What happens when a COO, a Director of Brand and Culture, and a Director of Sales sit down together—and you realize they're not just colleagues, but people who genuinely love working together?

This week, Giovanni Palavicini sits down with three members of the 25N leadership team—Meagan Slavin (COO), Sari Lash (Director of Brand and Culture), and Mecca Shannon (Director of Sales and Launch)—for one of the most heartfelt conversations about culture, leadership, and building a team that actually sticks around.

They're in Dallas announcing 25N's third Texas location, and between the excitement of expansion, they open up about what makes their culture work: trust, grace, radical ownership, and the willingness to let people mess up without hiding it.
We talk about:

• Why culture isn't HR fluff—it's a strategic advantage that impacts your bottom line
• The "people first" value and why it means hiring overachievers, then giving them grace
• How trust shows up when someone calls to say "I really screwed up—help me fix this"
• Why 25N has never described themselves as a "family" (and why boundaries matter)
• How Meagan's dad taught her she could conquer the world—and how she's passing that on
• Why pouring equally into every employee creates long-term wins
• The power of supportive partners who show up and hold down the fort

This conversation is proof that great culture isn't about perks or buzzwords—it's about seeing people as humans, creating clear boundaries, and giving your team freedom to bring their best.
If you're building a team or wondering how to scale culture as you grow, this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Meagan Slavin on LinkedIn
Sari Lash on LinkedIn
Mecca Shannon on LinkedIn
25N Coworking website

Connect with your Hosts:

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn

Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast

What happens when someone who lived through the internet boom of the '90s starts seeing the same patterns with AI—and decides to map out exactly what it means for your coworking business?

This week, we chat with Ben Wright, who's spent eight years in flexible workspace—first at Square Foot, then leading office space.com at Instant Group, and now helping operators understand how AI will actually impact their P&L.

Ben just launched a seven-part series breaking down AI's real applications in coworking. His bottom line: this is more about growing revenue than cutting costs. When 50% of your expenses are real estate, a chatbot isn't saving you money on rent.

We talk about:

• Why AI feels eerily similar to the internet boom (and why that matters)
• The "wrong goes wrong, right goes right" principle—and why clean data wins
• How Unity AI is helping operators turn 70% of their leads into revenue
• Why 75% of AI agents built for Yardi do one thing: data cleaning
• Why human hospitality will never be replaced by a bot
  
  

This conversation is proof that AI isn't about replacing humans—it's about freeing operators to do what they do best while automation handles the repetitive work.

If you're wondering whether AI is hype or reality, this episode gives you a clear roadmap for what to implement now.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Ben Wright on LinkedIn

Connect with your Hosts:

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn

Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast

What happens when a VP of Operations becomes the translator between a founder's 3 a.m. ideas and the team that has to make them reality?

Five years later, she's running the show.

This week, we sit down with Carly Bedini, VP of Operations at iQ Offices, and her boss Kane Willmott for one of the most honest, hilarious, and heartfelt conversations we've had on this podcast.

Carly came from nonprofits and events. She had no idea what coworking was. But she knew how to lead teams, manage chaos, and translate a founder's vision into operational reality. And that's exactly what she's been doing for Kane and his co-founder Alex ever since.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Carly went from running We Day events in Canada to becoming Kane's operational translator
• Why Kane now trusts Carly to speak at industry events more than he speaks himself
• The GWA Atlanta Immersive—and why smaller conferences force everyone to show up and be present
• How iQ is focusing on enterprise clients and broker relationships heading into 2026
• Carly's 2026 goal: embrace AI and stop resisting Kane's ideas quite so hard

This conversation is proof that the best hires aren't always the ones with industry experience—they're the ones who show up authentically, lead with humor, and aren't afraid to challenge their CEO while making magic happen behind the scenes.

If you're a founder wondering how to let go and trust your team, or if you're an operator building a culture where people actually love coming to work, this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Carly Bedini on LinkedIn
Kane Willmott on LinkedIn
iQ Offices website

Connect with your Hosts:

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn

Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast