What really happens when you commit to a minimalist lifestyle? Matt Paxton has a uniquely interesting minimalist lifestyle with his wife and 7 children. Matt uses his fantastic storytelling skills to talk about the effects of minimalism on a family, how to continue being minimalist, and the effects of minimalism on the rest of your life.

I found out about this week’s guest because she released a hilarious music video about romance in the tiny house loft, inspired by her own tiny house. Annie Corbett is a musician and in this conversation, she tells me how going tiny affected her music, what makes her tiny house unique, and how five years of tiny living have been for her.

Why would an entrepreneur who has raised millions of dollars through crowdfunding live in a van? Vanlife doesn’t seem common amongst the startup and tech crowd, yet Rob Rast is living this alternative lifestyle while successfully running his e-mobility business. In this interview, we cover how living in the van brings Rob closer to his work with electronic bikes and skateboards, plus how those devices can get you around in an eco-friendly way.

There are some great tiny house builders out there, but there are also some unscrupulous builders who are cutting corners and putting the tiny house dwellers that buy from them in potentially unsafe situations. Jenifer Levini goes in depth about what the codes and certifications mean, why they are important, and how you can determine whether a house was built to these standards.

What is sustainability? Amanda Gunawan is an architect who is dedicated to sustainable development, inspired by Japanese culture. In this episode, Amanda tells us about her perspective on sustainability and how architects can build spaces that last through their design choices. Although she does not design tiny homes, there is a lot of crossover in ideas with the tiny house movement that we can learn from and incorporate into tiny house design.

How does a tiny home community builder get good-quality tiny homes quickly? Abby Shank is solving that problem by partnering with other companies, essentially becoming a tiny house builder who doesn’t build all of the houses herself! We discuss the evolution of Tiny Estates from a community of vacation homes to permanent residences and all of the work that that shift entails, plus her new business model.

You may have seen Macy Miller hinting about something a few weeks ago. The time has finally come for me to be able to share that with everyone! Even though tiny house festivals are starting up again, I thought it would be great to put on an online event that anyone worldwide can attend without having to travel. It’s called the Tiny House Summit and it’s a completely free 3-day online event. In this excerpt from the Summit, Macy shares why tiny houses are important and I thought it was too good not to share with the podcast audience. If you’re feeling unsure about your choice to go tiny, this interview will help you feel more confident and be a better advocate for yourself and your own lifestyle. You can see the lineup and register for the Summit at tinyhousesummit.co.

This is a great real conversation about what it’s like living tiny. Megan Lockhart doesn’t try to hide the things that are struggles for her and her family and she’s also great about advocating for the benefits of tiny living. We talk about the pros and cons, trials and tribulations, and the immense benefit Megan feels she and her family get from the tiny house lifestyle. Stick around after the credits to hear a bonus session where Megan shares how her builder forgot to install the furnace in her tiny house and how it wreaked havoc in their first winter!

This has to be the most unique tiny house living situation I’ve ever seen! Sarah, Brandon, and their dog Iko live in a 225-square-foot tiny home that floats on a lake in The Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. They live fully off-grid with no cell service and they are only accessible by boat. In this conversation, Sarah and Brandon graciously and openly share why and how they live this way, plus how much it costs and some of the unique challenges that present when you live on a lake in a temperate rainforest.

We’re changing it up a little bit this week! Lucy Lich interviewed me on her podcast, Tiny House Conversations. We had an in-depth conversation about some of the most important decisions you need to make to plan and build a tiny house successfully. We also talked through my best-selling resource, Tiny House Decisions. Lucy is a great interviewer and it was a pleasure to be on her show!