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Sherry Holmes from 'Holmes Family Rescue' shared her experience being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Plus what it's like to work with her brother and father.

Published on January 8, 2022

Super contractor Mike Holmes from HGTV‘s Holmes Family Rescue taught his son and his daughter well, setting them both up to be experts in the home repair and renovation field.

But daughter Sherry said being a woman in a male-dominated industry wasn’t as easy. She recently reflected on finding her voice, admitting her journey into an industry that typically celebrates men hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

Sherry Holmes from ‘Holmes Family Rescue’ was nervous during her first job

Sherry told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she had a bumpy entrance into the family business. “I think it’s amazing to be able to do it,” she said about being a woman in the construction and renovation industry. “But before I started, I felt intimidated to go to a job site that had all men.”

“My first job, I was 21 years old and we built a home from the ground up in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina,” she recalled. “And I don’t think I could have been more nervous. I didn’t want to look like that girl who didn’t know what she’s doing, someone who didn’t belong there. And I think I earned a lot of respect by saying, ‘Hey, I don’t know but I want to learn. I want to work hard.'”

She felt the need to go the extra mile because she is a woman

Sherry was determined to go the extra mile on every job. “I did my job regardless of what that would be,” she said. “I’d be the person first back from break, I’d be the first one in there asking you what I can do next. How can I do this better?”

“And I love it,” she said. “I didn’t expect to be put in that kind of role model position, but I love encouraging more women to get involved with that because, in the beginning, I think a lot of women are nervous about it. It doesn’t necessarily feel like a career we could fall into, but women can do anything they want to do. So it’s a really cool feeling at the end of the day and say, ‘Hey, I did that and you thought I couldn’t.'”

She also reflected on what it’s like to work with her father and brother. “It doesn’t come without its challenges, there’s always something, but I think communication is key and who is better at communicating with someone at work than someone you’re related to because really we can be as honest with each other,” she said.

What’s it like working with your family on ‘Holmes Family Rescue’?

But working with family can also be a little more real than working with regular co-workers. “Also hurtful I think sometimes,” Sherry laughed about being on Holmes Family Rescue.

“But we’re able to explain how we feel better and do a better job for it,” she emphasized. “And then we can go home and you have no choice but to get over whatever issue you’re having on-site. And it is nice because if I do go on the site and I am cranky or I’m stressed out or I’m just tired, chances are someone’s going to make me laugh because I laugh at almost everything. It’s nice because we get to be in a better mood all the time. You’re having a great day and then you come home and you’re in a better place for it.”

Mike Holmes also shared what it is like working with his children. “At the beginning, it was hard because I was trying to teach them,” he said. “So I guess I was being a bit of a bear saying, ‘You’re doing this wrong let me explain why.’ You tell your kids they are doing something wrong. They don’t like you. But then you see them getting excited about learning different things and getting very good at it.”

A new season of Holmes Family Rescue currently airs on HGTV.

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