Tell me more about cohousing

Send us a message! In Episode 31 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika share some poetry!  The poems have something to do with cohousing, but really, it's an excuse to stop and share some poems. Poems mentioned: On Work by Kahlil Gibran Gate A-4 by Naomi Shihab Nye Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Planting Your Spring Garden, author unknown For...

Send us a message! In Episode 29 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika interview Tom King , the originator of the Houston cohousing group. Tom's path to cohousing has a dimension that we haven’t explored much, the spiritual aspect of the path to cohousing. He's part of a cross-cultural mediation community that brought him in contact with the idea of cohousing and that living in community is a sp...

Send us a message! In Episode 29 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika replay the 2022 story of the mystery old safe that was left behind in the tear-down building on the property. Before the bulldozers knocked it down a spirit of curiosity blew through the community that lead to collective initiative to get it cracked and opened. Join the fun ride through their efforts to raise the money to open it and a...

Send us a message! In Episode 28 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika interview Anna Barr, a writer and graduate student at the University of Houston. They talk about Anna's experience living in a co-op during her undergraduate years and how community informs her outlook on the creative life.  Anna brings her community building and narrative skills to teaching as well: she leads creative writing wor...

Send us a message! In Episode 27 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika interview Susan Lieberman, a woman who builds community wherever she goes.... and she's been lots of places! She has "lived in nine cities, written eight books, directed four educational programs, earned three graduate degrees, raised two sons and thinks, one day, she may, perhaps, acquire a partridge in a pear tree".  S...

Send us a message! In Episode 26 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika "walk through" the physical space of CoHousing Houston with the assistance of the group's new final design fly-through.  To follow along while listening to the podcast, check out the video HERE . If you'd like to see a narrated version of the fly through prepared by our archictecht, Kathleen English, check out THIS...

Send us a message! In Episode 25 Steve Stelzer, Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika join the Open Journal team at KPFT, Houston's Community Radio station to explain about this new cohousing project coming to town. CoHousing Houston is the first cohousing built in all of Texas.   For more information about cohousing in Houston, please check out our website at www.cohousinghouston.com . Let us know i...

Send us a message! In Episode 24 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika discuss about how cohousing facilitates letting go of some things that our modern lives foist upon us. As Lynn puts it "this isn't about downsizing!" Instead, they look at the ways that intentional community offers an alternative.  For more information about cohousing in Houston, please check out our website at www.cohou...

Send us a message! In Episode 23 Kelli Soika visits with Laura Eldredge to discuss her upcoming book discussion about David Brooks' new book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. She talks about how the book resonates with the epidemic of loneliness and how she was touched by the content and ideas. As David Brooks observes, “There is one skill that lies...

Send us a message! In Episode 22 Kelli Soika asks Lynn Morstead for an update on her downsizing efforts. What has happened since they last talked about it on the podcast. The questions are: Update on progress made? New Tips? Noticed a Change in my relationship with things?  Things I’m planning to add?  Listen in to hear what Lynn has to say about her progress. For more information about cohousing...

Send us a message! In Episode 21 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead talk about the statement Lynn picked up in a recent podcast (she cannot remember which one!) that " Community is a practice "   like meditation, or yoga, or prayer. They explore this idea as it relates to cohousing.  Listen in to hear what they discover in their weekly cohousing conversation. For more information about cohous...

Send us a message! In Episode 20 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead invite Liz Parker, one of our community members, into the conversation to expand on a reflection Liz recently shared at a community gathering about the " Power of Invitation ".   Tune in to hear what they had to say about how this has played out in their lives and how that connects to community building, as well as community...

Send us a message! In Episode 19 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead review the past weekend retreat with members of their community on "Working with Conflict in Community". The workshop was lead by Laird Schaub. They talk about their personal light bulb moments and the next steps for the community. Tune in to hear how the weekend worked out.  For more information about cohousing in Houston, p...

Send us a message! In Episode 18 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead reflect on the contrast between how much you talk about and focus on "cohousing" while you are forming a cohousing group compared to when you are actually living in cohousing.  Tune in to hear what they say about this. Compare it to your experience! For more information about cohousing in Houston, please check out our website...

Send us a message! In Episode 17 Kelli Soika introduces her new theme for 2024: The Year of the Neighbor . The first topic that Lynn Morstead and Kelli pick up on related to this theme is being "an authentic neighbor". Lynn shares a story of a situation that arose between the two of them, which might have normally lead to broken relations or at least temporarily cooled contact. In this c...

Send us a message! In Episode 16 It's the end of the year! Wrapping up 2023 and looking forward to 2024. Thanks for following along. For more information about cohousing in Houston, please check out our website at www.cohousinghouston.com . Let us know if you have any comments or ideas by emailing us at info@cohousinghouston.com . 

Send us a message! In Episode 15 Lynn Morstead and Kelli Soika talk about the tough questions they encounter regarding cohousing.  Building a relationship with potential new neighbors is a wonderful opportunity to ask and answer the harder questions people have about living in cohousing. "What if I don't like everyone?,"  "What about the price per square foot?," and other...

Send us a message! In Episode 14 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead interview two CoHousing Houston members, about their experience with shared, meaningful work within cohousing and in other settings. They talk about how shared work helps with getting to know people, extend the ability to get things done, and saves money.  They tackle some of the difficulties communities face in getting people to parti...

Send us a message! In Episode 13 Kelli Soika interviews CoHousing Houston member, Phil Berrie. Phil is the person tasked with figuring out what platform the community would like to use after move-in. They discuss the criteria for choosing a platform and some of the options available specifically for cohousing groups. They discuss Gather and Mosaic, two popular platforms designed for cohousing grou...

Send us a message! In Episode 12 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead pick back up on their earlier conversation with Danny Milman , Development Manager at Urban Development Partners . They talk about the 7 things developers think about cohousers. Lynn and Kelli compiled lists of what they think developers think about. Danny brings the truth.  After the podcast, Danny shared with us her list of what a co...

Send us a message! In Episode 11 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead come together immediately after listening to the CoHoUS talk by Katie McCamant on "Demystifying Common Meals" to share their reactions. They were enthusiastic and ready to start cooking common meals right away. Listen in to learn about their key take-aways.  For more information about cohousing in Houston, please check out ou...

Send us a message! In Episode 10 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead welcome Vanda Crossley, the founder of “This Is Us” Community in Fort Bend County, an area outside of Houston, Texas.  Envisioned as an "agrihood," the community is coming together to have private homes and a shared commitment to growing food and looking out for one another. For more information, check out www.thisisustx.com...

Send us a message! In Episode 9 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead discuss their reactions to the saying " If you have more than you need build a bigger table – not a higher fence."  How they have experienced this in their lives and how cohousing is by definition an act of building a bigger table.  Listen in to learn more. They are recommending the talk on " Demystifying Common Meals &qu...

Send us a message! In Episode 8 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead interview professor, community leader, and nonprofit founder Jackie Augustine of Blueprint Geneva. Based in the upstate town of Geneva, New York, Jackie has identified cohousing as a model for engagement and cohesiveness in affordable housing. The discussion touches on how the model of cohousing can address some of the issues that affor...

Send us a message! In Episode 7 Kelli Soika and Lynn Morstead visit with Jane Mueller, a founding member of Mission Peak Village, a forming cohousing community in Fremont, CA. The community is the first cohousing in their town, a walkable and bikeable area located in the East Bay, near San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. The community will have a large Common House and room for gardening and othe...