Speakers

2023 Georgia Tiny Home Festival Speakers

Update (May 29, 2023): Tiny living enthusiasts from around the world came out for a weekend of INSPIRATION and INSIGHT with the INCREDIBLE line-up of SPEAKERS who  PRESENTED and SHARED during the 2023 Georgia Tiny Home Festival.  Please come back and check this page out as we add the 2023 lineup of speakers for the 2023 Georgia Tiny House Festival. (This page is currently displaying last year’s speakers.)

2022 GA Speakers:

Melanie Copeland

Day/Time TBA

Melanie is the National Spokesperson for the Tiny House Alliance USA. She is an advocate for legal tiny living and a supporter of ASTM standards for tiny houses. After building her 144 Sq ft. tiny house on wheels in 7 days she went from living illegally to being a legal tiny house on wheels land owner. She recently published a book, Trailblazing Tiny: A Guide to Breaking Free, to help others track and create their own tiny dream. She is a DIY builder, a writer, speaker, homesteader, and runs her own wood burning business. In her spare time, she backpacks, travels, hikes and enjoys her home and land with her husband of 21+ years, along with their dog Shiloh, and her many chickens!

2022 GA Speaker:

Brenda Parmelee

Day/Time TBA

Brenda Parmelee of SmallerLivingHugeLife is a Smaller Living Advocate, Public Speaker, Best Selling Author, and Downsizing Consultant. She downsized from 3100sqft to 310sqft in 31days to her mostly off-grid converted motor-coach 5+ years ago. Brenda knows regardless of the size of your home, “You also can Create Your Clutter Free Home Oasis!” She has been there, done it, talks it, lives it… and now shares with you how to do it too. According to Brenda, “While you have to do the work, it helps to have a friend and a community to come along side you to encourage you as you take the next right steps. I’m excited to be that friend!”

John is the co-founder, along with his wife Fin, and the Chairman of the United Tiny House Association.  John and Fin are two of the truest examples of the tiny house movement… living full-time for 10+ years in their DIY, off-grid 304sqft Beloved Cabin and the owners of their 16-acre Beloved Cabin Tiny House Homestead & Stay.  They also own the World-famous towable Tiny Firehouse – Station No. 9, a second towable tiny house they call “Rocco”, two yurts, a skoolie, two Pacific Domes geodesic dome homes, and they are currently building a tree house with a grain silo.  John is a known DIY and re-purposing expert, and is an off-grid specialist.  He is also a tiny house and affordable housing advocate, and has been invited to speak at colleges and events around the Country, as well as with local state and Federal governments… including HUD in Washington DC… on the subjects of affordable housing solutions.  John and Fin have been featured on HGTV, The DIY Network, Apartment Therapy, Hobby Farms, TODAY, JEOPARDY!, The Rachel Ray Show, AOL, Yahoo, and MANY other media outlets around the World… plus, he and his wife, Fin, just wrapped filming for a new tiny lifestyle television series to debut Summer 2022.

Robin Butler is the CEO of NOAH, a third-party inspection & certification company. He is co-chair of an ICC (International Code Council) subgroup working to recognize Best Practices and Innovation in Code Administration. He has presented to hundreds of Tiny Houser’s and has always proven to be informative & enlightening.

2022 GA Speaker:

Erick & Krystle Lopez

Day/Time TBA

Erick & Krystle Lopez are the owners of Studio Express.  In 2021, they blew to the nomad and tiny living scene away with their amazing conversions and bus exterior paintings.  They are nationally-recognized bus/van conversion specialists, RV renovators, artists, travelers, & people encouragers. As they put it, “We were created to create!” You can check them out on Instagram at @Lopez_AroundTheWorld!

2022 GA Speaker:

Yvan Lacroix

Day/Time TBA

Yvan describes himself as… “An old guy who enjoys building buses, living in them, and traveling full time with the love of his life.”  We describe him as… “An amazing bus conversion expert, nomad & traveler, public speaker, and someone with a really cool mustache!” Be sure to check out Yvan and his wife’s adventures and travels on YouTube at LacroixCruiser!

Ron Burger, owner of Safe Haven RV Park (akak – Tiny House Macon) in Macon, GA, which is 42 acres of country right in the city, will sharing more on his Big Plans for his Tiny Community… and the new planned purposeful development ahead, as well as permaculture, community gardens, club house, fishing pond, and more… all designed with tiny homes in mind!

John and Fin are the Founders of the United Tiny House Association, which is the largest tiny lifestyle advocacy organization in the World with over 48K+ members.   They are the organizers of their 25 for-charity tiny house festivals, including the 2022 Georgia Tiny Home Festival, which have raised and donated over $731K+ to over 100+ charities & great causes.  They own 3 tiny houses (including the World famous Tiny Firehouse – Station No. 9), 2 yurts, 2 geodesic dome homes, a skoolie, multiple cabins and a tree house on their 16-acre Beloved Cabin Tiny House Homestead & Stay. They and their tiny home creations have been featured on HGTV, the DIY Network, GAC, TODAY, The Rachael Ray Show, Apple TV+, AOL’s “Dream Big-Live Small“, JEOPARDY!, Airbnb Stories, and numerous other media outlets around the World… plus, they just wrapped filming for a new television series to debut Summer 2022 on one of the top 20 television networks! John & Fin have been living 10+ years in their Off-Grid DIY 304sqft tiny cabin, and are DIY & Re-purposing Experts, FREE Off-Grid Consultants, Philanthropists, Full-Time Tiny Lifestyle Advocates, Public Speakers; and the authors of “Tiny Talks: Communicating BIG with Love & Laughter”.