What Cindy Stumpo Has Been Doing Since She Left HGTV

Entrepreneur and residential contractor Cindy Stumpo entered the public eye in 2010 thanks to her HGTV reality show "Tough as Nails" (not to be confused with the ongoing CBS competition series of the same name). "Tough as Nails" only lasted one season at HGTV, but Stumpo herself has certainly kept busy over the decade and a half since her show last graced the airwaves.

As Forbes explained in 2012, Stumpo remains one of the most successful contractors in Massachusetts — and has gained recognition for the luxury homes she builds, including multiple "Builder of the Year" awards. "The homes I build are not trendy," Stumpo said at the time. "They are classic and timeless, yet up to the moment in technology."

In 2013, Stumpo offered some insight as to why she left HGTV behind so quickly. She told The Boston Globe that while she planned to keep depicting her work in the media, "Tough as Nails" was too heavily dramatized for her liking, and she wanted to do something a bit more straightforward. She got her wish around 2017, when she began hosting "Cindy Stumpo is Tough As Nails" on iHeartRadio. The podcast is still updating weekly.

All the while, Stumpo has continued her homebuilding work in Massachusetts. A recent profile by Newsweek credits her with helping to turn Boston into a place where the rich and famous go to settle down — particularly high-profile athletes and venture capitalists.

As the outlet explains, Stumpo's clients include former professional basketball player Kemba Walker, current pro basketball player Al Horford (of the Boston Celtics), and professional football player Stephon Gilmore (of the Minnesota Vikings). "It's not just about building houses," Stumpo said, "it's about crafting dreams for clients who expect the very best."

According to Newsweek, there's even talk of Stumpo potentially returning to the world of television — more than a decade after "Tough as Nails" ended at HGTV. More specifically, there appear to be tentative plans for a series focusing on Stumpo's nearly four-decade-long career in real estate. "If going Hollywood helps spread that vision, then I'm all in," Stumpo said.