Janine Shepherd
Change Agent, Author, Australian National Champion Skier
Janine Shepherd, an elite ski racer whose bid to represent Australia in the Olympics was cut short by a tragic accident. For ten days she hovered between life and death. After six months in hospital battling to rehabilitate her permanent disabilities, she not only taught herself to walk again—she earned her wings as both a pilot and an aerobatics instructor. Janine Shepherd is an internationally renowned speaker whose inspiring TED talk, “A Broken Body Isn’t a Broken Person.” has garnered over 1.5 million views. She’s been featured on “60 Minutes”, “This is Your Life”, and recognized with her country’s highest honor, The Order of Australia. Through powerful and emotive storytelling, Janine provides the tools that enable us all to take bold action, and transform whatever challenges we currently face into outstanding growth and change.
Never Tell Me Never: Embracing Adversity and Change
Janine is a gifted storyteller, who uses her wit, humor, and impeccable timing to engage the audience. She
shares her journey in an expansive, inspiring and universal way that touches every heart in the room and
invites each of us to dream and reach beyond their preconceived ideas of what is possible. Her keynote
presentation sows the seeds of growth and positive transformation in the hearts of her audiences.
Janine takes us on an amazing journey. A journey on a road with so many twists and turns, so many deep valleys and steep hills that it mirrors the road we travel in own lives every single day.
This is a story that takes us from the pinnacle of elite athletics competition to the pain and fear of being wheelchair-bound and facing the shattering reality of life-threatening and permanent injury; from the exhilaration of flight to the struggle of taking one difficult step at a time on a long road to recovery which continues to this day.
Janine leaves her audience not only awed, humbled, and uplifted, but also causes them to think deeply about the way they live their own lives. Her listeners leave with a light heart and a conviction that they are able to change their attitude, find the power within and perform to the best of their abilities.
Janine reveals how our greatest obstacles can become our greatest opportunities and shares the tools that have allowed her to transform her dreams into reality. She gives the audience insight into how they, too, can achieve this in their own lives.
Don't Bounce Back, Bounce Forward: Strategies for Cultivating Resilience
Janine believes that the greatest skill that we need in today’s rapidly changing world is resilience. From the boardroom to the classroom, this is the skill that will enable us to overcome the inevitable challenges that
we all face in life, and not only survive, but thrive.
Janine believes that true resilience is the ability to not just bounce back, but to bounce forward. We grow from adversity when we choose to see every challenge as a seed for growth and transformation.
A Broken Body is not a Broken Person
Janine shares her powerful 18-minute TEDx talk that she delivered at the Kauffman Center in Kansas City.
This presentation is transformative. Janine holds a mirror up for the audience to look deeply into their own lives and connect with something greater within themselves. After the talk, she uses the five chairs from her presentation as a tool to facilitate an interactive workshop for the audience.
The Gift of Acceptance: Letting Go of the Life You Had, to Get the Life that is Waiting For You
Janine has come to realize that the process of finding acceptance has been crucial in her search for quality of life and peace of mind. She believes that whatever our circumstances may be, we all need to nuture acceptance in our lives in order to move on from tragedy or loss and find fulfillment.
When we stop fighting with reality, and accept our present circumstances we are able to live fully and fearlessly. As Janine says, “Life is not about having it all, but loving it all.”
Living Well After, Illness and Trauma
As a spinal patient and partial paraplegic, Janine has a unique understanding and perspective on injury and trauma. Janine shares her personal experience of being a patient and living with a disability.
Janine has witnessed first-hand the teamwork that has gone into her recovery, from the surgeons who
operated on her, to the nursing staff who cared for her, and the family that supported her.
She shares her health and fitness philosophy and the tools she uses to maintain wellness.
Janine’s presentation gives insight to all those working in the healthcare industry as they see how their role in caring for patients can literally change a life.
