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Hiking brings balance to Hong Kong accountant

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Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Rachel Jacqueline

Life at the top of one of the world's so-called big four accounting firms can be a stressful place.

For Judy Tsang, partner at EY Hong Kong, remaining fit and healthy is about mind over matter: she is a certified hypnotherapist and neuro-linguistic programming practitioner (a communications-based psychotherapy) - qualifications she gained by studying after work and at weekends.

Tsang came upon the topics seven years ago when she was stressed and realised she needed to change. "I quickly realised it wasn't skills I needed to further my career, but how to manage myself within my career, and my life," she says. "I didn't just want to be a successful career woman, but a successful woman."

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Tsang first planned to be an architect.

An early career change saw her complete her master's degree in business administration, before settling on accountancy. Despite the career hiccups, 20 years on, she says she finally has the life she planned. "I'm not a traditional accountant. I am interested in all sorts of self-development-related subjects."

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Part of the process led her to reclaim her weekends for exercise. Her younger days were spent swimming and playing basketball - at 168cm tall she's above average height for a Hong Kong woman - but she let her early sporting passions slide as work pressures mounted. Now, she spends her free time hiking with her husband, or swimming at the beach.

"For many Hong Kong professionals, work is too demanding. A typical Hong Kong Chinese person will work all week and sleep all weekend. But I don't want to live like that.

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