Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast

What happens when three people who spend their work lives inside the flex industry finally sit down and say the quiet parts out loud? This week I'm joined by Stormy McBride and Taylor Mason for a candid conversation about community, hybrid coworking models, wellness trends, creative studios, marketing hot takes and why so many operators underestimate the complexity of blended businesses. Stormy, w...

What does it look like when a company that's been quietly leading behind the scenes for 15 years decides it's time to step into the spotlight? We're joined this week by Caroline Hecht , Senior Director of Member Relations at Preferred Office Network , to talk about their recent rebrand and how the company has helped shape the flex industry from the very beginning. Caroline shares how Preferred Off...

What happens when a coworking operator decides to treat team development like a strategic investment, not an expense? This week, I'm joined by Meagan Slavin, COO and co-owner of 25N Coworking, for a conversation that's part post-GWA recap and part masterclass in leadership and culture-building. We talk about: Why bringing your team to industry events is a retention strategy, not just a perk How Me...

Marco didn't plan to end up leading sales for one of the most high-touch coworking brands in the world. From door-to-door charity fundraising to expanding The Great Room by Industrious across Australia, his journey shows what happens when you pair hustle with hospitality. In this episode, recorded in Sydney, Giovanni and Marco dive into what makes The Great Room stand out in a crowded market — and...

Richie Parsons didn't start out planning to run multiple coworking spaces. From managing gyms to consulting in politics, he found himself leading locations across Virginia, Maryland, and Nashville—and building teams that thrive along the way. In this episode, Richie shares how he scales spaces without losing culture, leverages frameworks like Working Genius , and builds leadership practices that a...

Get the inside scoop on next week's Global Workspace Association conference in Chicago! Jamie and Gio break down everything you need to know about this year's biggest coworking industry event. Key Topics Covered: -International expansion with speakers from Australia (Cassandra from Rethink Space, Jessie from WOTSO) -Major keynotes: John Santore (CEO of WeWork) and Anna Squires Levine (President of...

Cassandra Kavanagh didn't set out to open a coworking space. After a business partnership dissolved, she suddenly found herself with 1,200 square meters of space, only six people left in the building, and a choice to make: sink, or rethink. That pivot became Rethink Your Workspace, a thriving flex space in Newcastle, Australia, built on connection, service, and an unwavering commitment to people....

Tobi Skovron has lived the entrepreneurial rollercoaster, launching ventures in Los Angeles, exiting successfully, and then bringing his vision for community-driven coworking back home to Australia. Now the founder of CreativeCubes, Tobi leads with intentionality, building spaces designed to enable success for thousands of members while expanding across the country. In this conversation, Tobi shar...

Brad Krauskopf, Founder and CEO of Hub Australia, has been shaping the flexible workspace industry since the early days of coworking. In this episode, Gio sits down with Brad in Melbourne to talk about Hub's journey, from scrappy beginnings with beanbags to high-touch hospitality and multi-layered partnerships with landlords. Brad shares his perspective on how Hub has evolved, what hybrid work loo...

WOTSO is Australia's largest independent flexible workspace operator — and their story is one every operator should hear. From their beginnings as a single site to building a nationwide network, WOTSO has navigated growth, shifting demand, and the evolving landlord-operator relationship while staying true to their brand and community. In this episode, we sit down with the WOTSO team to unpack how...

This week's episode is a little different. Gio takes the mic solo, delivering the keynote at the Flexible Workspace Australia Conference. In his talk, Gio brings his signature mix of candor and big-picture perspective to what's happening in the flex industry, in Australia, in the U.S., and globally. What Gio covers: Why operators everywhere are facing similar challenges around demand, landlords, a...

This week, Gio and I sit down with Mike Kloppenburg, VP at Avison Young and longtime coworking insider, to pull back the curtain on what's really happening in the brokerage world, and what it means for flex operators. From the "flight to quality" and secondary market opportunities, to the messy reality of management agreements and the IWG land grab, Mike brings candid insights you won't get anywhe...

If the term "cowarehousing" hasn't hit your radar yet, this episode will change that. Shannon and Emiliano Lerda didn't set out to build a flex space company — they just wanted to stop tripping over shipping boxes in their living room. What they ended up creating is Elevator Co-Warehousing, a fast-growing brand built specifically for product-based businesses that need more than a desk… but less th...

A couch, a few desks, and a Wi-Fi password won't cut it anymore. In this episode, we sit down with Wesley Edmonds, Director of Workplace at Office Furniture Solutions, and Kurt Patrick, Senior Executive at Essensys, to talk about what it really takes to create a functional, flexible space, from physical design to digital infrastructure. They've both worked behind the scenes on hundreds of flex spa...

We're bringing this one back because it's one of our most inspiring episodes. If you haven't met Chiko Abengowe, you're in for a masterclass in scaling coworking with hustle, heart, and zero VC funding. Chiko is the founder and CEO of Perfect Office Solutions, a 20+ location flex brand that's built for affordability, speed, and entrepreneurs who just need space to get to work. We talk about: How C...

In this host-only episode, Jamie and Gio catch up on what's happening across the flex space landscape, and let's just say, it's anything but quiet. From emerging product types to the mystery of Peerspace algorithms, this one dives into the macro (industry mergers, the rise of co-warehousing) and the micro (why your meeting room pricing strategy might be off). If you're feeling the pull to try some...

If you think all coworking leaders have the same backstory… this episode will change your mind. Mark Goldfinger, GM and Head of North America for Mindspace, joins us for a deep (and often hilarious) dive into his journey. From running global expansion at WeWork to building boutique, hospitality-forward spaces at Mindspace. We talk about what he learned from the early days of coworking (and Adam Ne...

In this episode, Amanda shares how she co-founded Bamboo and scaled it into a multi-location flex space operator managing over 200,000 sq ft—all while staying true to her indie roots and mission-driven values. We cover: The early Bamboo story: humble beginnings, tough calls, and a few desks from Craigslist The decision to grow beyond Detroit and what scaling has meant for the team Bamboo's strateg...

If your goal is to create a coworking space that's profitable, purposeful, and packed with community-driven energy, this episode is required listening. Gina Schreck didn't just open a coworking space—she built a village. What started as a 10,000-square-foot coworking concept born from her marketing agency has grown into a 50,000-square-foot hybrid of workspace, event center, and community hub. In...

When a real estate problem turns into a business opportunity… and then scales across the West Coast. That's the CENTRL Office origin story. In this episode, we sit down with Alex Hughes, co-founder of CENTRL Office, to hear how a "no man's land" office building in Portland led to a full-on flex brand with locations in Oregon, Washington, and California. Alex shares how they've transitioned complet...

Ginger Dhaliwal didn't plan to end up in coworking—or in tech at all. Her journey from social work to startup founder spans continents, industries, and a through-line of solving human-centered problems. As co-founder of Upflex, she's now at the intersection of workplace experience, real estate tech, and the flex ecosystem. In this episode, we cover: Ginger's global path from social impact to launc...

What happens when a designer trades luxury bars and boutique hotels for coworking spaces—and ends up helping shape WeWork's global footprint? You get Dean Connell: design veteran, creative provocateur, and someone who's not afraid to say what coworking needs most right now. In this episode, Dean shares his personal story of stumbling into WeWork, building over 2 million square feet of flexible wor...

What if the future of work isn't about scaling bigger offices—but building better relationships? In this episode, we dive deep with Arian Lewis, founder of Kiln and former head of global partnerships at Barclays, to unpack the evolution of flex from "startup scrappiness" to a full-on solution for enterprise clients. Arian has one foot in the VC-backed world and the other in the day-to-day of runni...

If you think coworking success is just about scaling fast and filling seats, Tashi Dorjee has a totally different take — and it's working. Tashi, Head of Flex at JLL Australia, joins us to share how his team is building flexible workspaces for governments, universities, and landlords — with a fresh model that throws traditional coworking goals out the window. From a rainforest startup to creating...

This episode goes behind the scenes with Liz Elam, the driving force behind GCUC, as she and Gio recap one of the most impactful GCUC conferences to date. From a packed house of operators, brokers, architects, and first-timers to a renewed focus on mental health and belonging, Liz reflects on the power of community—and where coworking goes from here. She also shares how she's turning personal purp...