you clearly connected with every individual as I could see how engaged people were...thank you for demonstrating that we can make dreams happen and seize the joy that awaits us in this life adventure. 

    Managing Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Americas, UBS Investment Bank
  • We have worked with many speakers over the years, and Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour is among the absolute best. She was more than efficient and capable, and truly exceeded our expectations, from the pre-event prep call, until she walked off the stage into an audience of freshly motivated and energized employees. She absorbed and addressed their challenges and concerns as if they were her own, and expertly incorporated an impressive command of our internal language, culture, and objectives. All while infusing bits of humor and contagious energy. She's on top of her game and industry trends and understands our current corporate climate as it parallels with leadership strategies. Her step-by-step breakthrough mentality model is relatable, and what is more, executable. And we're off to the races getting gutsy because of her. She gave my team permission to engage, and I'm excited and braced for a no limits 2018.

    Group Vice President, Evanta, a Gartner Company

Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour Keynotes

ONE MISSION - ONE GOAL - ONE TEAM

Gutsy Leaders create Gutsy Teams that make Gutsy Moves. They’re proactive – not reactive; and create the future by summoning the courage to adapt and align. Drawing on her trailblazing career as a U.S. Marine combat helicopter pilot, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour unloads valuable lessons learned under the most stressful of circumstances – about leadership, teamwork, resilience, communication, execution, and building a culture of unshakable trust. FlyGirl’s storytelling lights up people’s imaginations – showing them new ways to achieve more than they ever thought possible.

SAMPLE TAKEAWAYS

  • How to build trust: Get everyone to step up, engage, and collaborate
  • Get personal: Learn each person’s skills, talents & hidden passions
  • Ways to unleash your diversity to strengthen the bottom line
  • Disrupt traditional metrics of success (measure more than money)
  • Learn when to plant and when to pivot in order to adapt-at-speed
  • Create a culture that attracts and retains the best talent
GET GUTSY - HARNESS A BREAKTHROUGH MINDSET

How you react to personal and professional obstacles, adversity, and disappointment is a choice. It also determines your future. Black, female, gay, and a child of divorce, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour learned this early in her pioneering journey from motorcycle cop to the Marines to becoming America’s first Black female combat pilot. FlyGirl’s energy rocks the house as she recounts for audiences her challenges, adventures, and ultimate triumph. Her authenticity, enthusiasm, and positivity inspire people to Get Gutsy and finally reimagine what’s possible.

SAMPLE TAKEAWAYS

  • 7-step process to shatter limiting beliefs and unleash breakthroughs
  • Replace a self-defeating “Zero Mentality” with a winning “Breakthrough Mentality”
  • How to avoid burnout and keep moving forward
  • Delay is not Denial, and to Retreat does not mean Defeat
  • Tactics to ignite your passion and design the path to your dreams
WHO NEEDS A RUNWAY? TAKE OFF FROM WHERE YOU ARE

Helicopter pilots spring into action from where they are. They don’t need a runway. It’s their edge in battle. Marine chopper pilot Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour believes this metaphor is perfect for uncertain times where speed and agility are survival skills. FlyGirl fires up audiences with her energy and storytelling – relating hard-learned lessons with tactics for quickly adapting to the forces of change. This presentation is perfect for audiences navigating uncertainty or looking to accomplish audacious goals. FlyGirl will spark their courage and enthusiasm.

SAMPLE TAKEAWAYS

  • Recognize and take decisive action to capitalize on defining moments
  • No situation is ever perfect – gain momentum from where you are
  • The three-step plan: Decide, Commit, and Execute…at speed
  • Recognize and harness the talents of everyone around you
  • How to create a “Zero to Breakthrough” culture
A NEW CONVERSATION: ACTIVELY TRANSFORMING A COMPANY, CULTURE AND COUNTRY

It’s time! This is about coming together – working to create an equitable culture for employees, stakeholders, and customers. A place where ALL can feel like they belong and are part of the team. It starts by establishing rules of engagement for civil, productive conversations that find solutions – not fault. Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour was a diversity officer for U.S. Marine Corps HQ; its liaison to the Pentagon. As a gay Black woman she brought valuable personal experience to her work. She learned: When you bring people together, their differences can result in tension…THIS IS NORMAL! How you MANAGE that diversity is the key!

SAMPLE TAKEAWAYS

  • Create a culture that values and respects all team members
  • Why it’s time to turn THE Conversation into a NEW Conversation
  • Ways to face uncomfortable issues without playing ostrich
  • How to prevent a counter-productive herd mentality
  • Set an example of civility and motivate people to respond in kind

Additional Resources

Additional Videos

Testimonial:
Adam Contos, Former CEO of ReMax

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