Joanna Gaines Shares How Listening to Her Instinct to ‘Pivot’ Led to a Design Career
Joanna Gaines said the moment she listened to her instinct to “pivot” to a design career path, everything changed. During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Gaines shared her personal experience and advice to “stay curious.”
Joanna Gaines has been supporting Drew Barrymore’s house renovation
On the Nov. 10 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the host explained how much Gaines and her husband Chip helped her with her home renovations.
“I want to ask you so much about your house but we can talk about that later,” Gaines said, with Barrymore responding, “It’s still in the works.”
She explained, “I send Joanna and I’ve even reached out to you and Chip on social when I’m like, ‘demo day!’ And then I’ll cut to myself three months later screaming and crying.”
Gaines has been super supportive in Barrymore’s moments of need. “And you’ll text me kindly and say, ‘Just keep going.’ And then I’ll send you another picture of some progress and I’ll even hear like, ‘Ooh, what’s that tile?’” Barrymore said.
Joanna Gaines inspired Barrymore to take her life in a new direction
The talk show host also credited Gaines with helping her find a new direction for her life. When Barrymore was going through a “major life change,” she found inspiration in watching Gaines on Fixer Upper.
“I was separating, I was taking my family from California to New York,” Barrymore explained. “I knew that I had struggled doing movies while I had kids because I didn’t want to pretend to be other people. I wanted to be their mom. I needed a big life change but I didn’t know where I was going and I felt so lost.”
She continued, “I would watch you and you gave me the courage to believe that I could take my life in a new direction. Because I love design and I love homemaking and I realized this is what I wanted to pour myself into.”
Barrymore said she had other interests and wondered, “Could I find a path to that?” She added, “And you’re the one who made me believe I could.”
Gaines shared a life lesson from her experience
The Fixer Upper star also explained the full circle moment of Barrymore’s studio being in the same building where Gaines worked when she was pursuing a career in journalism. Her gut instinct to “pivot” led her on the path to what’s now the Magnolia empire.
Barrymore said, “What do you advise people if they come up to you and say, ‘I’m ready to be a more realized version of myself. I’m ready to pivot. I’m ready to try new things.”
Gaines explained, “I think there’s just a certain trajectory that we’re all used to just in culture. You go to school, you get your degree, you find the job, you climb that ladder, then to retirement. I just feel like it just needs to be shaken up a little bit, where the pivot is really the power point in our lives.”
She continued, “I came here for one thing, studied for [journalism] five years. And then that instinct in me to pivot… I’m so thankful that I went with that instinct to then start with retail and then into design, but even now, moving into food.”
Gaines added, “I just feel like, as humans, if we can stay curious and be learners … there’s never a point where you’ve made it. Keep learning, keep your eyes open. And don’t stay on the track just to stay on the track.”
