How do you achieve your goals in your professional and personal life while staying true to your authentic self? How do you stay driven yet maintain your values? Be inspired by Jacky Cochran and her trailblazing achievements, while staying true to her values.

The woman and girl in this mosaic of pictures may be unfamiliar to you, just as she was to me until recently. I first discovered Jackie Cochran in the bestselling novel Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, which follows the life of a fictional woman aviator. The real Jackie Cochran appears as an inspiration, enabling the main character to take her next wings in her aviation career.

Jackie Cochran was not just a background character in aviation history. She was a pioneer who carved out space for women in the skies, and her story is a powerful lesson in authenticity, goal setting, and motivation.

Breaking Barriers in Aviation

Jackie’s list of achievements is long and impressive:

• The first woman to make a blind instrument landing in 1937, and the first woman to break the sound barrier in 1953.
• Setting new women’s records in altitude and open-class speed during 1939–40.
• The first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean, leading to the creation of the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) programme during World War II — which she led.

Yet achievements like these, impressive as they are, are just data. They don’t tell the full story of the values, resilience, and determination behind them. Too often, history is a collection of dates and statistics when what really inspires us are the human stories and the authenticity of someone’s journey.

A Mosaic of Roles and Values

The mosaic image of Jackie first appeared in her 1954 autobiography The Stars at Noon. Her husband Floyd Odlum interpreted it as: “It’s the little girl, surrounded by some of the women she made herself into in her lifetime.”

That little girl’s life had begun in desperate poverty. Jackie started work in a cotton mill at just six years old and later in a beauty parlour at ten. She never forgot where she came from, but she refused to let her beginnings define her. She evolved — first as a beauty entrepreneur, then as a pilot, and eventually as a leader who changed the face of aviation.

Jackie approached Eleanor Roosevelt during the Second World War with a bold proposal: women pilots could “free up a man” for combat roles by taking over vital flying duties. This was a combination of practical goal setting and sheer motivation. She learned to fly, not because it was glamorous, but because it would help her sell more beauty products across a wider territory. That practical drive became the launchpad for her historic career.

Lessons in Authenticity

What shines through Jackie’s story is her commitment to authenticity. Despite fame and power, she stayed rooted in her values: independence, self-improvement, and service to others. She was not content to just collect titles or break records. She wanted to prove, through her own example, that women could thrive in fields previously closed to them.

For us, authenticity means staying true to our values no matter the role we play, whether we are leading a team, supporting family, or stepping into a brand-new challenge. Like Jackie, we are all mosaics of different roles, but there is always a centre to return to: our true self.

The Power of Goal Setting

Jackie Cochran’s journey demonstrates the power of ambitious goal setting. She consistently aimed higher than circumstances suggested she should. Each achievement, from crossing the Atlantic to breaking the sound barrier, began with a clear goal and the discipline to pursue it.

In leadership and in life, goal setting works in the same way. Goals don’t just give us direction; they fuel motivation. They are reminders of what we are working toward and why it matters. Jackie’s life reminds us that even if the starting point is difficult, bold goals can shape a powerful future.

Finding Motivation in Challenge

Motivation is not always about enthusiasm. Sometimes, it is about persistence in the face of obstacles. Jackie faced prejudice, poverty, and the limits of her own education, yet she refused to be held back. She even requested to take her flight exams verbally because she had missed out on formal education as a child, and she passed.

Her motivation came from a deep belief in what was possible and from a refusal to accept that her background should define her. This is perhaps the most transferable lesson of all: whatever your circumstances, motivation can lift you to new heights if you combine it with authenticity and clear goals.

Bringing It Back to You

At Advance Performance, authenticity, goal setting, and motivation form the core of our training. Just as Jackie Cochran shaped her own mosaic of roles, we each have the opportunity to look at our lives and ask:

• Am I staying authentic to my values?
• Am I setting meaningful goals that move me forward?
• Am I finding motivation even when the journey feels tough?

As you reflect on your own path, think about the mosaic of roles that surround your true self. Some may be professional, others personal. Some may feel temporary, others lifelong. The question is not how many pieces you have, but how closely they align with your centre.

Jackie Cochran proved that it doesn’t matter where you start — what matters is how you grow, what goals you set, and the motivation you carry with you. Whoever you are, you can make a difference, live authentically, and leave behind a legacy worth remembering.

Strong, purposeful goals and living authentically aren’t just for individuals—they’re the foundation of high-performing leaders teams too. If you want to develop goal-setting strategies that inspire, motivate, and deliver results for your people, we can help you.

Contact us on +44 1772 813969 or email  inspiration@advance-performance.co.uk to find out more about bespoke leadership, motivational and peak performance programmes.