Sabira Rezaie: Afghan Helicopter Pilot Rebuilds Her Life in America After Losing Everything

When Sabira Rezaie sits in a cockpit, she says she carries two things at once: the voices of Afghan women who never got the chance to fly, and the weight of everything she lost. That mix—purpose and grief—runs through this entire conversation with Shaesta Waiz. Sabira explains how aviation first meant freedom in Afghanistan: the sky was the one place culture and politics couldn’t fully control her. She became one of the first Afghan women to fly the MD 530, pushing through constant doubt from men who told her she didn’t have the “muscle” for it. She did it anyway—because it was never about strength. It was about skill, discipline, and will. Then the country collapsed. Sabira describes that moment as more than losing a place on the map. It was losing the version of herself she fought years to build. She talks about the shock of realizing she couldn’t go back, the sleeplessness, the grief, and the feeling that Afghan women’s futures were being erased in real time. From there, the episode shifts to what “starting over” actually looks like. Sabira says it’s learning to dream again after losing hope—while also dealing with personal loss, including her father, whose death anniversary comes up in the conversation. Flight training in the U.S. becomes both a rebuild and a tribute: proof that she can rise again, even when the people she wanted to make proud aren’t there to see it. They get practical about support, too. Sabira talks about how she helped other Afghan women—especially military women—navigate refugee pathways and paperwork, and why “network” isn’t a buzzword, it’s survival. She also makes a direct ask of aviation leaders: stop treating inclusion like charity. Recognize skill, fund mentorship and scholarships, and hire people for competence—not immigration background. The episode ends where it began: in the cockpit, with emotion. Sabira describes crying during her first solo in the U.S. because the win came with so much history attached. Her message to the next Afghan girl is blunt and simple: your dream is valid, and “no” isn’t a verdict. She was told no for years—until she sat in the flight deck, proved she could reach the controls, and forced the system to admit what it tried to deny. CHAPTERS (00:00) Carrying voices and grief (01:28) Kabul memory and why this matters (02:54) Reuniting on the podcast (03:43) Freedom then, resilience now (05:10) Becoming an MD 530 pilot (06:04) When Afghanistan collapsed (08:10) Starting over and her father (10:42) Helping Afghan women through networks (15:00) Why helicopters chose her (20:10) Inclusion isn’t charity: her message SPONSOR ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Atlantic Aviation⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠atlanticaviation.com⁠⁠ WORK WITH SHAESTA For bookings and inquiries, visit:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shaestawaiz.com/book⁠⁠ MORE ABOUT SABIRA REZAIE ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: Sabira Rezaie - Former Commissioned Officer, Afghan Air Force MORE ABOUT SHAESTA WAIZ  Website: ⁠⁠shaestawaiz.com⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠Shaesta Waiz⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@aviateplatform⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@shaestawaiz⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠@shaesta.waiz⁠⁠ Production, Distribution, and Marketing By Massif & Kroo Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MassifKroo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For inquiries/sponsoring: email hello@MassifKroo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices