A Career That Began with a Broken Heart

2 minute read

At 18 years old I experienced my first ever break up. We all remember the pain of our first heartbreak right? Instead of seeing friends I stared at the bedroom ceiling, tears streaming – wondering if I’d ever fall in love again.

But two days in, my pitiful mindset began to change. What I thought was a lack of motivation to go out – was in fact quite the opposite. I was incredibly motivated; just to stay in bed. I remember asking myself, what if this pain could be utilised for something more powerful? 

Months prior I came up with a new concept for an act that involved a bow, an arrow and a crazy idea. Suddenly I had time to spend on myself – with more energy to train and a passion to pursue. Two days after my first breakup I bought my first ever bow. 

Other than watching my Dad shoot bows and arrows as a kid, I had no previous archery experience and my choice of bow was based on my minimal budget. After being rejected from multiple indoor training spaces (due to safety concerns), I settled for my local cricket field which was cold, quiet and the least likely place to get arrested for playing with weapons! I vividly remember dragging my suitcase stuffed with my new recurve bow through the muddy field; the air so cold I could see my panting breath. I had no teacher, no guidance and no archery knowledge – but what I lacked in resources, I made up for in drive. 

Let me tell you – the power of a broken heart is unstoppable. Instead of laying in bed for hours on end, I used the energy to train for 6 hours per day. I was so focused to avoid thinking of my ex that I became hyper focused on hitting my target. But most importantly, I was so desperate to fall in love again – I fell in love with foot archery. Despite the cold I managed to train every day for 6 months until I nailed my first bullseye… with my feet. That was the day I realised that pain can become your superpower. 

I began training foot archery with the hope to gain one extra gig per month but by April 2016 (one year from my heartbreak), it became my full time career that started taking me around the world. 

Have you ever noticed that I shoot at a heart target? I decided to do this as a reminder of my beginning – that even the most painful experiences can be turned into something incredible. 

The irony is that it all began with a broken heart – and now I break hearts for a living!