Anniella May shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Anniella, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Currently I’ve found such a food community of friends, some really good friends at the gym and we have such a good time together it has been a game changer in my fitness journey.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Anniella May, I’m a licensed professional counselor who works with children in the sleep clinic setting, helping families navigate behavioral sleep challenges. Alongside that, I’m also a mom of three beautiful girls (yes, triplets!) and the co-founder of Heat + Match, a lifestyle and fitness apparel brand I run with my husband.
What makes my story unique is that it blends so many passions, mental health, family, fitness, and creativity, into everything I do. Heat + Match was born out of our love for movement, strength, and self-expression, and it’s become more than clothing; it’s about building confidence, balance, and boldness in everyday life.
Right now, we’re excited to be expanding our collections and sharing them with a community that values not just fashion, but empowerment and lifestyle. My hope is that both in my career and through our brand, I get to help people feel stronger, more inspired, and more themselves.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment that really shaped how I see the world was becoming a mother to my three daughters all at once. Having triplets shifted my perspective in every way, from how I value time, to how I view resilience, to how I think about identity. It taught me that life can be both overwhelming and beautiful at the same time, and that strength often shows up in the smallest, most everyday moments.
It also pushed me to see the importance of community, creativity, and adaptability, not just as a mom, but as a woman, a professional, and an entrepreneur. That season of my life reminded me that challenges and blessings often come hand in hand, and that perspective has shaped everything I do now.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, it would be: trust yourself more than you doubt yourself. You don’t have to have it all figured out, and you don’t have to carry the weight of perfection. Every twist and turn, even the ones that feel messy, are shaping you into someone strong, capable, and deeply loved.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
A cultural value I protect at all costs is family and heritage. In my Latin culture, family is everything, it’s the root, the anchor, and the legacy. That value guides every part of my life, from how I raise my daughters to how my husband and I built our brand, Heat + Match. It’s not just about blood relatives, but about honoring community, traditions, and the deep sense of belonging that comes from knowing who you are and where you come from. Protecting that value means making space for love, laughter, and resilience in everything I do, and passing it forward so my girls grow up proud of their story and their roots.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope the story people tell about me when I’m gone is that I lived with heart and intention, that I loved my family fiercely, that I lifted others up, and that I left people better than I found them. I want my daughters to remember me as someone who showed them what strength, grace, and joy can look like, even in the messiness of life. And I hope others can say I created spaces, whether through my work as a therapist or through Heat + Match, where people felt seen, empowered, and inspired to be themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heatandmatch.com
- Instagram: anniellamay
- Linkedin: Anniella May, MA, LPC
- Facebook: Anniella May (Rigacci)
