Housing is a human right.

Everyone deserves to live somewhere they are proud of that also keeps them safe and healthy.

The Journey & Empower vision.

We envision bringing comfortable, affordable, beautiful and sustainable homes to communities across the globe. We bring hands-on experience and evidence-based solutions to bring this to life.

Learn about the Journey & Empower story.

Hey, my name’s Mia Sheperd and I’m the founder of Journey & Empower. I’ve traveled around the world to learn about different sustainable building techniques and philosophies. When I first started traveling, I was volunteering for non-profit organizations. After living in Rwanda for 2 years, I realized that the purpose of my work and travels wasn’t so much a humanitarian thing, as it was about establishing deep connections with the locals and learning from their way of life.

Growing up in the U.S. and studying architectural engineering at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, I learned the fundamentals of building design, engineering, and construction from a western perspective. From my travels to Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, and India over the last several years, I learned a whole new perspective on ecological construction and living in relationship with the earth. With Journey & Empower, it is my goal to combine what I’ve learned in the classroom with what I’ve learned out in the field, to bridge the two ideologies together in a respectful way.

I have diverse work experience that allows me to communicate clearly to all team members, whether it's on site contractors, engineers, business owners, or corporate clients. My connection to people and knowledge of natural materials, guides the conversation to build up a sustainable movement. I am never one to sit around and wait for a solution.

We have to make the change we wish to see in the world and be transparent about it.

Learn More

Let’s plan your next project together.

Housing as a human right.

I’ll provide you with documentation and resources to learn more about the housing crisis and how some cities have approached solving this challenge.

Natural building consultation.

I’ll walk through the necessary materials and process for building a house, bench, fire-oven, or rocket-stove, based on the soil available in your area.