When Mina Starsiak Hawk recently announced the conclusion of her long-standing HGTV series, “Good Bones,” she expressed her deep appreciation for having the opportunity to create a show that she believes authentically represents her true self – the triumphs, the setbacks, and everything in between.
Mother Daughter Fall Out
However, she candidly acknowledges that there’s a great deal transpiring behind the scenes that simply cannot be condensed into a 42-minute television episode. Starsiak Hawk opened up to PEOPLE about the formidable challenges she faced in bringing the show to life, particularly the task of faithfully depicting the exhaustive process behind her extensive home renovations. This encompassed not only construction hurdles but also personal and familial drama.
“There’s a multitude of construction aspects that remain hidden from view. There are numerous contractor issues that never make it to the screen. There are intricate family dynamics that go unnoticed,” she shared.
During the filming of the series’ eighth and final season, Starsiak Hawk revealed that they encountered some particularly trying moments, describing them as some of the most challenging situations they had ever faced together.
For instance, in the season premiere, which aired on August 15, she recounted a heated altercation that took place during demolition between herself and her co-star and mother, Karen E. Laine, referring to it as a “knockdown drag-out [fight].”
“I found myself wondering if anyone would be able to discern,” she reflects. “But, of course, that’s the intention. People… that’s not why they tune in to watch ‘Good Bones.’ It’s not what they’re seeking.”
Throughout her career, Starsiak Hawk has consciously chosen to be more transparent about her life outside the spotlight than many other celebrities might. She’s documented her fertility journey and, most recently, shared the challenges of balancing business, family, finances, and fame through her podcast, “Mina AF.”
After openly acknowledging that she and her mother were going through a tough period in a recent episode of “Mina AF,” she tells PEOPLE that embarking on this journey together during the eight seasons of the show has been “extremely challenging.”
Starsiak Hawk and her mother co-founded their Indianapolis-based company, Two Chicks and a Hammer, in 2007. Although Laine stepped back from the company in 2019, she continues to appear on the show alongside Starsiak Hawk and their team.
“Running a family business is already challenging,” Starsiak Hawk shares. “And based on what people see on the show, they assume my mom and I are inseparable, best friends, and because they aren’t privy to our history, they assume it has always been this way. Many people aspire to that, so they may not want to know about the other aspects, which is perfectly fine. However, my mom and I have had a tumultuous relationship for as long as I can remember.”
Starsiak Hawk explains that they became exceptionally close during her college years and when they started their company, but this tight bond only represented a brief period in her 39 years of life.
“It was perhaps around eight years of my 39 that we were exceptionally close,” she reflects. “And I’m not expecting anyone to be aware of all the other complexities. There wasn’t a show about those aspects. But it becomes exceedingly challenging when you’re not starting from a solid foundation and then introduce television, which can disrupt your world entirely if you’re not careful. It’s incredibly tough for people not to be affected by it.”
Through her podcast, Starsiak Hawk aims to unveil the less polished facets of her life, providing an outlet distinct from her social media presence, which she maintains in a more neutral fashion.
In a recent episode of “Mina AF,” Mina and her husband, Steve Hawk, engaged in an honest conversation about their choice to abstain from alcohol. The overwhelming majority of their audience expressed gratitude for broaching this sensitive topic, although there was one discourteous comment.
“Somebody remarked, ‘Oh, this explains why he’s so peculiar in all the episodes; he had a drinking problem,'” she recounts. “I’m like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ So, there are certainly a few uninformed individuals like that. However, the vast majority of the responses, including that one, are from people saying, ‘Thank you for addressing this. I’ve experienced the same thing, and it made it easier for me to discuss it.’ I think the sobriety episode really accomplished that.”
In an episode from August 28, Mina candidly shared her dilemma regarding whether to confront conflicts with her mother and brothers, Tad and William, before her 5-year-old son Jack’s birthday celebration. She and Steve are also parents to a 2-year-old daughter, Charlie.
“That was a challenging episode because I received a plethora of responses,” she recalls. “The usual ‘You only have one mom. You only have one family. Figure it out, bury the hatchet.'”
Ultimately, she chose not to invite those family members to the birthday celebration, explaining that the estrangement wasn’t the result of a single event but rather stemmed from her perception that Laine “never truly assumed the role of a mother.”
“While you can let these things go and acknowledge that everyone is doing their best when they can, some people’s best falls short, and that’s alright too,” she asserts. “We’ve all moved past it. However, when we grew close, we did so as friends. We never had that close ‘You’re my mom; you take care of me, and I’m your daughter who looks up to you as a safe haven’ relationship.”
She adds, “All my siblings have much stronger bonds with her than I do.”
Currently juggling three ongoing home renovation projects, Mina remarks that if her team were gearing up for another season of “Good Bones,” they’d likely be immersed in a dozen projects.
As the show draws to a close, she envisions herself remaining part of the HGTV family “as long as they’re willing to have me.”
“It’s the ideal place for what I do,” she asserts.
Mina and Steve are presently filming the renovation of a lake house they acquired this summer. She also harbors aspirations of continuing her appearances on other HGTV shows, such as the star-studded competition series “Rock the Block.”
“While I’m certain that at one point, I might have said, ‘I’m never doing my own show again,’ I would jump at the opportunity if it’s something I believe I can handle while maintaining my sanity,” she shares. “I didn’t actively seek out television. I didn’t apply for this, but when it was good, I excelled at it. I enjoy it. I relish the entire process. It’s genuinely fascinating. So I’m certainly open to it.”
She concludes, “So much has evolved in the world since we began. Therefore, the fact that the show remained unchanged for eight years, despite numerous other life changes, is a testament to how far we’ve come.”
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