PROFILE
Shae’s path to becoming a Paralympian is a powerful story of resilience and breaking barriers. At 18, she was an active teen, passionate about sports like soccer, touch football, and rugby. But after a car accident left her with a C6 incomplete spinal cord injury, doctors told her she would never walk again. Despite this, Shae’s determination pushed her through nine months of recovery. Although she initially retired from sports, she rebuilt her life, focusing on personal goals like independence, graduating from university, and traveling the world.
In 2014, after losing a bet to her brother, Shae returned to sports, taking up wheelchair rugby. Her determination led her to become the first female player for Australia’s wheelchair rugby team, the Steelers, in 2019, and she represented Australia at the Paralympics in 2021. Shae’s journey highlights her strength and passion for paving the way for women in male-dominated sports.
SPEAKING TOPICS
THE POWER OF PERCEPTION
Shae lives life looking for the positives, to her the glass is always half full, even if she has to (occasionally) force herself to see it that way. After sustaining life threatening injuries in a car crash, Shae’s dad taught her the most important lesson she has ever learnt-a small change in perception /focus can change your life. Shae shares her story; the tragedy, the triumphs, the trailblazing and each of the key moments(the small shifts in perception) that changed her life and helped her chase down her goals–the big and the small.
THERE’S WINNING AND THERE'S LEARNING
After losing a bet to her brother in 2013, Shae reluctantly hopped in her first wheelchair rugby chair. Instantly falling in love with the sport Shae set herself the goal of playing for Australia. Wanting to play a male dominated sport meant proving her worth and breaking down barriers, and in 2019 she became the first female to represent Australia playing wheelchair rugby. Shae shares her story through her wins and the lessons she has learnt along the way–the most important one being: “There’s winning and there’s learning.”
DREAM BIG - WORK HARD - DREAM BIGGER. SETTING AND CHASING DOWN GOALS
Shae’s journey to becoming a Paralympian isn’t the typical tale of achieving childhood dreams but one of resilience, stubbornness, and a dash of Aussie spirit. With big dreams of being like Cathy Freeman and/ or playing soccer for Australia, Shae grew up with the idea that if she worked hard, she could do whatever she set her mind to. After sustaining a C6 incomplete spinal cord injury as a backseat passenger in a car crash at 18, Shae’s world was turned upside down. She used that same mindset and work ethic to rebuild her life, set herself new goals and find new dreams to chase after. Her life didn’t work out exactly the way she had pictured it as a teenager, but it got pretty damn close.
