Meet FRÉ Ambassador Hannah Haughn, Canadian Field Hockey # 13 & Mental Health Advocate

@haughn13

About me: I was born in North Vancouver, Canada and this continues to be my home base. Depending on where my team is located in the world, I move there temporarily and travel home when I can. I’m adventurous, always busy and ambitious.     
         

Skincare

I train 5-6 days a week. As an athlete, I’m sweating a lot and I’m outside for most of the day. The most important thing is keeping my skin hydrated and protected from the sun, in both hot and cold conditions.

The most important thing is keeping my skin hydrated and protected from the sun, in both hot and cold conditions.

My daily routine

First, I use  PURIFY ME, then  REVIVE ME, and I finish with  PROTECT ME. I use these three products every day. At night, I apply  I AM LOVE instead of  PROTECT ME. My favorite FRÉ is  REVIVE ME; I find it’s the most multipurpose product and is very hydrating.  When I’m on the go, I wash my face and apply  REVIVE ME.

My Fitness Journey

As a kid, I always was very active and I played every sport you can imagine. We had a family friend who played field hockey, and one day, I saw her play and fell in love with the sport. I begged my parents to let me join a team—they had never heard of it! It's a small sport in Canada and overshadowed by bigger sports like ice hockey and lacrosse. They signed me up when I was 7, and I’ve been playing ever since. Despite participating in competitive gymnastics, springboard diving, and running, I have always loved the camaraderie of team sports. At 16, I was selected for the national team, which was both exciting and challenging. Over the last 10 years, I’ve competed in many major field hockey events worldwide.

Despite participating in competitive gymnastics, springboard diving, and running, I have always loved the camaraderie of team sports.

My Proudest Moments

1. My team won a silver medal at the  Pan American games in 2019 in Peru. It was very exciting. We haven’t had that kind of performance in 30 years.
2. We competed in the  Olympic Qualifier in November 2019. It was a two-game series, where the winner took all. We ended up losing in an overtime shootout, which was devastating as competing at the Olympics is a life-long dream of mine. But, it’s the first time we’ve been close to making the Olympics in 30 years. The way we handled pressure, the level we competed at and the journey itself, which we completely self-funded, was amazing.

Overcoming challenges

I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression since I was 15 and as an elite athlete, it has taken me a long time to come to terms with my mental illness. Over time, I’ve learned how to open up about it with people, including my coaches. I know a lot of athletes who struggle with mental illness; there isn’t much room for weakness and vulnerability at the elite level. Being open to tough discussions has helped in changing the way people view mental illness and this is a big thing for me. I think that if we all focus on our mental wellness, we can perform at a higher level.

Mental health in sport is important to me and I’ve been doing speaking engagements as a mental health advocate. I also recently started a Masters in Counseling Psychology. In the future, I hope to work with adolescents who have had experiences similar to mine with depression and anxiety. I wrote  a blog about my struggles. My training is all consuming right now, but I hope to transition to more mental health work in future.

Fitness tip

There are many barriers for those looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle, like a lack of funds or knowledge. My advice is to just start! No activity is too small. With the pandemic, we’ve seen that you can easily do a workout from your home with cans or grocery items and still feel great. You don’t have to have a fancy gym membership or special workout clothes. So start small and use the great resources available online.

Resilience tips

I’ve been focusing on gratitude and how there are so many small things in our lives that we take for granted. For example, I haven’t been able to spend this much time at home in 10 years! The upside of being at home is spending quality time with family, sleeping and reading. These are things I don’t normally have time to do.

I'm also reflecting on aspects of my life from before the Covid-19 outbreak that were hurting my wellness journey. These aspects include big things like toxic relationships and smaller things like not remembering to drink enough water. It’s been powerful to reflect on all of this.

Finally, I think it’s helpful to pinpoint 1-2 positive things each day and take everything day by day. There’s so much we can’t control.

Rapid Fire:

• Favorite exercise?  Hiking
• What comes to mind when you think of FRÉ?  High performance
• What are you most excited about in life right now?  Getting to hug friends in the future
• What’s something you’d still love to learn?  Croatian—my Mom is Croatian and her side of the family still lives in Croatia.
• If you were a hashtag, what would you be?  #funsized (I’m 5’1’’)
• What is your mantra?  “She was powerful not because she wasn’t scared but she went on so strongly despite her fear” - Atticus
• What is an issue that you wish we spoke about more often?  I wish that we spoke more about climate change and what small changes we can implement in our own lives.
• What does women’s empowerment mean in 2020?  It’s an essential topic at this point. If we continue to lift each other up, we can do so many more great things as a group.
• What are your dreams for the FRÉ community?  That it continues to expand and empower more people moving forward and becomes more of a household name and continues to empower women in all communities across the world.
• What would be your FRÉ dream product if we could make anything for face, body or hair?  A mineral sunscreen, something that is eco-friendly for swimming and a natural deodorant.