Ep. 151 – Annamarie Pluhar - Have you ever thought about sharing housing with someone, especially if you are single? And how do you know you are going to be compatible? Annamarie Pluhar is a passionate advocate of shared housing which is a potential answer to housing unaffordability. She approaches her love of shared housing from 20 years of experience living in shared housing. She even wrote a book about it! In this episode, Annamarie talks about her work in organizational development and instructional design plus the benefits of sharing housing in today’s social and economic status. Listen in to learn how bigger projects are handled in an agile methodology to ensure their success. You will also learn the basic things you need to vet compatibility with someone you plan on sharing housing space with.
Key Takeaways:
- How to run huge projects in an agile manner to ensure their success
- The importance of having an accountability group when working on a personal project to help you stay accountable and consistent
- The social and financial benefits of shared housing, especially for retiring single people
- How to vet your possible housemate to gauge your compatibility before moving out
"We need to be able to give and receive. When we live with others, we get reciprocity daily, and that is what brings us joy."
In this episode you’ll discover:
How Annamarie discovered her organizing skills professionally [1:49]
She narrates how she was discovered as an instructional designer [2:53]
How she was inspired by Deming’s work in Japan to build quality into the product [6:56]
She explains the methodology she has used to tackle some of her biggest projects [8:37]
Why she’s not a fan of big projects due to their overcomplicated nature [10:10]
Why Annamarie chose a shared housing lifestyle plus why and how she wrote her book [11:43]
Why a lot more people are compatible and capable of sharing their space with others [16:54]
The basic things you need to agree with someone when planning to share space [19:19]
How she uses her master’s degree in divinity to spread love and happiness [22:19]
The importance of adults sharing spaces to reduce the financial burden and to develop trust [23:52]
Why she’s developing an online course to help teach people more about sharing housing [25:09]
Annamarie’s hopes of people finding a better life while living in shared housing [27:13]
CAREER
Annamarie founded Sharing Housing, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocating for people, especially retiring boomers, to share housing for the benefits of cost, company, help and sustainability.
Annamarie has deep and broad experience as an instructional designer. She has managed complex development projects for USAID, FEMA, NWCG, DoD, the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, and FDIC. Smaller projects for private firms include simple job aids and short online learning.
At Rath & Strong, Annamarie worked with leading technical experts in Total Quality/Just-in-Time (now called Lean) training and supporting steering committees and employee teams who were tasked with implementing lean principles in their manufacturing processes. Her teams reduced setup times by 80%, saved money, and reduced non-value-added activity.
As a facilitator, she has led strategic planning efforts and focus groups for both non-profit organizations and government clients. She is an accomplished trainer. Most recently she taught a management skills series, "Leading From Within."
BOOK
She is the author of "Sharing Housing, A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates."
