Michelle Smith: It’s Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself

Q: Your career has taken an incredible turn. Tell us about your journey.

My life has always centered around helping people discover what’s possible. For many years, I built a successful career in education, working with students and families and helping them navigate important decisions about their futures. Today, through Independent Education Group, I continue that work by serving as an educational strategist, providing families with personalized guidance and long-term planning to help every child thrive.

While I loved my career, I eventually realized there was another dream waiting for me.

At 49 years old, I started learning to fly. It was something that I never expected to happen. It was simply an opportunity that sparked something inside me. Learning to fly challenged me in ways I never anticipated and reminded me that growth doesn’t stop because we’ve built a successful career. Sometimes life invites us to begin an entirely new chapter.

That second act ultimately led me to co-found Untethered Aviation, where I now have the privilege of helping others pursue dreams they may have never considered.

Q: Leaving a successful career to start over takes tremendous courage. What inspired you to make that leap?

I don’t think I was leaving one purpose behind. I think I was expanding it.

Whether I’m helping a family make important educational decisions through Independent Education Group or helping someone earn their pilot certificate through Untethered Aviation, the mission is remarkably similar. It’s about helping people find their passion and recognize their potential ,giving them the confidence to pursue it.

Starting over wasn’t about walking away from who I was. It was about becoming more fully who I was meant to be.

Q: What surprised you most about learning to fly?

I expected to learn how to fly an airplane. What I didn’t expect was how much I would learn about myself.

Flying requires preparation, discipline, humility, confidence, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Those lessons don’t stay in the cockpit. They influence every part of your life.

It also reminded me that we’re capable of much more than we often believe.

Q: What inspired you to co-found Untethered Aviation?

When I met my business partner, Michael Wolford, we shared the same vision. Learning to fly is a personalized journey, one that develops confidence, mastering specific skills and experiencing the freedom that comes with that.  Untethered Aviation was built around the idea that every student deserves personalized instruction and an experience that inspires them. We aren’t simply teaching people how to fly. We’re helping many accomplish something they once thought was impossible.

Q: The name Untethered Aviation is powerful. What does it represent?

Being untethered means letting go of the limits we place on ourselves. When one leaves the ground, there is an untethering of our daily routines and thoughts. 

So many people believe they’re too old, too busy, or too established to change directions. I understand that because I once asked myself those same questions.

The moment an airplane lifts off the ground is an incredible feeling of freedom. I think life works the same way. Once we let go of fear and self-imposed limitations, extraordinary things become possible.

Q: At first glance, education and aviation seem like very different fields. How are they connected for you?

They’re actually very connected.

Both are about helping people realize their potential.

Through Independent Education Group, I help families make thoughtful educational decisions that can shape a child’s future. Through Untethered Aviation, I help people pursue a dream that often changes the way they see themselves and what’s possible.

Whether it’s a student finding the right educational path or an adult taking the controls of an airplane for the first time, both experiences are about discovering a passion, building confidence, creating opportunity, and helping people reach goals they may have once thought were unattainable.

Q: You often say it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. Why is that message so important?

Because I’ve lived it.

I started learning to fly at 49. I left a successful, high-level career in education to pursue an entirely new path. That experience taught me something I’ll carry with me forever: we don’t have just one chapter in life.

We have permission to evolve, to learn, to take risks, and to pursue dreams that may have seemed impossible years earlier.

The only thing that truly makes it too late is deciding not to begin.

Q: What advice would you give someone who feels stuck or afraid to make a change?

Don’t ask yourself whether you’re capable.

Ask yourself what you’ll regret if you never try.

Fear is normal. Uncertainty is normal. But so is growth.

Sometimes one courageous decision changes the entire direction of your life. Mine certainly did. I hope my story encourages others to believe that it’s never too late to start over, learn something new, or pursue the dream that’s been waiting for them.

Q: What does “Best Ever You” mean to you?

Being your best isn’t about perfection or having everything figured out.

It’s about remaining curious, embracing lifelong learning, having the courage to reinvent yourself when life calls you to, and using your experiences to help others do the same.

For me, becoming my best has meant discovering that every chapter of life can be the beginning of something extraordinary.