Biography
Chris "Elroy" Stricklin
A United States Air Force Thunderbird Solo, flying Thunderbird Six at the "Gunfighter Skies" airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base, he commanded the F-16 to the very edge of its envelope, rolled the jet away from the crowd, and ejected one hundred and forty feet above the ground, 0.8 seconds before impact. One of the most photographed and documented ejections in aviation history. The aircraft was destroyed. The pilot walked away.
He has spent every day since asking the question that frames the rest of his life: What do you owe the second chance you were never promised?
The answer, for Elroy, is what he calls a survivor's obligation: the responsibility to live with intention, lead with humility, and pour everything he learned in the cockpit back into the people and organizations he serves. It is the through-line connecting a small-town Alabama boyhood to the Pentagon, the White House, NATO command in Kabul, the founding presidency of a corporate university, and a national stage as an award-winning author and keynote speaker.
The Thunderbirds
Selection to the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, placed him among a handful of pilots in the world trusted to fly with show-line precision in front of millions. He flew the demanding Solo position, where excellence and consequence share the same heartbeat. Then he lived the moment that would redefine excellence for him forever.
A Second Career Built on a Second Chance
After hanging up his uniform, Elroy began to spend time with others, mentoring them on their journeys of leadership, healing, and growth. This grew into an acclaimed keynote, Living an Intentional Life, which details his airshow ejection just 140 feet above the ground after a routine maneuver went unrecoverable. That decision, and the years that followed, became the foundation of his work helping leaders close the gap between what they planned for and what actually arrives, and how to live a more intentional life.
He chose to put his name on the lesson, then kept teaching it. His work has reached more than 100,000 professionals across Fortune 500 corporations, military commands, national associations, and healthcare systems worldwide.
The Man Behind the Mission
A combat-decorated fighter pilot, Chris holds degrees and certifications in Economics, Strategic Leadership, Financial Planning, Management, Real Estate, Strategic Studies, and Operational Art and Science. He has served at Pentagon-level managing $840B in critical Air Force resources and commanded at every level from flight through major command.
He has lived the rare combination he now teaches: the synthesis of speaking, following, leading, managing, negotiating, continuous improvement, and driving positive change. A Forbes Coaches Council member and 3-time bestselling author, his work has reached millions of readers and professionals worldwide.
But ask him to introduce himself and the credentials come last. He will tell you he is a husband to Terri, a father of four, and a son of Alabama who got eight-tenths of a second more than the math said he would, and who has been trying to be worth it ever since.
