Dr. Sas Aim High: Lessons from the Air Force
“Aim high … Fly-fight-win.”
This is the motto of the US Air Force. It is a call to action—”Aim high!”—with an answering call of “Fly, fight, win.” It is a commitment to rise up and do what’s necessary for the nation’s defense.
Before Dr. Sas became the celebrated speaker and health and life coach dedicated to women that she is today, she was a commissioned officer of the Air Force. Her first base was at the Keesler Airforce base in Mississippi, where she served for 2 years. She was then moved to Patrick Air Force base at Cocoa Beach, Florida, where she was stationed for 2 ½ years and was promoted to the rank of Captain.
“I learned about leadership and a lot about myself,” Dr. Sas shares about that time.
Anyone who has been through the military understands each soldier’s lessons.
Soldiers learn that no job is too big or too small—everything must be given the same, full attention to detail and dedication to excellence, from how you make your bed to how you perform exercises. You must always aim high.
Soldiers learn that you should never give up—it’s never over until it’s over. Even if things look grim, you must keep trying until the last second. Your one last push may be the only thing necessary to turn the tide.
Soldiers develop a stronger appreciation for life than the average person, too. They understand that life is fragile and tomorrow is never guaranteed. Therefore, if you want to do anything, it’s time. If something goes wrong, let it go and move on; time spent brooding is wasted and potentially fatal.
You should always be mentally present, make intelligent choices, and keep moving forward.
As Captain, Dr. Sas also learned a few extra things: to manage people, to be strict yet empathetic, and to always hold herself to a higher standard than her subordinates.
Eventually, Dr. Sas separated from the service after 4 and 1/2 years to pursue her career as a civilian. She continued to practice pharmacy while studying and working in other areas of health and wellness.
She became more and more involved with promoting preventative health, focusing on helping people change their lifestyle, nutrition, natural supplements, and mindset. She also got certified as an integrative nutritionist and a coach.
Eventually, she began offering life and health coaching services, which she does until today.
Despite all the changes, there is a common trend in all of Dr. Sas’s phases in life: She has always fought to defend and fight for her fellow citizens’ lives, albeit in various ways.
And though she is no longer in the Air Force, those aspects of her life will always be part of her and influence her actions every day. Life, after all, is not linear. It’s a combination of all our past experiences thrown in together like a “soup of life,” as Dr. Sas likes to say.
So she continues to apply the lessons she learned through the decades. She gives each client the same level of attention, never gives up on any challenge, teaches her clients to live their lives fully now, and pushes all those around her to aim high and be the best version of themselves.
She also gives podcast and TV interviews and actively spreads her message on various social media platforms.
And people are noticing: her following is steadily growing, day by day. Once again, Dr. Sas is a captain but this time, instead of a platoon of soldiers, it is a community of healthy, inspired, happy individuals.
One sunny day a few years back, Dr. Sas found herself at the Langley Air Force Base to speak at an Air Force Officer Promotion Ceremony. Though she had been speaking for a while, that particular event was significant: that talk was an intersection of her past military life and her present career. It was a representation of her past and present journey.
Dr. Sas can’t say for sure what’s in store for her future—none of us can—but she is sure of at least one thing: whatever field she may find herself in the coming decades, she will always, always aim high and fly, fight, win!
