Wisdom From The Women Leading The Space Industry, With Kellie Gerardi Of the Galactic 05 Science Mission with Virgin Galactic

An Interview With David Leichner

Always Leave Your Comfort Zone: You likely have big dreams to accomplish; getting too comfortable can stall momentum and lead to stagnation. As cliché as it may seem, you have abilities you might never unlock if you don’t force yourself to try. Leaving your comfort zone means embracing that risk in the hopes of personal and professional growth.

As a part of my series about “Women Leading The Space Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kellie Gerardi.

Kellie Gerardi is an astronaut, author, mother, and popular science communicator who views space as “humanity’s shared past and shared future.” In November 2023, Kellie became one of the world’s first industry-sponsored researcher to fly on a commercial spacecraft as a Payload Specialist on the Galactic 05 science mission with Virgin Galactic. As one of the first one hundred women in history to fly to space, she has made it her mission to enable the next generation of scientists and civilians to use space as a laboratory to benefit humanity. In addition to her work in the space industry, Kellie serves on the Defense Council for the Truman National Security Project, and served on the Board of Directors for The Explorers Club, whose esteemed flag she carried during a crew rotation at the Mars Desert Research Station. Kellie is the author of the acclaimed children’s picture book series Luna Muna, which was flown to the International Space Station in 2023 and read from space by Commander Peggy Whitson as part of the crew’s STEM outreach activities. Kellie is a popular science communicator whose work has attracted more than a million fans across social media platforms. She lives in Jupiter, Florida with her husband Steven and their daughter Delta V. You can follow her on social media @kelliegerardi

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

I grew up in Jupiter, FL (very on brand). I remember my bedroom window perfectly framed the stretch of sky over Cape Canaveral — I saw a lot of Space Shuttle flights from that window. So from a young age, you could say I had front row seats to the final frontier.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I was an avid reader growing up, and I had a big appetite for science fiction of all varieties. Whether it was Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land or Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle or the Sirens of Titan, to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, I loved books that could transport me to a new world and where I could revel in the wonder, mysteries, and absurdity of the universe.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

My favorite quote of all time is from Marshall McLuhan, who said, “There are no passengers on SpaceShip Earth. We are all crew.” That has always been my view of our planet and our species, so it really resonated with me. I believe that space is humanity’s shared past and shared future, and that our next giant leap will require the talents of artists, engineers, and everyone in between.

Separately, my favorite piece of life advice is that you shouldn’t accept criticism from those who you wouldn’t seek advice from. This has been an especially helpful mindset for me on social media, where the comments can be a free-for-all of negativity from strangers.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?

The true career highlight had to be seeing the Earth from space during my spaceflight. I operated three experiments while I was in space (two were related to healthcare and how the environment of space affects the human body, including a continuous glucose monitor and a biometric monitoring device) and a third was a free-floating thermodynamic fluid experiment designed to help us better understand how fluid behaves in a container in microgravity. But I also took time to really stare out the window at planet Earth and really take in the profundity and preciousness of that experience. We’ve all seen pictures of Earth from space, but nothing could have prepared me for truly experiencing it as a planet. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My career is filled with people who took bets on me, and my never-ending efforts to make them pay off. One of the first people that comes to mind is space entrepreneur Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux. Her early mentorship was instrumental in helping me navigate my first steps into the commercial spaceflight industry, and her generosity with her time and wisdom and network is something I’ve carried with me as I’ve become a mentor to young professionals myself.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

My mission has always been so much bigger than flying myself. I wanted to help blow open the door to commercial spaceflight.. it’s wild that I get to walk through that door as an astronaut myself, but the real goal is holding it open for the next generation of scientists and civilians who will follow, and ensuring space is a laboratory to benefit humanity.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The space industry, as it is today, is such an exciting arena. What are the 3 things that most excite you about the space industry? Can you explain?

1. Democratizing access to space — Just to put things in perspective about the moment that we’re at right now. In the entirety of our history as a space-faring species, 600-something people have been to space. A few hundred. That’s it. And fewer than 100 women have been to space. To think that I’m going to be one the first 100 women in human history to travel to space is mind-boggling. I don’t say that to flex, I say that to drive home that the limiter to human spaceflight has always been access, not aptitude. That’s changing. This is just the beginning. In the next 5 years alone we have the potential to double, triple, quadruple the number of human beings who have been to space. We’re standing on the doorstep to a new era of space exploration and commercial companies are leading the way, not only by enabling a new generation of scientist-astronauts like myself to conduct research in space, but also by creating access opportunities for civilians of all disciplines. The next generations of space travelers won’t all be engineers, and I want to see poets, athletes, teachers, and musicians in space. I want to see people from all backgrounds to experience spaceflight — I think humanity will be better off for it. To me, the Space Age is a broader cultural movement, and our next giant leap will require the contributions of artists, engineers, and everyone in between.
2. Expanding Earth’s economic sphere — my hope for future generations is that we continue to go boldly in pursuit of that Star Trek future… pushing the boundaries of innovation, engineering, and progress for all of humanity. Not only to survive as the only known life in the universe, but to live long and to prosper.
3. Furthering humanity’s footprint in the solar system — For me, space travel has always represented the absolute best of humanity — the spirit of exploration, the brilliance of innovation, and the hope that we can survive our present so that the next generation can see the future. It’s also the quest for answers to our biggest and most existential questions — where did we come from, why are we here, are we alone in the universe, and so many more.

What are the 3 things that concern you about the space industry? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?

Three concerns off the top of my head would be the increasing risk of dangerous space debris and collisions, failure of the industry to help convince the public why space exploration should matter to them, and the industry being able to prove sustainable market demand for various services without the government remaining the largest customer.

Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

I’ve been so excited by the progress, but I’d love to continue to see visible representation. And the representation matters to me in my own family too. The most rewarding part for me has definitely been watching this through the eyes of my six year old daughter, Delta V. In Delta’s mind, flying to space is just another thing moms do! She’s going to grow up knowing that not even the sky is a limit. This has also been a powerful reminder of how much can change in a single generation. When my mom was born, human beings hadn’t yet been to space. And when she was growing up, women weren’t eligible in the United States. Just one generation later, she watched her daughter fly to space and her granddaughter take it for granted. It’s a paradigm shift and I’m filled with excitement for Delta’s generation.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in the space industry that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?

Maternity leave comes to mind, though this isn’t necessarily specific to the space industry alone. The industry really has to do better, though. Any company that wants the public’s trust in engineering a future for humanity needs to prove that they’re capable of taking care of their own employees in the present, first.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech, or the space industry? Can you explain what you mean?

I want my daughter to grow up knowing that space and sparkle and glitter and science can all go together, and that you don’t need to turn down any aspect of your personality or femininity in order to belong in STEM.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why?

1. Design Your Ideal Reputation, Put in the Work to Make It True: Your reputation is entirely within your control; decide what you want it to be (even just three or four adjectives) and make a plan about what behaviors you’ll need to adopt or adjust to make those things true. I never set out to be the smartest person in any given room, but I knew I could be among the hardest-working. From early on, I knew I wanted to be seen as mission-driven, action-oriented and reliable: you could count on me to get the job done, and I wouldn’t rest until I did. I earned this reputation by tackling everything, even the smallest tasks, with 110% enthusiasm and attention to detail. My email responses were immediate, well-organized, and triple-checked for grammar and spelling. To make the most of people’s time, I sent out agendas ahead of phone calls and meetings and ensured I was the first one on the conference line or at the coffee shop. I took notes and I closed the loop every single time; nothing died on the vine on my watch. If you recommended a book or an article, even in passing, I was going to read it, highlight passages, and report back to you. I sent thank you notes for people’s time and I meant them sincerely.
2. Seek the Important Work, Not the Glamorous Work: I’ve found that the most successful people don’t chase their own success, they chase good outcomes. I want to be surrounded by people who are humble and gritty, hungry for results and willing to do whatever it takes to earn them. And 99% of the time, “doing whatever it takes” means you’re doing the less glamorous work. While I’ve certainly relished moments in the spotlight (who doesn’t?), I developed the utmost appreciation for the work that happens behind the scenes, the kind that keeps the lights on. When you’re truly focused on the outcome, there is no job too small.
3. Acknowledge Your Strengths and Weaknesses: It’s worth investing some time in an honest audit of yourself. What types of problems are you uniquely well-leveraged against? Take stock of those things that come naturally to you and aim to align yourself with as many of those types of tasks as possible. For me, this meant positioning myself in opportunities where I could provide operational rigor, letting my execution skills shine in the process. Similarly, take a hard look at your Achilles Heel. Those weaknesses aren’t the same thing as the tasks you simply dislike (we all have grin-and-bear-it moments), but rather tasks where outcomes are at risk when you’re deployed against them. Know the difference and avoid them at all costs.
4. Create Your Personal Advisory Board: One of my most important acts of self-investment was the creation of a personal advisory board: an assembly of different people who cared about me and to whom I could turn for advice, encouragement, support, or perspective. It’s important to have a group of people you trust for honest advice and opinions, and they don’t necessarily need to be people in your field. Your personal advisory board can consist of colleagues, mentors, friends, relatives, and even mentees of your own. Well-established people often make the mistake of only looking up for inspiration, missing out on the creativity that can be shared from some of those folks at earlier points in their career. Once you’ve found your people, lean on them, and let them know they can count on you for the same.
5. Always Leave Your Comfort Zone: You likely have big dreams to accomplish; getting too comfortable can stall momentum and lead to stagnation. As cliché as it may seem, you have abilities you might never unlock if you don’t force yourself to try. Leaving your comfort zone means embracing that risk in the hopes of personal and professional growth.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I think my journey resonates with people because the most extraordinary thing about me is that I’m an ordinary, multi-passionate person. And that representation matters. It’s so motivating to know that my platform can be a catalyst for people adjusting the limiter on their own aptitude and imaginations, to see themselves reflected and represented so powerfully in an industry where access wasn’t always possible, where you might not be used to seeing someone who looks like you.

There was a lot of media attention about the fact that I wore a stack of friendship bracelets on my wrist. Those were truly a nod to my multitudes: I’m a Swiftie who flew to space in the same year as the Eras Tour (and the Barbie movie! and the Renaissance tour!) and it was top of mind for me that fewer than 100 women in history had ever flown to space. It was very important to me to not tone down my personality or femininity in an attempt to match a picture of what someone else thought a woman in STEM should like — I wanted to bring my full self to space and show my daughter that being yourself is always enough. Those are the kinds of messages I’m grateful to have a platform to share.

We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

Author Stephen King. I think he’s the most masterful storyteller in the country. Without exaggeration, I’ve read every single one of his books. His ability to create an entire universe in every book amazes me every time.

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.

About The Interviewer: David Leichner is a veteran of the Israeli high-tech industry with significant experience in the areas of cyber and security, enterprise software and communications. At Cybellum, a leading provider of Product Security Lifecycle Management, David is responsible for creating and executing the marketing strategy and managing the global marketing team that forms the foundation for Cybellum’s product and market penetration. Prior to Cybellum, David was CMO at SQream and VP Sales and Marketing at endpoint protection vendor, Cynet. David is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Technology College. He holds a BA in Information Systems Management and an MBA in International Business from the City University of New York.