Wall St tycoon Adam Nable turns fitness guru

ADAM Nable swapped the fast pace of Wall St for a career in Australia's fitness industry and wouldn't look back for a minute. Why did he give up such a lucrative career?

From Wall Street tycoon to a quiet, healthy life

WHEN derivatives broker Adam Nable worked on Wall Street, his life was work. It was stressful, all-consuming, nailbiting exciting, and while financially lucrative - costly on his personal life.

The 37-year-old father-of-two is part of a herd of successful young executives who worked themselves to a stressful state of career fatigue, and jumped ship to land on a new path - that of wellness.

"I didn't want to wake up when I was 50 and still be sitting at a desk in some big corporation, feeling like a number and acting like a robot, battling peak hour traffic every day, working my ass off to make someone else rich," he says.

"Now I'm living my dream, getting paid to do what I love and we're helping change people's lives - and I love it."

Nable, a former professional football player, completed a Business Degree majoring in Finance at UTS and 'before he knew it', was working on Wall St and living the high life in New York with wife Elizabeth.

"My time at Deutsche Bank was fantastic - there is never a dull day in New York, and the thrill of being there made even the hardest day worthwhile. Every time I walked out the door I felt like pinching myself," he tells news.com.au

"Then I was headhunted to work for a firm called Collins Stewart - but with the new job come a whole lot more stress. It was a stressful trading environment and there was no room for error. It was crazy - such an adrenalin fuelled environment."

He said the market closing at 4pm meant he was home at a reasonable hour, but had to spend nights and weekends entertaining clients, missing precious time with his wife and new baby, Ruby.

"That was a big expectation in that sort of working environment," Nable says.

"A lot of the guys on my desk were having to entertain every night, so I guess that's what was in store for me as I worked my way up the ladder. Those guys spent a lot of time away from their families - I really didn't know if that part was for me."

After two years - and increasing stress - the Nables made the decision to return to Sydney to have their second child, and decided it was the perfect opportunity to walk a different - and less hectic - road.

"This period was the real catalyst for the career change," Nable says.

"I used to play professional football and had always envisaged that I end up back in the fitness industry, and we felt that the time was no better than now - I had nothing to lose."

They opened Xtend Barre in Mosman on Sydney's North Shore - a fitness studio focusing on a pilates-come-ballet workout popular in the US, as well as Kinesis training - and attracting a large celebrity following, wouldn't change it for a New York minute.

"The career change felt natural and the industry is something I have always been passionate about - well-being and fitness are one of the great beauties that money cannot buy," he says.

"Nearly one year on and we have never regretted our decision.

"I recently received a text message from a client who is a well known TV reporter, who I helped get into shape to for a trip to base camp at Mount Everest - he and his crew's fitness was paramount to the story they were filming. If they couldn't make it to base camp, there was no story.

"He texted me from the top and said, 'We made it to Everest. I had just the right level of fitness. Good job mate - you got me here'.

"Stuff like that just makes me happy. When you love something, you do it often, and when you do the right exercise often, it gets you amazing results. I get to witness that every day, and I love it."

Mr Nable says their new life couldn't be more different to the blur that was New York - and the biggest beneficiaries have been children Ruby, 4, and Owen, 2.

"I have been able to spend an enormous amount of time with the kids and I feel extremely lucky to be able to play a significant role in their upbringing every day - I will never get this time back and I am so grateful," he says.

"I really believe that changing industries has really put in perspective what is really important in life - family. If you strip all the material things away, what are you left with?

"We proved to ourselves that it wasn't just a pipe dream - that we could make it happen.

"To me, success is living life and not having regrets. Why did I stay in that job too long? Why didn't I spend more time with my family? More than anything, success is a happy family."

Former Microsoft vice-president Daniel Petre is another man who stepped away from a high profile, high-energy career to lead a more balanced life.

The renowned author and Sydney father says work-life balance is the number one critical issue facing our organisations and the people within them.

"I think of many men I know who have sacrificed their family lives for the sake of the office," Petre says in his book, 'What Matters - Success and Work Life Balance'.

He cites health, fitness and personal relationships as the key to true significance in life, and urges Australians to seek a life that makes them - and their families - happy.

"A happy life is not built of mortgages, pay rises and promotions - working longer hours will not necessarily make you more successful - more likely it will do just the opposite," Petre says.

"A life of sustained success means more than simply filling up the cupboard with money.

"It means good health, long-term financial rewards … opportunity to develop and grow, healthy friendships and family relationships, well-developed personal interests and a strong and enduring social legacy.

"It is possible - and it's up to you."