This week on HGTV Obsessed, Kat and Mike Stickler interview the one and only Clinton Kelly, host of Self-Made Mansions. Clinton describes what it’s like to work with entrepreneurs and the businesses and products that catapulted them to success. Clinton also gives Kat and Mike advice on buying their first home and shares his thoughts as a New Yorker on big city living. Then, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent stop by the show to share their secrets on keeping your home stylish with kids running around.
This week on HGTV Obsessed, Kat and Mike Stickler interview the one and only Clinton Kelly, host of Self-Made Mansions. Clinton describes what it’s like to work with entrepreneurs and the businesses and products that catapulted them to success. Clinton also gives Kat and Mike advice on buying their first home and shares his thoughts as a New Yorker on big city living. Then, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent stop by the show to share their secrets on keeping your home stylish with kids running around.
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Find episode transcript here: https://hgtv-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/clinton-kelly-on-finding-dream-homes-for-self-made-millionaires-nate-and-jeremiah-on-home-style-advice-for-parents
KAT STICKLER: It was like our first time.
MIKE STICKLER: I know.
KAT STICKLER: It was like I was with another man.
MIKE STICKLER: Whoa.
KAT STICKLER: Just kidding. I'm just kidding.
MIKE STICKLER: Oh, my God. As long as his name was Michael, and he's famous on TikTok then we can check those boxes.
KAT STICKLER: No, but it was great. I feel so like at peace with you right now. Good boy.
MIKE STICKLER: Oh, good boy.
KAT STICKLER: Hi, guys and welcome. I'm Cat.
MIKE STICKLER: And I'm Mike.
KAT STICKLER: This is HGTV Obsessed. Hi, friends.
MIKE STICKLER: Hey.
KAT STICKLER: No. Hi to the audience. You're my best friend, though. Welcome back to HGTV Obsessed, the podcast for people that eat, breathe, and live HGTV.
MIKE STICKLER: How do you even do that? How do you do that?
KAT STICKLER: I'm a soprano.
MIKE STICKLER: No. Not you. How do you eat, breath, and live HGTV? That sounds crazy.
KAT STICKLER: I thought that was a compliment. I don't know how you do that. You just do it, OK. When you get obsessed with a show you just eat, breathe, and live.
MIKE STICKLER: Just clam it in there, make some room. Go ahead, who are you. Tell the people what they want.
KAT STICKLER: I'm Kat and this is my co-host Mike.
MIKE STICKLER: Co-host? I'm a host host.
KAT STICKLER: The truth comes out.
MIKE STICKLER: And I'm Mike and when we aren't making this podcast we're making videos on the internet about love, being new parents, and a lot of video games.
KAT STICKLER: Yes, only person that has ever mentioned video games as you, babe.
MIKE STICKLER: Well, thank you, thank you.
KAT STICKLER: Thank you. Thanks for being here. Anyways, when I can pull my husband away from COD. It's not a fish. It's not going to give you those omega 3s you're looking for. It's called Call of Duty. We are watching HGTV, or I'm watching it like in the background, and he's like, babe, turn it down, I'm streaming, babe.
MIKE STICKLER: Babe, save the Wi-Fi for me. I need it.
KAT STICKLER: You're getting the Wi-Fi. So today we have a really awesome, guest.
MIKE STICKLER: Super great.
KAT STICKLER: --who's going to-- I just said that, babe. He's going to teach us all about how to become self-made millionaires, and buy a mansion. I mean, why not?
MIKE STICKLER: Wow, there's a show for that?
KAT STICKLER: Yeah it's called Self Made Mansions, and it's hosted by the one and only Clinton Kelly. We literally watched it last night. It was so engaging. We had this homework, quote, unquote. You can't just interview someone without knowing what they're about. So I watched the whole thing, and it was actually really fun, and entertaining, and you hear about all these new inventions I actually have a great invention. My invention is for the ladies.
When you're going home late and you want to take off your makeup, brush your teeth, do all the little night chores you have to do before you go to bed, but you honestly just want to go to bed-- a little kit for the road. We've got makeup wipes in this kit. We've got a portable toothbrush, a little portable flossing kit-- by the time you get home, all you got to do is put on your PJs, or your birthday suit, you know who you are, and get in bed.
MIKE STICKLER: Trademark. Can't seal it, copyright.
KAT STICKLER: No, you can steal it.
MIKE STICKLER: Ours. No.
KAT STICKLER: I would love to buy the kit.
MIKE STICKLER: Wow. You really thought about this, huh?
KAT STICKLER: This was a great idea in my head and then I said it out loud.
MIKE STICKLER: Was this a late night breastfeeding thought here?
KAT STICKLER: Well, that's how I come up with TikToks like at 3:00 AM. By golly, I've got it.
MIKE STICKLER: Anyways, I have no clue why we're sitting here bantering. We literally have an expert on the line, a mansion expert. Why don't we jump in with Clinton?
KAT STICKLER: Yeah. Seriously, let's go talk to Clinton. Come on, you guys. Let's go.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KAT STICKLER: Well, hi, Clinton Kelly. I cannot believe I'm talking to you right now. Welcome. Thank you for being here, and I am very expressive, so I just can't wait to learn all about the show. I watched the pilot and was-- it was just right up our alley.
MIKE STICKLER: Blown away.
KAT STICKLER: It was so good. It had the recipe for a perfect season of just like engaged content and-- so like, for people, though, who don't know-- what is in your words Self Made Mansions about?
CLINTON KELLY: Self Made Mansions is about people who have invented something, or had an idea. Maybe they're entrepreneurs, and they've decided they're going to throw everything they've got into this idea. And they have hit it big because they've worked really hard, and made a lot of gambles that paid off. And now, they're able to buy their dream home. And they call me up and asked if I can help them look at houses, and I give my advice on what you might want to prioritize when it comes to buying a house.
So it's been a blast. I mean, these people are super, super inspiring because can you imagine like saying, I've got an idea for this little plastic thing that helps a guy trim his beard?
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah, right.
CLINTON KELLY: Yeah. And they're like, OK, I'm going to take all my money out of my savings account, and I'm going to make 50,000 of these and I'm going to sell them. You're like, what who would do that?
MIKE STICKLER: That's crazy. It's insane.
KAT STICKLER: I feel like that's kind of like what we--
MIKE STICKLER: It's kind of what we did a little bit, yeah. Like we--
KAT STICKLER: I was like, I want to make it-- I want us to do TikToks, I want to do comedy. Like, let's relate to like young parents because we have a baby. And then we did it. And he quit his job and now we're doing this full time, and it's like just world--
MIKE STICKLER: It's scary, it's scary.
CLINTON KELLY: Oh, I'm sure. Yeah. But you're young. Some of these people are older than you where it's like -- you should be $20 million in retirement.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah, what are you doing? Yeah it's totally eat what you kill. Yeah, so this show-- the show is really about the American dream, which I love, which is super cool. And it's about-- I think it's cool that you can find-- I can go and find the products online right now that you have on the show. What were some of your favorite products that were featured on the show?
CLINTON KELLY: Well, there were some that you recognize from Shark Tank, so there was something called the Cut Buddy, which was a little thing that guys trim their beards. Then there was the Cut Board Pro, which is a cutting board that had like a plastic cup attached to it that you can detach, that would help you like, when you're cutting vegetables you can put your trimmings into it, or--
MIKE STICKLER: Wow.
CLINTON KELLY: The juices would spill into there. So those are both picked up on Shark Tank.
MIKE STICKLER: That's cool.
CLINTON KELLY: And then there was one called Quick Hang, which is-- if you've ever tried to hang curtains, you know that it can be a real pain in the neck. I've actually got into fights over like, [INAUDIBLE] not worth fighting about in life. But so they have this little gadget that helps you hang curtains into the molding of your window. They went on Shark Tank, did not-- there were no bites on that one, but they were like, we still believe in this. We're going to do it anyway. So they did.
So there's stuff like that. Then there's a coffee, kombucha, preschool chain, a hair-- like a blow dry bar for women with textured hair. So it's just so amazing to me. I'm not that guy. I'm not a risk-taker. So some of these people who took risks, I'm like, I don't even-- how does your brain work? I don't know how-- I don't understand your operating system.
KAT STICKLER: I think you kind of are like a self-made entrepreneur, though.
CLINTON KELLY: Yeah, I guess I am really. I mean, nobody gave me anything in my life. I come from a-- my parents are awesome. And they're working class parents and I certainly wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. And made some smartish decisions, I guess, over the course of my life. It worked out.
MIKE STICKLER: That's awesome.
KAT STICKLER: So we may not be on Shark Tank yet, but we like told you we consider ourselves entrepreneurs and we hope to buy our first home, I guess, in 2021.
MIKE STICKLER: We are. We're planning that, yeah.
KAT STICKLER: So we wanted to know if you specifically had any advice for us.
CLINTON KELLY: OK. Well, there's so much I could give you, so much advice. The first thing you think you should think about is budget, obviously. But it's your entrepreneurs-- the tricky thing sometimes is will a bank give you as much money as you want because you're entrepreneurs. Yeah, if you're like an accountant who works in an accounting firm, they'll be like, yeah, you'll probably do that job for the next 30 years. They're going to give you a nice fat mortgage.
If you're like, we do TikTok videos and podcasts, then they'd be like, yeah, OK. So you might have to put down more money. So that's-- I'm certainly not judging you. But I think it's awesome. With the TikTok videos, you could possibly do, make people laugh at my face. But bankers are different people. So think about that, and you might have to put down more money. Then location, the one thing that I discovered with entrepreneurs-- I actually discovered two things about them and location.
First of all, they didn't want to be more than 15 minutes from the office. Like no-- like, 15 minute commute time cut off. I was like, but there's a gorgeous house 45 minutes. It's like a subway ride in New York City. They were like, nope, not going to do it. Because you're constantly thinking about work, so you need to be at the office as quickly as possible to put out fires. So there's that, but then also, these entrepreneurs, they stay in their neighborhoods, basically, or the towns where they made their money.
So they were like, we love this town. We were broke in this town. So we don't want to leave all of our friends who knew us back when we even didn't have a pot to piss in-- excuse my language. So they kind of stayed in that same area. So like find the place that you love because you get a lot of energy from that. If there are people in the town who really inspire you and believe in you, don't move away from them.
MIKE STICKLER: I love that. You can share memories then with those people after you've purchased that dream home and you can actually continue that energy with them.
CLINTON KELLY: That's definitely true. It's like it takes a village in a lot of ways. It's like sometimes you need that emotional support from people, and it's nice to be able to invite them over, to have them over for a drink or a barbecue or something. If you're working as hard as you're working, you want to be able to socialize with the people you love.
KAT STICKLER: OK. So before you go, Clinton. It's time for our-- we have a really favorite segment. It's called defend the trend. And this is where we ask our guests to tackle design trends. And this week is all about big city living. So the big news in 2020 among obviously, a bunch of other things, was people leaving cities in record numbers. So as a New Yorker, do you think big city living is on the decline, or will people always love living in New York?
CLINTON KELLY: I think big city living is on pause. I saw this after 9/11. I've been in New York City now for almost 30 years, but I did get to a point, I think it was 15 years ago, where I was like I can't-- let me tell you about it. This is my own personal theory about New York City, OK, because I've been in it for a long time. So in your 20s and in your 30s you're living in New York, and you just feel the energy of New York City. You can literally feel it coming through the soles of your feet, like 23--
You're like, I'm where all this is right now.
KAT STICKLER: And me too.
CLINTON KELLY: New York. I'm like, you're energized. Like, I'm part of this city. I was brave enough to move here, and I can't even afford the apartment I'm living in, you're like-- and then you hit 40 years old, and the city says to you, we want it all back with interest. And it starts sucking the lifeblood out of you. And then you realize like, I need some fresh air in my life. I need some sky. 15 years ago I got a weekend house in Connecticut, which saved me, which helped me love in New York City even more.
Because sometimes you need a break from it. So I think a lot of people are taking a break from New York City because all of the things that people love about New York have been put on hold. It's like, why do you come to New York City? You come to New York City because it's got like amazing live theater. It's got the best restaurants in the whole world. It's got bars, and clubs, and just people everywhere. And unfortunately, that's been put on pause. So it's all going to come back and therefore, the people are going to come back with it.
MIKE STICKLER: That's awesome. What a good answer.
KAT STICKLER: Let's go to New York. So you have been an amazing, amazing guest, Clinton.
MIKE STICKLER: We appreciate you so much.
KAT STICKLER: I'm still so excited to talk to you.
CLINTON KELLY: Thank you, guys. It's really a pleasure to talk to you. Have me back. Maybe this show will get picked up for another season, we can do this again.
KAT STICKLER: Oh my gosh.
MIKE STICKLER: That's our question. We have one final question.
KAT STICKLER: OK. So we want to know if we can be on season two of Self Made Mansions.
CLINTON KELLY: Are you kidding? I would love that so much. That would be such a blast. That would be such a blast. I would be so happy.
MIKE STICKLER: That would be cool.
CLINTON KELLY: Guys, we will have so much fun looking at houses, you have no idea.
KAT STICKLER: And honestly, I think the show is going to do amazing because I was captivated the whole time, and it was so cool to also have the back story. You're helping creators find the home of their dreams, but you recognize those creators because you've seen Shark Tank or you've bought that product at a store. So it's cool. I was telling everyone it was like-- it's kind of like a movie where the people fall in love, and then the movie ends. But you want to know what happened after, so we're finding out you're the aftermath.
CLINTON KELLY: That is one, can I use that again in like another interview or something because that is so great.
MIKE STICKLER: That is so good.
CLINTON KELLY: You think about that, but that is exactly what it is. It's like--
MIKE STICKLER: You're a freaking genius.
CLINTON KELLY: I think about charging, you're like-- Oh, that's-- good for them. Now you that they're doing well. Now you can see what they bought with the money.
KAT STICKLER: It's so good. I'm really happy for you. I think you're the perfect host for the show.
MIKE STICKLER: Tell us where we can find it.
CLINTON KELLY: OK. So it's on HGTV, as you know. The official premiere is January 8, which is a Friday night at 8:00 PM Eastern.
KAT STICKLER: OK so and your social media, so we can make sure people to follow you.
CLINTON KELLY: Oh, yeah. You can go to my-- so this is what I decided. I was like, Twitter, I'm not into it anymore. Facebook not interested anymore. So I'm just doing Instagram these days, so follow me on Instagram. The handle's @clintonkellyoh. I don't know why I call myself clintonkellyoh. Weird and random. I don't know.
MIKE STICKLER: That's fun.
KAT STICKLER: No, that's so awesome.
MIKE STICKLER: Cool.
KAT STICKLER: We did it.
MIKE STICKLER: We did it.
CLINTON KELLY: We did it.
KAT STICKLER: Awesome call, Clinton.
CLINTON KELLY: Nice work, guys.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MIKE STICKLER: Oh, my gosh. I want to go invent something. My head is spinning right now.
KAT STICKLER: Honestly, that show has me aspiring for us to not only become inventors, but to have a mansion of our own.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. I can have one whole floor for gaming, right?
KAT STICKLER: What would we like want in our--
MIKE STICKLER: I said one whole floor for gaming.
KAT STICKLER: I didn't hear that. So--
MIKE STICKLER: Open your ears a little bit. One whole floor for gaming.
KAT STICKLER: I think, what else could we have in there?
MIKE STICKLER: How about a--
KAT STICKLER: Ice skating rink?
MIKE STICKLER: No.
KAT STICKLER: Movie theater?
MIKE STICKLER: An archery range.
KAT STICKLER: Oh my God. You spit all over my face. Oh my God. So we aren't quite in the mansion level yet, yet. I'm speaking it into existence because it will happen. But we are on HDTV to the rescue time.
MIKE STICKLER: Oh, that's my favorite time.
KAT STICKLER: Oh my God.
MIKE STICKLER: Let's hit it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KAT STICKLER: You know what time it is. To the rescue time. Let's go, rescue.
MIKE STICKLER: They were going to hire a single person and they didn't know that they just needed you.
KAT STICKLER: Man, HGTV, you're welcome. You know where I live. Send a check. OK, so--
MIKE STICKLER: Anyway. So this is one of our favorite segments where you guys submit all your burning home design and DIY questions.
KAT STICKLER: And legit HGTV stars answer them. Like the people you see on the big screen.
MIKE STICKLER: Right.
KAT STICKLER: The ones that you want their autograph.
MIKE STICKLER: Right.
KAT STICKLER: You want them to sign body parts.
MIKE STICKLER: Like what? A nose?
KAT STICKLER: A nose. That's what I was thinking, yeah.
MIKE STICKLER: Today, we have a Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent answering a question that might be relevant to our lives, Kat.
KAT STICKLER: OK. This is actually really, really relevant. Marianne said, your kids Poppy and Oscar are so cute. As someone with small children, how do you manage all of the kids stuff? These bright plastic toys bring them a lot of joy, but they really don't go with my style. Please, I beg you. Share your secrets. That's a freaking awesome question. I feel that. That's great. That's actually a great question because you can't see this right now, but I am staring at a kitty, hot pink bicycle, basketball--
MIKE STICKLER: It's a wall of toys.
KAT STICKLER: It's a wall of toys.
MIKE STICKLER: Literally.
KAT STICKLER: We used to buy toys for the baby that were gray, so that they would look better in our home. And then we realized it was impossible to keep up.
MIKE STICKLER: She started getting a little sad.
KAT STICKLER: She was like-- her mood started changing. No but this is actually a great question. Take it away you guys. Enlighten us with how we can actually build this aesthetic to work in our favor.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
NATE BERKUS: So let me start because when we first had Poppy, and thank you very much, we tried the whole like wood toy route. Like they were going to do natural things and everything is going to be sort of neutral. And then I think the first time Poppy had a play date or music class and she saw that like that kid had like bright plastic pink haired creatures and all this stuff it was over. So really now-- I mean, our priorities in life are people, pets, and then things.
We would never not let our kids live with what brings them joy because it didn't work with our design style, but containment has been really helpful. Like everything goes in the basket. We have the children pick up after themselves and throw all their stuffies and stuff into a pretty basket in the corner. Jeremiah bought bins that I labeled because I'm a crazy Virgo and nothing makes me happier than a label maker, so we do our best, but we live with a lot of junk. And the art hasn't started yet, which, by the way, will explode through the entire house.
JEREMIAH BRENT: I think my biggest tip when it comes to navigating children's things and my biggest lesson that I've learned is giving them a space that is theirs. There's a lot of people, friends of mine who their kids' stuff is everywhere and the kids have no respect for the home because their things are everywhere. With our kids, they have a designated area that's their stuff. That's where their stuff stays. Yes, they can bring it out when they play with it, but they put it back there.
And it's funny even in our house here, that's where they want to be in that area. And once they have this spot that's really theirs and they have ownership of that area I think it goes a long way.
NATE BERKUS: And it could be a corner of a room. It doesn't-- we're not talking about Willy Wonka.
JEREMIAH BRENT: We're not talking about a wing.
NATE BERKUS: Yeah, no. I mean, sometimes it's just a little corner where we have bins for their stuff and they know it goes back there and behind the sofa, that's where we keep toys sometimes. But good luck. I'm probably stepping on a little LEGO piece right now.
JEREMIAH BRENT: No, you're not. Nobody believes that.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KAT STICKLER: I actually felt good that we're not the only ones to try to buy our kids boring toys that were cute looking, for reals.
MIKE STICKLER: Seriously. And on I mean, the-- yeah. Sorry.
KAT STICKLER: I really love what you had to say about that, babe. Thanks for putting in your two cents. All right.
MIKE STICKLER: But seriously though, like the toys can legit take over our house. I've probably stepped on 100 toys in the dark fumbling around.
KAT STICKLER: Well, they had a really cool idea to hide them away, so I love that. I think you have to do that whenever you have kids or if you're really into your dog. You got a lot of dog toys. OK. So that's it. That was an awesome episode and seriously, how great was Clinton Kelly? I mean, what a guy. What a freaking man.
MIKE STICKLER: I can't believe we even got to interview him.
KAT STICKLER: Because when you meet people you're like, what are they going to think of me? Can he see that I'm sweating?
MIKE STICKLER: He smelled it through the computer.
KAT STICKLER: I'm such a lady.
MIKE STICKLER: Big thanks to Clinton Kelly and definitely check out his show, Self Made Mansions on HGTV. And guys, you know the drill. Please subscribe to HGTV Obsessed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and really, anywhere where you consume your podcasts.
KAT STICKLER: And now, this would really mean the world right here. If not only you subscribed, you took the time to rate and review.
MIKE STICKLER: That's right. Rate it and review it. It really helps people find us, lets us know if we're doing a great job, and--
KAT STICKLER: It gives us the guidance that we need. Let's you know what you guys want to hear, so we make sure that we're catering to the audience in the best way. Also you're probably wondering where can I find these two amazing hosts? Can I also have dinner with them, I would love to your house afterward.
MIKE STICKLER: As long as you're paying.
KAT STICKLER: As long as I'm not cooking because I suck. I even burned my waffles.
MIKE STICKLER: So where can they find us?
KAT STICKLER: TikTok, Mike and Kat.
MIKE STICKLER: Right.
KAT STICKLER: And Instagram, Kat Stickler, but you can also type in Mike and Kat will pop up.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. Or you can find me, stikks.
KAT STICKLER: Yeah but--
MIKE STICKLER: Two ks, two underscores.
KAT STICKLER: Anyways. On our YouTube you can find Mike and Kat as well, which is us and we will see you guys next Thursday.
MIKE STICKLER: See you next Thursday.
KAT STICKLER: Goodbye.
MIKE STICKLER: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MIKE STICKLER: There goes the wine.
KAT STICKLER: down the hatch.
MIKE STICKLER: Down The hatch.
KAT STICKLER: On to that second glass.
MIKE STICKLER: We're just fueled on adrenaline on these days, guys.
KAT STICKLER: Rise and wine, baby. That's the magic sauce.
MIKE STICKLER: That's a t-shirt.