Cara Brookins

Cara Brookins built software systems for 20 years as a senior analyst, but when her life crumbled around her, she rebuilt in an unconventional way. Cara built her 3,500 square foot house from the ground up by watching YouTube tutorials.

Her story went viral in more than 75 countries and has been viewed more than two billion times. She is the author of eight books, including Rise: How a House Built a Family, where she deftly narrates the extreme learning curve she experienced all while putting her family back together again. 

Equipped only with YouTube instructional videos and her eager construction crew consisting of her four young children, Cara built a house from the foundation up. Convinced that by building a house, they could rebuild their broken family, she and her kids poured the concrete, framed the walls, and laid the bricks. In the end, they had built a two-story, five-bedroom home. Cara’s story is an inspiring blueprint that traces her family’s rise from battered victims to stronger, better versions of themselves—all thanks to one impossible, extraordinary do-it-yourself project. 

Cara uses real-life examples from her unconventional construction site and shares lessons of teamwork, perseverance, and overcoming incredible odds. Her tactics of self-empowerment show how to blend an imperfect mix of personalities, talents, and temperaments into a cohesive, unstoppable team. Her podcast, The Cara Brookins Show, guides listeners on how to push past their fears, get un-stuck, and take the first steps toward building the life they want.