When talking about coworking, we oftentimes discuss the logistics. Things like how many square feet the space is, what amenities are available, and how to upgrade your utilities are usually at the forefront of discussion. However, Angel Kwiatkowski, the cofounder of Cohere, tells the truth about the coworking industry.
Coworking is powerful and can change lives, but no one writes about it properly. Angel shares some stories about the stuff we do not hear about coworking spaces. These stories really show that it is the people in the space that matters.
Three Stories About Coworking
Story One
Angel describes how she was sitting in the living room when her partner, Amy, came in. As soon as Amy entered, Angel could tell something was wrong with her by her face. It turns out that Amy just got news that her grandma had passed away. Angel joked about how Amy did not run up to her desk nor to the wifi router. Rather, Amy came to the room where the people were so that they could hug her and love her.
Story Two
Angel tells the audience about a time that she she was having a bad cup of coffee upstairs. Then one of her members who has diabetes came in and asked for help saying that something was wrong with him. Angel again joked about how he did not run to the space’s appliances like the coffee machine or air purifier. The member went where the people were to ask for a ride to Emergency Care. Angel also notes that it would have been harder for him to get to Emergency Care had he been working from home because the commute is further.
Story Three
Angel reminices back a couple weeks ago to when found out she was pregnant. She and her husband had been trying for another baby for a while so everyone was very happy for her. Unfortunately, the good news was spoiled by another discovery Angel had. She discovered a lump in her breast. So, she went to the doctor where they ran a bunch of test. Afterwards, she went back to her coworking space to wait for her results. The test results said “benign” meaning that she did not have cancer. Angel tells the audience how glad she was that she was not at home for the news because she would not have had anyone to celebrate.