"Confidence is like a callus – you have to wear the skin." Adele Dobler's H-Hour Icebreaker

Join the H-Hour Patron Community at patreon.com/hkpodcasts***** For this Icebreaker with helicopter pilot and author Adele Dobler, I put patron questions to her about arriving on people’s worst days, fear, and decision-making under pressure before rolling into the full episode. She explains how she compartmentalises trauma on London’s highest-priority trauma jobs, separating “keeping the aircraft and crew safe” from the emotional weight of what’s happened on the ground, and why she sees that as protective but possibly “not the healthiest” long term. We talk near‑death experiences and “bonus time,” how almost dying in a car roll at 19 changed her attitude to regret, and why she thinks the key is committing fully rather than half‑stepping decisions. Adele compares confidence to building calluses, argues against imposter syndrome, breaks down when to act fast versus when to slow down in the cockpit, and gets into how fear should be managed rather than removed, from diving boards and public speaking to skydiving. She also tackles gendered reactions to a “lady pilot,” lack of default trust, and why women’s negative comments often reflect their own constrained sense of what’s possible, before we sign off and roll straight into the long‑form conversation. Adele's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/adele_the_heli_pilot/Adele's Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Fly-Managing-Workplace-Ambulance/dp/B0B5PYSWLN/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G_wIYgzGcR7dhCvsBJvBvT8aUANnqWODWx9tUlfiRALGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.DEWUPd4ANKLA8d30-J18CgttBr5ad04JcTGgC57iJD0&dib_tag=se&keywords=adele+dobler&qid=1782069703&sr=8-1Send us Fan MailSupport the show Free H-Hour giveaways and exclusive access to guests. https://patreon.com/hkpodcastsH-Hour on Substack: https://hughkeir.substack.comH-Hour on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWSj4p05MUbVlHmFu3yH-Hour on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HHourPodcast