#SheLeads in #SPACE! Shelli is the Chief Operating Officer at Space Foundation and has an amazing journey that began in the US Air Force right out of high school to eventually enter into the space industry – a path that she never anticipated entering. Shelli shares so many incredible lessons for anyone navigating their career – especially the importance of finding not only your mentor, but also your coach and your champions – the ones who help you rise to the next level in your career.
📹 interview available on the #SheLeadswithCarly Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/SheLeadsShow/
Hi everyone you are listening to she leads with Cari and I’ve got another exciting new episode for you guys today with our guest Shelley Brunswick Shelly is the chief operating officer at Space Foundation and has an amazing journey that began in the US Air Force right out of high school to eventually entering
Into the space industry a path that she never anticipated entering one of my favorite takeaways from Shell is is the idea of finding your Mentor your coach and then your Champion the ones who help you rise to the next level in your career this and so much more from Shelly
Enjoy this one hello Shelly thank you so much for coming on to she today I’m so excited to talk to you how are you doing I’m doing fantastic how are you doing I’m doing well so where are you calling from today where in the world are you that’s a great question well
Fortunately due to telecommunications and space technology I am calling you from Colorado Springs Colorado incredible so we’ll hear more about space technology from you which I’m excited about but first Shelly you are the Chief Operating Officer of the Space Foundation and you’re also the executive leader of the center of
Innovation and education prior to this you are a space acquisition and program management leader and Congressional liaison for the US Air Force and as a leading role role model for women in space you were selected as the woman Tech Network diversity and inclusion officer and mentor of last year in 2020
And to top it all off out of one of only 35 women and you were selected to be the by the United Nations as a mentor for the space for Women program and your world business angels investment Forum senator for the USA so Shelly I am just
Honestly so excited to talk to you not only as an incredible female leader but also also a leader in space and that’s just incredible in itself so I’m excited to talk to you and what I like to do how I like to get started is you know take
Me back to usually college but for you I want to go even before to high school you decided to enlist in the military not a traditional not a conventional decision usually you go to college I want to hear about this decision what made you decide did you have you know
Family members who join the military as well so tell me about that decision well thank you inviting me to join you today I’m honored to be here and I’m happy to share my story and hopefully it will help Inspire others to follow their track and their Journey uh
As you said I did join the military right out of high school and while I was in high school I participated in sports and I liked art and I I enjoyed other outside activities theater and other things but when I graduated high school you know I wasn’t necessarily ready to
Jump right into going to college I didn’t know what I wanted to do what I wanted to major in and for me the military was a great option to explore and learn more about myself my dad had been in the US Air Force so I enlisted
In the US Air Force and I had a wonderful opportunity learning more about myself and what I wanted to be when I grow up and I’m still working on that today what I want to be when I grow up so I’m not sure we ever we ever cross the finish
Line yeah so tell me about that that transitional period because you know it’s not an easy period even going into college but here you are going into the military I believe you went straight to Europe is that right or did you stay in America correct so I always like to say
I have three chapters in my story right now my journey and that first chapter is enlisting in the US Air Force and I was a Personnel specialist and I had the privilege of being stationed in both turkey and Germany and then here in Colorado Springs at the US Air Force
Academy and during that time I got to serve my country during the day which was wonderful learn learn a skill meet other people Network and then at night I actually did start my college program and complete going to the un uh my under my bachelor’s and my Master’s Degree
Going to school at night so during the day I worked at night I went to school and when I completed my bachelor’s degree I did apply to become an officer in the US Air Force and that kind of closed that first chapter of my story and started the next chapter of my story
Which is the story you probably most know me for which is what started my career in the Aerospace and space industry wow okay so before we even get to space I think it’s incredible the fact that you’re in the military also doing school at night you know I could imagine there
Were challenges how was that time was it challenging also you know are there many females were there many females in the military at that time you know did you kind of go through this imposter syndrome maybe feeling that you didn’t belong well that is a great question the
First part of my journey as an enlisted uh Personnel specialist there were many women um so I was able to network with a lot of other women but I also I was an only child so for me I really didn’t notice a difference between whether people were men or women
I mean people are just people and so for me it was a different experience especially when I became an officer and I was in the space career field there were many times I was the only woman in a meeting I I never really noticed it but other people would notice it and
Come up and say how does it feel being the only woman in the meeting and you know you kind of look around and you’re like oh I didn’t notice it so so for me I didn’t notice those perceptions or issues and I I just moved forward with
Life and did the best I could do and uh and and it works out so there are challenges I mean it’s never fun to work during the day and go to school at night but that’s no different than many other people in the world today who are going
Who are working and going to school or balancing a family so alls I highlight is we all have challenges our schedules are all full but there are ways to accomplish Higher Goals so if you want to go to school especially nowadays you can do it online you know I had to go in
School in person you know because that was back in the day but you can go to school online and there are many other ways to pursue higher education so don’t let having a family or a job or any of those things stand in your way of accomplishing your goal set that goal
Out there and and work towards it yeah I mean amazing and so when you were getting your degree at this point did you have this passion for space or what you know at this point what did you imagine your career after the military after becoming an
Officer so I really did not expect my career to go into the space sector you know again that was not the normal trajectory for most people back in that in those days that was the 1980s so I want to kind of share with everybody what has happened in the space sector we
All think today about Elon mus musk and space is very popular but back in the 1980s you have to remember we were out of the Apollo era we were into the shuttle era and so you either had to work at NASA or you had to be in certain
Defense contractors or certain areas of the US military to participate in space it wasn’t a mainstream activity but since the 1980s to today there’s been the right legislation that has allowed for commercial commercialization of space like we see with Elon Musk and his recent announcement of commercial passengers riding in the dragon right
But we also see the commercialization of taking technology that we’ve learned from space and creating companies and businesses and bringing that to Market so over that course of that 30 to 40 years space has changed so no space was not really a possibility for me at the
Time I did not anticipate that would have been my career trajectory but when I became an officer in the US Air Force I became a a space program management um officer and I was stationed at the space and missile system center and that really started my career in the space
And Aerospace industry where I worked on you know launch vehicles and ground segments and on orbit platforms and I learned about the space industry enough that I then became a professor at defense acquisition University and taught about space and the space life cycle and project management and then
Ultimately culminated my US Air Force career working on Capitol Hill as a budget and appropriation liaison articulating to members of Congress the US Air Force needs for the programs and funding of what the Air Force does Mission wise so it was a great career and again it was not something I had
Planned so many times when people when you’re going to college or you’re wondering what your career is going to be you don’t necessarily know what the future is none of us have the magic eightball but what you can do is what I did or what many people do you can
Prepare yourself take classes Network Mentor do webinars so that when that opportunity presents itself you can latch on to it and who knows what the next ride will be and I was able to lanch on to space in the Aerospace sector and it’s been a wonderful uh
Career I love what I do I think space is going to be the largest economy in the world in the next 10 to 20 years and I want everyone to be able to find their place in the space sector wow incredible so even at that
Time in the 80s as you said it wasn’t a popular industry it wasn’t easy to enter it you know were people saying to you like Shelly no maybe go down this more traditional route instead of space or you know or do you have mentors on the
Other hand saying yeah go for it there’s a lot of Innovations a lot of excitement a lot of opportunities um so what were you kind of of hearing and how did you really navigate to go and take that dive into the industry so that’s great I did not have
A choice so that made it good for me the air force made my choice for me when I became an officer I I was looking at more traditional roles like public affairs or protocol or HR however the Air Force had a need for people to become project managers in the space
Industry so they made the choice for me so sometimes it’s it’s just luck and then the other part was as I progressed in my career I did have wonderful mentors and I like to highlight there’s three different people there’s mentors there’s coaches and there’s Champions
And I was fortunate to have all of those mentors help you understand the basic skills and give you input so that you can incorporate it coaches is just like when you’re on a team they help coach you to get your skill set and level up to a higher performing level and then
Champions are usually individuals that are higher in higher positions than you that help you rise to the next level in your career so I was fortunate to have all three of those and I recommend to anybody who is entering any career field to look for those mentors coaches and
Champions to help you as you progress through your career I love it I love that I’ve never heard that phrase I’ve kind of just put them in a bucket of mentors so I I like that a lot and so keeping on this line you know what advice do you have for
Actually seeking out those mentors coaches and champions because you know it’s it’s easy to say just go find them but like what are some tangible steps that people can take you know they have this passion they’re interested in this industry how can we find those people
Who are willing to help and who are invested in us so I think that’s a great question and the first place you can start is where are you at the moment um you know the world has become flattered due to technology and so we’re able to reach
Out to people so where before like when I was rising in my career you really had to know somebody in your local area or they had to know somebody you could call on the phone which none of us have anymore right we all have we all have iPhones and you know
Androids but today you’re able to reach out through technology and there are so many programs available whether it’s women in Aerospace space generation advisory Council women Tech Network as you mentioned the UN space for Women program so no matter where you are regionally you can find a mentor who can
Help you and the great thing about mentorship is it opens up so many other opportunities so what I like to share is for at the Space Foundation our Center for Innovation and education we have a five-step Workforce Development roadmap and it’s access awareness training connecting and mentoring well mentoring
Finding a mentor can usually unlock those other four areas a mentor can provide awareness of opportunities you may have not known existed before career opportunities a mentor can help provide access into that career opportunity whether you know motivating you to go to college or meet with recruiters or look
At Nasa websites or many other things training obviously a mentor can guide you in the right direction for the training you need for the future you want and lastly it’s about building that Network and connecting because as we rise like I said you’re going to look for mentors coaches and um advisers
Along the way but you know what else you’re going to become a mentor and a coach and an advisor and a champion for somebody else so always remember find a mentor and you can be a mentor yeah I love it I love it I think
It’s so great so now going back to your story take me to where you are today take me to that third chapter that that you are now tell me about the Space Foundation and your role as the COO so when I retired from the Air Force I was fortunate that the Space
Foundation was looking for a new Chief Operating Officer and I’ve now been here six years it it has passed in the blink of an eye because I just love what I do I love the team I work with and ultimately I love what we talk about which is really about creating space
Opportunities for all breaking down barriers and allowing everyone to find their place in the space industry whether they’re it’s a stem degree or non- stem entrepreneurial business background artist there is a place for everyone now in the space ecosystem and that’s what’s really exciting about sharing that message with others how
They can find their place in space I love it so before you know you saw this open position for operating officer did you have experience in an operational role was that something that you know were you just excited about were you maybe scared or how is that transition into that
Role that’s a really great question because initially I do what many people think I disqualified myself from the position of Chief Operating Officer um I was retiring off Capitol Hill and so most people that were like me with my skill set of program management and Capitol Hill Experience become
Government relations so they go work at a company or they become they go work in a a a government relations um or organization however when this position opened up and somebody sent it to me you know I looked at the requirements and I met many of them you know I had done
Many of those roles leadership roles facilities operational Management program management I had done those things in the Air Force so another mentor of mine said you should apply don’t ever disqualify yourself from a position you haven’t been offered so I applied I was fortunate to be
Interviewed and I made it to the final four and when I walked out that day that day from that final interview the CEO shook my hand and told me welcome to the team wow amazing and I think you touch on like a very important aspect and I’ve
Talked about this in other of myep other episodes but the idea where you know I think women females that go into reading job descriptions and maybe they don’t have you know one of the qualifications and then they immediately disqualify them El and so and you know there’s been
Studies about it versus men they have maybe two or three and they’re like okay great this is this is my job so I think you just touch on that importance of having that confidence knowing that okay yes maybe you don’t fit all of them to a te but still going there showing showing
Them who you are what you’re capable of and then from there you know like you said like you you end up getting the role so I think that’s I think that’s awesome and how has that been you know what what would you say are the three key skills that you think any successful
Coo need to have well that is an excellent question and there are a number of great skills obviously the first one is to be a compassionate leader we need to listen to our employees we need to empathize with our employees and we need to help grow our employees because the employees
Are the individuals that make it all happen so we have to be um compassionate leaders we have to communicate both with our team internally but also externally um everybody on the team needs to know the message it shouldn’t be a surprise to them what I’m saying outside the Space Foundation or
Any organization so it’s good to everybody understands good communication skills and then again the other part is being a reflective leader processing what’s happened how can you learn from it and then set the next trajectory so we always set you always create plans you know your Baseline but life has a a
Way of changing that Baseline covid happens so how do you Flex how do you Flex yourself your leadership style and how do you help flex your team and and Co is just the next thing but there’ll be something else and there’ll be something else so I’d almost say that’s
Building resiliency in yourself because there are no constants everything is changing whether it’s competition covid um technology we need to continually be prepared to flex and change that Baseline so we can be responsive and continue to be leaders yeah I love it I think that’s so excellent and so Shelley I love asking
My guests you know what is what does failure mean to you and like when you experience failure or setep back like how do you respond to that and I’ve learned it’s it’s largely a mentality but I want to know kind of looking back at your career maybe you’ve experienced
Challenges how is that how how was that period and how did you respond to it well I think everyone needs to understand first of all all careers have ups and downs right no career is straight up so we have to remember that as we’re Transit zigging and zagging
Through our career there are going to be higher points and lower points and that’s okay that’s normal don’t get down on yourself the best thing to do is look at failure is a learning opportunity right um you know Thomas Edison how many times did it take him get the light bulb
Right SpaceX you know you can look at all kinds of cuttingedge Technology breakthroughs and leaders who made it happen the ultimate thing is to step back and self-reflect what could I done better what could I done differently how can I improve so make it a learning opportunity and then do it again right
Be resilient don’t let that first set back set you back I mean the first time you’re an a student but you got to see okay let it go you know what get a B the next time get an A the next time um we’re not all perfect so we’re going to
Learn and that’s okay life is lifelong learning whether it’s in college or it’s learning learning on the job just just be open-minded be reflective and be resilient you will overcome this you will learn from this and you know what you’ll be ready for the next challenge and you will succeed
I love it I love it so great and so Shelley I know you’re heavily involved in really getting minority groups and you know specifically young females into the space industry whether it’s being a mentor for space for women and whatnot so tell me how has that been and what’s
Been this what’s a big barrier to getting those minorities into the space industry well I think that’s an excellent way of looking at it I think the first question is you know it’s really about that Workforce Development road map I shared it’s about awareness most individuals whether they’re minorities or women or underserved
Groups so in the US I would say underrepresented groups could be inner city or rural rural communi so again who may not be normally represented in that Aerospace or space industry the first step is it’s about awareness that we now because of the commercialization of space have the opportunities for all
Individuals to find their place here in the US us um 80% of our space economy is commercial 20% is government so when you think about that that means not only do I need engineers and scientists but I need business administrators and Technical experts um you know trade skills I need um business
Experts I need entrepreneurs I may need artists and Marketing Executives so the the first thing that you have to look at is breaking down the bar barrier that space is not inclusive it is inclusive but there’s still that perception that space is about astronauts and launch Vehicles which is totally a great part
Of the space sector but it’s a small fraction of the space ecosystem uh what I like to highlight is the current Global space economy is 424 billion and that is going to grow1 to3 trillion doar in the next 10 to 20 years Bank of America is predicting that the
Global space economy will be $1.3 trillion by 2030 and again that is democratizing space not just in the US but globally so all countries and regions can determine how do they want to participate in the space economy do they want to be entrepreneurial and bring products to Market or do they want
To use space technology to better life on Earth for instance Earth observation in Africa you know last year uh many countries in a Africa used Earth observation for Locust control animal Migration um the covid virus tea health wow so I share with you not every country has to use space technology the
Way the US does the they can look at how the US uses space technology or Russia or China or others and then they can determine what is the path that’s best for their country and community and Workforce wow amazing and so Shelly honestly I can keep talking to you for
Hours about this because it is fascinating but you mentioned early on that you know you’re always growing and you you know you’re still you still think of your career as you know what’s next so I’m I’m interested to know what do you imagine how do you plan out your
Future and your career in terms of next steps how do you think of that well that’s an excellent question and what I share with people is just always be prepared be a lifelong learner I am always learning and growing I’m taking webinars I I loved watching your
Show I watch other shows so being a lifelong learner can mean going to college but that’s just one path another path is there are so many things that you can learn from television um I love a couple shows for those of you who want to be entrepreneurs one of the first
Things I always recommend is are you watching Shark Tank and in in the UK they call Dragon’s Lair that’s that’s where entrepreneurs have to pitch their idea to investors I mean it’s a great way of learning I want to be an entrepreneur what are the questions I’m
Going to have to answer um I love watching other shows on CNBC like with Jim Kramer mad money because he interviews um Executives and leaders and cuttingedge Technology because I can learn about the technology that’s coming online The Internet of Things 5G um fintech and those are also part of the
Space industry those are all part of intertwined with space so it helps me think about what’s coming what are the trends what are the future Industries how is space my background going to intersect with that and how do I stay sharp and stay on top of Cutting Edge in
My career field and how can I share that because one of my passions is mentorship how do I share that with others so they can find their pathway in this emerging ecosystem that we call the space economy incredible I love it and another I’ll add to that list another one of my
Favorite podcasts is how I built this with Gyra a very well-known one he interviews incredible Founders and entrepreneurs so I would add that to the list so Shelly now for some fun questions I want to know first what’s a passion that you have that’s just completely unrelated to any any of your
Work what’s a hobby of yours excellent well I love to travel obviously having joined the Air Force right out of high school and wanting to see the world um I love to travel I love to meet people I look forward to meeting with you in Israel or San Francisco or
Wherever you might be postco so travel has always been a passion along with photography um but right now obviously with covid I’m my my my trips are more local they’re hiking here in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains or going to our beautiful Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and taking photos of animals and
Nature in Wildlife so that’s one of my passions because people think about space as outer space but you know it’s also about how space benefits us here on Earth so when I get to look at beautiful nature and animals and Wildlife space intersects those passions as
Well I love it that’s awesome and my last question so Shelly what is a fun or weird talent that you have that no one really knows about so it’s like a weird hidden talent so I’m going to go first so what I do is I like to throw
Blueberries into my mouth so I’ve been doing this since the first episode and I’m going to do it for you right now so here’s a blueberry all right let’s see how this goes there we go awesome awesome I don’t quite have that Talent skill so this will be something that
Will be new to anybody who follows me or my co-workers uh PRI I used to live in LA and uh while I was in LA one of the things I love to do was dance so I would take many dance classes I would also dance in many theater groups and
Musicals and so dance is one of my hidden passions Polynesian dancing uh belly dancing hip hop dancing I haven’t done it in a while but again I anticipate that at some point in my in my life in my journey I will find an opportunity to go back to dancing I also
Found it wonderful I made some amazing friends when I was in those dance troops and so I I look at it it was both fun it was exercise and I got to meet wonderful people wow Shelly I love that well it’s just been so much fun really thank you
For coming on the show I’ve Loved learning about your journey starting in the military in the Air Force to now being the COO of the Space Foundation truly incredible thank you for coming on the show I’ve loved it it’s my pleasure and I’m so honored that you invited me and I look forward
To uh learning more and and working with you more on finding our journey together and how I can help you elevate your space and help your viewers find their their place in the space ecosystem amazing thank you Sh