What being a fighter pilot taught me about confidence
Plus: 🎬 Julia Roberts 🦠 long covid ✍️ tips from female founders
Michelle Curran chased an extraordinary dream: to become a fighter pilot. Along the way, she faced one of the most grueling training pipelines, the pressures of being one of very few women in her field, and challenges that tested her confidence and sense of belonging. Her journey shows what it really takes to show up, trust yourself, and find your place.
Read the full article below.
Welcome back to Take The Lead, the fortnightly newsletter from The Female Lead.
Here’s your roundup of our most-read and most-subscribed-to articles of the last month.
Julia Roberts reflects on the ongoing challenges of a male-dominated Hollywood, and raising teenagers in the social media era. She spoke candidly about power, fearlessness and how perspective can shift when we let go of control.
British content creator Jemma Bella turned her experience with long Covid into a space for honesty and connection. Refusing to sugarcoat recovery or online life, Jemma’s content blends vulnerability with responsibility, showing the human side of chronic illness.
Co-founder of Hive19, Maxine Bremner knows the hacks for starting a business as a woman. She shares six key lessons.
TV presenter Julia Bradbury overhauled her life after a breast cancer diagnosis. Sleep, stress hacks, strength training, and “nature snacks” are now part of her toolkit. Bradbury shares practical tips and insights that any woman can use to improve her health and resilience.
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The Female Lead Team
What being a fighter pilot taught me about confidence and belonging
By Michelle Curran, former fighter pilot turned author and speaker
Julia Roberts: “I am without fear”
Julia Roberts has been Hollywood royalty for so long it’s easy to forget how rare her kind of longevity is. In her latest interv…
“Social media? Nothing’s real.”
British content creator Jemma Bella, making an impact online was never about strategy, polish or perfection. It started with a blog, writ…
“When you’re told ‘You have cancer’ it’s shocking and terrifying”
Meeting Julia Bradbury is a memorable experience. She’s a whirlwind of positivity, ebullience and charm. The TV pre…
YouTube is a boys’ club - I know from working in it
By Molly McDonald, founder at Blue Door Productions
I stopped posting for a year - and it changed how I see the internet
Ro Mitchell never set out to be an influencer. She first turned to TikTok during her recover…
Women say life is better without social media, new research reveals
Two-thirds of women believe life would be better without social media, according to new research by The Female Lead.
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