Mikel Welch moved to New York City with $500 in his pocket and a Craigslist ad. Now he's an Emmy winner, the lead designer on The Drew Barrymore Show, and the author of The Forever Home. In this episode, Angie sits down with Mikel to talk about design decisions that cost you money, the ones that set you free, and why your forever home might already be the house you're in.

Here's what we discuss with Mikel:

• Permanent vs. changeable decisions — and the rule that applies to everything that requires a contractor

• Why your countertops and floors need to be classics — and what to do with your trendy impulses instead

• The forever home philosophy: why forever isn't about the house, it's about right now • How to give a room a refresh without touching anything structural

• Where to splurge and where to hunt — and why wood furniture will always be king • The $10,000 question: where Mikel says to spend it and where he says absolutely not

• The designer trick Mikel uses to solve any renovation problem — without leaving your zip code

• Why word art is the design trend you will definitely regret

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Ready to find the right contractor before your next project?

• Connect: https://www.angi.com/own-it-with-angie-hicks-podcast/

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The dream home used to be about impressing your neighbors. Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt say that's over. The HGTV builders and designers behind hundreds of homes across Florida are seeing something different now — homeowners who want a space that works for the life they're actually living, not the one they're performing. In this episode, Angie sits down with Brian and Mika to talk about what home design looks like in 2026, how to build for multiple generations under one roof, and the budget line item that always runs out of money first.

Here's what we discuss with Brian and Mika:

• How the definition of a dream home has completely changed — and what it means for how you build or renovate
• Why the formal dining room is disappearing and what's replacing it
• How to design for three generations under one roof without losing privacy
• What to build now so you don't have to retrofit later — wider doorways, main-floor bedrooms, and more
• Why landscaping always runs out of money last — and why it should come first
• The biggest budget mistake homeowners make before a renovation even starts
• What Brian and Mika learned building their own home that they couldn't have learned any other way

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Ready to find the right contractor before your next project?

Connect: https://www.angi.com/own-it-with-angie-hicks-podcast/

Visit https://www.angi.com/ to connect with top-rated pros in your area.

Financial independence got left out of the conversation for women — and Farnoosh Torabi has spent her career putting it back in. In this episode, Angie sits down with the personal finance journalist, author, and host of So Money to talk about money, homeownership, and what it actually means to be a co-pilot in your own financial life — not a passenger.

Here's what we discuss with Farnoosh:

• Why financial independence got left out of the conversation for women — and what that costs them

• What to do if your partner handles the finances and you've let it stay that way

• The three financial checkpoints to hit before you buy a home • Why your primary residence isn't really an investment — and what that means for how you think about it

• The "dying with zero" concept and why more families are rethinking generational wealth

• What owning it actually means — not just your house, but your whole financial life

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Ready to find the right contractor before your next project?

Connect: https://www.angi.com/own-it-with-angie-hicks-podcast/

Visit https://www.angi.com/ to connect with top-rated pros in your area.