Meet William Johnston | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with William Johnston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi William, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Oh one of my mantras is that you don’t have to be an expert to create change. I live by this because I do want to see a better world and when I hit a point in my life nine years ago where I followed what society told me to go get and be and then realizing one day I was so dissatisfied and disconnected from who I was that it was time for a change. So all I knew what I could do was quit and hit the reset button. So I made a decision to quit my job, sell all or most or my of my possessions and then leave the United States and go backpacking and working on vineyards in New Zealand. The point of this was to break the mold of the 9 to 5 that is killing so many Americans in a soul crushing way not necessarily a physical way but I’m sure there are studies.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
MicroLife Institute is dedicated to educating individuals, groups, and cities about the positive impacts of micro-living. By connecting thought leaders and professionals, the organization encourages and enables the development of walkable, sustainable “micro-hood” communities. The organization focuses on education, advocacy, and policymaking to help cities and municipalities update housing policy and zoning models to increase the density and walkability of the neighborhood. MicroLife Institute is currently raising funds to launch a pilot project for its pocket cottages to show proof of concept for its vision.

As a small and agile organization, many of the Institute’s current projects came about organically. The organization has taken on various projects, including creating housing policy for Dekalb County, producing innovative housing summits and facilitating virtual courses to introduce micro homes, pocket neighborhoods, and zoning policies across the country

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Fancy Dinner- Tiny Lous at the Clairmont Breakfast – Java Jive
Things to do- Progressive Bar hopping around Midtown
Rubbing Elbows- Wine tasting at Vino Teca in Inman Park

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest shout out I want to give is to my parents. They’ve been behind me the whole time even though they might not understand me quitting my job and traveling to New Zealand in the midst of my career.

Website: microlifeinstitute.org

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