b'Falling with PurposeMelanie Curtis turns fear into fuel and inspires others to take the leapBY AMY LYNN-CRAMERCurtis standing on the skid of a helicopter right before she exits for a jump over New York City on August 26, 2020, the exact centennial anniversary of when the 19th Amendment was signed into law. W henMelanieCurtisning grand entrance as they landed in Seattles Lu- is doing now is a dream come true, she says. His was 18, she jumpedmen Field. This marked the 20th demonstrationCurtis grew up in Dexter, New York. Her par-outofanairplanejump that Highlights completed as a team. ents divorced when she was 3. She visited her dad with a parachute forWhen she took her first jump, it was the lateand stepmom frequently. Her father, who is a pi-theveryfirsttime.90s, during the rise of the internet and the explo- lot, had an actual airport in their backyard. Shewaschangedsion of the grunge aesthetic. Curtis was that agebest friend, a skydiver, convinced him to add a forever. when you think you know everything but trulydrop zone, which is a designated area where para-Now with more than 12,000 jumps under herknow nothing. She unapologetically admits that belt, this extraordinary Maplewood resident is notshe didnt have a clue as to who she was. After only a world-record breaking professional skydiver,reflecting on how I operate, the struggles Ive faced she is a keynote speaker, peak performance coach,and the anxieties Ive felt, it became very clear to co-host of TrustTheJourney.Today podcast, authorme that [my first jump] was the beginning of an of three books, co-founder of Highlight Pro Sky- intimate and masterful relationship with working diving Team (an all-female professional skydivingwith fear, Curtis says.demonstrationjumpteam,comprisedof13ofCurtis is one of those adventure-seeking people the best skydivers in the world), and the executivewho moves toward fear instead of running away director of the Womens Skydiving Network. from it. She thrives on Type 2 Fun, which are ex-Curtis is fueled by fear and embraces it head on.periences that may not feel fun in the moment but She says that even though she instinctively knowsleave you with a sense of pride and accomplish-how to fly a parachute and calm herself with onement in retrospect. big breath, every time she prepares for a jump, sheFear is not fun, she says. If I didnt get good cannot sleep and is anxiety-stricken for days. at working with it, I would have lived a very smallCaptured by a GoPro 360 camera, Curtis is breaking This past August, to celebrate the retirementlife, because its very present. away from a skydive, flying on her back. Skydivers of Megan Rapinoes No. 15 jersey, Curtis and herOne would not describe Curtiss life as small.need to break apart from each other at the end of group freefall skydives in order to have room to open Highlights skydiving team made a visually stun- Her career in skydiving spans 30 years. What shetheir parachutes safely. 18/ matters magazine / fall 2024'