At Home With: Julia Leenig, Co-Owner of Future Ancestor & Descendant

Local LoveSustainabilityStyleMay's Muses

May 6

Julia Leenig is a woman of many talents- mother of two boys, co-founder of curated vintage home shop Future Ancestor with her husband Brian located in the Shaw neighborhood, and most recently opened slow living boutique Descendant in Webster Groves.

I admired Julia long before I knew her. The level of thoughtfulness and intention she puts into everything was evident. I even looked to the things I loved about F/A as a guidepost when creating my own business. Now after getting to know her these last couple of years I can say for certain that’s just the type of woman she is - very intentional. We’ve bonded over our mutual love of personal development, of digging your heals in and doing the work - both in business and in life, and above all living with intention.

On that topic, I’ll be chatting with Julia live on instagram tomorrow at noon to talk about her #EverydaySlow campaign. In a world that can often feel completely chaotic, Leenig wants to help ground herself and others in the small moments that call us to be present.

Get to know more below about Julia below and join us in the conversation tomorrow at noon on Instagram LIVE!

Words from Julia —

On blogging -

“I've always loved journaling and sharing life with others. When I was in pastry school, I started a blog to document the time and to share with friends and family back home. It quickly became less about the recipes and just more about life, my experience as a young 20-something. As I grew older, that grew with me. Through marriage, kids, homes, business... it took a few different shapes. I ended up primarily just posting on instagram after I had my first son, mostly because it was faster and easier and there was a community of other moms, allowing me to make daily connections and have conversations. I still love instagram for that reason.”

On F/A -

“Future Ancestor started as a hobby for Brian and I, but once we became parents we felt such a pull to do it full time. We loved the flexibility it gave us and allowed us to be together, work for a common goal and be creative. I've learned so much through the process of growing that business. Brian is primarily running F/A now, but we are both very connected to each other's businesses and of course share a lot of the same values.”

On Descendant -

“The idea of Descendant originally began as simply a lifestyle extension of Future Ancestor, but the more I developed the brand, the more I began to look at our products and ask real questions. Why do we want these things? How do they play a part in our daily lives, mental health? What do they say about the people who hold them? What conversations are women having as they're trying on dresses with their sister or looking for a thoughtful gift? It's all become so much deeper than the clothes.”

On #everydayslow -

I started our #everydayslow campaign to celebrate the small moments in our days that bring us that feeling of calm happiness, a feeling that is almost nostalgic. Reminding ourselves to look for these moments can reframe our days, helping us to feel less overwhelmed and a little more present. It's a reminder for me as much as it is for anyone else.