Kim was born and raised in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, studied law at Stellenbosch University, was admitted as an attorney and spent many years in legal practice and the corporate world. She is currently self-employed as a legal consultant/corporate trainer, freelance writer, author and motivational speaker who works just enough to enable her to stay out of the poor-house and run in interesting places. Although she insists she is a very average runner, she has a tank-like ability to keep going and has taken part in numerous multi-day and self-supported ultra-distance off-road races. Despite opportunities to have married somebody sensible, she is married to adventurer, Peter van Kets (2x Atlantic Rower and only African to have rowed solo across any ocean and one of the few South Africans to have trekked to the South Pole). She is also mother to nine-year-old Hannah who plans to be (among other things) an extreme rock-climbing hip-hop-dancing artist/archeologist when she grows up.