“I certainly struggled to keep fitness and health at the center of my life, because my job became the center of my life, especially when I was working equity capital markets at Clayton Utz, which in a transactional space means that it’s very time demanding and energy consuming,” she said.

“My tip is to get started and do something, and to congratulate yourself for that and be positive about what you do achieve.”

Ms Kimber found “workarounds” to stay active during the week in particular and said that exercise became a way that she managed stress and stayed energised.

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“I found a lot of workarounds and if you’re committed to something, you’ll always find a way. So, if health and fitness is a big part of your life, even if you’re in the office and you’re going to be there till 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM, I would never accept that there’s not a way to get some training in,” she said.

“It was more just to keep my sanity and to stay balanced and to be able to work late. I felt that training and moving is a way that I stay alert and stay energised.”

Ms Kimber would also go on walks at lunch to keep moving, as well as training when she could during the day, which gave her more energy if she ever needed to work late. She also kept a foam roller and a yoga mat in the office.

“To be able to roll out your back or just have a quick stretch, it energises you and puts your body in a different state and in a different space. And it helps you to re-engage with the tasks that you’re doing at your desk, because it can just be very flattening and de-energizing just to sit there and not move around,” she said.

“To go out for a walk at lunch, or to ride into work on your bike or do something for yourself that’s physical and get your body moving, that is a great goal to have. It’s achievable, and it helps you feel positive and stay positive and have a positive relationship with yourself.”

With almost 2,500 followers on Instagram, Ms Kimber has participated in fitness shows and done campaigns for active brands like Lorna Jane. She said that finding a community that supported her athletic pursuits had been instrumental in maintaining discipline and motivation.

“It was nice to be able to create a brand and a profile and to collate photos, I guess, that showcased what I was working towards,” she said.

“I started to feel really proud of the physical results I was getting. So, it was nice to be a part of that online fitness community and to have support and encouragement and to encourage other people and to show them that, with the right mindset and the right program and discipline, you can really achieve anything you want to.”

Ms Kimber added that she uses this discipline in her everyday life.

“I use my fitness and health a lot in my career and a lot day-to-day in terms of my mindset and the way that I approach things,” she said.

“In terms of discipline and the power of getting started and the power of approaching things with a positive mindset, I borrowed most of that from my experience in sport and training. I find when I’m overwhelmed at work, I have a good capacity to deal with a lot of pressure.

“We can learn what we’re capable of and discover what happens when we hit our limits and how we work around that. So, harnessing the power of your mind is a really great benefit that I’ve got from sport and fitness training that I’ve done.”

Oftentimes those who work hard outside of their careers find success within their careers too, according to Ms Kimber. She said that for her, working hard on her fitness has given her the ability to work through her problems efficiently.

“A lot of people who are successful lawyers also have pretty crazy athletic pursuits and have achieved some pretty great results in sport. I think you will find that people who are obsessive in their health and fitness journeys are often quite good lawyers and obsessive in their work,” she said.

“If you have a goal, you can achieve it. You might have to work harder. You might have to work later. You might have to think about things differently or think laterally, but I have a good confidence in my own abilities, and I know I can rely on myself to get things done.

“I think my experience in sport and in fitness has given me that self-reliance and that discipline and also that positive mindset, that even when things look difficult or overwhelming, there’s always a way through.”

The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Hannah Kimber, click below: