Janine Shepherd Interview: Warrior Mind Podcast #338
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the Warrior Mind Podcast.
In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I interview an amazing lady, Janine Shepherd. Janine has a triumphant story to share of mental strength and overcoming unthinkable obstacles.
Janine Shepherd, former elite athlete, pilot, aerobatics instructor, bestselling author, and inspiration to us all, on her powerful new memoir, DEFIANT: A Broken Body Is Not A Broken Person, the unique story of an Olympic hopeful’s extraordinary triumph after a devastating tragedy. Janine, who was in training for the Calgary Olympics as part of the Australian cross-country ski team, was hit by a truck, resulting in partial paraplegia and extensive permanent bodily damage.
After the accident, and against all odds, not only did Janine learn to walk again, but she learned to fly, and within a year of her near-death accident, Janine had earned her private pilot’s license (while still in a full body cast, Janine was lifted into an aircraft for her first flight), her commercial license, followed by her instructor’s license. Maria Shriver.com recently selected Janine as the “Architect of Change of the Week,” and honors her remarkable story.
As Janine sat at home in her wheelchair and her plaster body cast, an airplane flew overhead. She looked up, and thought to herself, “That’s it! If I can’t walk, then I might as well fly.” What made Janine take that extraordinary leap?
Within a year of her near-death accident, Janine had earned her private pilot’s license (while still in a full body cast, Janine was lifted into an aircraft for her first flight), her commercial license, followed by her instructor’s license.
Some would say that for Janine, not even the sky was the limit. How did learning to fly get her back on her feet?
Janine’s dream was the Olympic dream. It defined her. How did the way she looked at herself, “Janine the Machine,” the elite athlete, change after the accident?
Janine had to use every morsel of her sporting competitiveness — not to win, but to live. How did this drive help in her recovery and how does it play into her life today?
Janine even went on to become the youngest — and only female — director of Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
In DEFIANT, Janine explains that once she realized she was more than just the circumstances of her body, she could create new dreams. The book’s subtitle, A Broken Body Isn’t A Broken Person, embodies this perspective, and she expands on this unique outlook.
Janine is also an ambassador for Spinal Cure Australia and Red Bull’s “Wings for Life” World Run, a global charity event where participants around the world start exactly at the same moment, day or night, and run together, sharing the same experience. 100% of all entry fees and all donations raised through fundraising campaigns goes directly to life-changing spinal cord research projects and clinical trials at renowned universities and institutes worldwide.
Enjoy this podcast interview with Janine Shepard.
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Janine’s TED talk, “A Broken Body Isn’t a Broken Person,” has garnered over
2 million views on various platforms:
https://www.ted.com/talks/janine_shepherd_a_broken_body_isn_t_a_broken_person
Janine Shepherd’s new book, DEFIANT: A Broken Body Is Not A Broken Person, reads like the plot of a Hollywood movie, chronicling her remarkable life as an Australian elite ski racer, known as “Janine the Machine,” who was hit by a truck during a bicycle ride in the Blue Mountains of Australia, just before competing in the Calgary Winter Olympics. Doctors did not expect Janine to survive after her accident, and when she did, they warned her that she would never walk again. She not only learned to walk again, she learned to fly.
Within a year of her accident, Janine had earned her private pilot’s license (while still in a full body cast, Janine was lifted into an aircraft for her first flight), her commercial license, followed by her instructor’s license. Janine even went on to become the youngest — and only female — director of Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Janine also was told she couldn’t have children. She is the mother of three. Beautifully written, Janine shares her journey in an expansive, inspiring and universal way that will encourage readers to grow beyond their own preconceived limits.
DEFIANT takes readers 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. DEFIANT begins with Janine’s “death experience” and subsequent paraplegia. Janine was determined to defy the predictions set by her doctors, and succeeded in doing so. While still remaining a partial paraplegic, she was ultimately able to walk again. Leaving her wheelchair at the hospital, Janine went on to succeed not only as a commercial pilot and flight instructor but also to attain her university degree, raise a family and write a best-selling book, Never Tell Me Never, which was subsequently made into a feature length film of the same title. Through powerful and emotive storytelling, there is something for everyone in Janine’s message of hope. DEFIANT topics include the following:
Why some people don’t give up and can succeed against all odds. 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!”
How to come back from a major loss. It’s not about whether or not you will face adversity, it’s how you approach it. Once she let go of “Janine, the athlete,” which was how she had always defined herself, Janine was able to create a completely new life. Ultimate goal: become a pilot, even though she’d never flown a small airplane and was disabled. Little goals kept her going along the way.
A broken body is not a broken person. Janine’s mantra: You are not your body and you have the choice to create new dreams. Be defined not by what you’ve lost, but instead by who you are and what you can become.
What to do when things don’t go as planned. Janine’s real strength didn’t come from her body. This realization changed everything. She was no longer tied to a set path, and was free to explore life’s infinite possibilities.
Janine’s recipe for healthy defiant living. Janine learns about how to not just survive, but to flourish in the face of adversity. Challenges and change are not to be dreaded, but actually welcomed as opportunities to thrive in unexpected ways.
The concept of disability. Janine inspires those coping with physical disabilities and other challenges to believe in the power of potential. Her accomplishments (and mindset) far outweigh any disability.
Infused with Janine’s signature humor, humility and compassion, DEFIANT offers a collection of life lessons for those dealing with adversity. The common threads throughout Janine’s story—resilience, hope, sacrifice and empathy—shine a light on the ways in which we live, love, and find meaning in our lives. It is a story with the power to change how readers view their personal and professional challenges through a new, meaningful and defiant lens.
Janine Shepherd is an inspirational speaker and writer whose books, Never Tell Me Never, and The Gift of Acceptance, have become classics in the survivor genre. Janine is a pilot and aerobatics instructor, and mother of three children. She was awarded the Order of Australia, the nation’s highest honor, for her service to the community, her inspiration and her work in raising awareness of spinal cord research. She is an ambassador for Spinal Cure Australia and Red Bull’s “Wings for Life.” She is a contributor to Deepak Chopra’s workshops, and has been featured on 60 Minutes, This is Your Life and CNN’s Turning Points with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Janine’s TEDx talk, “A Broken Body Isn’t a Broken Person,” has been viewed almost 2 million times across many platforms. She lives in Wyoming. For more information, visit janineshepherd.com.
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