405. From Antiques to Coworking: Carol DiGiovanni’s Journey to Building onFlume Coworking
Release Date: 11/05/2025
423. From Underwater to 95% Occupied: A Coworking Turnaround Story
Everything Coworking
What would you do if you bought a coworking space that was losing money… on purpose? That’s exactly what Lea Latham did. She walked into a 13,000 square foot executive suite business that was underwater, knowing full well she’d likely have to take it over. And when the time came? She moved into her RV, parked it outside, and got to work. I loved this conversation with Lea because it’s such a real look at what it actually takes to turn a space around: Making the hard call to replace a team member (and wishing you’d done it sooner) Installing systems, structure, and accountability...
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422. How This Coworking Space Cut Days on Market From 140 to Under 30
Everything Coworking
Most people don’t start their coworking career thinking they’ll become president of the company. Jessie Hathcock did. When I sat down with Jessie Hathcock from The Loading Dock, I couldn’t stop thinking about how rare her story is. She started as a community coordinator… and six and a half years later, she’s leading the entire company. We talked about: What it really looks like to grow up in the coworking industry (and why those career paths are finally becoming more common) How their co-warehousing model is opening doors for entrepreneurs you might not expect… including...
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421. The Lead Follow Up System Every Coworking Space Needs to Fill Faster
Everything Coworking
You don’t have a lead problem. You have a follow-up problem. Leads are coming in. Marketing is working. But deals aren’t closing at the rate they should be and the issue is almost always the system behind the leads. In this solo episode, Jamie breaks down where coworking sales funnels tend to fall apart and how to fix them. You’ll learn: Why leads get stuck in your CRM and never convert Where follow-up typically breaks down (especially mid-funnel) How inconsistent systems cost you real revenue The four essentials for optimizing your sales process If your “needs follow up” column is...
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420. How One Coworking Space Hit an 80% Tour Show Rate (And the Tech Behind It)
Everything Coworking
What happens when a coworking operator gets completely fed up with their tech stack… and decides to build their own solution? That’s exactly what Dan Wesson and Chelle Peterson did. Dan and Chelle are the co-founders of The Post Workspace and CoLevel, and I’ve known them since they went through Coworking Startup School back in 2018. It has been so fun to watch their journey from launching their space in Tucson to building a platform that’s now helping operators all over the world. They didn’t set out to create software. They just wanted to run a better coworking space. But after...
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419. How to Use AI in Your Coworking Space Without Losing the Human Touch
Everything Coworking
What if AI didn’t replace your community manager… but actually made them better at their job? That’s exactly what Courtney Schwartz is doing at FireWorks Coworking—and it’s such a refreshing take on a topic that can feel overwhelming (or even a little threatening) in our industry. Courtney is deeply passionate about people, community, and creating meaningful connections. And instead of letting AI take over, she’s using it to take admin work off her plate so she can spend more time doing what actually matters inside her space. In this episode, we cover: How Courtney uses AI to...
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418. Yardi's Peter Kolaczynski shares Coworking Growth Data Drivers
Everything Coworking
Most people don’t spend 13 years quietly building one of the most comprehensive datasets in commercial real estate. But that’s exactly what Peter Kolaczynski has been doing at Yardi. In this episode, Jamie sits down with Peter Kolaczynski, Associate Director of Yardi, to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of the coworking and office markets. And this one gets… data-heavy in the best way. We get into: Why coworking is still only ~2.3% of total office space—and why that number could 5x How Yardi tracks over 80,000 office buildings and what that unlocks for the industry...
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417. How Glen Hicks Built a Self-Serve Coworking Space (and Runs It From 3 Hours Away)
Everything Coworking
What if you built a coworking space… designed so you barely had to be there? That’s exactly what Glen Hicks did. After 27 years in IT leadership and a life-changing heart attack at 34, Glen completely rethought how he worked. Instead of jumping into another executive role, he became what he calls a “digital independent.” But he couldn’t find a workspace that actually fit the way he wanted to work. So he built USTATION — a beautifully designed, mostly self-serve workspace in New Brunswick that runs with almost no staff (and Glen lives three hours away). In this episode we talk...
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416. Flexibility with Boundaries: Nicole Antolino on the Real Role of a Community Manager
Everything Coworking
What if the secret to running a thriving coworking space isn’t fancy software or a massive team… but one incredibly grounded, genuinely caring community manager? I finally got to sit down with Nicole Antolino, Community Manager at Fireworks Coworking in Marietta, Georgia and this conversation was long overdue. Nicole has been part of our Community Manager University program since 2022 and I’ve watched her grow into one of those rare unicorn operators who can truly do it all. She talked about the real balancing act of this role. When to extend flexibility and when to hold the line....
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415. 6 Things Coworking Space Owners Are Underspending On
Everything Coworking
What's worse than overspending on things that don't deliver ROI? Underinvesting in the areas that actually make or break your business. This week, Jamie flips last week's episode on its head and tackles the critical areas where coworking operators consistently underspend—and pay the price in lost revenue, lower margins, and frustrated members. From soundproofing decisions during construction to the size of your private offices, Jamie breaks down the build-out choices that seem expensive upfront but deliver massive ROI over time. She explains why an 80-square-foot office will always...
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414. 4 Things Coworking Space Owners Are Overspending On
Everything Coworking
What happens when good intentions meet bad ROI? This week, Jamie tackles the spending decisions that quietly drain coworking operators' margins—and shares what to do instead. Fresh from working with clients who are making these exact mistakes, Jamie breaks down the four most common areas where operators overspend: marketing agencies that don't understand local business, IT retainers that sit unused, social media managers in markets where Instagram doesn't drive leads, and $20,000 custom websites that look beautiful but don't convert. This episode is direct, practical, and yes—a little...
info_outlineWhat do antiques and coworking have in common?
For Carol DiGiovanni, more than you’d think.
Carol never set out to run a coworking space. With a degree in material culture and a long career as an accredited antiques appraiser, she loved researching the stories behind old treasures—not managing HVAC contractors or setting up a member portal. But when the pandemic hit, Carol and her husband—owners of a full city block of office space in downtown Chico, California—knew they’d need to pivot.
In this episode, Carol shares her journey from antique expert to community builder, and how she’s doubled the size of onFlume Coworking while keeping it intentionally local, friendly, and low-fuss.
We talk about:
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Why her quiet, dog-friendly coworking model works perfectly in her market
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How she expanded from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet (and filled it fast)
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Why pre-marketing matters—and what she’d do differently next time
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How owning the building changes her approach to pricing and expansion
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What she learned about patience, marketing, and negotiating from the operator’s seat
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when a building owner takes coworking into their own hands—and falls in love with it—this episode is a must-listen.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
onFlume Coworking's website
Everything Coworking Featured Resources:
Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space