First Class Leaders Podcast
Leadership isn't a title, a rank or a position. It's a mindset and a choice. This podcast about what leadership should look like when the pressure is on, hosted by Kyle Freiburger, a former Air Canada Airbus 320 captain with over 10,000 hours in the cockpit. Every week Kyle sits down with pilots, aviation professionals and leaders from outside the industry to talk about the part most people skip. Not the highlight reel, but what they struggled with, what they got wrong and how choosing to take the lead changed the way they show up. You'll hear honest conversations about reacting out of fear instead of leading with intention, about the gap between what we intend and the impact we actually have and about the daily choices that separate people who wait for permission from people who take responsibility for how they show up. No gurus and no formulas for a perfect career. Just real stories, practical tools and a simple question worth asking on your worst day. How can I take the lead right now? New episodes weekly. Are you ready to take the lead?
Episodes
You are not as self-aware as you think you are and that might be the best news you hear today. Kyle shares the personal story that exposed the gap between his intentions and his impact, then breaks down the simple skill that turns frustration, defensiveness, and miscommunication into growth.
For years, Kyle believed he was already humble, open, and easy to work with. Then repeated feedback from partners and colleagues, along with a...
What if defensiveness is not a personality problem, but a leadership problem? Kyle and Mike Sferrazza break down why difficult moments keep escalating, what your brain is really protecting, and the simple shift that can stop the reaction loop before it takes over.
If you keep finding yourself arguing, blaming, justifying, or shutting down with a spouse, co-worker, or anyone who pushes your buttons, this conversation will hit hard. ...
The difference between a strong leader and a damaged relationship can come down to one split second: intent versus impact. A real cockpit incident shows how good people, with good intentions, can still make things worse when they slip into reaction mode.Kyle breaks down the “autopilot loop” that kicks in when we feel threatened, why the brain defaults to blame and justification, and how that reaction can affect communic...
Most of what holds pilots and leaders back is not skill it’s the belief that they’re “not ready” yet. In this episode, Tyler Haughey and Kyle explore why that feeling is so common, how it shapes our decisions, and how taking the next step can turn hesitation into progress. Tyler started flight training after 9/11 and has since worked as a flight instructor, airline captain, pilot recruiter, and founder of ...
Most performance problems are not talent problems they are human factors problems hiding in plain sight. Retired F-15 lieutenant colonel and airline captain Brandon Williams explains why the real breakthrough happens when you stop blaming skill and start debriefing behavior. In this conversation, Brandon discusses how military aviation uses debriefing to turn mistakes, near misses, and pressure-filled moments into meaningful lesson...
Anger in the cockpit is rarely about anger. It is about untrained emotional reflexes, hidden wounds, and the split-second reactions that can take even highly skilled pilots off course.
Kyle sits down with veteran pilot and counselor Bert Botta, whose decades at TWA and NetJets, plus his work leading professional standards and men’s leadership trainings, give him a rare lens on what really drives human breakdowns under stress....
Curiosity is the difference between flying on autopilot and leading with judgment. Captain Paul DeBrone - 46 years at Air Canada, 25,000+ hours, and decades of training the next generation - reveals why the best pilots never stop asking questions, even when experience tempts them to start making statements. From the cockpit to everyday life, this conversation goes straight to the heart of intent vs impact, why silence never means ...
What if the reason you feel stuck is not your job, your résumé, or your circumstances — but the beliefs running your decisions? In this episode, Kyle and Mike Sferrazza explore why real success is not external at all, and why the fastest way forward starts with one uncomfortable question: what if the thing holding you back is your own inner operating system?
Mike Sferrazza is a corporate pilot and ICF certified coach who spen...
Why do so many pilots quit, clamp up, or spiral the moment the cockpit gets difficult? Erica Armstrong says the real issue is not aviation skill - it is emotional intelligence, self-leadership, and the ability to stay steady when a crew member, instructor, or captain turns toxic.
With 35 years in aviation, Erica traces the lessons behind her book A Chick in the Cockpit and reveals how thick skin, boundaries, and a new mindset can c...
Most leadership problems are not knowledge problems. They are threat problems. Kyle Freiburger reveals the simple mindset shift that stops blame, breaks the stress loop, and helps you lead under pressure - in the cockpit, at work, and in life.
Kyle, a former airline captain with 10,000+ flight hours, shares the personal story behind First Class Leaders and the moment everything changed: after years of success on paper, therapy, coa...
In this inaugural episode of the First Class Leaders podcast, host Kyle Freiberger and co-host Mike Svarazza challenge the status quo of modern aviation training. While airlines invest millions in technical competency, they're missing the real crisis: the human factor.
Kyle and Mike expose blame as aviation's greatest threat—and explain why it's hiding in plain sight. From intent versus impact miscommunications to the moment ...
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