Joanna Gaines Credits Chip Gaines’ Positivity For Getting Them Through The Tough Times

Chip and Joanna Gaines have weathered plenty of storms from their days as early Texas home flippers to their mega-successful Magnolia brand. And the dynamic design duo isn’t afraid to talk about the moments when they weren’t as successful.

In a video interview for Salesforce’s “Stories of Resilience” series, the Chip and Jo share what got them through the tough moments, long before anyone in the U.S was raving about shiplap and rocking a Magnolia Farms hat.

“When I think back to those days, I remember moments when Chip and I would look at each other and just think, ‘Are we going to make it?’ And not seeing the end. Not understanding you could actually get through it,” Joanna says. “We would look at each other and say, ‘Do we just bail and get out of dodge?’ That seems so much easier than actually having to figure out how do we make it through this?”

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But it was Chip who ultimately encouraged them to push on. His constant optimism about their future and his no-quitting attitude helped them become what they are today.

“Chip and his family have always had this thing that ‘Gaines never quit.’ And so he’d say, ‘Jo, we’re not going to quit. We’re going to make it through this,'” Joanna shares. “…I did the books, I saw the numbers and I could not see a way out and I just remember thinking, ‘OK.’ We would look at each other every night and say, ‘We’re not quitting. We’re gonna do this.’ Something about that level of commitment even when it felt hard, I think, helped me just know [that] quitting isn’t an option.”

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“… I think we leaned on each other’s strengths in those moments of weakness where I typically would only see the glass half [empty] and Chip would see the glass half full,” Joanna added. “That kind of thinking really helped me go, ‘OK. I can do this.'”

The couple, who have been married for 17 years, have been open about their times of when they were ready to throw in the towel. Especially as their family was growing. The duo has welcomed five children over their 17-year marriage: Drake, 15, Ella, 13, Duke, 12, Emmie, 10, and Crew, 2.

“That mentality shift… it changes the momentum of things, it doesn’t change it overnight. For us, it was four or five more years of hard,” Joanna explains. “Even though we were like, ‘We’re in it,’ it didn’t mean all the sudden everything was going to be easy and now we’re gonna make it… It could be a decade before you actually see the other side of this.”

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Despite their challenges, Joanna says she’s happy they charged forward.

“When I look back I’m so thankful [we kept going],” she admits. “We would’ve missed this moment! We would’ve have missed a lot if we had pivoted and gone another direction ’cause it was easier.”

PHOTOS:  Chip And Joanna’s Cutest Moments 

Chip And Joanna Gaines: Their Sweet Pics!

Chip And Joanna Gaines: Their Sweet Pics!

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