Today's episode is admittedly unsexy—but it's one of those things I wish someone had explained to me in plain language before I needed it. We're talking about 1031 exchanges, which you've probably heard of if you own investment property, but might not fully understand unless you're an accountant or deeply embedded in real estate. This is for the rest of us—the cabin owners who've never sold a property before but are considering it, or anyone who wants to understand their options when it comes...

Today we're welcoming Diana Pasquali, who started hosting on Airbnb in the very early days—back when you literally rented an air mattress in your San Francisco apartment. What began as shared-space hosting evolved into Rockridge Casita, a stunning 300-square-foot converted garage that became one of the OG tiny spaces showcasing beautiful design for short-term rentals. Featured in Sunset Magazine in 2017, the backyard ADU made back its entire investment in just one year. But this conversation ...

Today's episode is a solo deep dive into one of the biggest decisions you'll face on your cabin journey: should you renovate an existing property or build from scratch? This question came up recently when one of my best friends started asking about investing in a second property, and I realized how many of you might be wrestling with this same choice right now. While I love interviewing other folks in the cabin world, I'm finding that these focused solo episodes help those of you looking for ...

Today we're welcoming Stephanie Hansen, a four-time Emmy Award-winning television host, longtime radio personality, and author of "The True North Cabin Cookbook" volumes one and two. But what makes Stephanie's story particularly compelling for our cabin community is her raw honesty about what cabin ownership really means—including the moment she admits that the family's island cabin in Ely, Minnesota is what kept her in her marriage during the hardest years. "I would always think in the depth...

Today we're welcoming Spencer Wood, known as the Real Estate Cowboy, who's calling in from inside his geodesic dome in Kingfield, Maine. Spencer has been living in a camper on his 10-acre property for nearly four years while building this unique structure—and he's still mid-build, which makes this conversation particularly valuable. While most guests come on after their projects are complete with polished success stories, Spencer shares the raw reality of being in the thick of it, wrestling w...

Today we're welcoming Dawn from The Olive Jar, an experiential marketing studio specializing in vacation rental design and guest experiences. Dawn's path to this work is unconventional—she started in film advertising writing movie trailers, moved into documentary filmmaking with brands, and then spent years producing immersive culinary experiences before COVID shut down her entire industry. When short-term rentals exploded during the pandemic, she discovered that creating intimate experiences...

Today we're welcoming Sarah and Matt from Hyggeland Cabin in upstate New York, who built their own cabin from the ground up—a decision born from a COVID-era road trip and a serendipitous introduction to Den Outdoors cabin plans. What makes their story particularly compelling is they started dating in May 2020, bought land together on their one-year anniversary, and spent the next two years building a cabin while navigating a brand new relationship. Sarah grew up in a handy New Hampshire house...

Today we're welcoming Rick and Lindsay from the south coast of the UK, who created Looking Glass Lodge—a stunning example of how cabin culture translates across different countries and landscapes. What makes their story particularly compelling is that they didn't set out to become cabin hosts at all. When Rick's father retired from managing a nature reserve, Rick and Lindsay inherited a piece of woodland that had been lovingly cultivated over thirty years, and they faced a choice: how do you ...

Today we're welcoming Jessie Lane, an interior designer based in Los Angeles who created what might be the most unique cabin interior I've ever seen. During the pandemic, Jessie and her husband purchased a log cabin in North Carolina sight unseen—a decision that launched a three-year design journey that would challenge everything you think you know about cabin interiors. Jessie describes herself as someone who loves novelty and wants spaces to transport people, which explains why her approach...

On today’s episode we're doing something a little different—this is less traditional cabin content and more behind-the-scenes business and social media strategy. But, if you’re anything like me, who is currently facing social media dilemmas as we expand our to a new property, then this might be just what you need to hear. In this episode I’m chatting with Taylor Hildreth, a social media expert who documented her A-frame cabin build from foundation to launch, growing from zero to 30,000 follow...