She Built Her Own Tiny Home and Discovered She Could Do Anything
Alex is the founder of Tierra Sagrada, a “maker” who built her own tiny cabin from the ground up, and a living reminder that you can learn hard things even when you feel stuck.In this conversation, Alex shares the real path from living in an $800 camper with a leaking roof, to teaching at a design-build school, to building her cabin with salvaged materials, and finally turning that journey into a nonprofit focused on empowerment through carpentry, ecological education, and community stewardship.We talk about what it feels like to start with zero confidence, why the “maker mindset” changes everything, how community shows up when you take the first step, and what Alex would tell anyone who’s overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. If you’ve ever wondered “Is it possible to live the life I actually want?”, this one’s for you.Show notesAlex shares how a tough season living in an $800 camper in Austin became the turning point that changed her identity. With no prior building background, she taught herself repairs through “YouTube University,” fixed leaks, set up basic systems, and built her first rough table. That small win became the spark that made her feel capable, and that feeling changed everything.From there, Alex describes leveling up through weekend workshops, a furniture-making training, and a job in a furniture shop during COVID that gave her real hands-on experience. That path led to Yestermorrow, where she served as a teaching assistant in intense design-build programs, including turning a shipping container into a home on a tight timeline.After Yestermorrow, the idea of building her own home would not leave her. She started her cabin build with almost no money, working landscaping during the day and building at night. She stayed scrappy with salvaged materials, community support, and steady persistence. The cabin is filled with meaning, including a stained-glass window tied to her family history and a kitchen table from her childhood home.The conversation shifts into Alex’s nonprofit, Tierra Sagrada, and its mission: empowerment through carpentry and agricultural education, paired with community stewardship projects. She shares early wins like building a community pergola, a shed-building class that helped people realize “if you can build a shed, you can build a house,” and the deeper purpose behind it all: investing in people, investing in place, and helping communities become somewhere people want to live.Alex also talks about what’s next, including a collaborative community design event for a food forest that brings together local leaders, students, and residents to co-design an edible landscape, then plant it.The episode closes with Alex’s straight-shooting advice: get honest with yourself, stop waiting for permission, build a vision, and take the next small step.Topics in this episode- The maker mindset and how it reshapes confidence- Learning skills from scratch and building momentum through action- Tiny cabin build: timeline, setbacks, salvaged materials, and lessons learned- Teaching at Yestermorrow and the intensity of design-build programs- Starting a nonprofit and building community through stewardship projects- Food forest planning and collaborative design as a community tool- What to do when you feel stuck and overwhelmedLinksTierra Sagrada School: https://www.tierrasagradaschool.org/copy-of-about-usCall to actionIf this episode sparked something for you, check out Tierra Sagrada and follow Alex’s work. And if you’re listening from far away, steal the blueprint: learn one skill, build something small, and let it be the first step toward something bigger.
