Live from the Philadelphia International Airport, just moments before I got on a plane to fly 24 hours to the other side of the world for the Coworking Unconference Asia, I answered ten questions about the future of work.

1. What does the term ‘coworking’ mean to you specifically?
2. How would you describe the development of coworking in Asia?
3. How does this development relate to the rest of the world?
4. What do you think is the biggest challenge for the coworking movement worldwide?
5. What type of people does it attract?
6. What is the importance for people of being part of bigger collective?
7. How do you envision the way we work in ten years from now?
8. What specific role will the coworking movement have in this, according to you?
9. If you had to pick one favorite place to work in this world, where would it be?
10. What is your life motto?

A conference you DON'T need to fly to: People at Work Summit

Save the date for April 21st! People at Work is an entirely online “conference” about work and collaboration. A first of it’s kind, taking place over 24 consecutive hours and across 7 continents.

This is going to be a great place for YOU to practice connecting the dots and getting more connected to the global coworking community.

Stephan is joining People at Work to help you learn how to help coworking space members around the world connect the dots in their own communities.

Tickets for the Summit go on sale this Friday, February 11th. Find out more about the format, meet more speakers, and get the link to register here.

Support the show and get the next episode

I’m growing the team that makes this show happen! This episode is the first one that I didn’t produce myself, so say hello to my new producer Mike Mehalick. Say hi, Mike!

So here’s the scoop: Mike and I are working hard on a brand new production workflow this year so you’re going to be seeing new episodes of the show dropping MUCH more often.

Lots of awesome stuff to come, I promise, and you don’t want to miss this. Subscribe however you like to subscribe, here’s some handy links for you:

• Subscribe in Overcast
• Subscribe in iTunes
• Get the RSS Feed
• Suscribe via Email

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you met Stephan Matanovic in person, you might be surprised by what you learn about him.

You’d find out that he’s a total technophile. That he’s a father of three. That he cares a ton about fitness. That he listens to a LOT of rock and roll music. And somewhere in that conversation, you’d likely find out that he’s a proud member of Indy Hall, where he works from a standing desk and is known throughout the community as someone you can always turn to for help.

Which might not be surprising until you find out that Stephan works in an industry that comes with a lot of stigma attached to it: he’s a lawyer. After 15 years in a massive 800+ lawyer firm, he landed at Indy Hall and has since changed almost everything about how he approaches his work.

This Episode of The Coworking Weekly Show is focused more about what Stephan has learned about how to build professional relationships by investing small bits of his time and attention into the people around him. And he’s the first to admit that it didn’t come automatically and easily...he had to learn how to do it. So we brought him onto the show so you could learn from him!

Sam Abrams is back in this episode as a co-host (you met her back in episode 16) for this quick but extremely insightful conversation with Stephan. In just 30 minutes there are at least a dozen actionable takeaways for anyone who wants to better understand how people can get the most value from being a part of a coworking community.

My recommendation to you is to listen to this conversation with coworkers. Even if you listen once on your own, try listening again with a few people in your team or community. Use it as a discussion starter.

Notable Quotes

“The ways to connect the dots become apparent. In sort of a beautiful mind, red string across the board kind of way. If you know people, and you know what motivates them, you see those connections.” [9:08]

“I’m not good at small-talk. I’ve never liked it. But I know it’s essential to breaking down those barriers because everyone has a story. Everyone brings something to the table. And I’m genuinely curious - not just what can I get from you, but what can you teach me, what can I learn?” [12:12]

“I look at my 15 years in the firms as, I was paid to be a bully. Whether it was a deal or litigation, I was a blunt instrument, I was paid to be a bully. I don’t do that now. I want to help you build things. That’s my job now.” [17:54]

Stephan is speaking at People at Work Summit

Save the date for April 21st! People at Work is an entirely online “conference” about work and collaboration. A first of it’s kind, taking place over 24 consecutive hours and across 7 continents.

This is going to be a great place for YOU to practice connecting the dots and getting more connected to the global coworking community.

Stephan is joining People at Work to help you learn how to help coworking space members around the world connect the dots in their own communities.

Tickets for the Summit go on sale this Friday, February 11th. Find out more about the format, meet more speakers, and get the link to register here.

Support the show and get the next episode

I’m growing the team that makes this show happen! This episode is the first one that I didn’t produce myself, so say hello to my new producer Mike Mehalick. Say hi, Mike!

So here’s the scoop: Mike and I are working hard on a brand new production workflow this year so you’re going to be seeing new episodes of the show dropping MUCH more often.

Lots of awesome stuff to come, I promise, and you don’t want to miss this. Subscribe however you like to subscribe, here’s some handy links for you:

• Subscribe in Overcast
• Subscribe in iTunes
• Get the RSS Feed
• Suscribe via Email

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is mostly safe for work, probably a PG-13 rating...but that’s true of most episodes of the show.

Bet you never expected to see a serious conversation about sex on a coworking podcast.

We talk about trust and communication a lot on this show because they are paramount to success in coworking, teams and collaborative work. Success in work is more about people and how they interact than anything else.

But we realized...those themes aren’t unique to success in the workplace. Human relationships are beautifully complex and messy, even without romance in the equation. Why not explore that beautiful mess with someone who knows a lot about it?

So in this show, my co-host Adam Teterus talks with his friend Dr. Timaree Leigh. Dr Timaree is a sex educator with a PhD in human sexuality, as well as being a writer and the host of her own podcast called “Sex with Timaree.”

Coworking is a fundamentally human experience, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about this episode. Press play with an open mind and you’re going to learn a LOT.

Timecode Quotes

- “You and I share a space and that means we affect each other.”[3:02]

- “Emotional pain is instructive. It tells you what you need to be looking for.”[11:43]

- “Polyamory isn’t a specifically different way of relating, it’s just that there are just exponentially more people involved.”[15:41]

- “When someone isn’t in your tribe, you think of them as annoying. When someone is a part of your tribe, they’re just doin’ their thing, and you approach it from a more loving place.”[16:31]

- “With any conflict resolution, it’s not what they’re doing, it’s about where you are and owning that.”[19:47]

Dr. Timaree is speaking at People at Work Summit

Save the date for April 21st! People at Work is an entirely online “conference” about work and collaboration. A first of it’s kind, taking place over 24 consecutive hours and across 7 continents.

All you need is a ticket, an internet connection, and a friendly disposition. Are you in?

Dr. Timaree is joining People at Work to help you navigate the complexities of human relationships at work with actionable advice and a healthy dose of realtalk.

Tickets for the Summit go on sale on Friday, February 11th. Find out more about the format, meet more speakers, and get the link to register here.

Support the show and get the next episode

I’m growing the team that makes this show happen! This episode is the first one that I didn’t produce myself, so say hello to my new producer Mike Mehalick. Say hi, Mike!

So here’s the scoop: Mike and I are working hard on a brand new production workflow this year so you’re going to be seeing new episodes of the show dropping MUCH more often.

Lots of awesome stuff to come, I promise, and you don’t want to miss this. Subscribe however you like to subscribe, here’s some handy links for you:

• Suscribe in Overcast
• Suscribe in iTunes
• Get the RSS Feed
• Suscribe via Email

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year there are over a DOZEN coworking conferences scheduled to take place this year alone. So many I literally can’t keep track any more.

In this episode you’re going to learn how my teammate Sam Abrams not only had a great time but learned a LOT at her first conference last fall.

This episode one part “recap” of the inaugural GCUC Canada and one part action steps that YOU can take to make sure that you leave any conference you go to with more than your moneys’ worth.

Key Quotes and Takeaways

• [15:22] "Let's stop preaching to the choir about how awesome coworking is."
• [29:04] “It’s not luck...it’s by design.”
• [60:55 ] "It helped hearing how others do it and consider adapting their process for yourself....or just completely challenging your own process to see if it still makes sense.”

My question for you is: have you been to a conference? Why or why not?

(Especially if you haven’t...PLEASE listen to this episode and tell me what you think about making this your first year of joining one of these events. Which one will you go to?)

While every industry has events (and I’ve been to my fair share), coworking conferences are particularly unique in a lot of ways, especially when the coworking core values are in play.

The people who attend are so generous with what they know (and can save you so much time and heartache trying to figure things out on your own), and everyone I meet is excited to meet other people “get” what they’re trying to do without another long-winded explanation of what coworking is.

My 2016 Conference Schedule (so far)

One of my favorite parts about going to conferences is meeting YOU, listeners of the show and readers of my website.

I’d love to meet you this year, and I have two specific events that I want to see you at in the first half of the year:

Where: Bali - Coworking Asia - February 24-28

I was SO BUMMED to miss this event last year due to a shoulder injury and only be able to do a virtual Q&A over Google Hangouts.

This year I’ll be there in person. YES!

(Also, if you’re like me and currently staring at 2 feet of snow on the east coast, a week in Bali sounds pretty good right about now.)

Don’t miss my Communtiy Building Workshop on the 24th, my lightning talk about coworking mistakes on the 25th, and my keynote (I’m bringing some serious fire to this one) on the 26th.

Get your all-inclusive ticket to the Coworking Unconference Asia in Bali.

Special Announcement

Where: ANYWHERE - People At Work Summit - April 21st

I’m RIDICULOUSLY excited to be sharing this with you. My team and I at Indy Hall have been working on something very special.

First - yes you read that right, this is a conference you can join from anywhere. The People At Work Summit is an entirely online event, spanning 24 hours and the entire world.

No airplanes. No trains. No hotels.

This is not a collection of live streams. We’re creating a brand new experience from the ground up that builds on the best from every conference we’ve ever been to, adding in some of Indy Hall’s “magic,” and with a VERY big focus on accessibility.

We will have owners AND staff of coworking spaces joining.
We will have MEMBERS of coworking spaces joining.

Coworking Conference veterans and newbies alike, this is going to be a blast. We’ll be announcing details about format, our schedule and speakers, and releasing our first batch of tickets over the next few weeks.

Sign up to get reminders about when tickets are available, and to get preview interviews with our speakers, at http://peopleatworksummit.com

Links mentioned in this episode

• Shareable link to 2016 confs
• Live stream from last year’s CU Asia Q&A
• Sam Abrams Photography
• GCUC Canada schedule
• What is an Unconference?
• Previous Coworking Conference Recaps: Episo...

Session 3 is here! I invited my friend Vanessa Gennarelli to join me for a new recurring segment that we're calling "The Stack". Vanessa is a community builder of a special sort: she works specifically on learning communities, and is trained as a researcher in the field.

What does that mean for you, though? In "The Stack", I choose 3 topics that are related to community building and coworking...though the connections might not be obvious at first. As you listen to this candid conversation, you'll get a glimpse into how Vanessa and I - two community professionals in VERY different fields - connect the dots, solve problems, and observe the world around us.

I promise you this: you're absolutely, positively going to have your worldview expanded. Guaranteed, or your money back!

On The Stack for this session:

• Accreditation (wtf is that)?
• How we create goals
• Open governance

Get new episodes right when they drop

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I don't know if you saw this when I tweeted it, but we hit the podcast charts HARD in the Business category on iTunes. Thanks to your listening, sharing, rating, and reviewing, we hit the #9 spot! I'm overwhelmed, amazed, and grateful. Thank you, so much. I'll keep bringing it if you keep showing up! <3

-Alex

Links from the show

• Emergent Research: 200k+ coworkers in 2014. 1MM by 2018
• Vanessa is a part of P2Pu
• Ignite Philly talk on Coworking + Education circa 2008
• Aaron Schapp & CoLearning at The Factory
• Dan Gilbert on Happiness
• Episode 1 - Adam talks about what he wanted to accomplish when he started working for Indy Hall
• Holocracy, a.k.a. "management laundering"
• Reid Hoffman (not Reid Erickson)'s deck on teams and culture
• How P2PU does Open Governance
• How members of Indy Hall get a key
• Exercise for aligning goals

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.