Aussie In Action
Ky spent much of her early childhood running wild in small rural towns around South Australia, having adventures and riding her horse through the bush with a freedom that only small country towns allowed. When she was 19 however, all that changed when a car she was a passenger in collided at high speed with a concrete pole, fracturing a vertebra in her spine.
As a result, she was told that she would never be physically active again, a life sentence that she was not prepared to stick to. Her love of nature and determination inspired her to use rock climbing as a recovery tool.
The Accident
When she was 19 however, all that changed when a car she was a passenger in collided at high speed with a concrete pole, fracturing a vertebra in her spine.
The Stunts
New dream in hand, Ky headed to Canada and trained for three years in a variety of martial arts and weapons
It was on one of these outdoor programs that a participant suggested that Ky’s physical prowess might be better suited to the world of stunts. New dream in hand, Ky headed to Canada and trained for three years in a variety of martial arts and weapons before landing her first big job doubling Sharon Stone in Catwoman.
Doubling Jennifer Garner for Elektra soon followed and her career in stunts took off. Although it included such notable films as The Avengers, Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean and X-Men and actresses such as Anne Hathaway, Ellen DeGeneres and Jessica Biel, it still came as a surprise to Ky when she was awarded the World Taurus Stunt Award for The Best Female Stunt Performer in the world in 2012.
The outdoors quickly became her passion and led to her becoming a rock climbing guide in order to share it with others. She began working for an outdoor teambuilding and leadership company and soon became a qualified kayaking, sailing and hiking guide.
She worked with a wide variety of groups including corporate groups, schools and youth at risk. Eventually she began to test herself with more extreme adventures in the outdoors, leaving everything but a knife behind and learning how to survive in the wilds with nothing.
Outdoor Guiding
She began working for an outdoor teambuilding and leadership company and soon became a qualified kayaking, sailing and hiking guide.
TV Hosting & Producing
She co-hosted an episode of The World Out There before producing and documenting an 100 mile hike across the Sierra Nevada carrying only a pocket knife.
After 16 successful years in stunts, Ky decided tostep out from behind the wigs and make-up and step in front of thecamera as herself for the first time. She co-hosted an episode of The World Out There before producing and documenting an 100mile hike across the Sierra Nevada carrying only a pocket knife
She has been featured in many projects since then including in nine seasons of Discovery’s Naked and Afraid and the only female on season two of Discovery’s First Man Out. She has also produced and co-hosted her own mini series that went worldwide during covid – Outback Lockdown and won Channel 7’s adventure series Ultimate Escape.
Whilst on a publicity tour for her first book, Girls Own Survival Guide (published by Penguin Books), she caught the eye of the largest speaking agency in Australia who saw how inspiring her journey could be for others. From broken back to World’s Best Stunt Woman was a path filled with perceived limitations, definite “no’s”, over coming adversity and pure grit and determination to succeed.
It involved every single one of the survival attitudes laid out in Ky’s book as well as calculated risk taking and a healthy attitude towards fear and anxiety. These are all topics now covered by Ky as a professional motivational speaker.
Speaking
It involved every single one of the survival attitudes laid out in Ky’s book as well as calculated risk taking and a healthy attitude towards fear and anxiety.
Author
Her books combine real-life experience with clear, accessible guidance, inspiring people of all ages to step outside their comfort zone
As an author, Ky focuses on empowering readers through knowledge, mindset, and hands-on skills. Her books combine real-life experience with clear, accessible guidance, inspiring people of all ages to step outside their comfort zone, connect with the outdoors, and build the confidence to handle whatever challenges come their way.
Her titles include Survive, When the Grid Fails, The First 36 Hours, and Fire, alongside the empowering Girls’ Own Survival Guide. She has also written Adventure Awaits, inspiring younger audiences to build confidence in the outdoors, as well as additional works focused on mindset, self-reliance, and real-world survival strategies.
Ky Furneaux is an experienced survival consultant who has worked across television and film, bringing real-world expertise to both scripted and unscripted productions. She first brought her skills to screen as a consultant on MTV’s Made, and has since contributed to major survival formats including Discovery’s Naked and Afraid. Ky also developed and starred in her own series, Outback Lockdown, where she lived off the land in remote South Australia.
Most recently, she served as a survival consultant on Send Help, working alongside talent including Rachel McAdams ensuring authenticity, safety, and credibility in high-stakes survival storytelling.
Survival Consultant
Most recently, she served as a survival consultant on Send Help, working alongside talent including Rachel McAdams.
