For International #Coworking Day, the Gospel according to Ashley Proctor, the High Priestess of Community Building:
A quick recap for those who think #coworking is ‘like WeWork’ or is about ‘sharing office space’ ❤️
We are not simply renting desks, providing coffee & WiFi. It’s not about the space itself. It’s about what happens when we work together.
Coworking is a model and a movement.
A genuine coworking community is built intentionally, and is curated and managed to encourage engagement, and to accelerate serendipity. We are dedicated to serving our members while animating and cultivating the community itself. Above all else, we value collaboration over competition.
In a genuine coworking space:
We are breaking down barriers and building bridges between individuals and industries;
We are making entrepreneurship accessible;
We are inspiring and empowering our members;
We are sharing best practices and expanding our networks;
We are bringing people together and dismantling loneliness;
We are building and strengthening our communities;
We are protecting freelancer rights;
We are accelerating local economic development;
We are increasing productivity and the capacity of our member organizations;
We are ensuring the sustainability of social enterprises, independent workers and small businesses;
We are modelling reconciliation, diversity and inclusivity.
And collectively, we are shaping the future of work.”
We get this question . . . a lot. And, yes! You most certainly can. But we’re going to do it all at once and all together. So pull up a chair any Friday at noon Central Time. Bring your lunch and feel free to talk with your mouth full.
Every Friday, pull up a chair for this open Q&A with other folks who are interested in animating places of joyful belonging!
Topics include: Spacemaking Community Engagement Coworking Operations Elevating Hospitality The Art of Gathering Events & Marketing
And, as always, Dismantling Loneliness and Accelerating Serendipity.
Have a particular topic in mind? Bring it!
Arrive a little early so you can mess with the tech and check your hairdo and lighting. We will do a quick check in and then jump right into the Q&A.
R.S.V.P. here and call info will be sent with your confirmation. See you there!
Unique initiative prepares faith leaders as spiritual entrepreneurs in the changing religious landscape.
Daryn DeZengotita, Founder of Table Coworking, has been selected for the prestigious START program, Glean Network’s landmark, MBA-level entrepreneurship fellowship. Developed with Columbia Business School, the program prepares leaders to launch new ventures designed to serve their constituents in light of the shifting American religious landscape. Daryn will be part of the sixth cohort for this competitive national fellowship. Glean Network is a growing community of faith-rooted leaders who find themselves at the crossroads of tradition and innovation, seeking to reimagine the role of faith in a world that yearns for meaning, belonging, and justice. With partners like Columbia Business School, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, and a number of national religious denominations and organizatGlean Network has quickly grown to national prominence. With hundreds of leaders trained, over 100 ventures incubated, and over $12 million raised by its graduates, Glean Network has become a center for the reimagining of faith, and a key training ground for visionary leaders like Daryn.
Glean Network is a sponsored program of Clal, a Jewish think-tank focused on pluralism, innovation, and the future of faith in America. To interview any of the fellows or Glean Network’s Founding Director, Rabbi Elan Babchuck, please contact Rabbi Elan Babchuck at elan@clal.org.
I’m so thrilled to share the news of my participation in this fellowship. The other participants and the alumni come from such a wide array of experiences! We are halfway through the program at this point and I have learned, and re-learned, so much. I am grateful to my spectacular coaches Rabbi Elan Babchuck and Rodney Eric López and to the network of partners who support this work.
One of my next tasks is to conduct a series of surveys as part of the Discovery process in the Lean Faith Canvas methodology we are using. If you would like to participate in the survey or a full informational interview, please let me know. This data will be vital to creating sustainable programs and benefits in the year to come.
We’re now spending 5x more time in meetings, and this shift is causing challenges across the entire organization. Marketers and sellers are struggling to capture and keep the attention of their buyers; HR is figuring out how to keep employees happy while supporting their flexibility; and IT is now a key stakeholder in return-to-work strategies and re-evaluating their tech stacks.
At the heart of all these challenges is engagement — traditional meetings and collaboration tools are no longer effective in the rapidly evolving hybrid workplace, which means organizations need to dramatically rethink how they run meetings and communicate.
Join us for a webinar on Thursday, November 4th, to find out how to create hybrid meetings that are more engaging, collaborative, and professional-looking than any other meeting. You’ll learn how to:
Hold hybrid meetings that bring back the human connection of in-person meetings
Turn meeting attendees into meeting participants
Elevate your brand with a differentiated meeting experience
Reduce the number of meetings across your organization
Put all these tips into action with the all-new Prezi Video
The webinar starts at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. GMT. Register now!
Can’t make it? No problem — we’ll send a recording to everyone who registers.
Featured Speakers
Lorraine Lee and Ben Holm
Lorraine is a top-rated virtual keynote speaker and leader at the intersection of editorial and tech with more than 300,000 followers on LinkedIn. She’s passionate about helping professionals become more productive and successful, and has spoken at Fortune 500 companies, tech firms, top-ranked universities, government-funded organizations, and more. Lorraine is currently the Editorial Director at Prezi and a LinkedIn Learning instructor, and was previously an editor at LinkedIn.
Ben started off as a Prezi fan and customer in 2011. Today, he’s thrilled to be the Senior Product Manager leading development of Prezi Video. He’s currently a fully remote working Finn in Scotland who’s very much benefitting from improved video communication, technology, and better future hybrid office solutions.
I’ve spent the past few weeks assisting the Soularize team with an upcoming “global learning party.” During the pandemic, many of us have explored how to use technology to create hybrid events that are accessible to all. For those of us in the community-building business, it became apparent pretty quickly that there was no returning to the Before Times when people were required to come face to face.
The question is: How to improve on the experience for all?
Soularize LIVE is a unique experiment in this regard. It’s a 20-year old gathering of folks from the “emerging” church movement. You will find many definitions for that term, but these are thought leaders who spent some time wrestling with the Big Questions and came away fully loving queerfolk and really doubting a literal Hell. Here in 2021, we find our Millennials breaking away from the evangelical megachurches of their youth and encountering a painful process termed “deconstruction.”
Spencer Burke is the founder of the event and one of those early leaders. His 2006 work, A Heretic’s Guide to Eternity, was influential for the massive population shift that became “Spiritual But Not Religious.” I have gotten to know him through his work of applying Lean Methodology to Spiritual Entrepreneurship. Now, Spencer is getting the gang back together for a time such as this.
“Now more than ever, it is a critical time for people to gather with real purpose. A time to bring people of different backgrounds together to discuss the important issues of the day in terms of Humane Spiritualty. We call these people visionaries and changemakers because they have seen this coming. And they are ready to meet the moment.”
Spencer burke
I hope that you will consider attending this event. A full pass is only twenty bucks! And the workshops are already available NOW. That’s why it’s a hybrid – designed for you to view the content at your own pace and then engage with the community in real time. It’s truly an experiment, so your feedback will be greatly appreciated as well.
Below, I’ve highlighted a few workshops focused on social entrepreneurship. It’s amazing to see churchfolk begin to view this as an innovative and authentic method for connecting with neighbors and serving the community!
I’m here for it.
🍏 Daryn
God’s Mixed Ecology: The Changing Spiritual Landscape The church has put all its eggs in the inherited, attractional models, and it’s not working. Thankfully, there is more at play! In this session, we’ll take a look at how the spiritual landscape is changing, what it means for the inherited church, how leaders are impacted and what is needed to sustain life in this mixed ecology.
Rabbi Elan Babchuck walks us through the best practices of creating and delivering your start-up pitch. It’s powerful information for anyone interested in taking an idea off the drawing board and out to those interested in getting involved and supporting your project.
“The world has changed. The faith landscape has changed. As the ground shifts beneath us, faith communities are trending toward small thinking just as the world needs us to bring our boldest and most visionary ideas to bear. Through the stories and lessons of some of the world’s most successful social innovators, we’ll explore mindsets and strategies for creating high-impact social change. We’ll also look at the unique assets faith communities bring to solving the world’s most challenging problems.” Danielle Goldstone, innoFaith
Y’all know I’m a Thistle Farmer from way back! I think I quote Becca Stevens at least once every time I speak and I stop for lunch at Thistle Farms Cafe whenever I visit mom in Tennessee – both coming and going. It’s simply the best social enterprise in the history of everything ever. I said what I said.
The incomparable Spencer Burke is doing a thing! I have been a big fan of his work adapting Lean Methodology for faith-based initiatives. In fact, his Lean Faith Canvas has become Step One when we are launching new spaces.
Now, he’s bringing back an event from the early days of the “emerging church” movement. It’s had a 10-year break and it’s back as a pandemic-era hybrid. The lineup of workshops and speakers is stellar and you are able to participate three ways:
Network Pass: Access all content in our private Soularize community, online and in the mobile app. Participate starting NOW and through the LIVE 3-Day gathering. Cost: $19.95 per person.
Village Host: Broadcast Soularize LIVE gathering to your own location. We will provide remote training and support for your team. One Network Pass included. Cost: $99 per host.
Fullerton Pass: Attend in-person at the main event location in charming downtown Fullerton, CA. On-site experiences in accordance with CDC health guidelines TBA. Includes one Network Pass. Attendance is limited. Cost: $199 per person.
Partnerships for this event include some of our most innovative and relevant changemakers, including the Glean Network, Ashoka Fellows and InnoFaith.
(And I’m happy to be helping out with the marketing campaign.) 🍏 Daryn
“We are invited to explore the question, how might we reframe issues to inspire human dignity to all, through the pursuit and practice of empathy, equity, and inclusivity?
We don’t need to force discovery of the new or different. It’s the essence of why we do what we do. It’s the animating force that drives our curiosity and enables us to fearlessly embrace the unknown.
We can be found among artist activists, community change-agents, business entrepreneurs, church leaders, visionary educators and even in the most unexpected vocations. We believe a better world is possible.”
Note: Community builders are always looking for ways to keep our focus on our purpose – for ourselves and our people. Having a shared focus, even for a brief moment, with zillions of other people is one way to build community. And it’s why I love Every Monday Matters.
As the weather begins to change, we realize that the calendar year is winding down. While we may be tempted to wait until the new year to revisit our goals, the fall is a beautiful time to consider our “harvest.”
How have our intentions aligned with our actions? And what was the yield?
When we are intentional, we get clear on the outcome we would like to make happen. When we are mindful and thoughtful about what we want to create, how we want to contribute, and the impact we want to have, we can choose to focus on what matters most.
Priorities and plans allow us to determine benchmarks and milestones. We can evaluate and assess our progress, re-evaluate and adjust. But it’s not always easy – just when we think we have everything under control, a big unknown can throw everything off. However, even in these circumstances, our priorities and plans allow us to take into account what needs to get done and what can wait. Full post here.
Begin With The End.
When we begin with the end, we are also able to better identify the resources and support we need to get there, as well as manage our expectations along the way. So what “ends” do you have for your day, week, year, or life? And, how will you begin your intentional journey towards them? Full post here.
Know Your Purpose.
When you know and follow your purpose, everything seems to connect. You feel confident, trust your choices, and start each day with a sense of direction and intention. Have you ever stopped to reflect on the purpose for your life? We know this is a big question to ask, but we hope you have. You are here for a reason. You have unique gifts the world needs. Full post here.
Community Building Through Shared Focus
I’m a fan of Every Monday Matters because of their weekly inspiration. They provide ideas for simple acts of kindness and general better-world making every Monday. In the church world, clergy and teachers may use a common lectionary , a practice dating to early Christian congregations who took their cues from the worship practices of the synagogue to determine the readings for the service.
EMM came to my attention after one of the mass school shootings a few years ago. The message that “you matter” was a powerful response to the lost souls who got their hands on weapons and destroyed lives.
One of the mass school shootings. It’s horrifying that I can’t even remember which one.
I do know this: on a regular basis, we need to be brought back to why we do this work. I think it can be well summarized by reminding our people that they matter. We all need to KNOW, really KNOW, that we matter. Mondays are a great place to start.
Throughout the week, visit Big Table to post your ideas and get practical suggestions on how to use the theme to engage your community members.
Sandra taught classes and beta tested the kitchen while we struggled to get it certified for commercial use. Her whole business was centered on what she called the most important question of the day: What’s for dinner?
Recently, she has pivoted to focus on corporate team building. It’s such a natural for her, as she had a corporate career before she decided to follow her dream and enroll at Le Cordon Bleu. Just look at these darling boxes she prepared for an event for ebay.
Since it looks like virtual events are going to be our go-to for gatherings for a little while longer, Sandra is highly recommended for a fun way to connect with your coworking members and their teams.
And, by the way, if you want to put that big ol’ church kitchen to work, let’s chat about it! Every Friday at Virtual Potluck Lunch.
Here is what she sent this morning:
It’s time to get cooking. So you can do what’s really important: Converse. Connect. Create Community.
Take a peek inside our kitchen and learn why you should book a virtual culinary team building event with Life At The Table.
Need a reason to book a virtual culinary team building event? We’ve got three really good ones.
Even though Homer Simpson thinks you don’t win friends with salad, we do. Learn how to make a great one in this upcoming virtual cooking class; watch a fun TikTok demo of this virtual class here.
Register here and use coupon code SEPT15%OFF. This discount will apply to any class purchased between now and September 15.
And, hey, watermelons are still in the store. Pick a great watermelon with these tips and spend some juicy time around the table.
Until next time, spend as much time as you can doing what’s really important in life – sharing the table with family and friends.
Note: Just got off the phone with Sandra. Haven’t talked to her in forever and it was so good to hear her voice. We are having coffee soon! Have you picked up the phone and called an old friend lately? Highly recommended.#DismantleLoneliness
Note: Sadly, our pilgrimage has now been postponed for one year due to the Covid crisis. Please follow us at BigTable.Networkfor news updates.
For those of us who are placemakers and people gatherers, we know our spaces have a life of their own. It’s an energy that changes from day to day, reflecting the ever-changing group of people as they arrive and depart.
We create a framework around those comings and goings with our daily rituals of coffee brewing, intentional programming, beautiful furnishings and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Hospitality is elevated to an art form and a relentless quest for excellence.
Our pilgrimage is designed to gather people who do that hard, thankless work for four days in a place that will inspire and rejuvenate.
But not just any place.
Like the great sites around the world, pilgrimages don’t happen just anywhere. The site is key to the experience. (There’s also usually a very long walk!) The places we will explore together tell their stories with no words. While we have tour guides, this is not a conference with panels of speakers. We will have a few experienced Listeners to moderate conversations and offer reflections.
Our primary venues, Crosstown Concourse and First Congo, are some of the finest examples of community engagement and historic adaptive reuse you are likely to ever see. It’s no accident that they are located within a short drive from each other. Learn more about our venues here – though they really defy written description.
Of course, Memphis isn’t just any city. For history, diversity, culture and creativity, it has no peer. Also food. Holy smokes, is there food! The pilgrimage builds in plenty of opportunity for you to discover this extraordinary city and meet its people.
Then there’s the neighborhood – the historic Cooper-Young district that features shops, galleries, bars and cafes, plus:
A REAL book store and a REAL record store.
And a cat sanctuary.
And a restaurant located in Priscilla Presley’s old beauty salon. (I know, right?)
It’s a neighborhood that redefines “eclectic” and teaches real-time lessons in urban renewal from all perspectives.
On our Big Table Mighty Network, there is now a Group dedicated to connecting folks who are coming, and to those who want to learn more. Here’s your invitation to join the group.
See you there!
🍏 Daryn
“Pilgrimage starts with setting intention. This might be healing, marking a loss, asking forgiveness, exploring a life transition, or simply reconnecting with joy. It might even be simply the intention of adventure —creating space in which unexpected new thoughts, friendships, or experiences might emerge.”
Tickets include: all tours, local transportation, five full meals from neighborhood sources plus a big BBQ with live band, and more. Sponsored tickets may be available at reduced cost. Need a one-day ticket? Worried about covid? So are we. All tickets are now fully refundable except for processing fees.
The most affordable option is the beautiful and very clean Hostel Memphis, starting at just $35 per night. Otherwise, we suggest booking in the Cooper-Young neighborhood, or treat yourself to the gorgeous Central Station hotel, another project from the Crosstown Concourse team. Please check the cancellation policies! Find a roomie here.
Every Friday, pull up a chair for our virtual Potluck Lunch. It’s a chance to ask me anything and connect with other community leaders from all over the world. R.S.V.P. and please share.
Get Connected.
Join the network for how-to’s, who’s who and more news.
Last week, I welcomed a small team of collaborators for a scouting expedition to Memphis, TN. Stay tuned for details of our fall pilgrimage – you are invited! Our venues are a church and a mixed-use development and our “pilgrims” will emerge from the intersection between those two worlds. It’s the place where I spend most of my time and I’ve gotten pretty comfortable there.
Among our team are a pastor and two people with no connection to organized religion. In fact, religion brings painful memories left behind in young adulthood, only to become inspirational leaders of influence in their own right, with life-giving and soul-nourishing careers.
Like any work sector, religion has jargon. In political rhetoric, we call them “dog whistles.” More than most, institutional religion has jargon and acronyms and, you know . . . parables*. In reality, the coworking movement has its share, too. We know whether you are “in” or “out” based on hyphen usage! Because I operate in two worlds, I resist using jargon because it is a barrier to understanding. On the other hand, it’s lazy shorthand to demonstrate my expertise.
During our time together in Memphis, I learned just how much I’ve been assimilated. I was slinging around terms and phrases that were deeply meaningful to me, the pastor and church leaders, but left my other guests confused and shut out. Fortunately, we made space to discuss it and learned more about each other’s stories. I’m grateful for that.
Back home, I asked my coworking marketing lab to workshop this document written for a specific group of clergy and church leadership. Again – confusion and disconnection. I made excuses: “it’s for a specific audience! It’s just one part of a larger document!”
But the reality is, I was being lazy and I was just fine with allowing the communication barrier to hold firm. I devalued people and I’m sorry. If I’m really going to claim the space and bridge the gap between two worlds, I must do better.
You are invited to call me out on it. And thanks.
*”Wineskins” is a reference to a Biblical parable about not putting new wine in old wineskins – a vessel for holding wine formed from an animal skin in ancient times. It needed to be maintained and never allowed to dry out completely because it would lose its shape and thus its usefulness. The useful metaphor that serves us today is that new ways of doing things will challenge the old containers, institutions and systems. See? It works in both worlds.
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