Joanna Gaines is a proud mom-of-five, one set to send the second oldest of her children, 18-year-old daughter Ella Gaines, off to college in a few months.
The 47-year-old DIY magnate shares her children with husband Chip Gaines, and it looks like their parents' proclivity for home renovation and design is rubbing off on them too.
During a recent appearance on the Business of Home podcast, Joanna spoke about balancing parenting and motherhood with the challenges of running a business, the Magnolia Network, which has become a lifestyle empire of sorts in recent years.
© Getty ImagesThe former Fixer Upper host also discussed her desire to carve out some more family time, away from the office, explaining that taking a sabbatical with Chip during the summer of 2024 proved to be monumentally useful for her mental health.
In fact, as it turns out, one of the people most instrumental in making that decision happen was none other than Ella, who was employed by Magnolia as an intern at some point last year.
"One of my favorite moments that was so pivotal for me as a mother, but also as a business owner, was my daughter, my oldest daughter, was in on a lot of these conversations before our break in June, that I was having with the team," she mentioned.
© InstagramJoanna mentioned that Ella was an active participant in several of these meetings, doing so out of sheer interest versus a responsibility to her parents.
"She was interning with me, so she'd be in these meetings where I was like, y'all, I need vision," she continued. "Like, we need to get back to why we're doing what we're doing. And so she was listening and she was interested."
Joanna Gaines: 5 surprising facts
© Getty Images1. Invisible string theory
Many fans believe Joanna met Chip while attending Baylor University, Texas. However, they never crossed paths since they graduated at different times. It wasn't until 2001, when Joanna worked at her dad's Firestone Tire shop, that Chip fell in love after seeing a photo of her. He then made excuses to turn up at the store and eventually, the pair began dating.
2. Farmyard lifestyle
Joanna and her husband live on a 40-acre farm in Texas, with their five children and over 60 farm animals including goats, chickens, and cows.
3. Magnolia magic
Their interior design brand was inspired by a memorable moment when Joanna climbed a magnolia tree on one of their early dates.
4. Children's author
In 2025, Joanna released a children's book called The World Needs the Wonder You See which takes young readers on an imaginative adventure through nature. She has also published two other children's books: We Are the Gardeners (2019) and The World Needs Who You Were (2020).
5. Gymnast days
The designer used to be a gymnast and has shared posts on social media of her practising gymnastic moves with her daughter.
Joanna remembered one night when she and Ella stayed back in the office to come up with ideas to manage the sabbatical. "She was writing things as I was saying, okay, if we do this, if we do that," she proudly recalled.
© InstagramThe mom-of-five has often dubbed her oldest daughter the most like her in terms of creative vision, and told People previously that she had a feeling Ella would go into a profession most similar to her mom's.
"I think she'll follow in my footsteps and have her hand in a lot of things. Right now she wants to cook, be a lead designer and have a donut truck," she mused.
In 2018, Ella made and sold baked treats at the Magnolia office and Joanna couldn't have been prouder. Sharing the story on her Instagram page, she gushed: "Her new summer business is selling baked goods at the office when she goes to work with me."
© Instagram"Tonight we stayed up late and she made Aunt Opal's banana pudding and the chocolate chip cookies from my cookbook. She's going to make a heck of a business woman."
Last month, the 18-year-old was also responsible for decorating the entire family home for her mom's birthday. "I went to bed at about midnight, and some time between 12-7am my little fairy daughter Ella waved her magic wand and did all of this for my birthday weekend," Joanna penned.
"I woke up to my very favorite things on the table and a delicious breakfast that she made from scratch — just the most beautiful setup. I want to sit here all weekend and just take it in."
