Every Wednesday morning, three unlikely friends commute to downtown Portland to record the Tiny House Podcast. In true Portland fashion, Perry pedals in on his bicycle; Michelle stops by with her coffee in hand on her way to work, and Mark’s beard arrives before he does. The first few hours of their collective day begins with a chat about the guest-of-the-week, 45 minutes of recording, and then concludes with a brief what’s-next discussion.
My name is Michelle, and I am the very proud hostess of the Tiny House Podcast, and this is our story…
I met Mark Grimes several years ago during a funding competition. I was representing my little startup company and hoping to capture the attention of investors. After my speech, Mark introduced himself and offered his time and resources and contacts within the vibrant startup community in Portland. Needless to say I was more than grateful and our connection grew as we bumped into each other at various events throughout the city.
Mark Grimes, our Glue Guy
Mark is a fan of all things trendy, and unique, and quirky, and odd, and seeks out opportunities where ever they present themselves. Even if it means doing things he’s never done before and meeting people he’s never met before. That’s what I love about him the most. He almost always finds a way to say “yes” and he will say “yes” to finding time to connect with me during his very busy weeks; even if only 15 minutes’ worth.
During one of these 15 minutes touch-base-sessions, after not having seen each other for a few months, we were somewhat surprised to discover that we had a common interest in tiny houses. He and his business partner, Perry, were exploring the notion of a tiny house community of converted shipping containers. Then, their research led them to consider tiny houses on wheels.
Mark’s and my conversation regarding a podcast went something like this:
Mark: “So. This Tiny House thing is pretty cool. Would you be interested in hosting a podcast?
Me: “Sure. But I don’t know anything about podcasting.”
Mark: “We’ll figure out the hard parts, you just have to talk.”
Me: “Deal.”
Mark: “OK, let’s sit down with Perry and brain storm some ideas. Next week good for you?”
The following week all three of us met at Nedspace, Mark’s downtown incubator for creative minds. It was my first opportunity to meet Perry. We brainstormed the concept that we envisioned for our podcast and the words “irreverent”, “fun”, “funny”, and “informative” came up often. We knew we didn’t want to be boring or too politically correct. We came up with a list of creative questions, and people in the tiny house community we wanted to interview. We talked about the kinds of subjects and people outside the tiny house community that our listeners would relate to and enjoy. We agreed on a timeline, synced our schedules, and then met a couple of weeks later for our first recording session.
To say that we threw caution to the wind and mutually agreed to “throw shit at the wall and see if it stuck” would be a true understatement. Mark is our glue person (the guy who holds it all together) I am the hostess and keep close tabs on all things tiny, and Perry is the recording technology guru.
Perry Gruber, Mister Technology
Perry, is also the most socially responsible one amongst us. His passion for sailing and his lifelong goal of finally living on a sail boat is what drew him to the tiny house movement. His proclivity towards tiny spaces, his interest in all things unique and small, and his avid pursuit of a sustainable economy makes him the perfect third leg on our little stool of Portland weirdness. He is an artist, and an entrepreneur, and a true innovator who seeks to transform societal norms. And nowhere is that more evident than on his website; Copiosis.com. As in his daily life, he also has very high standards for the podcast. But, he is also patient enough to set them aside and allows me to be my zany, rude, and sometimes awkward self. If you’re cringing while I am excitedly interrupting someone, yet again. So is he.
So, who am I?
Just little, 'ole, me.....
First off, I was raised in a family with 13 siblings. Competing for attention, talking loud and over other conversations, was a required skill set and one that I learned very early in life. Then, I discovered much later in life that interrupting is NOT skill set that is actually considered to be a social asset. Since early habits die hard, it remains my nemesis. So, now you all know why I am what I am. As embarrassing as that is. I’m working on it.
But enough about my need for therapy…..
I am a single mom, first and foremost. I have two college aged children who still live at home but someday they will fly the nest and I will live in my recently completed tiny house named “My Empty Nest”. By day, I spend my employer’s money working as a Buyer, and by night I do more than most people can imagine will fit into a single lifetime. I am a patented inventor, entrepreneur, published author, public speaker, Glamper, craigslist stalker, foodie, blogger, coffee enthusiast, wine drinker, tiny house designer/builder, and lover of an amazing guy named Mark. (Not the podcast one, another one) People often ask me if I ever sleep and I have to admit that I sleep more than most. I am VERY grumpy if I get anything less than 8 hours of solid sleep and I fervently protect my downtime.
If you’ve listened to one of our podcasts, you know that the dynamic between Mark, Perry, and myself is pretty comfortable and I personally consider that to be one of our best assets. We laugh, we have good days and bad, eat breakfast during the show, drink our coffee, make fun of each other, confess our desires, share our lives, and enthusiastically try to produce an entertaining and valuable addition to your day.
Want our recipe?
Take three creative and fun people, put them in a tiny padded room, add a dose of common interest, throw in a recording device that works (Thank you, Perry!) sprinkle in some super informative and funny guests, and BAM!......out comes the tiny house podcast.
If you have NOT listened to our podcast, then you totally should. But, of course you knew I’d say this.
We interview VERY cool people in the tiny house community, movers and shakers on the forefront of socially responsible living, and creative types who will hopefully rule the world someday.
Seriously. What are you waiting for? Like……go listen…… Right now.
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