Former Cork camogie star Anna Geary has let us in on what inspired her to take part in the upcoming season of RTE’s Dancing With The Stars. The daunting task of jiving on live television is something that Anna did think twice about before accepting the challenge, but something inspired her to say yes.
Anna, a Style Ambassador for Littlewoods Ireland, is all about female empowerment and encouraging women to play sport (it’s one of the many things we love about her). She aims to be a role model and to inspire confidence in women to be who they are.
Inspiring women
“One of the reasons I said yes to Dancing With The Stars was to do with body confidence. So many young girls drop out of sport and activity from a young age. I also struggle with body confidence at times. I have an athletic frame and I have a lot of muscle in my body. Believe me, skinny jeans are not your friend when you have muscular thighs! But my body shape meant I experimented with fashion and found what suited me.
“If I’m honest one of my biggest worries for the show was that my dance partner wouldn’t be able to lift me! I wanted to show young girls and women that we all have body hang ups, and even though I’m not dainty or slight, I can still be proud of the body I have and dance my socks off while having to courage to wear the different costumes! As the saying goes ‘shake what your mama gave ya’… but it’s easier to say it than actually believe it sometimes.
“With so much pressure on people, especially women, to look a certain way, I wanted to show a different body type on Dancing With The Stars and showcase that just because I am strong, doesn’t mean I can’t be feminine. There is so much talk around ‘strong is the new skinny,’ it’s a positive message and I think my body fits the bill! I wish someone put that message out there when I was growing up,” Anna said.
A lady of many talents herself, Anna lives and breathes this message through her work. Not only is she a performance and wellness coach, she is also a mentor on Ireland’s Fittest Family, sideline reporter with Eir Sport, and a public speaker. Despite her busy schedule the 30-year-old was eager to learn a new skill and challenge herself in a way she never has before.
New challenges
“Another reason I said yes was because life is too short to say no to new things. Plus I had an insatiable curiosity to try out dancing. I love hitting the dance floor with my friends so why not grab this opportunity to learn how to dance properly.
“It’s so easy to get bogged down with what people might say about you, or for fear they (whoever ‘they’ are) might think you have notions about yourself! However, if given a chance to do something different always say yes, unless you have a really valid reason to say no. As a performance and well being coach I preach this message so I said I had better walk my talk.
“I want to enjoy every moment of the experience, make new friends and create new memories,” she said.
In a society that constantly tells us we need fixing, what an amazing message to be sending women? We’re getting behind our girl Anna as she steps out of her comfort zone, and onto the dance floor.
Dancing With The Stars kicks off on Sunday January 7th on RTE One at 6:30pm.
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