Podcast · Arts & Books

Cabin Culture

by Janice Smith · English · Arts & Books

Janice, cabin owner and AirBNB Superhost for 9+ years, speaks with cabin lovers, dwellers, builders, designers, and creators in the cabin community to find out what drives their passion for adventure, escape and sense of place.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 55 min
Latest: 3 Dec 2025
Language: English

Latest episode

3 Dec 2025 · 30 min

Our 1031 Exchange Journey l Janice Smith, Cozy Rock Cabin

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...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

19 Nov 2025 · 1 hr
The Art of the Pivot l Camp Hansel
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 ...
12 Nov 2025 · 33 min
Renovate vs. Build l Janice Smith, Cozy Rock Cabin
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 ...
5 Nov 2025 · 53 min
From Emmy Awards to Cabin Cookbooks l Stephanie Hansen
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...
29 Oct 2025 · 45 min
The Real Estate Cowboy l Spencer Wood
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...
22 Oct 2025 · 1 hr
Branding As Vibe Creation l The Olive Jar
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...
15 Oct 2025 · 58 min
Decision Fatigue and Budget Overruns l Hyggeland Cabin
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...
9 Oct 2025 · 52 min
Conservation Through Hospitality l Looking Glass Lodge
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 ...
1 Oct 2025 · 51 min
Soulful Spaces | Jessie Lane Interiors
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...
24 Sep 2025 · 44 min
The Social Media Pivot | Taylor Hildreth
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...
17 Sep 2025 · 55 min
Mobile Cabin Adventures | Jack Steward, Tiny Cabin Life
Emmy award-winning host Jack Stewart spent seven years bringing national parks to television through ABC's "Rock the Park" and now creates adventure content on his YouTube channel "Tiny Cabin Life." After losing his father to cancer, Jack transitioned from corporate TV to independent content creation, discovering that cabin content resonated more with audiences than traditional adventure vlogs. Jack has built six different cabins, including portable versions on wheels that range from a seven-...
10 Sep 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
Hand Built Heritage | Mary Bauer, Mountainaire
Mary Bauer built a luxury baby furniture empire (Brat Decor) that furnished celebrity nurseries for Jennifer Lopez, the Kardashians, and Alec Baldwin. When her husband's cancer diagnosis forced them to downsize their business, they transformed their handbuilt West Virginia cabin into a premium rental—pricing it 4-5x higher than local competition and succeeding. Mary's unexpected journey includes a 20-year obsession with George Washington that led to Martha Washington reenacting and designing ...
3 Sep 2025 · 55 min
Building For Connection | Dale Mulfinger, 'Cabinologist'
Today we're welcoming Dale Mulfinger, an architect and self-proclaimed "cabinologist" who literally wrote the book on what makes a cabin a cabin. Dale has spent over three decades designing cabins across the upper Midwest, taught university courses on cabin architecture, and authored multiple books including "Cabinology" and "The Family Cabin." His research began when a client asked him to design a cabin and he realized he didn't actually know what distinguished a cabin from a house—so he sen...
31 Jul 2025 · 47 min
Boring Is My Kryptonite | Kara O'Brien, Alpaca Treehouse
Today we talked with Kara from the legendary Alpaca Treehouse in Atlanta, Georgia—a property so unique that it might literally be the only one of its kind in the world. What started with gateway livestock chickens and a treehouse built for wine nights with friends has evolved into something that defies categorization: a bamboo jungle sanctuary in the middle of the city, complete with rescued llamas, alpacas, and guanacos, where dying children find comfort and grieving parents practice yoga. ...
23 Jul 2025 · 25 min
Cabin Updates | Janice Smith, Cozy Rock Cabin
Back with our SECOND ever solo episode, that I am still very much anxious about. Am I oversharing? Should I wait until things are finalized? Am I not sharing enough? Are my thoughts unorganized and slightly chaotic? Who knows. But here we are! Instagram: @cozyrockcabin Cozy Rock Cabin: https://staycozycabin.holidayfuture.com/listings/311027 Cozy Camp Sebec: https://staycozycabin.holidayfuture.com/listings/311051 Cozy Rock Website: http://www.staycozycabin.com YouTube Channel: https://ww...
16 Jul 2025 · 59 min
The Art of Tending | Kathleen Duich, Vermont Retreat
Today we're speaking with Kathleen, a writer and single mother who transformed six acres of Vermont farmland into something much more profound than a business strategy. What began as a practical solution—making the land pay for itself after moving from affluent Marin County to rural Vermont—has evolved into a masterclass in heart-centered hospitality and the radical act of leading with generosity of spirit. From the community barn raising that erected her yurt to the profound connections she'...
9 Jul 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Secret Amenities & Strategic Markets | Chase Charifa, Lightfoot Cabin
Today we're speaking with Chase, who has taken the concept of rapid scaling to a whole new level. In just five years, he's gone from buying his first cabin in Running Springs, California, to owning eight properties across multiple states—all while maintaining a full-time career as a loan officer and raising a family. What started as a weekend retreat they could barely use because it kept getting booked has evolved into a sophisticated development and investment strategy that includes land hac...
2 Jul 2025 · 59 min
Systems, S'mores & Sustainable Hosting | Steph Gutierrez, North Country Cabin Co.
Today I'm chatting with Steph, the force behind North Country Cabin Co., who has been building a Wisconsin lake cabin empire for over a decade. What started as a corporate escape plan and a podcast-inspired lightbulb moment has evolved into four distinctive lake properties and a completely reimagined life centered around what truly fills her up. From drilling wells that cost double the estimate to managing hot tub maintenance across multiple properties, Steph shares the unglamorous realities ...
25 Jun 2025 · 36 min
Unicorn, Work Horse, Donkey: How to Differentiate Your Property
I am excited to launch a new format for some of our podcast episodes! I'm calling these 'Anchor Episodes', and they're just me 😬They'll be a bit shorter, and will be a deep dive of some of the ideas/thoughts/concepts that I reference regularly (but briefly) during our interviews with guests. My hope is it will provide some helpful content for regular listeners, as well as a way to share in the future on episodes where we mention these. This episode is all about the 'Unicorn, Work Horse ...
18 Jun 2025 · 59 min
From Loss to Light | Mia Holland, Three Sisters Farm Maine
Today I'm speaking with Mia, a clinical psychologist who transformed childhood memories of a Maine dairy farm into a healing refuge for her family after profound loss. When Mia and her husband lost their six-and-a-half-year-old daughter Eloise, they discovered that all the therapeutic tools in the world couldn't shield them from devastation—but they could find solace in returning to the place where Mia felt most herself as a child. Three Sisters Farm isn't just a 1850s rambling farmhouse on e...
4 Jun 2025 · 1 hr
Beyond the Build | Maura Gianobile, The Everwoods
Today we're welcoming Maura, an interior designer who created the Everwoods brand in Ohio's stunning Hocking Hills region. Drawing inspiration from childhood summers at a Wyoming dude ranch, Maura and her husband Tony have built four distinctive cabins that showcase the evolution from rustic log cabins to modern mountain retreats in this hidden Midwest gem. What started as a dream to escape corporate America has become a lesson in brand building, strategic partnerships, and navigating the com...
28 May 2025 · 55 min
From Cockpit to Cabin | Mitch, Beaver Creek A-Frame
Today we're welcoming Mitch, a commercial pilot who turned 90 acres of Maine forest into something truly unique in the short-term rental world: a fly-in cabin experience complete with its own FAA-registered runway. What started as a practical solution for getting his family from Pennsylvania to their beloved Maine quickly evolved into a destination that's capturing the imagination of pilots and non-pilots alike. From the initial market research in pilot Facebook groups to the "silverware stag...
21 May 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
The Cutest Little Inn in Maine | Rick & Charles, The Hideaway Inn
Today is a special episode, as it’s only the second one ever recorded IN PERSON. Rick and Charles are the charming inn keepers at The Hideaway Inn in Camden, Maine. We got to visit during our last trip to Maine, and it did NOT disappoint. After falling in love with New England during their first visit in 2021, this couple made the bold decision to leave their corporate careers on the West Coast and purchase a historic inn in a town they'd only visited a handful of times. What started as...
14 May 2025 · 53 min
Fire, Faith & Perseverance | Inna Fomina, Riverside Retreat PNW
Today we're welcoming Ina, a 25-year-old chemist and Airbnb host whose riverside cabin in Concrete, Washington offers breathtaking views of the North Cascades. While many episodes focus on the joys of cabin ownership, today's conversation tackles a scenario that keeps many hosts awake at night: what happens when disaster strikes? Ina shares her harrowing experience of receiving a call that her cabin was on fire after guests checked out without extinguishing candles, and the subsequent seven-m...
7 May 2025 · 49 min
Framing the Cabin Dream | Dirt & Glass, Chris & Pam
This episode is from our very first month of the podcast, back in 2023, where we talked with Chris & Pam (the famous Dirt & Glass) about everything from how they got their start (hint: a hike, heartbreak, and an off-grid cabin in New York) to what makes a cabin photo truly stand out. They share insights on the evolution of cabin culture online, the behind-the-scenes process of working with cabin owners, and their deep commitment to not just aesthetics—but to curation, integrity, and c...
30 Apr 2025 · 58 min
The Art of Breaking Rules | Kitty Costello, Crooked Cape
Today we're joined by Kitty Costello, a design enthusiast and short-term rental consultant who brings a refreshingly authentic approach to creating spaces that tell a story. After relocating from Silicon Valley to Maine's magical mid-coast in 2022, Kitty has embraced the local culture and channeled her natural design instincts into helping vacation rental owners transform ordinary spaces into memorable experiences. We'll explore how Kitty and her business partner Jen are reimagining the Airbn...
23 Apr 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Intentional Hospitality at 8,000 Feet | Rocky & Gianni Donati, The Forgotten Cabins
Today we're joined by an amazing couple who embody what it means to create intentional spaces in the mountains of Utah. With over 11 years of hosting experience, they've transformed a treehouse and a 1970s hand-built cabin into magical retreats that offer more than just beautiful design—they create experiences that hold space for life's tender moments. We'll explore how they discovered these unique properties just steps from their own A-frame home, their philosophy of preservation over new co...
16 Apr 2025 · 52 min
From Classroom to Cabin | Laura Tarlo, Juniper Hill Cabin
Today we're welcoming Laura, a high school principal and passionate cabin owner in the Adirondack Mountains, who brings a uniquely educational perspective to the cabin ownership experience. From her beginnings as a home design blogger to managing two cabins while balancing a demanding career in education, Laura shares valuable insights on finding escape and renewal in mountain retreats. We'll explore how she transformed a "630 square foot ski chalet box" into a cozy getaway, navigated the une...
2 Apr 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
The Real Estate Perspective | Kendra, Almanor A-Frame
Today we're welcoming Kendra, a real estate agent and A-frame cabin owner in Lake Almanor, California, who brings a uniquely practical perspective to the world of cabin ownership. From her family's deep roots in real estate investment to managing her own A-frame in an HOA-controlled community, Kendra shares valuable insights on the financial realities of cabin ownership in today's market. We'll explore how she transformed her three-level A-frame with strategic renovations, discovered her unex...
27 Mar 2025 · 58 min
Embracing Seasonality | Lynn Makela, Fresh Coast Cabins
Today we're welcoming Lynn from Fresh Coast Cabins, whose journey from digital marketing executive to cabin entrepreneur offers a refreshing perspective on placemaking in the wilderness of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. From renovating a single rustic cabin to developing a collection of lakeside retreats, a public sauna, and now even a bar and event space, Lynn shares how her passion for creating meaningful experiences has evolved into a thriving ecosystem of hospitality ventures. We'll explo...

About Cabin Culture

Cabin Culture is a English arts & books podcast from Janice Smith. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Janice Smith
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 55 min
Latest episode: 3 Dec 2025
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1662381288

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