Author | Lightnews

Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · May 14

Today is @eucoworkingday.bsky.social

It’s also Mental Health Awareness Week 🇬🇧

This isn’t about vibes.

It’s about survival.

For so many freelancers, creators & neurodivergent business owners — coworking is a lifeline not an upgrade.

👉 https://lnkd.in/dMx6NHCG

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · May 12

Coworking saved my mind.
But it can’t save everyone.
What got me through wasn’t a productivity hack.
It was a room full of freelancers who noticed when I showed up.
No onboarding.
No brand strategy.
Just presence.
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MHAW25
👇 Read the full story 👇
https://bit.ly/MHAWart1

Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

Most coworking spaces don’t deserve survival—they’re landlord cosplay with mood lighting.

You don’t have community if it disappears when the vibe fades.

https://bit.ly/thirdplaceworks

What Is a Third Place (And Why Community Alone Won’t Save Us)

A few years back, a London pub owner named Ayden saw something shifting. People weren’t coming in for pints—they were coming in with laptops.

bit.ly

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

True Third Places survive beyond the Wi-Fi or barista.

They flex, hold, and thrive on human glue—not branding.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

We romanticise these spaces—the cafe where everyone knows your name, the pub-office hybrid.

But romance doesn’t cover rent or payroll. Community alone isn’t enough.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

A Third Place isn’t about vibes, oat lattes, or Edison bulbs.

They’re what happens naturally between people, without anyone forcing it.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

Researchers Adèle Gruen & Laëtitia Mimoun call this a “productive third place.”

It’s a public space reshaped by those who use it—not designers or mood boards.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

What’s a Third Place—and Why Community Isn’t Enough

A London pub owner named Ayden noticed something shifting: fewer pints, more laptops.

No branding, no big launch—just opened the doors, offered Wi-Fi, and followed his gut.

https://bit.ly/thirdplaceworks

What Is a Third Place (And Why Community Alone Won’t Save Us)

A few years back, a London pub owner named Ayden saw something shifting. People weren’t coming in for pints—they were coming in with laptops.

bit.ly

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

If any of this sounds familiar—you're not alone.

We talk about this stuff all the time at the London Coworking Assembly.

Come and join us for "Unreasonable Connection" online every month:
https://lu.ma/LondonCoworkingAssembly

#coworking #communityisthekey #coworkinglondon

https://lu.ma/LondonCoworkingAssembly

View and subscribe to events from London Coworking Assembly on Luma. Since 2015 we've co-created over 100+ events for London's micro & small coworking space operators and managers. Fixing everything depends on our joint efforts and values - community is the key! 🔑

lu.ma

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

Here's what we actually need:

Systems that hold us up, not just our members.

Real rest, real support.

Less positivity theatre, more honesty.

We call this - "Unreasonable Connection."

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

I LOVED it working there - but it was a weight off my shoulders when it ended.

After it shut, I became a member of another coworking space, and life took off again.

I was not responsible for a community or a building anymore.

#coworking #communityisthekey #coworkinglondon

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

Spaces aren’t closing down because people have stopped needing them.

They’re closing because the people running them are physically, financially, and emotionally exhausted.

Years ago, I worked in a London coworking space that had to close.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

Nearly every independent coworking operator I talk to feels exhausted.

Even the beautiful people on Instagram with perfect teeth and coworking spaces with endless sunshine.

Not because we're messing up—but because we’re quietly holding everything together.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

You're doing all this because you genuinely care.

But here’s the trap: you care so much, you
forget to recharge yourself.

I've done it.

You've probably done it too.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

So much of what you do is hidden—sorting out arguments, listening to problems, fixing the coffee machine again.

It's emotional work, and it rarely gets seen.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Apr 8

🧵 Thread: The truth about running a coworking space (and burnout)

Look, running a coworking space isn’t just about tables, coffee and wifi.

It's about people.

And honestly?

It can quietly burn you out.

I think ANY community role burns you out.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 15

Buenos días, #Vigo, Galicia.

¡Feliz fin de semana!

This week has been a slog; I was grumpy as f@
But walking around this today practising Spanish with my mate, Cris flipped me back to sunshine and possibly.

It’s amazing what a bit of sun and blue sky can do for you mood 🙏☀️🇪🇸

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

📩 Sign up for the London Coworking Assembly newsletter and get:

"The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Building a Coworking Community"

📧 - https://londoncoworkingassembly.com/

✚ A direct invite to the Coworking Alliance with our assembly code.

This is London coworking’s moment.

London Coworking Assembly - London Coworking Assembly

London Coworking Assembly creates content and events around Community, Openness, Collaboration, Sustainability, and Accessibility.

londoncoworkingassembly.com

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

(8) The next big chance to push this?

Tomorrow at the Coworking Alliance Summit - https://coworkingalliancesummit.com/

If you care about the future of coworking in London, be there.

Let’s put 100+ spaces on the map.

Let’s make coworking unmissable.

March 12, 2025 - The Coworking Alliance Summit

coworkingalliancesummit.com

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

(7) Here’s what you need to do:

✅ Sign up your coworking space for European Coworking Day.

✅ That’s it. No big event is required (unless you want to).

Every space that signs up makes the whole sector stronger.

Head to: https://coworkingday.eu/

European Coworking Day - Wednesday 14 May 2025 across Europe

European Coworking Day is a distributed event in coworking spaces across Europe. The third edition takes place on 14 May 2025 – stay in the loop!

coworkingday.eu

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

100+ spaces signing up means:

✅ More freelancers & businesses are discovering your space.

✅ More leverage with councils & business networks.

✅ More attention from funders & policymakers.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

(6) It’s not about “celebrating coworking.”

It’s about making London coworking impossible to ignore.

The more spaces on the map, the louder the message.

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

(5) Awareness.

Most people don’t know coworking is an option.

Local authorities don’t understand the impact coworking has. Funders aren’t paying attention to independent spaces.

That’s why we’re rallying 100+ London coworking spaces for
-> https://coworkingday.eu/

European Coworking Day - Wednesday 14 May 2025 across Europe

European Coworking Day is a distributed event in coworking spaces across Europe. The third edition takes place on 14 May 2025 – stay in the loop!

coworkingday.eu

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

(4) Every coworking space I know says the same thing:

➡️ “We need more members.”

➡️ “People don’t know we exist.”

There are way more people who could use coworking than there are spaces.

So why are so many desks sitting empty?

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Bernie J Mitchell @berniejmitchell.bsky.social · Mar 11

(3) 130,000 desks vs. 6.8 million workers.

Let that sink in.

Even if just 1% of London’s workforce wanted a coworking space, that’s 680,000 people.

We don’t have anywhere near enough desks for that.

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