From Trauma to Building Dream Homes

Summary

Living Your Legacy

Episode: From Trauma to Building Dream Homes

Host: Rudy Mawer | Guest: Brianne Judon (Founder, Bloom and Beam)
Date: May 26, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this empowering episode of Living Your Legacy, host Rudy Mawer (alongside guest interviewer Ray Gutierrez) sits down with Brianne Judon, a resilient entrepreneur and creator of Bloom and Beam, a Florida-based residential design and renovation brand. Brianne shares her journey from a disciplined, minimalistic upbringing through homeschooling and athletics, through personal adversity, to her emerging career as a transformative designer—building stunning, affordable dream homes in the wake of Florida’s recent hurricanes. The discussion explores themes of creativity, self-discipline, motherhood, reinvention, and forging a unique legacy as a woman in an evolving industry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Childhood & Family Influences

• Homeschooling and Large Family Life
  • Brianne reflects on homeschooling myths, humorously confirming some stereotypes but clarifying others.
    • “I did not wear jean skirts and turtlenecks all the time. But modesty was very important. No sense of style whatsoever... can’t spell to save my life.” (A, 02:33)
• Creative Upbringing
  • Influenced by an artistic family: her father, a shoe designer; her mother, a florist.
    • “My dad is a shoe designer. My mom is a florist. So I grew up around artistic people…” (A, 03:10)
  • She gravitated to interior design early, inspired by TLC’s “Trading Spaces” on VHS.

2. Design Philosophy & Market Outlook

• Turning Constraints into Creativity

  • Emphasizes transforming “blah or ugly” spaces into unexpected places of beauty and vibrancy.
    • “It was just like the creativity of being able to take something that’s so blah or ugly and then be like, wow. In that same space, you can create something totally different.” (A, 03:57)

• Contrast Between Upbringing and Current Style

  • Grew up with minimalist, necessity-oriented design; now loves art deco and mid-century modern.
    • “Love you, dad. But eggshell colored walls only and yeah, semi-gloss... So I just went to the complete opposite.” (A, 05:38)
  • Views homes as showpieces, not just shelters.

• Approach to Micro Homes

  • Developed interest in tiny and fast-built homes following Florida hurricanes and increased housing demand.
  • Aims to deliver well-built, creatively designed homes at accessible price points—challenging the “white box” trend.
    • “You walk in and it’s like you did not expect this to be in this house at this price range.” (A, 06:46)

3. Discipline & Work Ethic

• Athletic Background
  • 12 years in competitive gymnastics, karate, caretaking responsibility for siblings, and learning Mandarin all contributed to her lasting discipline.
    • “If we started something, we had to finish it, no matter what it was. They definitely instilled a very good work ethic in me.” (A, 07:35)
  • Studying Mandarin inspired by her father’s international work; still practices via Duolingo.

4. Daily Routines & Motherhood

• A Realistic Take on ‘Wellness’
  • Rejects rigid early-morning routines and emphasizes balance, honesty about exhaustion, and the necessity of naps.
    • “I’m not a morning person, so my mornings are slower. I’m not up before my kids doing yoga, doing affirmations, doing lunges. Like, I’m just not.” (A, 10:40)
  • Finds productivity late at night: “I do a lot of my stuff between like 10 and midnight.” (A, 10:49)

5. Connection, Conversation, and Vulnerability

• Desire for Deep Connections
  • Values meaningful, knowledge-driven conversations over small talk, citing a “trauma response” and a preference for being taught or teaching.
    • “I don’t like small talk… If we’re not gonna talk about something real, I don’t really care to talk.” (A, 11:35)
  • Openness discussed—she’s learning to share her journey more publicly after being private for many years.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you can teach me something, I like to have a conversation with you.”
  — Brianne Judon (A, 11:14)

• On turning adversity into opportunity:
  “After the two hurricanes last year in Florida… we wanted to make affordable but well-built houses… You walk in and it’s like you did not expect this to be in this house at this price range.” (A, 06:40)

• On self-acceptance in routines:
  “I’m a nap queen. Like, if I can get a nap in, I’m gonna try to get a nap in… you just have to find the balance.” (A, 10:24)

• Sharing her Chinese name story:
  “My Chinese name… they gave me more, so I was more Xiao. Wrong. So what that means is that’s my Chinese name.” (A, 13:41)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:07] — Brianne introduces her background; promises openness about her private life
• [03:10] — Creative family roots and early attraction to interior design
• [05:38] — Contrast between minimalist upbringing and her bold current design style
• [06:40] — Micro homes, market trends, and vision for affordable housing
• [07:35] — Athletic background and roots in discipline
• [08:46] — Learning Mandarin, global perspective
• [09:42] — Breakdown of daily routines, authentic motherhood
• [10:24] — Advice for overwhelmed women and the importance of self-care
• [11:14] — Brianne’s criteria for meaningful conversations and relationships
• [13:41] — Sharing her Chinese name and personal anecdote

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Closing Thoughts

Brianne Judon’s journey illustrates the transformation of adversity into purpose, with an emphasis on creativity, discipline, authenticity, and giving back through affordable, beautiful home design. Her story is relatable, grounded, and inspirational—appealing to listeners striving to build their own legacies in family, business, and community.

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Connect with Brianne:
Brianne is now sharing more of her journey on TikTok, Instagram, and (soon) LinkedIn, focusing on daily updates about projects and personal growth.

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End Note:
“Find what works for you and embrace it—your legacy will follow.”

Transcript

[A]

The two hurricanes last year in Florida, people are, there's an influx of people coming in from the coast. We wanted to make like affordable but well built houses. But these ones we can build fast. And then you just like have all these small houses, but you walk in and it's like you did not expect this to be in this house at this price range.

[B]

Brian Juden is a resilient entrepreneur, investor and the creator behind Bloom and Beam, a Florida based residential design and renovation brand. Drawing from her journey through personal adversity, motherhood and reinvention, she is building spaces and stories rooted in beauty, strength, purpose and transformation.

[A]

Creativity of being able to like take something that's so blah or ugly and then be like, wow. In that same space, you can create something totally different. My parents made sure I was very disciplined. Like if we started something, we had to finish it did not matter what it was. They definitely instilled a very good work ethic in me and

[B]

it spans the globe like a super high cold Internet Elvis Preston. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the it's not over until I win the Living your Legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has been. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, Open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream. Welcome back to another episode of the Living youg Legacy podcast, the Women in Power edition. For Inside Success, I am Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is Brianne Judon. She is quite a powerful woman. She builds tiny homes, but she's got a huge vision. Welcome to the show.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

[B]

We literally just finished filming your episode for Women in Power.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

How do you feel?

[A]

Good. It went well. Like it was. I still feel like kind of. It didn't happen. It went well. You made me very comfortable. Everything went well.

[B]

Cool. Cool. What are we going to learn about you? Like what will happen in this episode when people watch?

[A]

You're going to learn probably a lot about me. Childhood, adolescence, and then probably a lot more about my life today. I'm kind of more private about my life today, so you're going to learn a lot more about me today.

[B]

Cool. So homeschooled.

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

Would you like to start there?

[A]

We can always start with home.

[B]

Let's talk about the myths about being homeschooled and having not just siblings, but living with a village that happen to be your siblings.

[A]

I feel like a lot of the myths aren't myths. They're actually real. Like they're stereotypes for a reason. I did not wear jean skirts and turtlenecks all the time. But modesty was very important. No sense of style whatsoever. And like I said in the interview, can't spell to save my life. And I don't think most homeschoolers can spell. I don't know what it is. We just don't focus on it.

[B]

So, yeah, talk about this superpower because it actually attributes to what you do today. But you had the superpower back then, where you're an artist or an architect, a designer.

[A]

So my dad is a shoe designer. My mom is a florist. So I grew up around artistic people. And my dad would always show us certain things and he would, like, try to teach me, but I can't draw to save my life. So he. But he would. He would give me the ideas. And then I was really good with flowers with my mom, so I loved doing that. And then also loved interior design. My grandma used to film on VHS's TLC trading spaces, and I would just watch them over and over and over because we didn't have cable because we were homeschooled. And so I just loved interior design since I was like. I was probably like 11, 12 years old, so.

[B]

Well, why did you love it so much? Was it because of the colors? The way you felt in the room? Was it frequencies or was it just a giant dollhouse for you?

[A]

It was just like the creativity of being able to take something that's so blah or ugly and then be like, wow. In that same space. You can create something totally different that Trading Spaces normally made it worse, but it got me into TLC and then hgtv and just. If you ask me what I'm doing on a normal day when I'm just down time, I'm on Zillow or I'm on Pinterest or I'm just looking at.

[B]

There's a crazy subreddit about these crazy Zillow listings.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you follow it?

[A]

Yes, I follow a few different ones.

[B]

Yeah. So good.

[A]

So, yes.

[B]

These over the top, like, what, this is a real place?

[A]

Or the crazy, crazy ones that are, like, I don't think these are ever going to sell.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's. What's. What's going on out there? Like, are folks, like, buying, like, art pieces or they're buying homes? Like, it's. It's so eccentric and bizarre out there these days. What's the market like?

[A]

I think the market definitely depends on where you're at.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

I feel like people are Buying homes more so and then creating that as their artwork and like putting more into their homes than just a picture on a wall. Now I have nothing against just like a picture on a wall that has its place for sure. But if you can, I, I love the idea of your whole house being an art piece, a show piece.

[B]

Oh God. I, I can't help but think about the contrast of how you grew up in your life. Today. It's completely different. Let's, let's talk about that. Stark contrast.

[A]

Yes. We grew up very minimalistic, I guess and if it wasn't a necessity, we were not going to have it. And now it's like my favorite design style is art deco in mid century modern. So art deco was like an explosion.

[B]

Welcome to Miami.

[A]

Yeah. Yes. And I love that. So that's just the stark difference of growing up where. Love you, dad. But eggshell colored walls only and yeah, semi gloss. And so I think just like that I got tired of that so I just went to the complete opposite. But you know, I like the middle parts too and but me to the core is like a very art deco person.

[B]

Right on. What's your philosophy? Are you more of a color person or more of like a LA person? What's your design philosophies?

[A]

I'm more of a color person and an accent detail person. I feel like the layout, you can, if you have the right pieces in there and you have the right vibe, the layout doesn't matter as much as the design and the color and how you have it set up.

[B]

Right on. Talk about these tiny homes. I think they're marvels. I think they're just all your necessities built in a, almost like a shoebox. Signs design. And you can stack them up, make them, you can make them into whatever you want. Talk about how you got into micro homes.

[A]

Doing both. I'm doing like the regular single family, 35 square foot homes. And then with these small homes is like, especially with the two hurricanes last year in Florida, people are, there's an influx of people coming in from the coast. So we wanted to make like affordable but well built houses. But these ones we can build fast. And I get to, you know, we're building them so fast so I get to design so many different houses so quickly. And it's just like, okay, I like this idea, I can put it in. I like this idea, I can put it in. Then you just like have all these small houses but you walk in and it's like you did not expect this to be in this house at this price range. So I like being able to give people at a lower price range something that they generally wouldn't get. You're not walking into a white box with the same countertops and the same cabinets that literally every other house has.

[B]

Talk about a little bit of where some of your discipline comes from. You are very athletic. Talk about some of your background when it comes to athleticism and your disciplines.

[A]

I did competitive gymnastics for about 12 years. My parents made sure I was very disciplined. Like, if we started something, we had to finish it, not matter what it was. They definitely instilled a very good work ethic in me. And I did karate growing up as well, which is, you have to be very disciplined. I study Chinese. You have to be very disciplined with that. I feel like a lot of my life was just learning to be disciplined. I took care of my younger siblings a lot. So it's just like growing up quickly is just. And, you know, having the discipline to make sure they're getting their stuff done, they're taken care of. And then, you know, I had kids and then all the different things to. I just. Life is about being disciplined if you want to make it for sure.

[B]

It's funny, now that I know some of your story, the first question I ask is about your athleticism, your discipline, but you actually are very well spoken in Mandarin Chinese in all tones, apparently.

[A]

Well, five. Five tones. Five tones in the language. The language itself has five tones.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

For every word, you could say five different ways.

[B]

Got it. So we'll talk about that discipline. Like, not a lot of folks just crawl out of bed and just know Mandarin Chinese. Especially with your background.

[A]

That came. I mean, it definitely came from my dad. He's a shoe designer, so he would go to Asia multiple times a year to make sure the factories were doing things correctly. And so he would have some of his co workers from China and Taiwan come and, like, visit. And I remember being 2, 3 years old, and they'd be like, here's the globe. Point to China and Japan and Taiwan. And I just, like, really found it very interesting at a very young age and then got to travel to China for the first time when I was 10 and just fell in love with the language. My parents got me a private tutor, and then I did it in high school and I did some in college. And then I'm a little rusty now for sure because I haven't stayed super up.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

On it, but, you know, I'm on my duolingo. I got my streak going. I'm Getting back into it. So.

[B]

Right on, right on. What's your day to day, like, today? Like, what's your. What when you wake up, do you have, like, your daily affirmations? Do you have your ice bath? Like, what is your superst.

[A]

My mornings. I'm not a morning person, so my mornings are wake up, get my Alani, my Cosmic Stardust, get the kids ready for school, get them off to school. I go to the chiropractor two or three times a week. And then I work out Monday, Tuesday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday with my trainer. And then on the other days, I do like a. Whatever my own workouts. Then to work after that, pick the kids up from school. And then we just, you know, the nights are for the kids, so we try to.

[B]

What do you tell to the women that are listening to. You're watching now with her glass of wine, going, oh, I'm just tired of just listening to her all the shit that she does all day. What do you tell those women that are listening to that? To saying that now?

[A]

I love it. I mean, I love it. I think when you find something that you enjoy doing, like, yeah, there's days I'm literally exhausted and I'm a nap queen. Like, if I can get a nap in, I'm gonna try to get a nap in.

[B]

But, yeah, disco naps are real. Our naps are real.

[A]

I think. Yeah, you just have to find the balance. You got to find what works for you. Yeah, I'm not a morning person, so my mornings are slower. I'm not gonna. I'm not up before my kids, doing yoga, doing affirmations, doing lunges. Like, I'm just not. And I've accepted that. Like, I do a lot of my, like, stuff at between, like, 10 and midnight. Like, that's when I like to get things done and not just. I think it's finding what works for you.

[B]

Okay, I gotta ask you a. A brash question. Being a male, how with your background and with your knowledge and how your brain processes, how does any male hold your attention long enough in a conversation?

[A]

I want them to be able to teach me something. Like, if you can teach me something, I like to have a conversation with you.

[B]

Do you find that difficult? Do you find, like, you're always constantly learning or are you just very standoffish because, you know, it's a. It's a trauma response? I'm kind of the same way when it comes to the opposite sex.

[A]

It's hard to just find. Men are difficult right now.

[B]

Like, everything is difficult right now.

[A]

I know, but like, if we can like talk about like something like that I'm interested or I don't know anything about and we can like talk and you can teach me or I can teach you something and we can go back and forth. I can have a conversation all day. But if you're going to sit there and like, ask me dumb questions, I'm going to lose interest this fast. Or if you're just like, I don't like small talk. I'm just not a small talk person. Like, oh, the weather. Like, okay, I'd rather not not. I'm not like a. If we're not gonna talk about something real, I don't really care to talk. And that's where sometimes people are like, you're a bitch. I'm like, no, I just. My avatar social. I just like, I don't always want to. I don't just like to talk for the sake of talking, I guess. Yeah. But if you can ironically get on a podcast.

[B]

I'm just saying. Ironic on a podcast. I was just gonna say, well, I can get away with it for the 15 minute friends because I can do the podcast stuff.

[A]

Yes, this is different. But if I were just like chilling or talking or you meet me at a coffee shop or something and say just a random pickup line or something,

[B]

it would just be like, awesome confirmed. Just making sure that's still in play. How can folks learn more about you, discover you online?

[A]

My social media, so my TikTok and my Instagram, I'm gonna be working on that. I've honestly kept a lot of this very private up until this point just because I like to keep things private until they come to fruition. So I'm not going to talk about it, I'm just going to show it. So I'm sure you'll have all my stuff like LinkedIn. I know that you all are going to help me with that a little bit too as well.

[B]

Wink.

[A]

Yes. So that. And then my episode will be airing and yeah, and then I'll just be very much so daily up to dates on, like, what I'm doing that day. Where we are in the houses, where we are on the front of everything that's going on.

[B]

Right on. Well, I hope you had a lovely time doing your interview and I hope you had a lovely time doing your podcast.

[A]

I did. I very much so enjoyed it. Hell, right on.

[B]

Any closing comments? Any inspirational Chinese proverbs?

[A]

They're going to be like, they're going to troll me on this. Just. Well, my child, my so my Chinese name. When they named my Chinese name those small black girl, because my last name is. My maid's last name was More or Morgan, so they gave me more, so I was more Xiao. Wrong. So what that means is that's my Chinese name.

[B]

Right on. It almost sounds like Star Wars Yiddish, but yeah. And with that, off the tattooing we go. Happy Friday.

[A]

Happy Friday.

[B]

Great work, great podcast. Thank you for your lovely energy. Yeah. That concludes another episode of the Living youg Legacy podcast for women in power. That's B. I'm R. Good night.