About Sarah Susanka

Thought leader, inspirational keynote speaker and acclaimed architect, Susanka is the author of nine books that collectively weave together home and life design, revealing that a “Not So Big” attitude serves not only architectural aims, but life goals as well. Her books have sold well over a million copies.

Through her Not So Big House presentations and book series, Susanka has helped readers understand that the sense of “home” they’re seeking has almost nothing to do with quantity and everything to do with quality. She points out that we feel “at home” in our houses when where we live reflects who we are in our hearts.

In her book and presentations about The Not So Big Life, she uses this same set of notions to explain that we can feel “at home” in our lives only when what we do reflects who we truly are. Susanka unveils a process for changing the way we live by fully inhabiting each moment of our lives and by showing up completely in whatever it is we are doing.

Acclaimed Speaker, Sought-After Media Resource Susanka’s inspiring “Not So Big” keynotes and presentations have been sought out by renowned conferences such as Duncan Littlefair, the Housing Leadership Summit and PCBC. Major corporations including Johnson & Johnson, Lowe’s, Target, Best Buy and Herman Miller as well as key government and civic organizations such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Association of Homebuilders, The American Institute of Architects and The National Trust for Historic Preservation regularly invite Susanka to address their conferences. Universities, art museums, leadership conferences, health care groups and wellness centers such as Kripalu and Omega seek both her ““Not So Big House” and “Not So Big Life” lectures and workshops.

Susanka is regularly called upon for her insights as a social commentator and trend-spotter by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times; magazines such as Newsweek, Better Homes & Gardens, Reader’s Digest and AARP; and television programming such as “Oprah,” “Good Morning America,” “Charlie Rose,” CNN, HGTV and “This Old House.” In 2014, Susanka was invited by The Wall Street Journal to write an essay on “The Future of Home.” Her essay appeared in the 125th Anniversary edition of the newspaper among essays from other thought leaders including Bill Ford and Mark Zuckerberg.

Builder Magazine recognized Susanka as one of the 30 most notable innovators in the housing industry over the past 30 years. Fast Company named Susanka to their debut list of “Fast 50” innovators whose achievements have helped to change society, Newsweek magazine selected her as a “top newsmaker,” and U.S. News and World Report dubbed her an “innovator in American culture.” Susanka was presented with the 2007 Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award by the Lindbergh Foundation for outstanding individual achievement in making positive contributions to our world.

Susanka is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. She was born in Kent, England, and travels from Raleigh, North Carolina.