Kristy Tamayo shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Kristy, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity, hands-down. That is something you cannot teach or provide to someone. You either have it or you don’t. Over the years it has been something that I’ve seen time and time again be the tipping point on whether something/someone is successful. People with integrity have invested themselves in what they’re doing and want it to be successful. You can teach (intelligence) and energize (lead with encouragement), but you can’t create integrity for someone – they have to manifest it themselves.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We are Anthony and Kristy Tamayo. We are the proud owners of Knead Me Bakery (KMB). KMB is a unique bakery where everything is made from scratch, in small batches, and with as many local, preservative-free ingredients as possible. We pride ourselves on quality over quantity and it shows in how our products taste. Sourdough is our specialty and we’re growing our menu as our business grows. Our mission is to bring great, wholesome foods back to our community’s table.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Trust is the bond that makes or breaks people. I do not believe in the philosophy of “earning trust”. From previous experience, being told you have to earn someone’s trust seems insurmountable as each person has a different definition of what it takes to earn trust. My bucket of trust starts full and only pours out. If you start with an open mind and the idea that people start out with good intentions, you’ll know very quickly if they’re trustworthy. If they’re not, they are not worth your time.
Building back up trust once it’s lost is hard, if not impossible. The old adage of “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” rings true in the case of trust.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
I thought I would be at my previous corporate employer until I retired. I was 1 week shy of 22 years when I resigned to bake full time and open Knead Me Bakery (KMB). It felt right in my bones. I had been giving my all to others for 22 years and it was the right time to shift my focus and give KMB my all – it is something that can hopefully turn into our family’s legacy. Who wouldn’t want to give their all towards that?
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of myself is a reflection of my real self. Reflections, of course, are interpretations of how you see yourself opposite of how everyone else sees you. I tend to be more outgoing in my public persona rather than the quieter persona I have elsewhere.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I only knew how to be one way – true. True to myself, true to others, and true to the causes I believed in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kneadmebakery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knead.me.bakery
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-tamayo-7331262b/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kneadmebakery
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/knead-me-bakery-shenandoah
- Other: https://share.google/A3YSTIVYz1MBLudgl
Image Credits
KMB, hands on dough, and couple on couch images taken by:
Seed and Grove Photography
seedandgrove@gmail.com
