Coworking spaces often promise community—but what does it really take to build one that’s engaged, vibrant, and truly member-driven?

Liz Barney, Director of Marketing & Community at Cahoots in Ann Arbor, Michigan, joins us to share how her journey from remote worker to coworking leader led to a game-changing experiment: a member-led approach to building community and social events.

In this episode, we dive into:

• How Cahoots launched its “Community Committee” and empowered members to take ownership of events and initiatives.

• Why structured, member-led engagement can be more effective than traditional coworking social events.

• Lessons learned from different types of community-building experiments (what worked and what didn’t!).

• The surprising ways introverts and extroverts engage in coworking spaces—and why a variety of offerings matters.

• How this approach fosters deeper connections, improves retention, and makes coworking spaces truly feel like home.

This episode is packed with practical takeaways for coworking operators who want to level up their community strategy—without putting everything on their community team.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

GCUC discount code: EVERYGCUC for 20% off - https://na.gcuc.co/

Liz's LinkedIn profile

Blog post describing the experiment: How Shared Purpose Creates Community For Remote Workers

Cahoots website

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

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