When Mina Starsiak took in her sister’s 2-year-old daughter Julie, the Good Bones star had no idea how much it would impact her.
“I think everyone likes me better now that I had Julie, my ‘Juju Bean,’ ” the HGTV star tells PEOPLE. “I can be somewhat cold, but when you have a kid, you just can’t be.”
Starsiak and her husband, Stephen Hawk, made the decision to care for her niece last August after Starsiak’s younger sister Jessica went through a difficult time.
“Julie lived with us for about nine months while my sister figured out her stuff,” says Starsiak. “Now she’s back with her and she seems to be doing well so it’s really good.”
Watch People Features: Good Bones’ Mother-Daughter Duo, available now, on PeopleTV. Go to PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite mobile or connected TV device.
The experience inspired the reality star to start thinking about starting her own family. “When I was younger I wanted six kids, but I think we’d be good with two,” she says.
For more from the Good Bones stars, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.
“It was very unexpected but once we figured it out, it was really, really awesome. I’m glad we got to be there for her when she needed some help.”
Good Bones airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.