Cara Brookins

Cara Brookins didn’t know how to build a house. But when she and her four children went through desperate times, she used YouTube tutorials to build one. Fueled by a strong will to rebuild their lives, Cara and her kids mixed the concrete, raised the walls, even ran the plumbing and gas lines.

In this motivational talk, Cara shares behind-the-scenes disasters and victories that show how an unlikely person can reach past doubts and fears to do the extraordinary. This story of grit and determination pushes audiences to tackle hard things.

With much of the world feeling stuck because of a global health pandemic, author and speaker Cara Brookins helps rebuild the confidence and enthusiasm we need to get “unstuck.” Sharing her real-life story of the desperate times that led her and her children to build their own house using YouTube tutorials, Cara demonstrates tools that anyone can use to turn that feeling of being overwhelmed into one of bold action.

Cara Brookins was a senior software developer for 20 years, she also worked with a major publishing team, but it was her work with a construction crew comprised of her four young children that taught her how to build an unstoppable team. As she took on the challenge of building her own home by hand, Cara realized success depended on building a culture that rewarded innovation and invited mistakes.

Through construction stories that are sometimes humorous and at times harrowing, attendees learn to focus on action. Cara shares how every member of your team can work to create a workplace culture where every team member is empowered to figure things out and embrace the process of action and change.