How HGTV's Mina Starsiak Hawk And Husband Steve Overcome Their Holiday Hardships
Mina Starsiak Hawk has no shortage of drama in her life. Unfortunately, most of it isn't even for television; she has plenty of family conflicts outside of her HGTV show "Good Bones," (though working with family is the cause for some of the drama). The business owner has been feuding with her mom, former Two Chicks & a Hammer co-owner Karen E. Laine, as well as her brother, Tad Starsiak.
Never shying away from being honest with her followers, Mina has detailed her complicated relationships on her podcast, "Mina AF." There, she dished about how she hadn't spoken to Tad and the fact that her mom hadn't been invited to her son's birthday party. Birthday celebrations with extended family are one thing, but Mina revealed in November 2023 that the familial hardships hit a little closer to home.
Trouble started brewing as early as September for the Hawks — she explained how her sister "sent out a spreadsheet with the pajama sizes and the activities for Thanksgiving through Christmas, probably in, like, September." So when her husband, Steve Hawk, brought up going to his family's home for Christmas, Mina was a little taken aback.
Their therapist set them straight
Mina Starsiak Hawk and Steve Hawk have been married for almost a decade, but she admitted, "Every conversation around Steve's family is so loaded for him, and therefore loaded for me, because I care so much about making sure he's feeling loved on the holidays because he has so fewer people that are his core group that thought he was the world, that he was everything." Steve has lost three family members, his mother, father, and sister, all within the past five years.
The former "Good Bones" host confessed that her desire for the season is to visit everyone but also keep the holidays pleasant for them while maintaining their boundaries. Keeping all of these things in mind, she happily signed up for her sister's event and even ordered the pajamas, only to have Steve announce in late November that the family was invited to his Grandma's home on Christmas Eve. "I wasn't prepared for that," Mina admitted. A conversation ensued in which both Steve and Mina made valid points, but a decision never came. Until they brought it up with their therapist.
According to Mina, she told the couple to quit "playing this game of ping-pong," and stop thinking "in a perfect world ... " noting that they "are living in the perfect world," advising them to speak thoughtfully but know that these choices aren't that major. In the end, Mina said they "landed on compromising and trying our best to do both."
It's not the first time they've sought advice
On her podcast, "Mina AF," the mom of two revealed that they've known their therapist for quite a while, and while they don't go regularly, they do seek her advice occasionally. The couple sought her out when they started to disagree on where and how to spend Christmas, but over the years, they've also been each other's support system. In the summer of 2023, Mina Starsiak Hawk took to her podcast to detail how she and her husband, Steve Hawk, decided to change up their relationship with alcohol. She found herself relying too much on wine to help her relax, while Steve struggled to say no when he was drinking socially. But their perspective ultimately shifted when loved ones became involved.
For Steve, it was their kids, with him admitting, "I realized that I don't want to give my children a reason to not have a relationship with me." Mina confessed that she came from a functioning alcoholic family, and after struggling with the death of Steve's sister due to ethanol poisoning, reality hit hard.
While Mina has drunk minimally since they decided to abstain from alcohol, she revealed that Steve hasn't had a drink for two years. It seems like both their support for one another and their therapist have done the couple good. In honor of Steve's birthday in November 2023, she gushed, "One of the strongest men, most amazing dads and ride or die partner I'm lucky enough to call my own!"