Dr. CJ Rhoads has been
studying Taijiquan for over twenty years.
Rhoads has studied with the following teachers (in alphabetical order)
each between four and ten years: 
Betsy Chapman, Sara Gellhorn, Janet Louise, Rick Marth,
and Maggie Newman, Yang Yang.
She has also traveled extensively to attend Taijiquan workshops and camps with some of the world's foremost experts including (in alphabetical order): Li Deyin, Ben Lo, Nick Gracenin, Ma Hailong., Yang Jwing Ming, Wolf Lowenthal, Zeng Nailiang, Bill Phillips, Jou Tsung Hwa, Peter Warr , Wu Wenhan, Wu Kwong Yu , Sun Yongtian, Cheng Xianhao, Yang Zhenduo, Chen Zhenglei. She presented academic papers at the International Taijiquan Forum in Canada in 2006, and at the International Taijiquan Symposium in Nashville, Tennesee in 2009. Many of her articles on health, Taijiquan, martial arts and leadership have been published in over a dozen journals and magazines. She has incorporated many of the lessons she learned through Taijiquan into her business and personal life.
Rhoads is one of the founding members of the Taijiquan Enthusiasts Organization, a
worldwide virtual organization of health and martial arts players and advocates
dedicated to spreading the health benefits to everyone. She is also the
developer of Pacem In Vita, a
leadership and self-development curriculum for children and adults based upon
the principles of Taijiquan. She was named Martial Arts Promoter of the Year and inducted to the Hall of Fame by the United Fellowship of Martial Artists at the inaugural Awards Banquet on March 6, 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.
Rhoads has firsthand experience
regarding the transforming powers of the gentle art of Taiji. She was in a devastating car accident in
2002. In 2004 she was told by 
doctors in 2004 that she had gotten "as good as she
was gonna get" – but was still in severe pain
and could not work. Just a few years
later, with the help of a team of doctors and pain management specialists, and
through a combination of Taijiquan, Pilates, Massage, and Myofascial
Release she was able to mitigate her injuries. She was not only able to return
to work, but was able to exceed all expectations. She was named one of
Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business in 2009. (Rhoads is the CEO and Founder of
ETM Associates, Inc., a consulting firm helping companies with enterprise,
technology, and management issues).
In 2002, Rhoads competed in Winchester Virginia and in Périgeux France, losing badly to a tiny elderly Chinese woman
from the Bronx. In 2009 she competed in the International Chinese Martial Arts
Tournament circuit, taking multiple Gold, Silver, and
Bronze medals in Florida and Washington DC.
She was named the National Champion and Gold Medal winner in Female Push
Hands in October 2009 [admittedly because no one else in her weight class
showed up to compete J].