Could An Audiology Clinic Fit Inside A Tiny House?

A sleepless night turned into a blueprint for change. After catching a segment on Tiny House Nation, we asked a simple question with a complicated answer: could a true audiology clinic fit inside a tiny house and travel safely, complete with a legitimate sound booth and patient-ready workflow? What followed was a pursuit of access, a debt-free crowdfunding effort built on trust, and a design sprint that tested faith, engineering, and grit.

We open up about why Dr. Carla Smiley, audiologist, chose a tiny house over RVs, school buses, or trailers and how that choice raised the bar for acoustics, power management, and weight distribution. You’ll hear how she mapped airflow for a sealed booth, planned for vibration and road wear, and balanced patient comfort with strict clinical standards. When her first builder walked away, the project could have stalled. Instead, it forced better questions, a new builder in another state, and a commitment to quality that shaped every cut, cavity, and cable run.

Along the way, we share the crowdfunding approach that kept the project debt-free: a focused list, a clear value story drawn from successful dental models, and an invitation for the community to invest in mobile hearing care. Without a deep peer network in audiology at the time, we sought lessons from adjacent mobile clinics and let purpose do the heavy lifting during quiet months. The payoff arrived the day the clinic rolled into view and the mood boards became cabinetry, the plans became latches, and the dream became a place where people can hear their lives more clearly.

If you’re a clinician, founder, or maker weighing an idea no one’s tried yet, this story offers a practical path and a nudge to trust your why. Press play, subscribe for more conversations at the edge of care delivery, and leave a review with the bold problem you’re solving next.

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Transcript

Sleepless Spark And Vision

Dr. Carla Smiley 0:00

I remember one night I couldn't sleep because I'm like, what am I gonna do? In a couple weeks, we're going back, I'm not happy, I can't quit my job. And so I turned on the television, and Tiny House Nation was on. And the episode was little John was building a rap studio on foundation in a tiny house format that was a replica of his house. And they panned in and I saw this booth that looked like an audiology sound booth. It literally just grabbed me. What if I could build something mobile like this? And so I started researching, thinking certainly this had been done before, you know, I don't have to reinvent the wheel. And it was empty. I couldn't find anything. And so that's when I realized you're going to have to be the blueprint for this, and you're gonna have to figure it out. And I just did not release that dream until it became a reality. But that's the moment where it's like, okay, I thought about other bills that were easier schoolies, RVs, all these different things, even haulers. But I'm like, you have to do something different.

Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS 1:20

Thank you for sharing that story because there's more to it, though. So you dared to be different. You thought haulers, you thought all of these other possible prototypes. What was the next step? Because you had told me that you crowdfunded, which is very, very challenging to do. Because oftentimes, you know, when with a crowdfunding opportunity, when businesses launch a crowdfund, it can either do well or it might not gain any traction. So, what were the steps to gain traction there? How did you make it happen? Bring us through the crowdfund and then actually building this tiny house.

Faith-Led Crowdfunding Plan

From Backers To Blueprint

Dr. Carla Smiley 2:00

Okay, so again, it's just a thought at this point, right? So I watched this video, I'm writing notes attacking me, but then I realized I don't have money to build this. I'm like, what? How am I going to build this? And so I talked to my husband about it. Like, this is what came to me. He thought it was brilliant. And went to my mom about it. And I said, and my mom said, Let's pray and ask who to ask for because I knew that God did not give me that desire to put me in debt and then make the burden of building the dream like overtake me, right? Because then I wouldn't be able to give the gifts cheerfully, right? And so we prayed, and it was about 37 people that came on our list that we reached out. I came up with a crowdfund, like a campaign, found like that what I was wanting to build in a dental format and let them know, okay, I want to do this in a hearing format. And honestly, almost all of them just immediately were like, yes, yes, yes. And it was small amounts, larger amounts, but it all came together so that I was able to build it debt-free. And I'm forever grateful. After that crowdfunding, though, it's like, okay, now we have people on aboard, they're uh coming alongside the mission. We have to get this done. And so at this point, it's like creating mood boards. What does this look like? Because I couldn't find anything. Could it physically be done with a legit sound booth in there? Because we have to look at the aerodynamic dynamics, we have to look at logistics. Can this be done? I had an entire builder the first time that dropped the project because they didn't think they can do it. And I cried because I'm like, I know that God gave this to me. And so I had to find someone in a whole different state and pay extra, it was more money for you know the state-based transfer. But it was not easy coming up with this blueprint. There were times I didn't think it would be done.

Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS 4:12

In those roadblocks, again, we have a lot of hearing care professionals who are private practice owners, even some students. How important was maintaining that grit in making this happen? Like your why, Dr. Smiley, was absolutely so strong that you must have said, I know, I have such a good feeling that this is going to come to fruition. What was that process like? And what did you lean into? Did you lean to other colleagues to get you through that difficult time? Because when the builder says, I can't do this, and you're like, oh my gosh, like my dream is forget it. What was instilled in you to keep moving forward?

Builder Setbacks And Grit

Dr. Carla Smiley 4:52

So unfortunately, at the time, I didn't have the colleagues to lean on to because I wasn't aware of the mobile audiology group. I didn't know all of these things existed. So I was reaching out to people outside of the field of audiology. So there was a PA that created a tiny house clinic for just physical medicine in Nebraska. I sent her a message, she didn't respond until almost eight months later. So I'm still trying to figure things out, waiting on this response. So it's very challenging not having that to lean on, and really having, I'll tell you what it taught me to truly lean on the Holy Spirit when He gives you the desires of the heart. There were times, like I said, I felt like I couldn't do it, but it took me back to what you said about the talent. Do I want to use my talent or do I want it to let it dry up? Or do I want it to be given to someone else to take what I know God has given me and see it done in someone else's hand? And I didn't want that. Not for me, not for the notoriety of doing this, but I just know it was something special he gave to me at that moment. And so that was really the most important part. But after I did everything, after I was able to release what was put inside of me, that's when the village came. And I still every day am relying on that village.

Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS 6:18

So the Tiny House Audiology Clinic was built. You see it for the first time. What are you feeling? What are the emotions? Bring us back to that moment.

Finding Strength Without A Network

Dr. Carla Smiley 6:32

So my husband and I found a storage facility where we were going to house it. And we remember seeing the driver bring it down the road. And he was sending pictures throughout the whole building process, but there was nothing like that moment for you to see those move boards and all of the Pinterest ideas really come into fruition.