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PODCAST

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast

Jamie Russo and Giovanni Palavacini

Giovanni Palavacini and Jamie Russo have partnered to ask industry leaders the questions that are on your mind. Giovanni Palavacini is a Real Estate Strategist focused on helping operators, landlords, and investors to make wise coworking/flexible office decisions using a combination of science and art. Jamie Russo was a coworking space owner/operator for 8 years, Executive Director of the GWA, the industry association, for 5 years, and has spent the last few years helping operators start and run

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

41:06

170. Inside Preferred Office Network's Rebrand with...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/11/04

What does it look like when a company that's been quietly leading behind the scenes for 15 years decides it's time to step into the spotlight? We're joined this week by Caroline Hecht, Senior Director of Member Relations at Preferred Office Network, to talk about their recent rebrand and how the company has helped shape the flex industry from the very beginning. Caroline shares how Preferred Office Network started with three independent operators who saw the need for a national network built on

en

49:05

169. Turning Learning into Impact: Meagan Slavin's...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/10/28

What happens when a coworking operator decides to treat team development like a strategic investment, not an expense? This week, I'm joined by Meagan Slavin, COO and co-owner of 25N Coworking, for a conversation that's part post-GWA recap and part masterclass in leadership and culture-building. We talk about: Why bringing your team to industry events is a retention strategy, not just a perk How Meagan plans for conference travel and ROI in her annual budgets The intentional ways 25N debriefs,

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44:41

168. Redefining the Office Experience: Inside The...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/10/22

Marco didn’t plan to end up leading sales for one of the most high-touch coworking brands in the world. From door-to-door charity fundraising to expanding The Great Room by Industrious across Australia, his journey shows what happens when you pair hustle with hospitality. In this episode, recorded in Sydney, Giovanni and Marco dive into what makes The Great Room stand out in a crowded market — and why enterprise clients are drawn to its five-star, service-first approach. We cover: How a

en

45:15

167. Designing Spaces for Success: Richie Parsons on...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/10/14

Richie Parsons didn’t start out planning to run multiple coworking spaces. From managing gyms to consulting in politics, he found himself leading locations across Virginia, Maryland, and Nashville—and building teams that thrive along the way. In this episode, Richie shares how he scales spaces without losing culture, leverages frameworks like Working Genius, and builds leadership practices that actually stick. We cover: Richie’s unexpected path to becoming a multi-state coworking operator. How

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30:48

166. The GWA Chicago Conference Preview:...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/10/07

Get the inside scoop on next week's Global Workspace Association conference in Chicago! Jamie and Gio break down everything you need to know about this year's biggest coworking industry event. Key Topics Covered: -International expansion with speakers from Australia (Cassandra from Rethink Space, Jessie from WOTSO) -Major keynotes: John Santore (CEO of WeWork) and Anna Squires Levine (President of Industrious) -Future conference announcements: Toronto immersive (June), Denver 2026, Puerto Rico

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47:45

165. Rethink Your Workspace: Cassandra Kavanagh on...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/09/23

Cassandra Kavanagh didn’t set out to open a coworking space. After a business partnership dissolved, she suddenly found herself with 1,200 square meters of space, only six people left in the building, and a choice to make: sink, or rethink. That pivot became Rethink Your Workspace, a thriving flex space in Newcastle, Australia, built on connection, service, and an unwavering commitment to people. Cassandra shares her story of resilience, her all-inclusive business model, and why showing kindnes,

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01:03:53

164. Tobi Skovron on Building CreativeCubes:...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/09/16

Tobi Skovron has lived the entrepreneurial rollercoaster, launching ventures in Los Angeles, exiting successfully, and then bringing his vision for community-driven coworking back home to Australia. Now the founder of CreativeCubes, Tobi leads with intentionality, building spaces designed to enable success for thousands of members while expanding across the country. In this conversation, Tobi shares the story behind CreativeCubes, what fuels his mission, and how his approach to leadership,

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59:10

163. From Beanbags to Baristas: Brad Krauskopf on Hub...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/09/09

Brad Krauskopf, Founder and CEO of Hub Australia, has been shaping the flexible workspace industry since the early days of coworking. In this episode, Gio sits down with Brad in Melbourne to talk about Hub’s journey, from scrappy beginnings with beanbags to high-touch hospitality and multi-layered partnerships with landlords. Brad shares his perspective on how Hub has evolved, what hybrid work looks like in Australia, and why the future of flex depends on experiences, not just square footage. In

en

01:06:22

162. Inside WOTSO: Australia’s Largest Independent...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/09/02

WOTSO is Australia’s largest independent flexible workspace operator — and their story is one every operator should hear. From their beginnings as a single site to building a nationwide network, WOTSO has navigated growth, shifting demand, and the evolving landlord-operator relationship while staying true to their brand and community. In this episode, we sit down with the WOTSO team to unpack how they’ve built a model that works at scale and what operators everywhere can learn from their journey

en

52:36

161. What’s Next for Flexible Workspaces: Gio’s...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/08/28

This week’s episode is a little different. Gio takes the mic solo, delivering the keynote at the Flexible Workspace Australia Conference. In his talk, Gio brings his signature mix of candor and big-picture perspective to what’s happening in the flex industry, in Australia, in the U.S., and globally. What Gio covers: Why operators everywhere are facing similar challenges around demand, landlords, and scaling. The critical role community plays, and why it remains flex’s biggest differentiator.

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58:39

160. Michael Kloppenburg on Brokerage Outlook, Flex...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/08/13

This week, Gio and I sit down with Mike Kloppenburg, VP at Avison Young and longtime coworking insider, to pull back the curtain on what’s really happening in the brokerage world, and what it means for flex operators. From the “flight to quality” and secondary market opportunities, to the messy reality of management agreements and the IWG land grab, Mike brings candid insights you won’t get anywhere else. What we cover: Why the big brokerages are cautiously optimistic, and where the optimism comes

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53:34

159. How Shannon and Emiliano Lerda Are Reinventing...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/08/05

If the term “cowarehousing” hasn’t hit your radar yet, this episode will change that. Shannon and Emiliano Lerda didn’t set out to build a flex space company — they just wanted to stop tripping over shipping boxes in their living room. What they ended up creating is Elevator Co-Warehousing, a fast-growing brand built specifically for product-based businesses that need more than a desk… but less than a forklift. In this episode, Gio and guest cohost Wesley Edmonds dive into how the Lerdas turned a

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01:04:42

158. Why Your Furniture and Tech Stack Might Be...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/07/30

A couch, a few desks, and a Wi-Fi password won’t cut it anymore. In this episode, we sit down with Wesley Edmonds, Director of Workplace at Office Furniture Solutions, and Kurt Patrick, Senior Executive at Essensys, to talk about what it really takes to create a functional, flexible space, from physical design to digital infrastructure. They’ve both worked behind the scenes on hundreds of flex space projects. Their perspective? Too many operators underestimate the complexity of getting a space

en

49:35

157. Best Of Chiko Abengowe: Scaling Success - How...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/07/22

We're bringing this one back because it's one of our most inspiring episodes. If you haven’t met Chiko Abengowe, you’re in for a masterclass in scaling coworking with hustle, heart, and zero VC funding. Chiko is the founder and CEO of Perfect Office Solutions, a 20+ location flex brand that’s built for affordability, speed, and entrepreneurs who just need space to get to work. We talk about: How Chiko turned $1,000 and a background in staffing into a coworking company serving hundreds of small

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21:45

156. Meeting Room Madness, Dynamic Pricing & Why...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/07/15

In this host-only episode, Jamie and Gio catch up on what’s happening across the flex space landscape, and let’s just say, it’s anything but quiet. From emerging product types to the mystery of Peerspace algorithms, this one dives into the macro (industry mergers, the rise of co-warehousing) and the micro (why your meeting room pricing strategy might be off). If you’re feeling the pull to try something new or just want a pulse check on what’s working, this is the episode for you. What we cover:

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50:44

155. Marathons, Mentors, and Mindspace: Mark...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/07/08

If you think all coworking leaders have the same backstory… this episode will change your mind. Mark Goldfinger, GM and Head of North America for Mindspace, joins us for a deep (and often hilarious) dive into his journey. From running global expansion at WeWork to building boutique, hospitality-forward spaces at Mindspace. We talk about what he learned from the early days of coworking (and Adam Neumann), why operators should take events seriously, and how to scale without losing the heart of the

en

49:59

154. Inside Bamboo: Amanda Lewan’s Strategy for...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/07/01

In this episode, Amanda shares how she co-founded Bamboo and scaled it into a multi-location flex space operator managing over 200,000 sq ft—all while staying true to her indie roots and mission-driven values. We cover: The early Bamboo story: humble beginnings, tough calls, and a few desks from Craigslist The decision to grow beyond Detroit and what scaling has meant for the team Bamboo’s strategy for operating AND managing third-party spaces (and why it works) A deep dive into their

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57:04

153. Coworking at Scale: 50,000 Square Feet of...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/06/18

If your goal is to create a coworking space that’s profitable, purposeful, and packed with community-driven energy, this episode is required listening. Gina Schreck didn’t just open a coworking space—she built a village. What started as a 10,000-square-foot coworking concept born from her marketing agency has grown into a 50,000-square-foot hybrid of workspace, event center, and community hub. In this conversation, Gina shares how she and her team doubled down during the pandemic, leaned into events

en

55:27

152. How CENTRL Office Turned a Leasing Problem into...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/05/27

When a real estate problem turns into a business opportunity… and then scales across the West Coast. That’s the CENTRL Office origin story. In this episode, we sit down with Alex Hughes, co-founder of CENTRL Office, to hear how a “no man's land” office building in Portland led to a full-on flex brand with locations in Oregon, Washington, and California. Alex shares how they’ve transitioned completely to true management agreements, the role of tenant experience, and why the “vibe” is more than just

en

51:11

151. Inside Upflex: Ginger Dhaliwal on Solving for...

Flex Uncensored - A Coworking Podcast ·

2025/05/21

Ginger Dhaliwal didn’t plan to end up in coworking—or in tech at all. Her journey from social work to startup founder spans continents, industries, and a through-line of solving human-centered problems. As co-founder of Upflex, she’s now at the intersection of workplace experience, real estate tech, and the flex ecosystem. In this episode, we cover: Ginger’s global path from social impact to launching R&D labs, tech startups, and eventually, Upflex. The core challenges of aggregating coworking

en

171 results

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