• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Houston First
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Hail Merry Full of Taste

    Secrets of a raw foodie queen: Chocolate love and a honey of a face-washing

    Megan Winkler
    Jan 19, 2016 | 12:15 pm

    When raw foodie Susan O’Brien was ready to embark on a new career, she wanted to do something that would help people live healthier lives. The native Texan has had a passion for natural food since she was a child and hails from a line of small farmers. As an adult, she trained with Santa Monica raw food chef Juliano Brotman, dined on superfoods in Maui, and fell in love with how eating wholesome food benefits the body.

    Starting a raw snack foods company just made sense. As founder of Dallas-based Hail Merry, O’Brien put her experience and passion to work, creating “Grawnolas,” macaroons, Miracle Tarts, and more made from raw, organic, and natural ingredients.

    The goodies are enjoyed by health-conscious consumers from Wichita Falls to NYC, and the company recently announced a partnership with Virgin America. Travelers can now grab an exclusive package of salted brownie Merry Bites on their next flight. Talk about luxurious snacking.

    We chatted with O’Brien about Hail Merry and found out how she gets a fresh start each new year.

    CultureMap: What inspired you to found Hail Merry?

    Susan O’Brien: I was a practicing raw foodie back in 2006, and I loved how this new way of eating could benefit the body, especially from the raw nuts and coconut oil. Raw snacks just had this luxurious taste and mouthfeel that to me was really lacking in the world of dessert snacking.

    Also at the time, I could not find any great-tasting, well-branded raw food snacks in Texas. So I saw an opportunity to create a business for myself, which I had wanted to do for a long time.

    CM: How does your company fit into the health and wellness scene?

    SO: I have been blown away by how our products continue to be on trend. Our roots are obviously in raw, but we have a strong gluten-free fan base, and now the Paleo movement is huge, and our products are loved by them as well.

    Yoginis were our core tribe, but now CrossFit people love us too. At the end of the day, it is all about the ingredients and our sourcing, which is how we keep growing and appealing to more health seekers.

    CM: What wellness trends are you excited about seeing?

    SO: What excites me the most is how people are finally discovering the benefits of fats and how vital they are to our overall health.

    CM: What is Hail Merry doing that’s different than anyone else?

    SO: A lot of food brands co-pack, but not us. We are proud to be makers and growing our small enterprise so that we can create more jobs.

    The reality was that back in the day, there were no co-packers to turn to, as no one was dehydrating snacks. And certainly no one knew how to commercialize our very delicate tarts. Plus, fresh ingredients are extremely hard to manage without extenders or preservatives.

    We are very proud of our intellectual property and the work done by my partner, Alison Brushaber, who’s not only a Fellow with the CIA but also a food scientist. She is a badass.

    CM: What do you do to reboot and refocus in the new year?

    SO: Personally, it is a process of review and elimination. I first try to eliminate any negative thoughts and quell my fears. When I keep those in check through meditation, I usually have a better chance of succeeding with my eating and workout regime.

    As far as the physical cleansing is concerned, I focus mostly on sleep, hydration, exercise, and eliminating the allergens that have crept into my diet, like gluten and cheese; I love bread, cheese, and wine. For the most part, I eat really healthy 365 days a year, but I strongly believe that you should celebrate life with moments of what you love, be it wine, chocolate, or bread.

    So mark the moment, appreciate the wins, then move on and stay focused.

    CM: What’s on your workout playlist?

    SO: Earth Wind & Fire, Florence + The Machine, JT, Will Smith, Dixie Chicks, Foo Fighters, and Steven Tyler. The list could go on and on. I love music.

    CM: Favorite healthy snack?

    SO: That’s easy! Hail Merry chocolate chip cookie dough Merry Bites (formally known as macaroons), or Paleo toast with avocado and sea salt.

    CM: Do you have a favorite beauty or self-care product?

    SO: I wash my face with raw honey. I really love how it softens and exfoliates. I moisturize every night with Simply Divine Botanicals How Now Brown Cacao, which is cocoa-infused coconut oil. That’s how much I love chocolate!

    I stick to products for my face that you can eat. So many things disagree with my sensitive skin.

    Hail Merry founder Susan O'Brien loves healthy, wholesome, and delicious food.

    Hail Merry Susan O'Brien
    Hail Merry/Facebook
    Hail Merry founder Susan O'Brien loves healthy, wholesome, and delicious food.
    beautyhealthqa
    series/fresh-start-houston
    news/innovation

    Getting a Grip on Getting Fit

    Rigorous seven-day challenge can kick-start your journey to a better you

    Molly McManus
    Feb 4, 2016 | 2:45 pm
    Rigorous seven-day challenge can kick-start your journey to a better you
    Courtesy photo
    CultureMap staff took on challenges ranging from fitness, diet changes, and things we know we should do but don’t.

    It’s that time of the year: Time for fresh starts, new beginnings, and setting goals that we may or may not keep.

    To get into the widespread hysteria of making resolutions in 2016, we at CultureMap took on one challenge for the duration of one week. You can do anything for seven days, right? With challenges ranging from physical fitness, diet changes, and things we know we should do but don’t, below you will find a selection of results from our resolutions challenge.

    Namaste every day
    Arden Ward, network managing editor
    I'm not new to yoga, but I find it ... challenging ... to maintain a practice without falling victim to long breaks. For the challenge, I sought to end the cycle of lame excuses and get centered once again. To stay engaged, I chose a different class each day. Hint: YogaDownload.com is a great resource for those hitting the mat at home.

    This seven-day challenge reaffirmed that carving out time for yoga each day — or the physical activity of your choice — doesn't have to be a chore. Set your intention at the start of the day, just as you do at the beginning of your practice: After work (or before work, if you please) comes this commitment to yourself. Then, on day eight, you might just keep going.

    Flossing those pearly whites
    Jess Dudley, account executive
    My goal was to floss every single day. I typically am not a good flosser unless I have just been to the dentist because it makes me feel guilty. I flossed every single day except one. I found that flossing is something I really have to remind myself to do, which I did by keeping the floss out — otherwise I ignore it completely. I admit that while consistent flossing definitely makes my mouth and teeth feel better, it is a challenge to make it habit. The best way to make something a habit is to do it at the same time every single day, however, with flossing I would leave it out on the counter and only floss when I saw it and remembered it. Hoping to make it a regular nighttime habit.

    Veg out
    Clifford Pugh, editor-in-chief, Houston
    Going all veggie for five days — no meat or fish — wasn’t as hard as I had thought, since I love salads and most Houston restaurants now offer an abundance of options. Thankfully, there’s a Whole Foods near our office that has a killer salad bar, albeit expensive since it’s by the pound — I didn’t know tofu and feta weighed so much. And a business lunch at Neiman Marcus had several veggie options — I chose a delicious open-faced veggie and cheese melt, but I had to nix the lentil soup when I found out it had a chicken stock base.

    Dinner was harder. We made a meal of crispy fried asparagus and veggie-steamed dumplings at a Chinese restaurant one night, and on other nights we devoured veggie and grain bowls, crispy egg rolls from Costco, and fixed an egg-and-cheese omelet with toast.

    I felt lighter with my veggie choices, although I consumed more carbs by eating much more bread than usual — including an abundance of croissants and doughnuts. And on the last night of my veggie experiment, I couldn’t resist a lobster roll from a food truck while at a party celebrating the new Midtown Arts and Theater Center in Houston. But I enjoyed the experiment so much I’ve decided to pick two days each week to go meatless. It’s a start.

    And I would walk 10,000 steps
    Lindsey Wilson, city editor, Dallas and Fort Worth
    My challenge was to reach at least 10,000 steps on my Fitbit each day, and I made it five out of seven, and only about 1,000 short on those other two days. To be fair, I was in New York City for the first part of the week, and moving/prepping my house to go on the market for the second half. So I easily cleared 10,000 steps on those days.

    I normally wear my Fitbit every day and have a general idea of how many steps I get for general activities — walking my dogs is about 2,500, for example — but knowing I was in this challenge made me "take the long way around" on things instead of trying to combine trips or take shortcuts.

    No drinky for one weeky
    Molly McManus, city editor, Austin and San Antonio
    As a writer and editor who needs to know what’s happening in Austin’s food and drink scene, there is a lot of much-needed research conducted by tasting and drinking my way through the city’s restaurants and bars. (Tough life, I know.) I decided to take a month off from alcohol, and used this challenge as the starting point. The results were almost immediate. I had more energy, was able to get more accomplished in the day, and felt a lot more clearheaded all around.

    I thought I’d be tempted to have a drink at a media tasting I went to, but it was football that did me in. Friends came over for the Sunday game with vodka and Bloody Mary mix in hand and I crumbled. It’s been fun to keep this going, and I’ve been sticking to it since my cheat day.

    Stay hydrated
    Jessica Baldwin, network marketing director
    My goal was to drink 75 ounces of water each day. Pros on my extra water intake: I had more energy at the end of the day. Cons on my extra water intake: I had to pee a lot. I will try to maintain the intake — keeping a 50-ounce bottle of water with me at all times definitely helps.

    Let's get physical
    Nicole Raney, associate editor, Austin and San Antonio
    My goal was to be more active. I aimed for at least one 30-minute physical activity per day. I already consider myself a pretty active person, but it was definitely a challenge to make "working out" a daily activity — although I'm not sure I can call what I did working out.

    Unless you're one of those magical people who thrives off of pumping iron, scheduling a workout sesh into your hectic day-to-day routine can be difficult (especially when all you want to do is watch Netflix). The only reason I succeeded in my one-week challenge was because I incorporated physical activity into something else I was already doing. For example: stretching/lifting weights/yoga/whatever floated my boat while watching Netflix.

    fitnesshealth
    series/fresh-start-houston
    news/innovation
    Loading...