Hannah Nash – On Health and Humanness

On this weeks blog we are joined by none other than the amazing Hannah Nash, trainee psychotherapist and founder of the Greener Fields podcast. I first came in contact with Hannah when I was a guest on her brilliant podcast a few months back and have since (thankfully) stayed in contact with her. In this blog we talk to Hannah about both her personal and professional life and look at her aspirations for the future.

Tell us a little bit about yourself Hannah?

Hello! I’m Hannah and I am 27 years old, currently living and working in Dublin. I am a huge fan of nature, exercise, good conversation, a latte and an early night which I know sounds just as cool as the reality is.

I host a podcast called Greener Fields which is all about travel, emigration and living in Ireland in your 20s and 30s, and I just love the community that’s been created alongside it. I studied my undergraduate in Exercise and Health Studies in Waterford IT and loved every single second of my time there. It was a real dream come true studying something that I loved as I always struggled a bit in school and constantly thought that I wasn’t particularly smart – but once I went to college, I recognised that what I studied really did matter to me.

I went on to study a Master of Public Health in UCC during the pandemic, which was all online. It was tough but in hindsight it was a good thing to do. From there I worked almost three years  in corporate wellbeing, and it was during this time I recognised that I felt I couldn’t promote health when it was only the physical side of it that I was talking about. Through various experiences in both my own and my professional life, I recognised that health was about more than just eating five a day or squatting and it’s because of this I went back to complete my Master’s in Psychotherapy and Counselling. I am in my final year of three now and working part time in a wonderful women’s only gym and I feel that I am getting closer and closer to my dream career. It has been a long road, but I do believe it will be so worth it (fingers crossed!).

Why did you choose your current profession?

I think becoming a therapist has been a lifelong dream of mine, but one that I didn’t know the name of for a long time. I remember dreaming of what I would one day be when I was an ‘adult’ as a kid, and even though I didn’t have the name for it I just knew I would have a space where people would come to, and I could help them feel better. I now know better and recognise that I can’t and won’t always make people feel better – but the premise has always stayed the same. I think it has always come down to a love of people and this belief that we all do have the capacity to make a positive impact on the lives of the people around us. I have the best memories as a child playing GAA with Cuala or camping with Scouts and coming home so happy because of the community and connection I had with others there and I guess in a way I’ve always dreamt of replicating this in my career too. The physical health side of my profession was born from a love of being physically active and sport in general, and I just love the idea of merging this passion for mental health, physical health, community and connection one day – I guess that’s the dream!

Tell us more about Greener Fields?

So Greener Fields is a podcast all about travel, emigration and living in Ireland in your 20s and 30s that I set up in February of 2023. It was born out of the conversations that I kept having with friends about the idea of should we stay or go, and what the reality was like on the other side of the decisions we make in our 20s and 30s. During this time, I was living in Mayo, halfway through my three-year master’s and honestly just felt like I was missing out on this huge part of my 20s and was really leaning into the notion of a quarter life crisis where I was questioning so much about who I was, where I wanted to be and what I wanted to be doing. I have been a huge podcast consumer for years and had always dreamt of starting my own, but I knew I didn’t want it to be too like others that already existed. The idea for Greener Fields came to me almost overnight and I remember calling my mum and telling her all about it, just knowing that this had to be something I tried even if nobody would ever listen. I was lucky in a way too, the people I talked about it to in the early days couldn’t have been more supportive. Especially my friend and producer Ross Kelly, without him I know Greener Fields would never have started in the first place – a reminder to myself and you to surround yourself with people who believe in your wild ideas almost just as much as you do. 

Why did you start Greener Fields? What were some barriers/fears to starting?

I started Greener Fields because I just felt that through my own experience and discussions with friends that there was a huge discrepancy between what we see online and people’s reality whether at home or abroad. I guess selfishly in a way, I wanted to know more about people’s experiences and the highs and lows of their realities to help me understand my own. I really think there is so much to be gained in story-telling and shared experiences, and I have gained so much myself with each conversation I have had to date. On a personal level there were lots of fears when starting and when I think back to those first few episodes the imposter syndrome was out of this world! Though I believed so much in the concept and the conversations, the idea of ‘who did I think I was starting a podcast?’ and what others would think was something I really did have to deal with. Over time these voices have quietened but fundamentally I do still think about what others think – but I don’t listen to those voices as much anymore. What starting Greener Fields has taught me is the value of doing something for the love of it and not instead of your fears, but despite them. I still feel these fears often, but I am really just so proud of the version of me all those months ago who chose not to listen to them.

What is your aim with Greener Fields and where do you see it going?

My aim for Greener Fields is to just share people’s stories in the hope that we can all recognise the value in our own story too. Deciding whether to stay or go is a big decision, and I hope that these conversations help people feel a little bit less alone no matter where they are in the world.  When it comes to the future of greener fields, I’ve always said that I would do it for as long as it made me happy and after almost 90 consecutive weekly episodes, I still love it as much as I did the very first time I launched an episode in my apartment in Westport one dark and cold February evening. At times I wish I could find a way to monetize it and still hope that one day soon a sponsor might come on board, but I really believe there is value in just doing things because you love to do them. Whether Greener Fields stays as a passion project or we get bought by Spotify one day, it’s something I adore and am incredibly proud of – so maybe that’s good enough for now?

What is one thing from one guest that has stuck with you/impacted you the most/changed how you view something?

God there really has been so much! I know I am biased, but I think the guests all bring something special to their conversation. I think one thing that has stuck with me is honestly the belief that we really aren’t alone in our thoughts and feelings. I think being in your 20s and 30s can feel incredibly isolating, but I’m constantly struck by how easy it is to connect with another person in some way or another. Our guests are so different in so many ways, but the humanness is so apparent, and I just leave each conversation feeling a little bit less alone in my own thoughts and feelings, which I hope our listeners feel too.

Who would you LOVE to have on and why?

I think one thing which I love most about Greener Fields is that a lot of our guests often start out as listeners and reach out to come on. It’s one of the things that I am most proud of honestly, the idea that whether you have 100k followers or your Instagram is on private – there really is a space for you to come on and share your story. In saying that, I would love to have a few conversations in the future with some of this 20/30 something generations parents, talking about the idea of travel and emigration when they were younger. I think it would be fascinating to hear their thoughts, lessons and stories to compare to our thoughts today. Everyone & anyone is welcome on Greener Fields, so if you would like to share your story let me know.

Q. Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

Without a shadow of a doubt, my lovely mum Fiona. In my eyes she is the definition of someone who is passionate, hard-working and incredibly kind and loving. Without her constant support of me and my crazy ideas and dreams I don’t think I’d be half the person I am today. She is everything to everyone who knows her, and I count myself very lucky to call her my mum.

Q. What does the future (hopefully) hold for Hannah Nash?

Honestly, I have so many dreams and hopes for the future that it can sometimes feel daunting, but I think the main one would be to have my own psychotherapy practice in about a year when I (finally!) qualify. It has been a dream of mine for so long, so I can’t wait for the day that I am picking out my furniture for my private practice room and designing my website, it’s going to be special. Merging my love of physical and mental health is the dream! Other than that, I hope to continue to pursue growing and developing Greener Fields to whatever it is meant to become. If it makes me happy, I’ll keep at it, so if anyone wants to join me for a chat please reach out – I would be honoured to share your story.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about Hannah's story and listening to some of her insights as much as I did. I have no doubt she will be have a massive impact over the coming years, and help so many others throughout her career!