GCUC Podcast - Coworking, Hospitality & The Future of Work

What if the best social club in New York didn’t revolve around alcohol, but around connection?

On this episode of the GCUC podcast, we sit down with Justin Gurland, Founder & CEO of The Maze, an alcohol-free members club in New York City that’s redefining how adults gather, connect, and build community. After nearly two decades of sobriety and a career in behavioral health, Justin saw a gap: plenty of places to drink together, but almost nowhere designed for meaningful connection without alcohol at the center.

Enter The Maze, a thoughtfully designed social club where professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs can meet, collaborate, and form real relationships in a hospitality-driven environment rooted in wellness and intentional programming.

Justin joins GCUC Founder Liz Elam to discuss the growing alcohol-free movement, the loneliness epidemic in big cities, and why rebuilding social networks is one of the most powerful drivers of human well-being. They also dive into the surprising rise of sober-curious culture, the role hospitality plays in community spaces, and what coworking operators can learn from the next generation of membership clubs.

From morning routines and meditation streaks to building a business when “everything finally clicks,” this conversation explores what happens when purpose, timing, and community align.

In this episode, Justin and Liz explore why alcohol-free social spaces are booming, how The Maze is helping tackle loneliness in New York City, and what coworking operators can learn from the world of hospitality and social clubs. 

If you're interested in the future of community- and wellness-driven spaces and hospitality, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Learn more about The Maze

Connect with Justin Gurland

Connect with Liz Elam

Learn more about GCUC & get your tickets for GCUC North America

Get ready for a powerhouse episode of the GCUC Podcast.

Meet Katerina Cirilli, Co-CEO of Saltbox, the operations hub redefining how entrepreneurs grow. Saltbox is where coworking, warehousing, and next-level logistics meet, all wrapped in real community. With 12 locations and more than 1,000 brands operating inside its ecosystem, Katerina is helping build the infrastructure that allows founders to scale without getting crushed by operational complexity.

Katerina joins Liz Elam, founder of GCUC, for a high-energy conversation about scaling with purpose, leading through culture, and why community remains the ultimate competitive advantage.

In this episode, they unpack what it truly takes to scale a community across both physical and virtual spaces, and why logistics is ultimately “the business of exception management.” They explore how Saltbox empowers creative founders to stay focused on product and brand while a strong operational engine runs seamlessly in the background, and how AI and automation are reshaping modern logistics when used to amplify humans rather than replace them. 

The conversation also dives into the surprisingly collaborative ecosystems that emerge inside purpose-built communities and makes the case that hiring for vibe and developing leaders from within may be the real secret to building something that grows sustainably over time.

From viral product brands to early-stage founders shipping their first ten orders a week, Saltbox is building a new model for entrepreneurial infrastructure, one that blends physical space, digital connection, and deeply human support.

If you care about the future of work, the power of community, and building businesses that scale without losing their soul, this one is for you.

Learn more about Saltbox:

https://www.saltbox.com/resources/company-why-saltbox

Connect with Katerina Cirilli:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerina-cirilli/

Connect with Liz Elam:

Learn more about GCUC & get your tickets for GCUC North America:

Watch the GCUC Podcast on YouTube:

What happens when wellness, work, love, and ambition collide? 

In this episode of the GCUC Podcast, founders Espoir Michalek and Connor Michalek pull back the curtain on how they built Gevity, a bold new concept redefining coworking through wellness, recovery, and deeply intentional community.

From an “ice bath epiphany” and a chance meeting abroad to launching one of Austin’s most talked-about spaces, Espoir and Connor share their raw founder journey, the power of building a business as partners, and why sustainable ambition, not burnout, is the future of work. Expect insights on recovery-first workplaces, community-driven growth, and what it really takes to protect culture while scaling.

The conversation is guided by Liz Elam, host of the GCUC Podcast, who brings her signature curiosity and industry expertise to an episode that blends heart, hustle, and the next evolution of coworking and wellness.

 If you’re curious about the future of work, wellness-led spaces, and building something meaningful, this one’s a must-listen.

Antonette Benting doesn’t just build community; she is designing belonging across an entire continent.

As the leader behind GCUC Africa and a powerhouse operator in the coworking industry, Antonette has helped shape what community-first workplaces look like in one of the most dynamic and fast-growing regions in the world. Her work is proof that coworking is not a one-size-fits-all model, it’s a movement deeply influenced by culture, people, and place.

From leading coworking teams to scaling member experiences without losing soul, Antonette brings sharp insight, real talk, and a deep belief that community is a strategy, not a buzzword.

In this episode, Antonette sits down with Liz Elam, founder of GCUC, for a candid conversation that puts a spotlight on GCUC Africa, regional leadership, and what operators everywhere can learn from the innovation happening across the African coworking ecosystem. Together, they explore leadership, resilience, cultural nuance, and why the future of work belongs to operators who lead with intention and local relevance.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who cares about community, culture, and the global evolution of coworking.

Connect with Antonette Benting:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonette-benting/

Learn more about GCUC Africa:

https://africa.gcuc.co/

Connect with Liz Elam:

Learn more about GCUC & get your tickets for GCUC North America:

Watch the GCUC Podcast on YouTube:

In this episode of the GCUC Podcast, Amanda Neanor, founder of NEANOR Projects, brings a behind-the-scenes perspective from the worlds of private membership clubs, luxury hospitality, and coworking. With leadership experience at Soho House, NeueHouse, and Platinum Clubs of the World, Amanda has spent her career designing and operating spaces where community, culture, and commercial success actually align.

Amanda joins host Liz Elam, founder of GCUC, for a candid conversation about the invisible details that separate “nice space” from truly magnetic experience. Together, they unpack what most operators miss, from service culture and onboarding to brand identity, surprise-and-delight moments, and why community is built through intention, not amenities.

They dive into:

Why hospitality thinking is essential to the future of coworking

The first signals that tell you whether a space will be special or forgettable

What coworking operators should steal from private clubs and luxury hotels

How to balance aesthetics, operations, and revenue without compromising experience

The role of rules, rituals, and human connection in building lasting communities

If you’re creating, operating, or rethinking coworking spaces, private clubs, or experience-led environments, this episode is packed with sharp insight, real-world examples, and ideas you can apply immediately.

Bonus: Amanda will also be joining us live at GCUC New York, making this episode the perfect primer before meeting her in person.

Connect with Amanda: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-neanor-980a20109/

Learn more about NEANOR Projects:

https://www.neanorprojects.com/

Connect with Liz Elam:

Learn more about GCUC & get your tickets for GCUC North America:

Watch the GCUC Podcast on YouTube:

Rupert Dean isn’t just rethinking coworking; he’s reengineering how people experience work, culture, and connection. As CEO and Co-Founder of x+why, Rupert operates at the intersection of hospitality, flexible workspace, and purpose-driven business, designing environments that prioritize people, planet, and profit, in that order. With nearly 600,000 square feet of space under management across the UK, he’s building a new blueprint for what offices can be in a post-loneliness, post-remote-only world.

In this episode of the GCUC Podcast, GCUC founder and host Liz Elam sits down with Rupert to continue the conversation sparked on stage at Coworking Europe in Berlin. Together, they dig into why offices should be destinations, not obligations, and how hospitality, food & beverage, members’ clubs, and programming are no longer “nice-to-haves,” but core infrastructure for thriving workspaces.

Rupert opens up about his unconventional journey from corporate finance law to founding x+why how discovering his “why” reshaped his career, and why coworking operators must stop thinking like landlords and start thinking like hosts. He shares how x+why approaches hospitality in-house (and why outsourcing F&B often fails), what landlords are really asking for right now, and how flexible workspaces can actively combat isolation and burnout.

Liz and Rupert also explore why culture can’t truly be built remotely, the rise of members’ clubs and hospitality-led workplaces, and how events, wellness, and thoughtful programming can drive real revenue. They dive into why mental health needs to be a baseline offering rather than a bonus, what the coworking industry can learn from hotels, restaurants, and private clubs, and ultimately why the future of work depends on spaces that help people feel a sense of belonging, not just a place to get work done.

This is a bold, honest, and energizing conversation about experience-driven design, human connection, and the responsibility workspace leaders have to society. Rupert brings equal parts insight, optimism, and “wear life like a loose garment” energy, and it’s contagious.

A must-listen for coworking operators, landlords, developers, and anyone building spaces meant to bring people together.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupert-dean-xandwhy

https://www.xandwhy.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizelam

https://na.gcuc.co/

https://www.youtube.com/@GCUCPodcast/videos

2026 Is a Reset, Not a Tweak 

In this solo, can’t miss episode of the GCUC Podcast, Liz Elam breaks down the megatrends shaping the future of coworking and the world of work, and spoiler alert: it’s not about desks anymore.

From the end of “hybrid work” debates (finally) to the rise of belonging, hospitality, wellness, AI, and purpose-driven real estate, Liz connects the dots between culture, community, and human need. She dives into why coworking is becoming civic infrastructure, how Gen Z is rewriting the rules, why emotional intelligence is the new competitive advantage, and what it actually means to design spaces that help people feel good, not just look good.

This episode is part trend forecast, part reality check, and part rally cry for operators, leaders, and anyone building the future of work.

Expect bold takes on:

Intentional gathering over daily attendance

Community as core infrastructure

Hospitality > perks

AI that empowers humans

Wellness that goes way beyond yoga room

Leadership shifts shaping what comes next

If you care about where work is headed and how coworking becomes the solution, this one’s for you.

 Press play and step into 2026.

Connect with Liz Elam:

Learn more about GCUC

gcuc.co

 Get your tickets for GCUC North America:

Koral Ibrahim isn’t just talking about community; he’s rebuilding what it means from the ground up. As the founder of The Ready House, a creative consultancy and community helping brands forge real connections from the inside out, Koral sits at the intersection of brand, culture, and belonging. He’s a strategist, keynote speaker, published author, and one of the most articulate voices pushing the industry to rethink how humans and places shape one another.

In this episode, GCUC founder and host Liz Elam continues the electrifying conversation that started on stage at GCUC UK, one of the most talked-about moments of the conference. Together, they go deeper into why Koral hates the word “community,” what truly separates a customer from a community member, and why brands must shift from being something people buy to something people join.

Koral pulls back the curtain on his journey from agency life to building The Ready House, how becoming a new father reshaped his mornings and perspective, and why the coworking industry desperately needs to steal from the playbooks of fashion, beauty, and other “sexy verticals.” He breaks down the frameworks that help brands build genuine emotional connection, how events function as the “front door” to a brand, and why activation, not just events, will define the future of engagement.

Liz and Koral also explore the data behind perception as a value multiplier, what landlords get wrong about community, why mental health support will become a baseline expectation in coworking, and how Gen Z is about to transform the future of work with their unapologetic insistence on values, belonging, and wellness.

This conversation is a must-listen for operators, placemakers, workplace leaders, and anyone who cares about human-centered spaces. It’s honest, energizing, and packed with insights that challenge how we think about brand, behavior, and the business impact of belonging.

Tune in to discover why the future of coworking belongs to brands that behave like people, and how leaders like Koral Ibrahim are helping businesses get there.

Connect with Koral Ibrahim:

Learn more about The Ready House:

https://thereadyhouse.com/ 

Connect with Liz Elam:

Learn more about GCUC & get your tickets for GCUC North America:

Watch the GCUC Podcast on YouTube:

GCUC Podcast – Chris Moeller, Founder of Orion Growth & Pathway Communities

Chris Moeller isn’t just rethinking housing; he’s rebuilding the American dream from the ground up. As an entrepreneur, environmentalist, and the visionary behind Orion Growth and Pathway Communities, Chris is leading a movement toward stable living, regenerative design, and community resilience. With a background that spans geology, communication science, office development, and disaster recovery, Chris brings data, heart, and systems-level thinking to some of society’s most urgent challenges.

In this episode, GCUC founder and podcast host Liz Elam sits down with Chris for a deep and energizing conversation about the future of living, working, and community. Together, they unpack why “affordable housing” needs a total rethink, how whole-body design is reshaping the built environment for neurodivergent and neurotypical people alike, and why tiny giants, the small acts done consistently, are the key to rebuilding after crisis.

Chris shares an inside look at Hudson Commons, his groundbreaking new development designed to create upward mobility for civil servants, and explains how stable living, total tenancy, food systems, and regenerative community models could redefine what home and belonging really mean.

This episode is a must if you're a coworking leader, placemaker, landlord, breathing or future-of-work innovator. This conversation is a powerful invitation to think bigger, build differently, and anchor your spaces in actual community impact.

Tune in and discover why the future of work is inseparable from the future of living, and how leaders like Chris Moeller are helping us get there.

Connect with Chris Moeller:

Connect with Liz Elam:

Learn more about GCUC & get your tickets for GCUC North America:

Watch the GCUC Podcast on YouTube:

GCUC Podcast – Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder & CEO of Spacemade

Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder and CEO of Spacemade, is redefining how landlords think about flexible work. With a decade-long track record of shaping the UK’s coworking scene from pioneering the creative workspace movement with Headspace Group to scaling Spacemade into one of the UK’s fastest-growing operators, Jonny is proof that connection and community are the real currency in real estate.

In this episode, Liz Elam, founder of GCUC and host of the podcast, sits down with Jonny to explore how Spacemade is partnering with building owners to create hyper-local, community-first coworking brands. From health tech hubs to fashion-forward studios, each space reflects the neighborhood it serves, because, as Jonny puts it, “real estate without people at the center just doesn’t work.”

Together, they unpack the evolution of coworking, why “connection over capitalism” might just be the next megatrend, and how AI, sustainability, and genuine hospitality are shaping the future of flexible work.

If you’re a coworking operator, landlord, or future-of-work enthusiast, this conversation is a masterclass in designing spaces that matter, places where members don’t just work, they belong.

Listen now and discover how Spacemade is helping landlords and operators turn square footage into meaningful human connections.

Connect with Spacemade: https://www.spacemade.co/

Connect with Jonny Rosenblatt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnyrosenblatt