Episode #73- Hannah Thornton, Irish national team basketball player, Super League player, sport nutritionist, and founder of Next Generation Health, Dublin, Ireland

Hannah Thornton has always been passionate about sport. She played basketball for Ireland at the age of 14 and at the age of 17 obtained a sports scholarship with the University of Northern Colorado, playing in NCAA Division I's Big Sky Conference. She also devoted a little time to study, obtaining her Bachelor Degree in Sports and Exercise Science and a separate degree in Nutrition.​ After graduation, Hannah began work at an elite sports-specific training facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado where the focus was to transform young adults into top athletes. Here, she qualified as a Personal Trainer, working with the best athletes in Colorado, as well as aspiring candidates for the NFL and NBA.​ After two years Ireland beckoned, and Hannah returned home to use the training and principles learned during her six years in the States. Initially working with a small company that was dedicated to High Performance Team Development, Hannah started with the health and wellbeing sector of the corporate world. She explained the importance of health and performance to clients in different professions around the world, often presenting to hundreds of people at a time. Regardless of culture, country or gender, Hannah's message was consistent - focus on wellbeing, focus on nutrition, focus on resilience. In 2017, Hannah took the big step - she decided to follow her own dream of impacting and helping young adults and teenagers to achieve their full potential. First step: she added to her training by qualifying for the International Sports Society of Nutrition, followed by a Masters in Applied Sports and Exercise Nutrition. Hannah's mission for Next Generation Health is to help create a healthier generation in Ireland. She wants to raise the bar in the health and performance. What helps Hannah stand out is that she herself is an elite athlete, currently playing for Ireland's senior women team for basketball. This allows Hannah to engage with elite athletes on a whole different level and helps her excel at what she does best- which is performance nutrition! Her website is www.nextgenerationhealth.ie.