Kim Ceurstemont always knew she wanted to be a mother. In her late 30s and still single, she opted to become pregnant through a donor. She planned to raise her son on her own, but wanted her child to know who their father was. So she chose a donor willing to share his identity. His name was Guilherme Figueiredo. Gui and his boyfriend, Jeremy, had never discussed children, but both were supportive of Kim’s journey to motherhood. What began as an act of kindness between strangers evolved into a nontraditional family happily living under one roof.

As a teenager, Ling Pai had barely settled into her new home, in a new country, when she learned she was losing her sight. She’d been diagnosed with dominant optic atrophy, a degenerative condition with no cure or treatment. Her vision would continue to get worse with every passing year, until she was effectively blind. For years Ling resisted – even outright ignored – the implications of her diagnosis. She refused to ask anyone for help, and stubbornly pursued perfection with everything she did. A crisis in her 20s – when she found herself alone at home, far from friends and family – forced her to confront and accept her condition. It liberated her to take on new challenges, ones that required her to ask others for help. Challenges like downhill skiing. And competitive surfing. Adventures that brought new waves of friends, family, and more places to call home.

At one time, Robert and Dareda owned seven homes – including a massive lakefront property and a 50-acre farm. And then it all came crashing down. But that didn’t quite spell the end of their opulent lifestyle – or at least not the appearance of it. For the next decade, the couple occupied dozens of extravagant houses – none of which belonged to them. In exchange for living on the cheap in luxury homes for sale, they had to agree to keep them absolutely pristine and ready to show at a moment’s notice.

Jazzmyn Cramer and Chris Phillips arrived in the desert outside of Chama, New Mexico, with plans to build a home and live a self-sustaining life together. But in a flash, a tragic accident changed everything. Suddenly, Jazzmyn found herself alone, broke, and in a town where she knew no one. She turned to the one thing that always consoled and steadied her through challenging moments: baking. And that gave rise to an idea she hoped might help her move on – by staying put and opening the Wilder Bakeshop.

Brandon Smith was raised by a family of public servants, but he felt like he was more of a public nuisance. A couple of wrong turns after college landed him in prison. While languishing in his cell, lost and unclear on what path to take next, a prison counselor offered him an opportunity: volunteer for Fire Camp, and help California tame its wildfires. The idea of fighting wildfires terrified him – but it also sparked hope. If he could just survive the program, it might lead him out of the wilderness. And help him find out where he belonged.

As kids, Esther Boyd and Teresa Moon spent hours playing alongside – and sometimes on top of – the 6-foot-tall, half-mile-long wall that cut through their Detroit neighborhood. But the wall’s intended purpose was much darker. It was built to segregate their Black neighborhood from the white families on the other side. The Birwood Wall had one job to do, but history suggests it failed spectacularly. Instead, the surrounding community has committed to redefine the legacy of the Birwood Wall and use it to celebrate the resilience of Black American culture.

Stephanie Foo returns with six new stories of people who redefine the meaning of home in ways that may just change your own definition. Two Detroit women work to reclaim a historic landmark built by hate and fear. A prisoner finds purpose and belonging fighting California wildfires. A woman transcends tragedy and builds a bakery in a town of strangers. A single mom adopts a new way of living and invites her donor and his partner to move in with her. A couple lose their fortune and end up living in staged houses that they don’t own and could never buy. These stories and more on Home. Made. season three. Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

Back in our “Is There A Doctor In The Dollhouse?” episode, we met Kwandaa Roberts, a doctor who went viral on Instagram after renovating her daughter’s dollhouse. Now, we dive deeper into the impact that reality TV and social media have had on Kwandaa, interior design, and how we all see ourselves in our homes. Fashion journalist Liz Segran talks Queer Eye, This Old House, Instagram and more. To learn more about the podcast, go to: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

In this episode, we have another spooky story to share. We talk to Victor Castro, a paranormal investigator, about the two ghosts he encounters in his home. He also provides some expert insight into Steve and Krista’s ghostly encounters from our “My Roommate, The Ghost” episode. To learn more about the podcast, go to: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

Shana Turner was struck by lightning and survived, miraculously unharmed – or so everyone thought. In the years following her lightning strike, she began to experience some serious physical and mental side effects and struggled to cope. To make matters worse, some of her family and friends refused to believe anything was even wrong with her. Desperate to return to the life she led before, Shana sets out to learn how to deal with life after lightning. For more on the episode, visit: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-9 Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

Growing up in the church, there were a lot of things Mattie Murrey was told she couldn’t do. But she was a rebel – and a daredevil, too. Mattie raced motorcycles all over rural Minnesota when she was young. As she got older, however, her religious community told her it was not acceptable. She had to stop. So, Mattie traded her favorite pastime for the life her community wanted for her: that of a doting mother and wife. That is, until a crisis of faith turned her life upside down – and Mattie found herself questioning the road she’d set out on. For more on the episode, visit https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-8 Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

When Shannon King’s marriage ended abruptly, she realized that somewhere along the way, she had forgotten her #1 priority: herself. She’d stopped doing the things she loved and lost her sense of self in a relationship that wasn’t working. Unsure of what else to do when everything fell apart, Shannon decided to make a change. For more on the episode, visit: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-7 Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906. She vowed to leave everything behind and go on a journey with the goal of coming back a different, more confident person. And she wanted to do it all alone, on a horse in the desert. For more on the episode, visit: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-7

Two people find a sense of belonging through a shared hobby: sewing. First, a woman named Rona battles overwhelming social anxiety both inside and out of her home. After a particularly difficult episode, she receives an old sewing machine and decides to start trying to stitch her life back together. For more on the episode, visit: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-6 Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906. Then, we hear the story of Jean, a seamstress who played an important role in one of America’s defining moments: the Apollo 11 space mission. After the famed lunar landing, demand for spacesuits was down, leaving Jean in search of her next big project. She finds an unexpected new mission, this time down here on Earth. For more on the episode, visit: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-6

Two people learn to love their new homes. First, a young girl arrives in Los Angeles from war-torn Iran with her family, seeking refuge. Her life is quickly turned upside down when the LA riots tear through the city where she was supposed to be safe. As she struggles to cope with the unrest of the riots, she finds comfort in one of LA’s most influential bands: the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In our second story, an older man gives up on love until a chance encounter with a journalist reconnects him with an old flame from his past. To pursue his second chance at finding love, however, he has to choose between his sunny life in Los Angeles and a move across the country to a brand-new city. For more on the episode, visit: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-5 Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

When Michael Atkins’s daughter was born, he vowed to support his family and be the father he didn’t have growing up. This meant swallowing his pride and taking a school custodian job, when what he really wanted to do was to be a teacher’s aide. When Michael finally gets the chance to go from the janitor’s closet to the principal’s office and pursue his dream of supporting the youth in his community, he makes another vow: to be present for his students. Michael works tirelessly to take care of his students – but runs into trouble when he finds himself forced to choose between the vow he made to his family and the vow he made to his job. For more on the episode, visit https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-4 Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

Ismael Chamu says he was homeless before he was even born. His whole life, he and his family were constantly moving from town to town, living out of garages and vans. Ismael even wound up homeless while attending an elite college – until his story went viral, and he and his family found permanent housing for the first time. But a whole new set of challenges arise when they realize they have no idea how to live in a real home. For more on the episode, go to: https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/podcast-season-2-episode-3 Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

Kenny Phillips once had it all. He held a prestigious, high-paying job as personal chef to baseball’s top player, Alex Rodriguez, and owned homes in Manhattan, Dallas and Miami. He rubbed shoulders with celebrities of all kinds – until a bad divorce meant he had to leave his luxurious lifestyle behind and move somewhere a little more humble: a trailer park. But that’s when this chef received an opportunity to serve people in a completely different and unexpected way – as their mayor.

Quiana Dishface knew that going to high school off the Navajo Nation was her best shot at going to college to play basketball. On the reservation, where they played fast paced rez ball, she was a star player. At her new school, however, she faced racism both on and off the court – and she had to adapt to a new, more traditional style of basketball that clashed with some of her rez ball strengths. Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906. But everything changed when her team was down one point near the end of a game, and her coach made the call: “give the ball to Q.”

Rocket Mortgage is an Equal housing lender licensed in all 50 states. NMLSconsumeraccess.org #3030 Stephanie Foo returns with a second season of 10 brand-new episodes. Follow along as Stephanie explores the meaning of home with people from across the country. Like the Native girl who takes her basketball skills off the Navajo Nation; the personal chef to baseball’s top player, who finds himself the mayor of a city of mobile homes; the young refugee who learns to love LA thanks to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; and the homeless family struggling to settle in after they find housing and more in season 2 of Home. Made. Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.

After he returned from war, his PTSD almost killed him. But then, Army Ranger Jon Jackson discovered a form of therapy that saved him: farming. Rocket Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in all 50 states. NMLSConsumerAccess.org #3030. (833) 326-6028. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906.