If you find yourself with a natural ability to excel at something — maybe even becoming the best in the world — but one day you fall out of love with it, should you stay or walk away? A bad fall from her horse at age 13 unexpectedly led CJ Blumenthal to the exciting, daring, and skilful sport that is horseback archery. She took to it like a duck to water. Within a year, she was winning state and national titles. Within two years, she was a World Champion. All while still attending high school.
Then she walked away.
CJ is a passionate advocate of the belief that just because you are great at something does not mean you have to do it forever. CJ wants young people to know they have choices and that there is nothing wrong with finding new dreams and goals and then chasing them.
A former state and national champion, CJ Blumenthal was part of the gold medal-winning World Championship team in the dangerous and skilled sport of Horseback Archery when she was just 15 years old. CJ travelled to many countries, competing and experiencing different cultures while representing Australia. She performed in front of thousands, impressing spectators with the skill and showmanship of a sport that most people associate with a bygone era. She received a flood of opportunities and offers to travel, train with the world’s best, and perform on and off the screen. However, CJ shocked many when in 2019, aged 17, she walked away from the sport and what others perceived as the opportunity of a lifetime — to follow her heart and start a career serving as a member of the Royal Australian Airforce.
CJ Blumenthal
TEDx Speaker
World Champion Horse Archer, Dream Chaser & Career Change Advocate
