Into the Fridge 🦄
Maya McHenry on horseback riding and intention boxes
Maya McHenry 🦄
Maya is an NYC-based Brand Partnerships Coordinator at Skai Blue Media, a communications and creative marketing agency. She’s also the founder of the Lyric McHenry Community Arts Fellowship, a scholarship fund at Stanford dedicated to her sister that allows students to participate in social justice-related internships. Maya sits on the advisory boards for both the Endo Found and RAISEfashion, two organizations close to her heart. All of this is on top of being an incredibly fabulous individual.
What is your fridge philosophy?
I have always been very OCD about organization since I was a kid and have applied that to pretty much everything in my life. Therefore, I like my fridge to look pretty, organized and easy to find my go to items.
I am a BIG foodie so I have two refrigerators which would only make sense for me…hahahahah. I have my BIG fridge for my main items and then my mini fridge for my go-to snacks!
Your fridge is always always always stocked with ____.
Califia Farms Vanilla Oat Milk Creamer. I absolutely love making tea at night or during the day, it’s basically my dessert and this creamer is my absolute favorite to make the best nighttime tea.
Top 5 condiments, go.
Ghee
Coconut Oil
Organic Adobo Seasoning, Authentic Garlic + Pepper Blend
Dijon Mustard
Agave
What are you snacking on?
Hummus & pita bread
Tuna and crackers
Fresh berries and coco whip
Pretzel crisps and either brie cheese or Nutella
A meal that’s on heavy rotation these days:
Homemade Tartines!
Homemade go-to tartine: gluten free toast, burrata, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt & pepper
Homemade sweet tartine: gluten free toast, burrata, honey, and almonds
Let’s go a little deeper…
What’s the mantra you keep coming back to?
Live a little… that’s my mantra.
I was raised on extremely healthy and all organic foods. I wasn’t allowed to experience eating tons of sugar or junk food as a kid. Therefore, I get some cravings at times for foods I don’t usually eat and I allow myself to cave into the cravings as long as it’s NOT consistent. It’s important to have a healthy balance with anything in life.
What products / practices are part of your regular mental wellness habits?
Intention Box:
My therapist suggested I make an intention box that includes over 100 flash cards with a variety of different intentions that I can refer to each day. As a Gemini, doing the same mental health toolkit everyday wasn’t working for me.
The intention box excites me because I never know what I’m going to get that specific day while keeping the experience spontaneous; it also helps me not be so reactive to certain obstacles in life because I always refer back to my intention for the day and have to stick with it. It also helps me stay consistent.
Oprah's The Life You Want™ Daily Inspiration Cards!
My mom sent me this amazing intention box and I absolutely love it, I choose and pick a card everyday and it helps me feel inspired and ready to take on whatever life throws at me.
I need one of these today Mantras and quotes throughout your space:
I designed my apartment to promote happiness and joy. With that being said, I have positive mantras, inspiring quotes, coasters, prints and books that instill positivity and confidence that are immersed within my space that help remind me to stay uplifted and grounded.
Journal
I’m such a journal freak and it’s a great way for me to get all of my thoughts OUT on paper in a confidential way. I think I have 5 journals at this point…for an assortment of different needs. Montblanc journals are my all time favorite.
I think there’s a big misconception when it comes to journaling and that you have to write, “Dear Diary…” and be grammatically correct etc. To me journaling is the complete opposite — journaling should be like word vomit and whatever works for you. Sometimes I write, “I want to scream” and just writing it down and getting it OUT gives me the biggest release.
she does, in fact, have more than 5 journals Ice Bucket:
I struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, and dipping my head into a bowl of ice cold water and ice cubes helps reframe my mind from being fixated on whatever I’m having anxiety about that day. The shock of the ice cold water forces your mind to focus on that and helps ground you.
Meditation
There’s a lot of wellness and mental health tools that have a lot of misconception behind them, and meditation is a BIG one. There is no right or wrong way to do this. I’ve meditated in a bathroom before, a car and on a horse. Meditation for me is a way to focus on my BREATH and is extremely grounding.
this counts as meditation Laughter Therapy
Laughter therapy has really helped me with my mental health and grief and loss journey. Rather it’s watching a funny movie, listening to a hilarious podcast or reading a funny quote or book. Having a GOOD and authentic laugh helps with your endorphins, lowers levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Laughter activates the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system in the brain and increases serum immunoglobulins A and E. In most studies, it seems to increase natural killer cell activity as well.
Homedics SoundSleep White Noise Sound Machine
My sound machine is something I NEVER turn off. It’s ON throughout the day and night, it helps me sleep better, stay grounded, calm and helps me feel safe. I usually keep it on rain or the ocean setting!
And your physical?
Horseback riding
I started riding horses when I was six years old and it really helped me get through my parents divorce. I did it professionally for many years and then decided that I simply loved being around horses rather than profiting off of them. I went out to teach kids with disabilities how to ride through equine therapy and I’ve used equine for my own mental health journey as well.
Every time I get onto a horse I feel like my most authentic self and it has instilled confidence in me that was non existent before. This is another form of meditation for me and I always feel very strong and resilient after.
certified horse girl in the house 
Boxing
Boxing has always felt like another form of meditation for me. It’s a BIG release and helps me get out any pent up energy I need to release within that day.
Ice Cold plunge
I workout a lot and doing the ice cold plunges helps calm my body down from anxiety and feels like a BIG release.
What do you think is the most underrated part of wellness?
BREATHING:
For ANYONE who struggles with anxiety, simply focusing and slowing down your breath is THE first step and most important tool you can use to begin to take yourself out of the anxiety attack. When we have anxiety, our breath is going a million times an hour, you feel like you’re not going to make it and your body goes from very HOT to very COLD. When you focus on your breath and getting it back to a normal rhythm it can be the MOST grounding and effective.
… and overrated?
Mental Health Toolkit:
When it comes to mental health and wellness, I feel like everyone feels forced to follow the same mental health toolkit when this isn’t realistic. As we get older and evolve, your body and mind might have other needs and your toolkit can change overtime. You have to do WHATEVER is best for you during that specific moment in your life. It can also be a lot of trial and error until you find what actually sticks. What might work for someone might not work for YOU.
Picture this: you wake up one morning and feel like shit. What’s your next move:
First:
I rate my feeling/anxiety from 1-10. This helps me determine what I actually need in this moment.
Second:
Depending on how severe the feeling is I jump between the action items below:
Reach out to a trusted friend/family member
Take a hot bubble bath with epsom salt and bath balms
Meditate
Journal
Ice Bucket
Sourcing
I would look at my environment and name everything in the room to help ground me and bring me back to real life.
Take a walk
Sometimes just getting OUTSIDE and breathing in fresh air and nature can be incredibly healing and grounding. My therapist always tells me, take a quick walk, even if it’s for 5 minutes. (A simple quick walk can do wonders for you). <3
Give us your ride or die wellness products:
Heating pad
Ice blanket or ice neck pack
Epsom salt
Lavender bed spray
Crystal corner
I’ve always loved crystals and have a corner by my window with an assortment of them. They’re very healing and always put a smile on my face.
Aromatherapy essential oils (a variety of different scents from like amber and lavender)
I know you’re a beauty girl. Give me your current faves —
Noble Panacea: Radiant Resilience Moisturizer, Eye Lift Concentrate, and Hydrating Preparation Essence
Retrouvé: Nutrient Face Serum and Balancing Face Oil
It Girl Inspired fragrance by Kayla Greaves x Brown Sugar Babe
Brown Sugar Babe Perfume Oil — CRÉMEDELACRÉME
One thing you do everyday that makes you the most YOU version of yourself:
Gratitude: Thanking God everyday before I start my day and being in touch with all of the things I am grateful for.
Whose taste inspires you?!
Jennifer McHenry (my mother)
Elisa Johnson (my best friend)
Big thank you to Maya for sharing this taste of her life and her TWO FRIDGES (!!). Still not over it. There’s so much practical mental health advice in here, so I hope something resonates with you, especially during this week of record breaking anxiety. Maya is on another plane of coolness, so I highly recommend following her on Instagram. You can find her fridge favorites and more here.
Feel free to leave a comment or respond to this email with questions you want asked, people you want featured, or anything else that’s on your mind. Don’t be shy, I love hearing from you.
Thank you so much Katie, I loved doing this with you. You're such a light and I'm such a big foodie so this felt very natural for me. Adore you!
Always love reading these! 🩷 curious if Maya has a specific brand reco for the ice blanket / ice neck pack?