By the Book: Anna Geary Chats Breaking Boundaries & Forging Your Own Path

Anna Geary is no stranger to breaking boundaries. From her time on the camogie pitch to her work on radio and TV.

Now she has released her first book – Anna’s Game Plan.

This book, which was written whilst she was pregnant with her first child, looks at her career as well as giving advice to readers who may be struggling to forge their own path.

 

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Hi Anna. Congratulations on your first book. Why did you think now was the time to release it?

The book was swirling around my head for a long long time. Like a lot of other people, you sometimes tell yourself all the reasons why you shouldn’t do it. You have imposter syndrome and these ideas like ‘Who do I think I am to be writing a book?’

Ultimately the reason I wrote the book is very simple.

It’s lessons I learned from my own life, sport, the role of coaching, and working with businesses. I’m trying to see if I can help other people, and whether that is if they are feeling lost or stuck in a rut, or they don’t have a purpose, or they are struggling with their confidence or body image and insecurities, or they are afraid to say yes to new things and go out of their comfort zones for fear of what other people might say or for fear of failing.

I go through those things in the book and actually give really practical ways, whether that’s through exercise or stories and analogies, to actually help people.

What do you hope readers take away from this book?

I want people to read this book and feel better about themselves afterwards, feel in control of their lives and the direction that their lives are going in, and that if they want to take a U-turn and take a different route, than they can. I think that’s really important.

Sometimes we look at social media and everyone else and we’re looking at what everyone else has. I genuinely want people to feel after reading the book, you know what why can’t I do that why can’t I give it a go, so what if I don’t get there, it’s all about having the courage to try.

And even writing the book, I’ve never been more out of my comfort zone. The nature of my work in tv and radio and as a coach is verbal communication. It’s where I feel at my strongest and most comfortable. I’m not a journalist, I don’t have that kind of background I’ve never written a book before.

I’ve had so many sleepless nights. I wrote the book moving into my third trimester. Started in April and had Ronan in August, and the first six weeks of his life was editing the book and rewriting parts of it. I often think of the sleepless nights in the first few weeks and I think, were they to do with Ronan, or were they to do with the book?

It was definitely a process, and now looking back and actually holding a physical copy of the book is like a full circle moment.

What is it like now that the book is out in the world?

This book has been in my head for years, I finally got it down on paper, and to see it come all the way to having it between two covers is surreal. A lot of life things happened while writing the book as well, so I’m obviously really proud of it and excited, but also terrified. Theres a lot of me in the book, it’s by no means an autobiography, but there are stories within the book that I’ve never shared before. You feel a bit vulnerable afterwards.

I voiced the audiobook because I felt it was really important that it was my voice telling [the stories]. It hits home a bit more when a person is telling a story from their life in their words. Reading the stories out loud for the first time was a bit surreal and daunting as well.

Being a first-time mam and a first-time author isn’t easy. Tell us what it was like editing this book with a newborn!

I’m a first-time mam. I didn’t have much experience, I didn’t babysit or change nappies, I was never really around babies. It was a brand-new experience for me. Marry that with the fact I was also writing a book, I felt out of my comfort zone and out of my depth at times.

I was nervous, but in some ways, one counteracted the other. I didn’t have as much time to ruminate over things as I would have in the past, and maybe that’s why it took me so long to sit down and write it. There is never a perfect time to say yes to new opportunities, there’s never a perfect time to do the things we want to do. So why would you wait for the perfect time to write a book?

I had the time, I had to write it.

Whether that was in the early hour of the morning and I couldn’t sleep or was breastfeeding, I could start making notes on my phone and think, what would this chapter look like, what would look good there, how could you make this easier to understand. There definitely was a period where I felt vulnerable and it can feel a bit overwhelming, and you just have to say one day at a time, and sometimes one hour at a time. Now even looking at Ronan, he’s over six months, and it’s like where did that time go?

When you were out on the camogie pitch, did you ever dream of writing a book?

No! Not at all, and I think even back then if I did think about writing a book, it would have been a sports book. I quickly realised when I left the world of sport that there are so many life lessons that you can transition into sports and business and life in general. The great thing about this book is that if you’re into sports and play sports you will get a lot out of it, but equally, it’s not a sports book.

If you’ve no interest in sport, and it doesn’t matter what age you are, there are a lot of lessons around mindset and confidence and taking on challenges, and how to cope when you have setbacks and losses in life. It was never something that I thought when I was sitting in dressing rooms winning all irelands with cork, I certainly didn’t think that a book was going to be an option, but now it is, now its coming out in a few weeks!

I feel like it’s a big match, the adrenaline is starting to pump and you’re getting nervous and the feeling of anticipation the feeling of worry and doubt as well, but I try to walk my own talk.

Like hold on, if you talk about these things in the book you should be trying to practice it in your own life and actually meet the challenges head-on and the uncertainty that come with that and to be like, you’re no different to anyone else. Everyone has their own insecurities. That’s what makes the book good, people will be able to relate to that. I try to be honest in the book about my own life. Someone will resonate with what I’ve been through in their own life.

Tell us, what’s next for you Anna? Can we expect you back on Ireland’s Fittest Family?

Yes, I’m coming back now with a new sense of vigor, because Donncha won it last year, and I just think hold on a second you didn’t beat me last year so I don’t consider that a win for you. That will be really exciting that that’s back, we’re starting filming in the summer. ‘Love in the Country’ then, season two has just been announced!

We’re doing callouts for new love hopefuls at the moment. Which is brilliant because series one got such a positive response from people, and it seems to be really wholesome viewing for people. The amount of people that have gotten onto us and said ‘I have this friend..’ Is it a friend now or are you looking to be in the show yourself?

It will be a busy summer, and we’re still doing the series of Supercharged on Radio 1, and that’s all brilliant because that’s health and well-being, are what I love, and some of the shows that we got the opportunity to do have created awareness around health and wellbeing. The show this Sunday just gone was about sleep deprivation and what can you do to counteract the negative impacts of it.

That was really interesting, to get to do a show where you’re interviewing people at the top levels of their game is a real privilege, and then you’re sitting there in a chair and you think the likes of Marian Finucan sat in, an absolute legend. Maybe not that exact chair but you know what I mean!

That’s something that’s not lost on me. Hopefully, all that will keep going, and Ronan will get bigger all the time!

I’ve been getting tips off people about how to do the juggle of the work/life balance. I don’t think anyone has it down, but we’ll find our way!

Anna Geary’s book Anna’s Game Plan is on shelves nationwide now

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