I’ve always loved movement.
In the early days it was everything — netball, bushwalks, cross country, hockey, basketball, soccer, touch football. If there was a sport, I tried it.
Then there was a period where it wasn’t as important to me.
Turns out… it was.
Did my work suffer when I wasn’t training?
Absolutely.
Not in an obvious way. Deals still got done. The business still moved forward. But I wasn’t as clear. I wasn’t as patient. I wasn’t as steady.
And leadership is steadiness.
I started training for half marathons. Then a marathon. Then an ultra. I loved it. The challenge. The discipline. The solitude.
What I realised through that season was this:
I am a better leader when I train.
A better decision maker.
A better listener.
A better human.
That was a lesson I’ve never forgotten.
For almost six years now I’ve trained at Cornerstone. Sometimes part time. Sometimes five or six days a week.
Recently I hit 1000 sessions.
I’m proud of that. Not because of the number — but because of what it represents.
Consistency.
At 5:30am I train with other business owners and leaders who are just as “crazy” as I am — people who want to get it done before the chaos of the day begins.
There’s a huge difference between motivation and discipline.
Motivation is fleeting.
Discipline is ingrained.
Motivation asks, “Do I feel like it?”
Discipline doesn’t ask. It just gets up.
I honestly can’t remember the last time my alarm went off and I lay there debating it.
It’s not negotiable. It’s just what I do.
I protect my mornings fiercely.
Once the clock is on, I’m everything to everyone. CEO, leader, problem solver, decision maker. I carry a lot.
The mornings are mine.
That hour and a half allows me to show up grounded instead of reactive. Clear instead of cluttered. Regulated instead of frazzled.
And I share that time with Reg. We train together. Walk or run together. Drink our smoothies together. We talk. We debrief. We set the tone for the day.
It’s not just fitness.
It’s alignment.
Why do I train?
Strength. Resilience. Capacity.
The gym makes me strong — bench presses, deadlifts, squats, chin ups.
Not just head strong.
Body strong.
And something shifts when you feel physically strong. You stand differently. You handle things differently.
Leadership is energy transfer.
If my nervous system isn’t right, the team feels it.
If I walk in scattered, they feel it.
If I walk in grounded, they feel that too.
That morning ritual regulates me. It clears my head. It prepares my nervous system for whatever is coming.
And in a CEO role, something is always coming.
Being Gen X, in my 50s, leading a business — that comes with its own challenges and opportunities.
When we were growing up it was “push through.”
No talk of nervous systems or cortisol.
Now I understand something different.
Movement isn’t optional for me. It’s maintenance.
It’s leadership hygiene.
I love chatting about this with the team. They inspire me too.
Young people today are putting their health first. They’re doing hard things. They’re meeting for walks and workouts before work. They’re prioritising wellbeing in a way we never did.
And I respect it.
So here’s what I’ve learned:
Get fit to lead.
Lead yourself so you can lead others.
Training gives me dopamine, serotonin, all the good things — but more than that, it gives me consistency.
And routine and consistency?
They set you free.
