The “Rambling Redhead” is back. Jenn Todryk once again brings the trademark high-energy fun and relatability to season 3 of No Demo Reno.
The popular HGTV series has been in many ways an offshoot of her “Rambling Redhead” blog. It’s where the happily married mom of three opens up her life while providing insight and recommendations on shopping for those favorite things, home decor, and activity ideas for kids.
On No Demo Reno, the renovation expert, designer, and social media creator works with her clients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to transform existing home spaces that are functional and stylish. Ahead of the premiere, Todryk tells us about the challenges she faced this season, her health battle, and what she does away from the screen.
You have a unique way of making even what could be the most arduous task seem fun. How would you say this season compares to the others?
Jenn Todryk: It can be very stressful at times, especially anything in construction these days in Texas where it’s booming and crazy. The experience has been wild. It has been fun and always evolving. I know season 3 is definitely different from season 1, all in great and positive ways. Not only are my designs constantly changing as a designer as trends come and go but also the show in general. The tonality of it is different from season 1. I became an executive producer in season 2 and was for season 3 as well. I had the ability to change the tone a little bit and evolve the show into something that was more authentic to myself and my personality. I think it’s the best part of the changes we’ve made.
You mentioned a trend. What overall trends have you noticed with your clients?
The designs this season are definitely much moodier. My clients this season were really fearless and wanted bold choices and weren’t afraid of color. There are emerald green tiles going into the shower. I have wood features that are stained dark. There are darker shades. It’s more moodier with an organic modern vibe. A little bit more of a bold statement you could say.
How has it been involving the kids in the process?
It’s super fun to have the family involved. Though at the end of the day, this is my thing, so if my kids don’t want to film or want to be a normal kid after school and watch TV rather than talk on a mic and be part of something I’m filming, then I never make them film. They can choose every single time. My older two love it. They are like, “Put the cameras on me.” They enjoy it. My four-year-old is a little more shy, so she is in the season a little less than in previous seasons. HGTV is also a great network as far as wholesome content. Nobody is looking for bad drama or kids breaking down. Nobody is getting exploited. I do love that because it makes it really enjoyable and a really good experience.
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What are some of the biggest challenges you face this season?
The biggest and hardest part about this is money does not stretch as far as it did when I started the journey. I started this in 2019, remodeling for people. It is drastically different to the point where I can’t get anything for the fraction of what I paid my contractors in the first season. I’m really having to get crafty and creative, trying to find discounts and sell homeowner items for more money.
One of my takeaways from the show is the idea of selling items, especially things you probably would have not thought twice about throwing away. But as you’ve shown, that could bring in some extra funds that can go right into the project.
I use Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and any kind of online seller, that’s what I use. Not everything gets sold, unfortunately. There is also a time constraint where I need the money now. I’m only in these homes for eight to nine weeks, where they need to be sold pretty quickly. In one of my projects, I sold some things and got over $2,000 for all their stuff. That got me two nice light fixtures I wasn’t planning on having. It was definitely a huge win for sure.
On top of helping others, you and your husband Mike are also opening and renovating a local brewery. What can you tell us about that?
We own a coffee shop called Armor Coffee Co. in Allen, Texas. My husband now has decided to take on this passion project. We are actually distributing our craft beer as well. Making beer, distributing beer. This is a brewery for the community to gather. We wanted it to be fun enough on the outside on the weekends where people can bring their kids in a gated area while the parents can sit out and enjoy. Inside it’s nice enough to hopefully be good for celebrations like anniversaries, and birthdays. It’s a very nice brewery. I designed it and didn’t want it to feel like a typical brewery off a dirt road gathering just for men. I wanted it to be a nice restaurant. That’s what we did. It will be open at the end of the month to the public. We have the tail-end of the journey this season making final decisions and renovations a little bit of it in the last few episodes
With everything you have going on, what do you do to decompress? How do you find the work-life balance?
I’m really good at binge-watching television series with my husband Mike. We stay up a little too late doing that. We watched Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, all streaming and whatever is popular. We just watched Painkiller. That was good but sad. Other than that I have a great support system. I have help to get me through it. Don’t’ know if anyone does a great job with work-life balance, but I definitely put hard boundaries in place and stick to those. It creates some harmony. With three kids, we’re outnumbered. So, Mike and I divide and conquer.
HGTV
You’ve been so open about your struggles with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disorder. What kind of response have you gotten from those who might feel they were going it alone before you?
I get a lot of messages saying, “If you can do this, I can do this too. Thank you for saying you had a bad day or that you’re tired.” A message I received was from saying they thought they were suffering from depression when in actuality it was severe hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s. I think it’s a silent epidemic situation. I think there are a lot of women sitting with hormonal issues who don’t even know it and are being misdiagnosed. So any time I can talk about it, I do just to spread awareness.
Is there anyone you found inspiration from just as you are for other people?
I really love learning about Lucille Ball. I loved her as a kid because she was funny and acted like me. I saw myself in her, more so as an adult, and learning about her as a businesswoman and career. From getting labeled as hard to work with, she is actually really smart. She was really inspiring and showed that just because you’re doing something you love doesn’t mean it’s super easy. There is something inspirational there for sure.
What are you most excited about people seeing this season?
I’m really excited about the finale episode, which I know is 12 weeks away when it starts. Having clients that are so expressive whenever they see their home. I get a handful of those each season with really big personalities. The finale episode is just that. They are lovely people. We filmed the reveal on the last day of filming. I’m excited for the sweet ending to the season for sure. Happy tears and thankfulness.
No Demo Reno premiere, September 14, 9/8c, HGTV
