Episode 219 -- Claire McManus -- Designing Life: An Architect's Journey of Faith and Purpose

Stacked Keys Podcast

At just eight years old, Claire McManus knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up. Sitting in her father's truck at a construction site, she asked how he knew what to build. When she drew a building project on her notebook paper, he turned her sketch into architectural plans and her lifelong passion was born. Today, Claire has transformed that childhood dream into Alabaster Home Design Studio, her own architecture firm where she creates custom residential designs with purpose and intention.
The road from that truck seat to entrepreneurship wasn't straight and smooth. Claire shares the pivotal moment when her first architecture school project was destroyed by wind minutes before presentation day, resulting in a zero grade that threatened her entire academic future. Rather than abandoning her dreams, she pivoted—adding a business degree alongside her architecture studies, a combination that would later prove invaluable.
What makes Claire's story particularly compelling is her willingness to embrace calculated risks. While establishing her architecture firm, she simultaneously pursued real estate licensure, recognizing how these fields could complement each other. "I think that the two would really overlap and complement each other," she explains, describing late nights studying after full workdays while also building her own home.
Claire speaks with refreshing honesty about the challenges of entrepreneurship—the financial uncertainty, the need to handle everything from design to marketing, and the struggle to charge appropriately for her expertise. "I'm very much 'I just want everybody to be happy,'" she admits, "but you know, really learning your worth... it's not a side gig anymore, it's my job."
Throughout our conversation, faith emerges as the foundation of Claire's professional journey. The name "Alabaster Home" references the biblical story of a woman breaking her most precious possession to anoint Jesus—symbolizing Claire's commitment to giving her best in service to others. This spiritual grounding provides perspective during difficult moments: "Every time these thoughts of doubt enter my mind, God just takes it away."
For anyone contemplating their own entrepreneurial leap or simply navigating career uncertainties, Claire's story offers wisdom beyond her years and the gentle reminder that sometimes our biggest setbacks lead to our most authentic path forward.

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff

Chapters

1. Episode 219 -- Claire McManus -- Designing Life: An Architect's Journey of Faith and Purpose (00:00:00)

2. Episode Introduction (00:00:21)

3. Claire's Professional Journey (00:05:16)

4. Childhood Dreams to Architecture (00:09:45)

5. Balancing Self-Employment Challenges (00:15:06)

6. Overcoming Career Setbacks (00:21:45)

7. Finding Purpose in Design (00:30:30)

8. Faith, Trust and Personal Growth (00:38:24)

9. The Alabaster Home Story (00:50:30)

10. Episode Wrap-up (01:05:36)