“” We work not only because we love it, but because we are taking care of the people and things and pets that matter to us. We try to keep that perspective.
“I had chosen to be a little bit late that day,” she recalls. “I was in a fantastic meeting at work. I’m passionate about what I do. I was collaborating with another woman-owned business, and we were jiving. All was good, and I kept saying, ‘I can still make it.’ Then I laughed, and I said, ‘Yep, this is the kind of mom I am,’” Kendall says. “And I realized that I’m okay with being a different kind of mom.” John says Kendall is no stranger to expressing her flaws. “She truly shares her whole self without any apprehension,” he says. “On our first date she started by telling me all of her perceived flaws. It was a remarkably Kendall way to start a relationship. It’s her openness and willingness to be vulnerable that give others confidence to navigate their own unique journey—whether that is our team, our kiddos or the communities in which she flows.” Though upfront about her imperfections, Kendall is also confident in her strengths as a mother. “Each mom has their own superpower. Mine is not in sewing a cute costume, and it’s not in decorating the halls. And I want to be clear that I need every one of those moms in my life because it truly takes a village. Everyone in my mom group is my superhero for being able to be so present and be such a force in their kids’ lives in that way. I do think that I am present and a force in my kids’ lives. I just do it in a different way. I want them to see that I love my work. I want them to know that they came from my love and relationship with their father.” One member of her village, neighbor and friend Zara Oakes, says that Kendall’s superpower is that she puts people at ease. “Kendall is someone you feel like you have known forever, even if you just met her,” Oakes says. “She is impressively capable at using her own vulnerability and personal hardships to create genuine connections.” Kendall acknowledges that she is privileged to have a community of support in other moms, neighbors, colleagues and especially a “fantastic partner that shows up 100% of the time to help with parenting duties.” She emphasizes the importance of continuing to focus on their relationship as they navigate parenthood, “If we aren’t good and healthy, how can our relationships with our kids be good and healthy?” “Family comes first” is one of the pillars of the Antonellis’ business, and it applies to them as well as to their employees. “When we decided to go into business together, John looked at me and said, ‘If we ever realize this is getting in the way of our marriage, we walk away,’” she says. “Now that we have a team, for them, it means that if they have an emergency, they can take time away and have a job to come back to. We work not only because we love it, but because we are taking care of the people and things and pets that matter to us. We try to keep that perspective.” An example of one manifestation of this viewpoint during the pandemic is their hiring of team members’ unemployed partners. Kendall highlights that working with pods of people who were quarantining together was also good for business because it minimized risk. A sense of adventure and appreciation for all people and cultures are attributes Kendall wants her kids to inherit from her late father and understand on a deep level. During her first pregnancy, she and John wrote down a goal to take an international trip every other year. Now they take an international trip every year (barring the pandemic) for one month during the summer. “Our kids have untraditional holidays,” she says. “During the holidays, our kids sit in the cheese shop while we cut cheese all day. We do it through the day leading up to Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas. We work the eve of every big holiday....What makes it okay is that we take off the month of June. 10 or 11 months of the year, we give our business everything we have. Then we completely unplug for a month to just be with the kids.” It’s not an easy path, trying to be fully present with work and with family. Kendall acknowledges there is some guilt, but it is a path the Antonellis created and owned and it suits their unique lifestyle. “We live a balanced lifestyle; it’s just that we live in extremes.”
40 | AUSTIN WOMAN | JANUARY 2022
