Episode 25: How To Empower Yourself When You Stop Waiting and Start Creating- with Christine Gummersall of Honey Built Home
Today I am talking to my good friend Christine Gummersall from Honey Built Home. Over the past two years Christine has been sharing her journey in DIY on Instagram. Through trial and error, she has learned new skills and has begun building the home of her dreams with her own two hands. We talk a lot about DIY, but we go a lot deeper into empowering yourself and trying new things. I promise, you don’t want to miss this one.
In this Episode:
Who is Honey Built Home: Christine Gummersall is the creator of Honey Built Home. She is a coaches wife, retired registered nurse, mom of 3, and avid DIYer for the last decade. She empowers women to pick up the power tools and to stop waiting and start creating a home they love, today!
Getting started in DIY: Over ten years ago, as a newlywed and living in a 1950’s fixer upper. Christine decided to take a sledgehammer to the bathroom. In the middle of studying for finals. It turned out great and that was the beginning of just going for it.
Any bad DIY fails? “A lot of the things I build, I have to build twice. I kind of learn as I go and learn from my mistakes. Every project I go into I maybe have 70% previous knowledge and about 30% of I really hope this turns out”
“In every single project I try, there is a point where I am stuck or want to quit or feel overwhelmed. I take a step back, try to research and learn something, and then come back to it. And every single time it always turns out better than I thought it was going to.”
You are always going to hit some type of obstacle. It’s pushing through that where you are going to find the success and the joy and the happiness.
Pivoting from being a registered nurse to pursuing DIY full time: “I love being a nurse. But it was a lot for our family. I had a baby and two toddlers and my husband was working two demanding jobs. So we decided the best thing for our family was to be home with our kids. But the days felt so cyclical and it was very frustrating to me. With nursing I saw a woman walk in, go through the process of labor, and leave with a baby. There was a start and a finish. I was missing that. And DIY became a therapeutic avenue that I could pursue that I could see progression. And it was so good for my mental health.”
Letting fear and imposter syndrome stop me: “ I remember sitting down with you and some other friends and coming up with the idea and thinking I wanted to pursue some type of DIY. I bought the domain name……and then I sat on it for 2 years because I got scared. I started comparing myself to others and second guessing myself. When we moved homes and started to do more to finish our house and I had a turning point and I got rid of the imposter syndrome I was feeling. I decided to just be me and document my fails and successes and just go for it.”
I decided to put away those fears and start pursuing something that I loved.
Keep going and stop comparing: “There was a lot of moments over the last two years where I still doubted myself and wondering if what I was doing was even worth it. When I looked around at other people really succeeding, it took some time for me to realize that we all have our own voice and that there is room for all of us. That the one edge I had was that they aren’t me.”
Advice to someone wanting to start something new: Be passionate about it. You need to have a driving factor that goes deeper than surface level so you can push past obstacles. At the end of the day- I love DIY and would be doing it without having a following or making a business out of it. Do it FOR YOU and you’ll find the people who support you and connect with you.
DIY Beginner Basics: I started getting so many questions in my DM’s and built a course around those. We tackle safety first, because most people are scared or nervous around power tools.
My goal was to leave each student with a set of skills that they could be applied to hundreds of projects and they would know what tool and what material they need to make it happen.
Click here To learn more about DIY Beginner Basics
and use the code POSITIVE15 to get $15 off!
Number 1 tool everyone should have: Get yourself a basic drill. It’s the staple started tool for everyone.
6 tools that every DIYer needs: You can accomplish THOUSANDS of projects with these six tools: A miter saw, a nail gun, a drill, a sander, a jig saw, and a Kreg pocket hole jig.
The IMPACT you are making: “I am able to do something that I love, but being able to help other people also do something that they love too is completely invaluable to me. The messages I get from women who share their appreciation for what I teach and for helping them overcome their fear or hesitation…..never in my life did I think that I would be able to make that big of an impact or difference. That makes it all worth it.
I wasn’t necessarily ready to be viewed as this type of role model….but it’s blessed my life and I’m super grateful for it.”
Where does the name HONEY in Honey Built Home come from: It’s the cute pet name my husband calls me. I’ve thought about changing it and putting my own name in my branding. But I always come back to this isn’t about me. This is about you. It’s about empowering YOU to build your own home. It’s a name you can take on yourself that gives you a little bit of bravery and guts to start tackling the things you want to tackle.”
Helpful Links
Follow HoneyBuiltHome on Instagram
HoneyBuiltHome projects and blog
DIY Beginner Basics Course
use code Positively15 for $15 off!