Digital Social Hour – Episode #1608

JD & Britney Lott: We Live in a Bus with 10 Kids. Why Downsizing Saved Our Family
Host: Sean Kelly
Date: November 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid and energetic episode, Sean Kelly sits down with JD and Britney Lott, a Texas couple raising ten kids while living full-time in a custom-built RV bus. Fresh from their speaking slot at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, they share why radical downsizing transformed their family, how they approach parenting and legacy, the challenges and joys of large family life, and their countercultural stance on tech, minimalism, and education. The conversation delves deeply into family values, intentional living, and cultivating authentic relationships—peppered with humor, honesty, and bold insight.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. From Texas Mansion to RV Bus – The Downsizing Journey

• The Shift: Formerly living in a 7,200 sq. ft house with multiple cars, the Lotts felt unfulfilled chasing material “success.”
  • JD: “We felt like we were pursuing things that ultimately don’t carry meaning, and we were just inspired… I converted an Air Force base bus to an RV… did the plumbing, electric, got the designer over here to make it look beautiful.” (01:02)
  • Britney: “Built me a bunk house for all my kids in the back.” (01:32)
• Family-Centric Minimalism: Downsizing allowed them to focus more on relationships, not possessions.
  • Britney: “I’m so much happier because I don’t spend my whole day worrying about taking care of things... I spend my time playing with my kids.” (24:19)
  • JD: “Minimalist thinking is probably a super valuable thing for young families… It just becomes a burden… Wealth becomes a burden as well.” (24:45)

2. Parenting Philosophy: Tools, Not Baggage

• Legacy and Intentionality: Their parenting focuses on preparing kids for authentic life, not reproducing generational baggage.
  • JD: “One of our mantras is we want to give our kids tools, not baggage… If you’re not willing to do that for your children…they just become like a whiteboard for everybody else’s values.” (02:58)
• Personal Growth Through Parenting:
  • JD: “Parenting is more about the growth of the parent than the child… it’s going to be the most rewarding thing that you ever do in your life.” (04:10)
• Letting Life Unfold: They never set out to have a specific number of children; being open to life's surprises.
  • JD: “Don’t have your mind made up about how many kids you’re going to have… it’s not because of information from experience, it’s from your environment.” (05:24)

3. Counterculture Choices: Tech, School, and Independence

• No Phones for the Kids:
  • Host: “None of your kids have phones, right?” (08:17)
  • Britney: “Correct. I want my kids to look up at the sky, not down at a phone. When I look at them, I’d much rather they be curious about the world around them…” (08:40)
  • JD: “All the tech creators… don’t let their kids have phones. They send them to schools that have, like, no screens, all wooden toys.” (09:16)
• Homeschooling & Socialization:
  • On concerns about “weird kids”:
    • Britney: “I’ll be honest, there are plenty of weird kids in public school…doesn’t matter where you are.” (12:03)
  • JD: “Your kids are going to be as weird as you are… That’s just a value judgment based on you don’t fit in with what I think is ideal.” (12:28)
• Community and Birth Order:
  • Britney: “We get a lot of people that come out going, ‘Oh gosh, I’m one of ten, I never see a big family.’ …I’m glad your parents didn’t stop at the two Americans have.” (06:10)
  • On siblings and personality: “Birth order impacts personalities, you’re never born into the same world your sibling was…” (47:52)

4. The Value Crisis: Family, Culture, and Relationship

• Why Family Is Diminishing in Value:
  • JD: “People don’t take the family relationship with as much respect and seriousness...it trickles down.” (06:46)
  • Host: “People don’t value family like they used to…I see it in my generation for sure.” (07:50)
• Legacy Building:
  • JD: “Every generation starts from scratch… you’re at a disadvantage because your success rests on what you can make of yourself. But imagine a family with shared values… self-reinforcing system…” (16:06)
• Complaints about Dating, Commitment, and Modern Relationships:
  • JD: “Relationship is the currency of life. You want to be wealthy in meaningful relationship… you can have money, but it doesn’t make you happy.” (22:38)
  • Host: “When I made my first million, I wasn’t happy at all, to be honest. Nothing changed, if anything, I was more depressed.” (24:05)

5. Money, Minimalism, and Meaning

• Consumer Culture Trap:
  • JD: “A lot of that’s been programmed into us…we created this industrial capability after World War II—and what are we gonna do, shut the factories down? No, we have to manufacture desire.” (36:50)
  • Britney: “We fell into that. The more kids we had, the more houses… we wind up in this huge house and then we were miserable.” (37:52)
• Freedom Through Less:
  • Britney: “I love my bus. I am so happy living in [a] tiny [space]…I spend my time playing with my kids. It makes motherhood so much more enjoyable.” (24:14)
  • JD: “Minimization of your obligations is at the core.” (38:28)

6. Marriage, Roles, and Generational Support

• The Marriage Decision:
  • JD: “The person you marry is probably the most consequential decision that you will make in your life.” (19:34)
  • Brittany: “You want someone genuine, who’s going to commit to forever...for better or for worse. Yeah, we're in this forever.” (22:00)
• Intergenerational Living:
  • Brittany: “I thought immediately, I don’t want my kids to ever have a nanny. That will be me. I will show up. I will be the one. My daughter knows.” (42:39)
  • JD: “Multigenerational home is amazing… It increases longevity… The relationship between a grandparent and grandchild is intimate in ways parents can’t be, because they don’t have the baggage of authority.” (43:57)

7. Navigating Change—Parenting and Growth

• Respect and Teen Relationship:
  • Brittany: “My oldest is a 14-year-old...he respects dad, respects our family, and he's choosing that. I’m like, OK, it’s working.” (32:17)
  • JD: “Having an amazing wife that holds me accountable and being receptive to that is an incredibly integral part...we are one, we’re a team.” (32:39)
  • On accountability: “Look, it makes me mad when she questions me...but then I gotta snap out of it and be like, OK, I’m sorry. Thank you for that feedback.” (45:25)
• Family as a Continuous Project:
  • JD: “Life is about, you’re either growing or you’re dying…It requires you to constantly be growing and be humble.” (31:43)

8. Flexibility & Child-Led Interests

• Adapting to Kids’ Interests:
  • Britney: “They wanted to try football, so we stopped, rented an Airbnb …It was playing season, it was playing where we chose to stop…they didn’t like it…This last year, instead, we went skiing and snowboarding.” (47:05)
  • JD: “To meet your kids where you are, you gotta know where they are. Thankfully they feel comfortable letting us know.” (47:52)

9. Navigating Technology: Video Games and Limits

• Balanced Approach to Tech:
  • Britney: “My son is one of top 500 players in the world in a game he plays…he also does all his schoolwork, is well-rounded, likes to hike and exercise…Video games are a tool, not a baggage thing.” (54:49)
  • JD: “Surgeons perform 26% better if they also play video games…Part of it is you are engineering your way through a situation, and it’s very high speed.” (55:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parenting and Family Vision
  • JD: “Parenting is more about the growth of the parent than the child… it’s going to literally be the most rewarding thing you ever do in your life.” (04:10)
  • JD: “If you have your mind made up on how many kids you have, it’s not because of information from experience, it’s from your environment.” (05:24)
• On Technology and Kids
  • Britney: “I want my kids to look up at the sky, not down at a phone.” (08:40)
  • JD: “All the tech creators… don’t let their kids have phones… They understand the implications of technology.” (09:16)
• On Minimalism and Happiness
  • Britney: “I love my bus. I am so happy living in a tiny [space]...it makes motherhood so much more enjoyable when I'm not having to clean 24/7.” (24:14)
• On the Importance of Relationships
  • JD: “Relationship is the currency of life. You want to be wealthy in meaningful relationship.” (22:38)
  • JD: “Life is about, you’re either growing or dying…It requires constantly growing and being humble.” (31:43)
• On Marriage
  • JD: “The person you marry is probably the most consequential decision that you will make in your life.” (19:34)
• On Multigenerational Families
  • Brittany: “I don’t want my kids to ever have a nanny. That will be me. I will show up. My daughter knows.” (42:39)
  • JD: “Multigenerational home is amazing… increases longevity…The relationship between a grandparent and grandchild is intimate.” (43:57)

Segment Timestamps

• 00:41 — Introduction: Downsizing and Family Background
• 01:32 — Details on Custom RV Bus
• 02:58 — Parenting Philosophy (“Tools, not baggage”)
• 04:10 — Growth as Parents
• 06:10 — Public Reaction to Large Families
• 08:17 — Kids and Phone/Screen Policy
• 12:03 — “Weird” Kids & Socialization
• 16:06 — The Concept of Family Legacy
• 19:34 — Marriage as a Pivotal Decision
• 22:38 — Relationships as Currency
• 24:14 — Minimalism & Real Happiness
• 31:43 — Growth, Humility, and Raising Boys
• 38:28 — Consumerism and Family Burdens
• 42:39 — Value of Multigenerational Support
• 47:05 — Adapting to Kids’ Interests & Activities
• 54:49 — Video Games: Limits and Benefits
• 56:18 — Host’s Reflections and Episode Close

Tone & Style

The Lotts are open, philosophical, and humorous, with a strong but approachable point of view. The conversation is lively and peppered with relatable examples, self-deprecating humor, and practical wisdom about life, marriage, parenting, and values-based living.

For Listeners

If you’re seeking a fresh take on family, legacy, simplicity, and authenticity—delivered with both warmth and conviction—this episode will challenge common assumptions and inspire reflection on what truly matters.

Follow JD & Britney: American Family Road Trip on Instagram
JD’s company: Satsaver — Seed word management for Bitcoin users.