Chip and Joanna Gaines have been plying their commerce as grasp dwelling renovators for over twenty years now, however followers know that how the world actually fell in love with the couple and their work was by means of their HGTV hit, Fixer Higher. Although that sequence (in its unique type, anyway) solely ran for 5 seasons and wrapped in 2018, they continued to construct an empire, which has additionally included their Magnolia Community since 2021. Now, Joanna has opened up about how they discretely took a complete three months off, and I 100% perceive why they needed to “get exterior the enterprise” for a bit.
When And Why Did Chip And Joanna Gaines Take A 3 Month Magnolia Community Break?
Other than the break that Chip and Joanna Gaines took between 2018 and 2021 (which was extra of a “gentle pause” as an alternative of an precise “break” as a result of they began Magnolia Community and had their fifth baby), the duo has been ever-present on tv. The start of their community introduced quite a few way of life and residential design reveals, together with the Joanna-hosted Magnolia Desk and new sequence within the Fixer Higher franchise.
Nevertheless, it was in 2024 that the entrepreneurial mother and father determined to take a step again for some time. As Joanna just lately revealed on the Enterprise of Residence podcast, it was in June of that 12 months that they left their many companies within the fingers of their staff, with the Homebody writer saying:
For the primary time in 20-plus years, I made a decision to take this sort of sabbatical. Two to 3 months off the place I may simply get exterior the enterprise, actually get time to suppose greater image; extra imaginative and prescient. We instructed the complete staff, ‘Chip and I can be gone this complete summer time to only hunker down with the children, to get imaginative and prescient for issues.’ And so I believe I felt good that it was truly occurring.
Apparently, Chip was truly the one who initiated the concept the pair wanted “intentional time” away to “dream about all that’s to come back,” as they sought to “be sure that our basis was set” earlier than heading into the longer term with each their enterprise and household life. When somebody has as a lot occurring as they do, generally the one option to get a transparent image of what you need in your life subsequent is to take away as lots of these obligations as attainable so you’ll be able to concentrate on what you actually need and want, as an alternative of simply letting the tide of labor and obligations carry you alongside.
It was truly across the time that they took their sabbatical that the Gaineses (who will quickly have their twenty second wedding ceremony anniversary) did an interview the place they revealed how glad they have been to have “made it out alive” by the tip of Fixer Higher. Whereas Joanna famous that they have been additionally engaged on various non-televised renovations, different enterprise tasks and elevating youngsters throughout their hit sequence, Chip added that doing the present was additionally tough due to the “oil-and-water” mixture of attempting to mix shoppers needs and development scheduling with the timeline of a TV present.
After stepping down from the sequence that made them well-known, Chip famous that they’d been “virtually determined” to get away from the grind of taking pictures a TV present “as a result of we felt that whirlwind had gotten so sophisticated to that it was onerous for us to coexist in it,” which needed to be particularly onerous whereas elevating youngsters.
So, it makes full sense that final 12 months was a good time for an additional break, as these youngsters are rising up quick. They already had their oldest son, Drake (20) out of the home by final summer time, however are rapidly coming upon the time when Ella (18) Duke (16), and Emmie Kay (15) — their youngest, Crew, is simply six — will all be flying their trendy coop. As Joanna mentioned throughout her interview:
I’m in a part of life the place I’ll see all of my oldest youngsters go from highschool to school. A lot has occurred within the final 10-plus years. I, as a mom, want [that time off], emotionally. I need to be with them. That’s kinda going to be the brand new rhythm for us, till they’re all in, after which I’ll have a pleasant lengthy, break at [sending kids to college].
Folks are likely to have numerous conflicting feelings with regards to sending their youngsters out into the large, vast world to actually start to fend for themselves in school. Right here’s hoping that taking summers off to assist get their youngsters prepared for that massive life change may also enable them sufficient time to recharge professionally so we get to observe them on new reveals like Mini Reni for a very long time to come back.