Ben and Erin Napier star in three successful HGTV shows, run several businesses and have authored books, so you’d think the couple would need elaborate long-term plans to keep all the balls in the air.
Not exactly.
The Napiers were guests on Kate Bowler’s “Everything Happens” podcast, where they told the host that they just don’t make plans any more.
“I don’t make plans anymore because every plan we ever made fell apart and what happened was a lot better than that,” Erin told Kate.
“That’s not to say we don’t have wishes,” Ben added. “But [we focus on] what we’re working on…let’s do our very best at these things [we’re committed to] and if that opens the door to something else, great; if it doesn’t that’s where we are. We do the best [we] can and don’t worry about it.”
Life Has Not Gone According to Plan for Erin & Ben Napier
In the podcast, Erin and Ben described how differently life has gone than they expected.
“The American dream was waiting for us at home where we could literally buy the house of our dreams for $145,000 and then we fixed it up the way we wanted it and we documented it in my little online journal, I guess, blog… [and] someone saw that and reached out about us doing a show,” Erin told podcaster Kate Bowler.“It was not our plan, and it was not expected. I don’t know, it’s the weirdest thing in the world.”
Weird, but good. “Every day at lunch we come home and eat with the girls, and we see them at least once or twice between 8 and 5,” Erin has said. “It’s a very strange career we found ourselves in, and we want the girls to be a part of our life in every way.”
Plans No, Faith Yes for Erin & Ben Napier
While they may have stopped making plans, Erin and Ben Napier have kept their lives and the lives of their two daughters Helen (7) and Mae (4) firmly rooted in faith.
Ben Napier told Guideposts, “For us, none of this would have happened without our faith. I’m sure a lot of people would say that, but for us, it was literally not something that we were seeking out. TV was never even an idea for us.”
“It was kind of like we were stepping into something totally unknown simply by saying, ‘Yes, OK, God, we’re going to let You take this and if it works, great, and if it don’t, we know You’ll take care of us.’ For me and for Erin, too, we both rely on our parents a lot for advice. And when you are from South Mississippi and you start talking about having a national TV show on HGTV, that doesn’t really happen,” he continued.
Erin & Ben Look at Current Fame as Temporary
Ben & Erin Napier also keep perspective on their current fame.
“If you never think of yourself as famous, nothing changes,” Erin told People. “Making the show is a really fun job and we’re lucky. We’ve been amazed by all of it. But when there is no show and no one cares who we are anymore, all we have left is us as a family. So staying healthy and happy is our number one priority. Everything else has to come behind that.”
HGTV is Bringing ‘Home Town Takeover’ to Canada
Erin and Ben Napier’s plates just continue to get fuller. The Napiers just put up a post on Instagram saying they’re bringing “Home Town Takeover” to Canada. In the video, Erin says, “That’s so exciting because small towns in Canada are going to be inspired to have a bright new future. And who knows what town’s going to get chosen?”
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Why Erin & Ben Napier ‘Don’t Make Plans’