Janine Shepherd

A Broken Body is not a Broken Person

Janine Shepherd, AM, is an author, speaker and aerobatic pilot. Her TEDx talk, “A Broken Body is not a Broken Person”, has been viewed by millions. She is the author of six books, the most recent being DEFIANT, which chronicles Janine’s extraordinary life — from professional athlete to spinal cord patient to aerobatic pilot to bestselling writer.

Janine Shepherd’s story reads like the plot of a Hollywood movie. An Australian national champion skier in training for the upcoming Olympics, she was hit by a truck on a bike ride, suffering multiple life-threatening injuries.

Doctors warned her parents that, even if she lived, Janine would never walk again. After major spinal surgery, and five months immobilized in a hospital bed, Janine came home to heal. She faced a daunting recovery and an uncertain future.

Struggling to rehabilitate with permanent disabilities, Janine rekindled her defiant spirit in a dramatically improbable way. Seeing a small plane fly overhead one day, she declared, “That’s it! If I can’t walk, I’ll fly!”

Janine went on to succeed not only as a commercial pilot and aerobatics flight instructor but also to attain her University degree, raise three children and author six best-selling books. Her life is so remarkable, a feature length film has been made on it.

Today, Janine Shepherd is an internationally renowned speaker whose inspiring TED talk, “A Broken Body Isn’t a Broken Person.” has garnered over 2 million views.  She’s been featured on “60 Minutes”, “This is Your Life”, and recognised with her country’s highest honor, The Order of Australia.