Hi, we’re Jana and Joe Martin—partners in life, love, and a whole lot of crazy dreams. We’re a couple, empty nesters with two grown children who are out living their own adventures, which has given us the space to step fully into ours.
Today, we’re building a self-sufficient life on 3.5 acres in rural West Virginia, raising meat rabbits and chickens, planting gardens, and slowly but surely creating the kind of micro-farm we used to daydream about when life looked very different.
Life now is about simplicity, resilience, and connection to the land. But it wasn’t always this way.
Our journey here has been full of twists and turns—moments that broke us open, pushed us beyond comfort zones, and eventually brought us to a place where we said: yes, this is the life we were meant to build.
Like a lot of couples, we spent years following the so-called script of what life should look like.
Careers, raising kids, paying bills, chasing milestones that society says matter. And while those years were full of love and family joy, we both felt something was missing.
We wanted freedom. We wanted adventure. We wanted to live in a way that felt bigger than the daily grind.
And then life handed us a wake-up call.
Years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Words like “stage two” and “triple negative” hit us like a freight train. Suddenly, the illusion that life is guaranteed shattered.
That season was terrifying, but it also cracked us wide open to the truth: life is too short to keep waiting for someday.
In the years that followed, I took eight trips to Costa Rica. Those journeys weren’t just about travel—they were about healing.
Costa Rica taught me how to slow down, how to reconnect with myself, and how to really listen to my intuition. It gave me the courage to start asking: What kind of life do I actually want?
That question changed everything.
Not long after, we decided to chase freedom in a different way.We bought an RV and hit the road full time.
For four years, we lived with wheels under us, exploring the East Coast, finding beauty in small towns, and spending long stretches in unforgettable places like the Florida Keys.
RV life gave us adventure and the gift of simplicity. We learned how little we really need.
We learned that home isn’t four walls—it’s where you park it, where you wake up with the person you love, where you make memories that stick forever.
But eventually, as much as we loved the open road, we started longing for something we hadn’t expected: roots.
After years of freedom and movement, we wanted to put our hands in the dirt, build something lasting, and create a homestead where freedom and self-sufficiency could intertwine.
That’s when we found it—3.5 acres of possibility in West Virginia. It wasn’t the sprawling farm some people imagine, but to us, it was perfect.
Enough space to grow food, raise animals, and become more self-reliant. A piece of land where we could pour our energy, creativity, and grit into building the life we’d been searching for.
Buying this property was more than just a real estate move.
It was a promise to ourselves: that we were going to live intentionally, that we were going to create a life we didn’t need to escape from, and that we were going to inspire others to do the same.
So what does life look like for us now?
It looks like mornings spent feeding rabbits and chickens. Evenings walking the property, imagining the orchard that will one day be full of fruit.
Weekends planting, weeding, and preserving the food that comes from our soil. It looks like rainwater catchment systems for the animals and dreams of solar panels on the horizon.
Our micro-farm currently includes:
And our dreams are still unfolding. We plan to add:
It’s not about building the biggest homestead—it’s about creating one that fits us, one that makes our 3.5 acres as productive, sustainable, and joyful as possible.
For us, going off the grid doesn’t mean disappearing into the wilderness with no running water or internet.
It means becoming as self-sufficient as possible, reducing reliance on outside systems, and living in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
It means:
Every step we take—whether it’s planting another row in the garden or building a new coop—brings us closer to that dream.
This isn’t just about us. It’s about you, too.
We share our journey because we believe anyone can take steps toward self-sufficiency.
You don’t need acres of land or a barn full of animals to start living more intentionally.
Maybe it’s growing herbs in pots on your balcony. Maybe it’s raising a few backyard chickens.
Maybe it’s just learning how to cook from scratch or preserve food.
Our mission is to inspire, encourage, and empower others to start where they are, with what they have.
If our story can help you believe that a simpler, freer, more authentic life is possible, then we’re doing something right.
We’re still learning every day. We make mistakes (ask us about the time we underestimated how clever predators are). We fail sometimes.
But we also celebrate the wins—like the first time we canned our own salsa or collected eggs from our hens.
Our future vision is clear:
The beauty of this life is that it’s never “done.” It’s a process, a practice, and a promise to keep moving toward freedom and self-reliance.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Thank you for wanting to know more about us, for caring about this journey, and for being part of this community.
We’re just two people who decided to stop waiting for the perfect moment and start building the life we wanted with what we had.
If there’s one thing our story proves, it’s that you don’t need 100 acres, perfect circumstances, or even all the answers to start. You just need a little land, a little courage, and a lot of heart.
So whether you’re here because you want to raise chickens, start a garden, or dream of going fully off the grid, know this: you can do it. We’re proof.
And we’d love to walk this journey with you.
With gratitude,
Jana & Joe Martin