A Melbourne-based insurance professional has set up a weekly run club for people working in the sector, offering a pre-work gathering built around exercise and informal conversation rather than evening functions. In a LinkedIn post, Natalia Vanzo, senior account manager at SMART Business Insurance, invited “people working in insurance” to a Wednesday morning run followed by coffee at The Tan Track in Melbourne.
The group meets at 6:30am at the corner of Anderson Street and Domain Road in South Yarra, at the top of Anderson Street on The Tan. The first session was scheduled for Jan. 21, with one lap of The Tan, approximately 3.8km. The run is “open to everyone across the insurance industry” and “all abilities welcome,” Vanzo said. She described the concept as an alternative to the usual formats for industry connection. “Much of the connection in our industry happens around events and drinks. This is a different way to connect, through movement,” she said.
SMART Business Insurance expressed support for the initiative. “It’s time we got Melbourne moving again, and we love seeing it happen within our industry,” it said. The firm added that it was “great to see Natalia Vanzo bringing people together every Wednesday morning at The Tan with BOUND Run Club,” describing it as “a fantastic initiative for insurance and associated professionals to connect, move, and start the day strong.”
In discussing the run club, Vanzo has also drawn on her own sporting experience to reflect on workload and boundaries for insurance professionals. “How do you know where to draw the line between hard work and overdoing it – in sport or in work?” Vanzo said. She recalled completing her first Olympic-distance triathlon in Noosa. Coming from a running background, she expected the run leg to be her strongest. However, in the last 5km she “kept stopping,” unsure why she could not maintain her effort. “I didn’t want to pull out, because that’s what we’re often taught – to just keep pushing,” she said.
Later medical feedback showed her heart rate had spiked, her temperature was unusually high, and she had torn a tendon. “It made me think about work. Our industry is fast-paced, client focused, and it’s natural to push hard. At what point does that effort stop being productive? When does endurance start working against us?” Vanzo said. She added that “working hard will always matter; it’s what drives results,” but pointed to the need to sustain performance over time. “The real challenge is learning how to sustain that effort: to operate at a high level while knowing our limits. For me, that means leaning on the team, sharing the load, and making time for the things that help me reset. A run, dinner with family, a drink with friends. I’m still figuring out where that line sits. In work or sport, it seems the trick is knowing when to push, and when to renew your energy (not just your policies),” Vanzo said.
The emergence of an industry-focused run club comes amid ongoing attention to employee wellbeing, engagement, and workplace design across Australian financial services, including insurance. In a recent blog, workplace research firm Great Place to Work said that creating a “fun and engaging workplace” is linked to employee well-being and productivity, noting that organisations on its Best Workplaces lists weave fun into daily routines rather than treating it as an occasional extra. The firm said fun is a significant driver of high well-being levels across generations, including millennials and Gen Z.
According to the blog, fun in the workplace can include light-hearted interactions, support for work-life balance, and opportunities for colleagues to build personal connections, rather than relying solely on formal social events. The firm associated these conditions with higher discretionary effort, improved retention, and stronger recruitment outcomes. Great Place to Work also highlighted practical measures such as ongoing employee engagement, inclusive policies, flexible work arrangements, and structured social activities.
