Iana Sundari Malcolm is an inspiring guest who has been living and traveling in a Skoolie with her husband John since 2019. All the while she has been documenting her travels and experiences with racism across the country on her blog. I asked Iana to come on the show to tell us about these experiences and to learn how we can all do better to make tiny house living safe for black people and people of color.
In This Episode:
From plans to move to Italy to a houseboat to a skoolie: Iana and John's journey
Some of the modifications that sets Eula Mae apart from other skoolies
How their bus and their dog both got their names
Living in a “social distancing mobile” made living through a pandemic a little easier
At 27 Iana lost her mother to Breast Cancer and at 31 years old, her father to Brain Cancer. After their death, and her years as their Caregiver, Iana decided to leave a successful career in Public Relations and follow her passion for all things Wellness.
She has since traveled the world teaching Hatha Yoga, Yoga for the Special Child, Prenatal Yoga, Post Labor Yoga, Yoga for Cancer, Yoga for Grief, Yoga Nidra and Meditation. She is an ERYT-500 level teacher and a Yoga Teacher Trainer.
Outside of Yoga, Iana is a birth and death Doula who believes that the transitions of life deserve humor, unwavering support, and grace. Iana works as a Community Manager for The Dinner Party, a non-profit organization dedicated to those in their 20’s and 30’s who have suffered significant loss. She is the founder of Bliss Out Retreats, a company that creates immersive ultra inclusive getaways throughout the world.
Currently, Iana, John, and their dog Ana-Mae are traveling around the United States and Canada, in a converted School Bus named Eula Mae, learning all they can about this country, the people, and now how RACE relations are playing out state by state.
Have you been working on planning or building your tiny house and feel like you want to connect with other people, get your questions answered, and just support each other on the way? Tiny House Engage is the community for you. Tiny House Engage brings together tiny house hopefuls and DIYers to share plans and resources, learn from each other’s challenges and mistakes, and celebrate our successes so that we can feel less alone while we build faster, safer, smarter, cheaper homes and embrace the tiny house lifestyle. Whether you’re a tiny house dreamer who is still figuring out all the systems, plans, and everything you need to go into your tiny house, or if you’re actively building, Tiny House Engage has the resources for you. There are professional contractors in the community here to answer your questions about plumbing, electricity, and ventilation, and there’s also plenty of interaction between members. If you need some encouragement or just need to know how someone else solved a problem, you’ll get those answers in Tiny House Engage. I’m also very active in the community, answering questions and keeping an eye on things, so if you want to interact with me, this is a great place to do it. To learn more and register for tiny house engage, go to thetinyhouse.net/engage. Registration is open through Friday, July 24th, or until we get 20 members – whichever comes first! I can’t wait to meet you in Tiny House Engage and I know you’ll love your new tiny house community.
More Photos:
Ana-Mae
John in the driver's seat
Removing the seats also removed a lot of weight
The bus before they started remodeling
Iana and John raised the roof 14 inches
They had to use a crane to get the roof raised
Mapping out the floor
The raised floor will allow the Malcolms to sink a bathtub in their bathroom and houses water storage!
