“I think most parents, even if they are not praying about it, can’t help but dream about what their children’s lives are going to look like,” Joanna’s mother Nan Stevens admitted in her son-in-law Chip’s new self-help memoir No Pain, No Gaines: The Good Stuff Doesn’t Come Easy, out now. “Oftentimes the reality ends up being very different from what you envisioned.” Mrs. Stevens had pictured the Magnolia Table star marrying someone in “a suit and tie, a Wall Street type,” but it seems fate had other plans when Joanna met Chip at her father’s Firestone shop. Recalling her first meeting with her future son-in-law, Mrs. Stevens confessed, “Chip was not in any way what we were expecting that day, but I was impressed that he’d done the proper thing and thought to ask us if he could take our daughter out on a date.” Everything We Know about Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network and App Launch “As parents, we would have fought it if it felt wrong, but for some reason we gave him our blessing,” she added. “Our hearts weren’t anxious. I think that’s because we could already tell that Chip’s heart was good.” The Fixer Upper stars got married in 2003 and have since welcomed five children—Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie and Crew—and built their Magnolia empire together. As it turns out, Chip is responsible for helping Joanna fully tap into her creativity that fans have seen on TV. “We never really knew that Joanna was creative. She had a God- given gift, of course, but the full capacity of that never really came out until Chip encouraged it. He drew it out of her, and he does the same for other people. He brings out the best in them. He’s that same way with his kids,” Joanna’s mom shared. “I have always said, ‘I wish I had a dad like him.’ I am so thankful that my grandchildren get to experience him as a father.” While Chip might not have been “the picture of steady” Joanna’s parents had imagined for her, “he was always sure about the things that mattered.” Mrs. Stevens penned, “He was learning to be confident in who he was and who he wasn’t. And his love for Joanna and his children has never wavered.” Below is an exclusive excerpt from No Pain, No Gaines: The Good Stuff Doesn’t Come Easy by Chip Gaines, which is now available: My family in- law is living proof of the power of growing your network. Joanna’s family is supremely special. There are few better human beings on the planet. Before I became part of their family, I admired their closeness. You could tell, just by watching them, how fiercely protective they are of one another. They have shown me over and over again what it looks like to be there for the people in your network, and I’m honored that somewhere along the way I’ve been able to show them the thrill that comes with taking risks and reaching for a life that truly lights you up. –Chip MRS. STEVENS/CHIP’S MOTHER-IN-LAW We have prayed for Joanna since before we brought her home from the hospital as a little baby. We prayed for her friends, her career, and the man she would one day marry. We have three daughters, and we prayed these things for each of them. That may sound strange to some people, but I think most parents, even if they are not praying about it, can’t help but dream about what their children’s lives are going to look like. Oftentimes the reality ends up being very different from what you envisioned. As Joanna started to grow up, I imagined the type of man she’d marry. I pictured someone in a suit and tie, a Wall Street type. Joanna always loved New York. She was also very steady, like her father. I’ve always said those two are like a pair of oak trees. Of all our daughters, Joanna was the most shy. She was beautiful and social, but not very interested in guys. She didn’t date a lot. So I was surprised the day Joanna told me she had met a boy at her father’s Firestone shop, and that she might go out with him. “What did he look like?” I asked. She shrugged. “Was he tall or short? Blond hair..?” “I don’t remember,” she said. “His name is Chip.” Joanna had had a long conversation with this boy, Chip, but she couldn’t remember what he looked like! Jerry and I didn’t have to wait long to find out for ourselves what he looked like because the very next day he came back into the Firestone shop. We were standing behind the sales counter and Chip came in wearing shorts with boots and these tall white socks. He walked over to us and asked if he could take Joanna out on a date. My husband remembers Chip was eating some kind of candy, and it had gotten stuck in his teeth, so he had his finger in his mouth, trying to get it out. All of the sales guys were just staring at him, but Chip didn’t seem to care one bit. Now that I know Chip, it makes sense why Jo’s memory of him was hazy. He is like a ball of energy. His personality is bigger than his physical appearance. The connection Joanna felt with him when they first met must have been a sign that there was something deeper at work. Chip was not in any way what we were expecting that day, but I was impressed that he’d done the proper thing and thought to ask us if he could take our daughter out on a date. As parents, we would have fought it if it felt wrong, but for some reason we gave him our blessing. Our hearts weren’t anxious. I think that’s because we could already tell that Chip’s heart was good. As their dating became more serious, Joanna brought him around our family more often. He was very comfortable with us, and I started to see how funny Chip was. When it was clear she was falling in love with Chip we knew there was something special about him. Yet we weren’t totally without reservations. We saw a restlessness in Chip, which can sometimes be a very negative thing. He hadn’t discovered himself yet. I didn’t worry too much, because I could see how much he wanted to find his own way. He was really searching. That searching would lead them to endure some hard things as a couple. I like to look at things from a nontraditional angle. That’s where Chip and I are alike. Actually, Chip is multilevel in his approach. And while most corporate executives, when they do strength assessments, fit into one level, Chip has a lot of extra gifts. For instance, people who talk a lot are not often great listeners. That is how some people can under-estimate Chip. He does talk a lot, but he listens too. Chip is also always about the other person, not himself. For example, we never really knew that Joanna was creative. She had a God- given gift, of course, but the full capacity of that never really came out until Chip encouraged it. He drew it out of her, and he does the same for other people. He brings out the best in them. He’s that same way with his kids. I have always said, “I wish I had a dad like him.” I am so thankful that my grandchildren get to experience him as a father. One day, after Chip and Jo had been married for a few years, I was having my morning devotional and praying for all of my children. As I started praying for Chip, suddenly the Lord showed me this big, wide- open space, like Montana or Wyoming. There were green hills, and this beautiful mustang was right there in the middle of a field, all by itself. It was just running all over the place, wild and free. But still searching. I told my husband about the vision. “Chip is like a mustang. There’s a wildness in him, but it’s okay.. it’s who the Lord created him to be.” Chip wasn’t the picture of steady that we’d envisioned for our daughter, but he was always sure about the things that mattered. He was learning to be confident in who he was and who he wasn’t. And his love for Joanna and his children has never wavered. Taken from “No Pain, No Gaines: The Good Stuff Doesn’t Come Easy” by Chip Gaines. Copyright 2021 by Chip Gaines. Used with permission from Thomas Nelson. Next, discover the newest streaming service discovery+ and how you can preview Magnolia Network!
