Meet Morgan Maw | Sala Studio, Auckland, NZ

Boring Oat Milk founder, Morgan Maw, chats to us about how and why Boring was born, and why she’s relieved that hustle culture is on the decline, and being taken over with self-care and movement. Learn all about her favourite Sala class and what song gets her moving below.

Hey, who are you? What do you do and where do you live?

Kia ora, nō Ngāmotu ahau, ko Morgan Maw tōku ingoa. I am the founder of Boring Oat Milk, a New Zealand oat milk company making oat milk in New Zealand with New Zealand oats. I moved back to New Plymouth in May this year, after living abroad and then in Tāmaki Makaurau for the last 16 years.

It has been such a welcome change, we bought a place by the beach and I'm spending a lot of my time in the garden, walking my dog on the beach and just enjoying the gear shift.

How and why was Boring milk born?

I’ve been working with oats for eight years, first with Bonnie Oatcakes and for the last four with Boring. I was initially drawn to oats because they’re good for you and they’re also a really sustainable grain that grows well in Aotearoa. Bonnie had a loyal (read: small) fanbase and after a few years, I realised that my fancy $7 crackers weren’t going to push the needle and increase the demand for locally-grown oats and in turn have a positive impact on the land. So, I thought about what other oat products could make a real difference – it needed to be an everyday product, something that was in peoples’ shopping baskets every week. Enter oat milk.

Why and how did movement become such a big part of your life?

I used to run…like really fast. Being a kid and sprinting around the school playground beating the boys was enthralling. When I turned 13, I decided to take it a bit more seriously and started training with an incredible group of young wahine. We would train 6 days a week, throughout the whole year. I went to world youth champs and travelled to many countries until I was in my early 20s before hanging up my spikes. But the best thing to come out of this was a solid foundation for resilience and great respect for my body - its strength but also, its fragility if you push too hard. I've taken that throughout my adult life and been really responsive to what movements feel good and what just isn't working for me.

What’s your favourite SALA class?

Any of the Dynamic Yoga or HITT Pilates classes. Sarah has selected an incredible cohort that is all beautiful teachers in their own way. I have to give Eridani a special shout-out here, she is the perfect balance of spiritual and down-to-earth. The way she weaves in Te Reo and māori philosophy gives the yoga classes a depth that just feels so much bigger than yourself.

What’s your go-to movement to elevate your mood?

A couple of years ago I saw a film called Ema - it's a Chilean drama by Pablo Larrain (he also directed Spencer). Nicolaas Jaar does the score and the whole film is an ode to reggaeton dance. My fave thing to boost my mood is to put the Ema dance sequence on the big screen at home and try to mimic the moves and sass. Highly recommend! Ema (2019/2020) - Dance Scene

From the ashes of hustle culture, self-care is on the rise. Why is self-care so important? And how does movement facilitate this?  

 I couldn't be more relieved that hustle culture is becoming a thing of the past and being genuine, vulnerable and holistic is the new zeitgeist. Hustle culture is all about faking it to you make it and pushing yourself to a burnout level. There is a fine line between extending yourself outside your comfort zone, which is obviously important for growth and also being cognisant of your own boundaries. I'm still learning this, how far to push it, how hard to work and when to take stock and take the foot off the peddle. Over the last 18 months, work has taken a lot of my energy so I have been doing movement that is gentle and nurturing for my mind. Which has been yoga, for the most part, this is a vast change from earlier years when I would do multiple HIIT training a week. 

It's interesting though, now that Boring is growing and doing well, I am starting to get my energy back and am craving that feeling of being strong. So, I've just bought a boxing bag and some weights. It's all about choosing the movement that works with your energy, which includes your cycle, at that time. 

What’s your favourite song to move to? 

Currently, I have Beyonce's new album Renaissance on repeat - love the disco/house vibes, just sounds like summer and fun nights out. Fave songs are - Cozy and Summer Renaissance.  

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? 

More like a favourite quote - by Swiss psychologist Marie Louise Von Franz 'It's easy to be a naive idealist. It's easy to be a cynical realist. It's quite another thing to have no illusions and still hold the inner flame.'

How do you attain happiness in your life - whether through activity, achievements or mindset? 

We often chase happiness, yet once attained its meaning changes and we start the pursuit again. I think rather the aim is contentment and gratitude, and the best way to achieve that is just being really present in whatever you are doing. Be engaged in the moment, what you are seeing, hearing and feeling and just be conscious of exactly what you are doing and why. That's what I'm currently working on anyway 😊