Inside Jennifer Todryk's Relationship With Her Husband, Mike
"No Demo Reno" host Jennifer Todryk is the fiery, Dallas-based HGTV star who has taken non-demolition renovation to the next level. Her show, which debuted in 2021, encourages families to embrace original floor plans while still delivering modern style and much-needed updates for a fraction of the full-gut renovation price. "I'm not doing any structural demo," she explained to D magazine. "So, anything that has to do with the walls and the support and the original floor plan, I'm not touching it. ... It's working with the rooms that we have, the way that they are, and then just changing the stuff on the inside."
To make matters feel even more personal, portions of "No Demo Reno" have been filmed within Jennifer's own (perfectly styled and ridiculously beautiful) abode, which allows fans to enjoy moments of her delightful relationship with her husband, Mike Todryk. Though Mike's appearances on the show are brief, and he doesn't really have anything to do with Jennifer's renovation projects aside from asking questions and occasionally supplying witty banter, he is still present enough to spark curiosity about the Todryks' marriage and home life.
Their commonplace, relatable interactions sprinkled in between Jennifer's busy days of making magic happen for her clients and their homes leave fans wanting to see more of the wholesome couple.
Jennifer and Mike Todryk met at Zara and clicked right away
Nothing is more romantic than a meet-cute between soulmates, especially when it happens somewhere pretty mundane and relatively unexpected. Jennifer Todryk first crossed paths with her husband during a shift at a Zara in Dallas in 2010. Jennifer had only just moved back to Texas from New York City. The aspiring fashion magazine editor struggled to find a job in the Big Apple, and eventually figured it'd be best to return to her hometown.
Just as Jennifer got settled back in Dallas and started working as a visual merchandise manager for the retail chain, New York City came calling with a job offer. "I was so mad," she told The Dallas Morning News in 2021. "I had shipped all my stuff back, and it cost more than a thousand dollars." She ultimately decided to stay put, and fate continued to work its magic.
Mike Todryk stopped in Zara one day to find a suit for his brother's wedding, and funnily enough, the woman he would eventually marry helped him find it... and shell out some serious dough. He told The Dallas Morning News, "I spent $1,000 more than I planned to." To be fair, he did end up leaving with a lot more than a suit for a family function.
The Todryks only dated for a year before they tied the knot
That fateful trip to Zara led to a lunch date that same afternoon. As the couple recalled in The Dallas Morning News, Mike Todryk asked out Jennifer Todryk in the middle of the sales floor. Jennifer's coworkers not only encouraged her to go, but were cool with her ditching out on the rest of her shift so she could go grab a meal with a customer.
They did briefly break up around the three-week mark. "He was freaking me out," she said on a September 2022 episode of the "You, Me & Mike" podcast. "He was really, really nice, probably too nice ... He was doing all the right things and was very kind — it was just too soon." The final straw: Mike added Jennifer to his toll tag to cover the costs of taking the tollway between their places. "I was so freaked out, I thought that was a permanent marriage situation," she said. Turns out, he's just a thoughtful guy.
Thankfully, the pair quickly recovered, and they were back on track toward their happily ever after. After a few months of breakfast dates, both Jennifer and Mike realized that they were in it to win it, and they wasted no time in preparing for the next stage of their relationship. Jennifer and Mike married exactly one year after they first met, having dated from August 6, 2010, to August 6, 2011.
Jennifer and Mike Todryk had a 'stress-free' wedding in Cancun
In a belated anniversary blog post from 2015, Jennifer Todryk recounted some of her favorite (and cringiest) moments from the couple's destination wedding in Cancun, Mexico. The post is steeped heavily in good humor and affection as she describes the array of novelty alcoholic beverages, food, and convenience of the experience (Todryk says it only took her a single hour to plan the wedding, and she did so after arriving in Mexico). She called their wedding "a week long party," and based on the contents of the post, that seems like a fair assessment.
In the same post, Todryk also shared her experience with their eccentric wedding photographer and included some of the most questionable photos from the event, including ones where the couple struck broody poses in an elevator and another where they laughingly bounced on a trampoline. Though the photos were not quite what she was expecting and in fact, were quite off-beat, the Todryks were not only able to enjoy them despite that fact, but they got a pretty good laugh out of them as well.
According to Todryk, the overall experience was amazing. She writes, "Our wedding was amazing! ... I HIGHLY recommend a destination wedding. So fun for you and your guests and stress-free!"
The Todryks have renovated their own homes
Jennifer and Mike Todryk have lived in a few different homes over the course of their marriage. In 2014, the couple moved into a house they had purchased and began renovating nearly two years prior. The family picked up and moved again to a home often featured on Jennifer's Instagram profile between 2016 and 2020. Todryk shared a post soon after the move that highlighted the differences between the house's aesthetic before and after they renovated it, and the results are exactly what fans of "No Demo Reno" would expect from the Rambling Redhead. Complete with cool-toned neutrals and dark accents, the Todryks' second renovation project's sleek and visually pleasing aesthetic rightfully earned its frequent features on Jennifer's social media.
In 2020, the Todryks moved once more to a palatial farmhouse complete with multiple floor-to-ceiling windows, white quartz countertops, and lighter wood floors. In a post detailing the family's move, Jennifer wrote, "We bought and renovated an older home (y'all know I wasn't going to run into a new build ) and it's been so fun and such a blessing to be able to design all over again." And design she certainly did. Her signature style choices are as present as ever, but viewers can see the subtle evolution of her taste. The most recent house still features the black and white look that was featured in their previous homes, but this one is more on the bright and airy side.
The Todryks have three children together
Jennifer Todryk actually got her start in marriage and family blogging back in 2015 when she created Life as a Rambling Redhead (now called The Rambling Redhead), a blog that blossomed from short marriage and family essays to a sprawling haven of renovation insights, shopping lists, and life moments with her family. Jennifer and Mike Todryk share three kids: Their oldest is a boy named Von, the second is a girl named Berkley, and the last is another girl, Vivian.
In her posts for The Rambling Redhead, Jennifer doesn't pull any punches when it comes to depicting the hardships and ugly truths of parenthood. It is because of this largely uncensored representation that her content seems to resonate with thousands of mothers experiencing the same beautiful, yet paradoxically unsightly, adventure of raising small humans to the best of their ability. "It's funny—I originally wanted to do a home decorating blog." She told DFW Child in a 2019 interview, "That's what I was going to do, but I didn't have any home decorating to talk about, so I did a post called 'I, Mother of Baby Terrorists,' and that one did really good, and so I wrote a second funny one, and that one did really good."
As much as Jennifer loves her career, her family always comes first. "My entire life is not about filming a TV show; filming a TV show is just a small part of my life that existed before the show," she told Forbes in 2022.
The Todryks have a wholesome marriage dynamic
Though Jennifer Todryk has referred to her husband as her "large man child" who struggles to take out the trash without being asked or can't hang up a picture without making a big deal about it, she does more often sing his praises. In a 2015 blog post that doubled as an open letter to her husband, Jennifer expressed the many reasons she admires and loves him.
Jennifer has expressed that she is not the most emotionally aware and that she appreciates her husband's sensitivity and his ability to hold her accountable when she says or does the wrong thing. She writes in her open letter, "I know I tease you for being the sensitive one in the marriage, but it's really a great thing. You keep me in check and tell me when I am being an extremely large butthole. "
Mike Todryk has also shared his appreciation for his wife's fine qualities on social media. In 2021, he took to Instagram to share a photo in honor of Jennifer's 32nd birthday, and the caption read, "You are the most amazing wife, mother of our kids, and friend a man could ask for. And you are stunningly beautiful... so that's pretty cool too. I love you Jenn."
Jennifer Todryk went from stay-at-home mom to HGTV star
After her marriage to Mike Todryk and giving birth to her first two children, Jennifer Todryk found herself in a slump. She felt that she had surrendered her entire identity to motherhood, and she did not have an adequate creative outlet to express herself or share her talents. It was at that point in 2015 that she was encouraged by family members to begin blogging as a means to get in touch with an activity that she enjoyed and decompress. She then created her aforementioned blog, Life as a Rambling Redhead, later called The Rambling Redhead. After five weeks of posting, Jennifer went viral. In an interview with DFW Child, she said, "I remember when I went viral—I restarted my computer because I thought there was a glitch in my AdSense counter ... I've been very fortunate in how fast that I have grown on my platforms. It definitely has given me a sense that I'm supposed to be here. "
Two years later, Jennifer published a book, "W(h)ine: 50 Perfect Wines To Pair With Your Child's Rotten Behavior," wherein she humorously suggests an array of wines to accompany the hardships of parenthood.
After gaining popularity for her written work and social media presence, Jennifer was discovered by producers via the Instagram Discover page in 2018. After some initial hiccups, "No Demo Reno" got the green light from the network, and Jennifer dove headfirst into her role. Mike's been in her corner for all of it.
Mike Todryk has a supporting role on No Demo Reno
While a number of renovation shows on HGTV feature couples who work side by side while reimagining properties, the Todryks aren't a renovation team; Mike Todryk has more of a supporting role on HGTV's "No Demo Reno."
In the first episode of "No Demo Reno," which premiered in March 2021, viewers are introduced to members of Jennifer Todryk's family. In the moments following the show's title sequence, viewers catch a glimpse of the HGTV star's stunning home. The scene displays a hectic morning for a family with young children. Breakfast is being eaten, kids are running around, and the parents are just trying to direct traffic. Mike moves the plot forward by asking his wife about her plans for the episode's first project. Later, viewers return to the Todryks' abode. Once again, Mike dutifully serves as an organic means to get Jennifer to explain the next order of business so that the show maintains a conversational and family-centric feel. They also indulge in some playful banter that feels light and unscripted.
In later episodes, Mike is featured as he was in the first, engaging in explanatory conversations with Jennifer to keep the storyline moving without her having to talk directly to the film crew. In these interactions, they allow little glimpses into their natural humor and daily routine, which endears the couple to their fans.
Mike Todryk has worn many career hats
Long before he became the husband of "No Demo Reno" host Jennifer Todryk, Mike Todryk had established an impressive career of his own. Mike, who is 12 years Jennifer's senior, attended West Point and then served in the U.S. Army. He obtained an engineering degree at the academy, and was awarded a Purple Heart during his time in the military. Mike, who also went on to earn his MBA at Southern Methodist University, got into medical device sales following his stint in the military. According to his LinkedIn profile, Mike worked for Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical, and Abbott.
By 2020, it was time for another career change. In pursuit of entrepreneurship, he started Armor Coffee Co. and Armor Brewing Co. in Allen, Texas, with his wife, Jennifer Todryk. The couple's goal is to give the brewery a new life, as the criminal activity of its previous owner left an ominous shadow over the building. "We hope to bring redemption to it," said Mike Todryk to The Dallas Morning News. Representatives from the city of Allen are also eager for the rebrand. Dan Bowman of Allen Economic Development Corporation spoke in favor of the Todryks' venture, saying, "The past is the past. You go in there a year from now, two years from now ... I don't think anybody's going to remember that [it was Nine Band Brewing]."
The Todryks have a podcast together
In 2022, the Todryks embarked on a new kind of media journey. The couple launched "You, Me, & Mike," a podcast that promised to give fans a more immersive view of their lives, careers, and values as spouses, parents, and professionals. Over the course of the series, the couple digs into a multitude of topics that are suggested by their followers (hence the "You" portion of the title), which include, but are not limited to, parenting, marriage, life in the public eye, their lives as business owners, content creation, and Jennifer Todryk's life as an HGTV personality. The podcast launched in August 2022, and the Todryks promised one new episode every Thursday for the duration of the season. As of the time of writing, there are episodes published through December of the same year.
As of this writing, the podcast appears to have been a short-term project. There are 25 full-length (approximately 30 to 90 minutes long) episodes available, and no additional episodes were released in 2023. However, over the course of the podcast's only season, the Todryks dive deep into their chosen topics and offer a satisfying and entertaining listening experience for their curious fans.
Whether or not the Todryks ever revive the podcast, there's no doubt that Jennifer will continue to share her vibrant personality with the world. "I love creating content and being the 'weird girl' on Instagram and TV," she told Forbes in 2022. Clearly, being the "weird girl" has worked out well for her.