Everest Summitter, Multi-Award-Winning Fitness Entrepreneur & Recognised as Personal Trainer of the Year

Lee Donald is a multi-award-winning fitness entrepreneur, accomplished keynote speaker and extreme mountaineer, best known for becoming the seventh Scottish woman to summit Mount Everest. As Director and Owner of Lee Donald Personal Training, she has transformed thousands of lives while earning more than 30 business awards. Combining elite physical achievement with deeply personal resilience, Lee delivers powerful, authentic keynotes on mindset, mental wellbeing and high performance, making her a sought-after speaker for organisations looking to inspire lasting behavioural change.

Lee’s journey began with significant personal adversity. After 15 years battling an eating disorder, depression, alcohol addiction and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, she made the decision to rebuild her life from the ground up. In 2011, with no premises, equipment, clients or financial backing, she launched her personal training business, relying solely on discipline and determination. Her early drive was evident from a young age, becoming the youngest person in Scotland to achieve two double gradings and a triple grading in Scottish Shotokan Karate, earning a black belt at just 13. These formative experiences laid the foundation for the mental toughness that would define both her entrepreneurial success and mountaineering ambitions.

Throughout her career, Lee has received extensive recognition for both her business excellence and personal achievements. She has collected over 30 industry awards, including Female Fitness Entrepreneur of the Year and Personal Trainer of the Year, alongside honours from the Scottish Enterprise Awards and Scotland’s Business Awards. In 2024, her achievements were recognised with a Parliamentary Motion, highlighting her impact as an inspirational figure. Alongside her business success, Lee has competed at elite level in obstacle course racing, representing Scotland at European and World Championships, consistently defying expectations linked to her health challenges.

Lee’s impact as a speaker lies in her ability to translate extreme personal experiences into practical, relatable lessons. Her keynotes focus on resilience, mindset and mental health, with her signature talk, Into The Death Zone – From Rock Bottom to the Top of the World, offering a compelling narrative of transformation. With ambitions to summit K2, she continues to push boundaries, inspiring audiences to reframe limitations, build mental strength and pursue ambitious goals with clarity and purpose.

Why Hire Lee Donald?

Lee Donald delivers high-impact keynote sessions grounded in lived experience, combining business success with extreme endurance challenges. Her talks explore resilience, mental health and mindset through practical frameworks that audiences can immediately apply. Drawing on her journey from personal adversity to summiting Mount Everest, Lee provides actionable strategies on overcoming setbacks, sustaining motivation and achieving ambitious goals. Her authenticity, humour and relatability ensure strong audience engagement, making her an ideal choice for organisations seeking to inspire performance, wellbeing and long-term behavioural change.