Anna Geary reflects on raising her two boys, the transition from one to two children, the joys and challenges of expanding her family, the importance of asking for help, and prioritizing her own wellbeing as she prepares to return to Ireland's Fittest Family this summer
Anna Geary opens up to RSVP about raising her two young boys, showing up for herself so she can be the best mother possible and preparing for the return to Ireland's Fittest Family this summercoach, who also has a two-year-old son named Ronan, is candid about the joy and the challenges that comes with expanding your family and the transition fromabout going back to work, being honest online and why it’s so crucial for mums to look after their Anna, congratulations on welcoming your second child, Evan, this year!
How has the transition been from one child to two? A lot of people told me that going from zero to one was harder than going from one to two and now I’m a few months in, I would disagree with that a lot! Yes, you have the uncertainty and worry that comes with going from zero to one, you’re doing it for the first time and you’re learning on the job.
But when you go from one to two, you have less time and when one is asleep, you’re usually playing with the other, getting their snacks ready, getting them ready for their nap or trying to do a food shop. It’s more of a balancing act, for sure. I had a bit more free time while Ronan was sleeping to eat, shower or clean the house. It’s definitely challenging.
One of the things that I find really hard, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this, is asking for help. Society nearly deems it to be that you’re somehow failing or don’t have a handle on things if you ask for help, and I think women in general find it hard to ask for help anyway. I am slightly better at asking for it because I know it’s important and I know me showing up for myself is important.
Whether it’s getting help if I need to go out and exercise, that’s really important because it makes me a better person, which in turn makes me a better mum, wife, daughter and friend. It can be hard to look after yourself while you’re a busy working mum – how do you prioritise your wellbeing? You always forget yourself.
Thankfully I’m coming out of that newborn blur now, but there were days where I was going, ‘when did I last wash my hair? ’ or ‘how much water did I drink today? ’ I started to realise I need to control the small, little things, control the controllables. It’s not about overhauling everything or doing these big huge things that take a lot of time.
I don’t have time for a 90-minute morning routine, but what can I do to make myself feel good? The small things I do daily make me feel good about myself. Looking after myself to be the best that I can be has a positive knock-on effect on everyone else.
I also want my kids to grow up seeing me going out, exercising, taking time for myself and reading a book and knowing that is really important for their health, just as much as taking their supplements and getting their protein in. Doing nothing is actually really important for our health too, and we live in this hustle culture now where we feel like we should be productive all of the time.
I’m an overthinker by nature and someone that is a mile a minute a lot of the time, so sitting down and slowing down is good for me and having two kids does force you to do that, because you can’t be up and about and going all the time. Sometimes basing yourself at home, putting out the paddling pool and letting them play while you just sit there and not have any formal plans is really nice.
I know exercise is one of my pillars, it makes me feel better in myself, it gives me energy, I’m a more tolerant person. Having breakfast is also non-negotiable. I often don’t have time in the morning to make it, so I will make breakfast the night before. I also take supplements, and it’s great to have something like the AYA Women’s Daily Support that means I don’t have to take seven or eight different ones.
It’s one sachet and it covers everything. The sachets are really handy to pack into your bag, or into your car. If you’re running out of the house and forgot to take it, you’ll have one in your handbag. When it comes to our health and wellbeing, I don’t want it to be an added pressure on my life.
It’s about it being convenient – what are the things I can do that are easy to implement in my life and are going to make me feel good? How is Ronan finding being a big brother? It’s wonderful to see Ronan with Evan, he loves being a big brother even though he’s not quite fully understanding it all yet. He runs in every morning to see him and it’s great that he is so welcoming of him.
I’m hoping it will stay this way forever and that they will always get on and be good pals, but that transition, trying to manage that and wondering how Ronan will be with Evan brought a little bit of nervousness. You’ve been dipping your toe back into work recently, what has it been like leaving the kids this time around? I’m in a really privileged position in that I really love what I do.
It’s not lost to me that not everybody has that luxury and they’re working to pay the bills, and that might not necessarily be their dream job. I am lucky in that I’m in a position as well where I don’t have to go back nine to five, Monday to Friday, which is really hard. Being self-employed means I can dip my toe back in.
But the other side of that is, we’re going back filmingthis summer and it’s going to be intense. There’s going to be periods of three or four day blocks of really long days, and I’m going to be away from the boys for a few days and I won’t see them in the morning and I won’t see them being put to bed at night.
That’s just the way my job is, and it suits my lifestyle for now to be in that kind of a role. Even to go back down to Cork for, you’re throwing yourself into the deep end but because I love it, when we went on air all the nerves left me. I’ll be back filling in on the radio over the summer andwill be back in September so there’s lots to look forward to.
Obviously you miss the kids loads, but when you’re driving home you’re getting excited to see them and the break is really good as well. I think parents should be allowed to admit that while they love their kids dearly, it’s really important for your health and wellbeing to have a bit of time away, to enjoy an actual hot coffee, an actual conversation and focus on things other than just your kids.
For me, being at work ironically should be draining me of energy, but it energises me. The greatest role I’ve ever had in my life is being a mum, but it’s also the hardest role I’ve ever had. It’s the best job, but the hardest job. You often share relatable posts on social media about motherhood and people really love seeing you be realistic instead of just showing the highlights.
Is it nice to have that community of mums online? I think social media is definitely one of those things that get a bad rap at times and it can be a toxic place. There is a pressure whether you’re a teenager or in your 50s or anything in between; it is curated, and I think we can forget that and look at what everyone else is doing and focus on the things that we don’t think we’re doing well.
I don’t share everything, but I do try and share a good portion of the highs and the lows. Whether it’s going through the hardships of life, or going through the excitement when your baby does something for the first time and you want to tell people. Sharing a bit of both is really important for balance and it’s lovely to get the DMs from people who feel like they’re agreeing with you or relate to you.
Look, don’t get me wrong, not everyone is going to like you either. My nanny always used to say, ‘you could be the juiciest peach in the world and still find someone that hates peaches’.as a brand ambassador for AYA Supplements as they launched their new Femme range. AYA Women’s Daily Support is an Irish-developed, science-led supplement formulated to support women’s health from the teenage years through to perimenopause.
It contains 25 active ingredients, including Hyaluronic Acid, CoQ10, and an Inositol complex.
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