Mina AF Podcast: A Celebrity You Can Connect With

Let's begin with a healthy dose of skepticism. Mina AF podcast is simply another celebrity podcast. It's like a hundred other celebrity podcasts. The format and tone are the same, just the name has changed.

That skeptical reaction is true for most celebrity podcasts. Happily for me and listeners, it's not at all accurate for the Mina AF podcast. 

Mina is Mina Starsiak Hawk from her HGTV show Good Bones. If you don't follow HGTV, the show follows revitalization specialists who turn rundown homes into stunning remodels. In this case, it's mother/daughter duo Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak transforming properties in and around their hometown of Indianapolis. Laine's legal background and Starsiak Hawk's real estate knowledge helped them to secure diamonds in the rough, and then they hire out demo and construction duties -- or get help from family -- to get the houses done on time and on budget.

The show recently ended after eight years on the air. Starsiak Hawk began her podcast, Mina AF, in December 2022.  Since the trailer debuted, Starsiak Hawk has been consistent and reliable, releasing an episode every week throughout 2023.

Here's what Starsiak Hawk wants listeners to know about her podcast. 

"What’s one thing you've always wanted to ask but didn’t know how? What’s something you’ve always wanted to say out loud, but were scared to? We're gonna talk about it! Mina is ready to share her story and delve into others.  Mina is asking the uncomfortable questions, talking about the things we're embarrassed to feel or think, challenging societal norms and doing it all without judgment."

Mina Starsiak Hawk is the co-founder and owner of Two Chicks and a Hammer and retail store Two Chicks District Co. She stars in HGTV's shows Good Bones and Good Bones: Risky Business, and has appeared on Rock the Block, A Very Brady Renovation, and Battle on the Beach.

So what's different or special about Mina AF? First, Starsiak Hawk delivers on the same warm and inviting persona that she revealed for years on HGTV's Good Bones. She's not a Gwyneth Paltrow, who whines without a sense of irony that her celebrity life is so difficult. Starsiak Hawk is down-to-earth, earnest, and sincere. 

Second, Starsiak Hawk is an excellent interviewer. She listens well, asks solid initial questions and can follow up effectively. One of her best episodes and interviews was July 3rd with Money Pit podcast co-host and interior designer Leslie Segrete. They relived interior design challenges on TV and swapped lively, gossipy stories.

Mina Starsiak Hawk has opened up about her mental health battle and how her recent experience changing her medication affected her sex life and caused her to have “little brain seizures.” 

In numerous episodes, she has discussed her early and adult family life. A mother divorced three times, a child custody battle, family rivalries, and makeups and breakups. Like so many, Starsiak Hawk's life has been like the teacup ride with its constant swirls, turns, and spins. 

One of Starsiak Hawk's best qualities that makes her relatable to listeners is that she does not castigate everyone else and absolve herself. She heaps blame on herself for life issues, and talks lovingly of family members. So her tale is not a celebrity sob story. It's real life, where everyone is both a villain and hero at times. 

One of her best episodes about her life is called "My Mental Health Journey," released on September 25th. In the episode, she speaks frankly about her antidepressant medication, her therapy, and therapists.

 “I was on Wellbutrin and Lexapro for the longest time. I was like, 'This is great, this is the perfect combination for me. It keeps me myself, but just not as high level anxiety,'” she said. “I physically manifest my anxiety. My jaw locks up, I clench my fists, I get nauseous because my stomach is clenched. So, the addition of the Lexapro was really helpful for me to just make all the feelings still there, but the unproductive anxiety part of the feeling kind of much more manageable.”

However, she admitted that it began to affect her sex life with her husband, Steve Hawk, as some of the medication’s less common side effects include decreased sexual desire, ability, drive, and performance.

She slowly started to wean herself off of Lexapro earlier in 2023. When she came to her therapist with the decision, the therapist suggested taking an anti-anxiety drug, Latuda, before gradually reducing her 10-milligram dosage of Lexapro every 10 days. Her anxiety felt manageable when she stopped taking it for two weeks. However, she then began to have physical symptoms.

“At the time, I said it felt like I was putting my tongue on a D battery inside my brain. It was like these zaps, but they were like misfires. It felt like my brain was having these little zappy seizures all the time, all day, and this had been going on for a month, along with lethargy and nausea.”

 In the August 28th episode, Starsiak Hawk said she’s “not on good terms” with her mom Karen Laine and her brother Tad Starsiak.

While she didn’t elaborate on a possible cause for the friction, she noted, “No one’s punching the other person in the face by any means.” Instead, Starsiak Hawk shared, “We all just exist because it’s what makes my dad happy. And that’s that’s fine. That’s been fine for a long time. It’s fine for a lot of families. I just don’t think it’s fine anymore.”

She also mentioned how it affected their time on their show, Good Bones.

One example, Starsiak Hawk gave, is a “knockdown drag-out fight during demo” with her mom in the season premiere. “I was like, ‘I wonder if anyone’s going to be able to tell,’” she mused. “And of course, you can’t because that’s the idea. People…that’s not why they’re tuning in to watch Good Bones. That’s not what they want.” 

Other episodes that excel are the recent October 2 one of breast implant health issues, and the April 10th episode called "Being A Woman in Construction." 

Check out the Mina AF podcast with Mina Starsiak Hawk. For listeners searching for someone to connect with, and discuss their common issues in everyday life, Mina Starsiak Hawk is the ideal sounding board. She's been through what you've been through...and she can help.