Episode Summary
“You can hire a branding agency. Or you can co-create it with the people who'll live it.”
In this REWIND episode, we revisit one of our most powerful conversations with Vanessa Sans, a coworking pioneer, community strategist, and founder of Kalima.
Vanessa didn’t just open a space by the sea.
She co-created a movement with the people it was meant for.
From her early days launching Transforma and Coworking Spain to building Kalima with zero paid ads and 300 global applicants, this story is packed with hard-won insights on what it takes to build trust, inclusion, and longevity in coworking.
We talk about:
How to co-create your brand with the people who'll use it
What Lisbon 2014 taught us about finding our people
Digital nomads vs remote workers (and how to serve both)
Why does a real community start before you open the doors
Whether you're launching your first space or rethinking the soul of the one you run, this conversation will take you right back to the heart of coworking.
This isn’t nostalgia. It’s a blueprint for what's to come.
Timeline Highlights
[00:04] Emily introduces Unreasonable Connection
[00:27] Bernie sets the scene with Vanessa’s global coworking legacy
[01:13] From Transforma to Coworking Europe, Africa, and India
[02:51] The 2010 Utopicus moment that changed everything
[04:40] Why "Transforma" means more than a space
[06:04] From organising events to operating spaces
[09:05] Lisbon 2014: Roast pigs, co-pass, and finding your people
[13:40] Kalima: A seaside hotel turned coworking hub
[17:49] Co-creating a community from scratch
[20:19] 300 applications, 2 months, 1 global-local tribe
[24:29] Project management vs participatory chaos
[26:26] Lessons in real-world coworking project launch
[27:27] Digital nomads vs remote workers: What’s the real difference?
[30:11] Why no one knew Caldas d’Estrac—until now
[32:28] How coworking activates the neighbourhood
Coworking Europe 2014
This wasn’t just a conference; it was a reunion of sorts—a meeting of minds that were shaping the coworking world.
For Vanessa, this was a pivotal moment when coworking became more than just an idea; it became a movement that connected people across borders.
The video below was made at the Copass Camp at Coworking Europe Lisbon in 2014.
Watch out for Vanessa and Bernie in this video below.
(And the goodbye hugs with our late great coworking friend Matija Raos in the final scene.)
How a Hotel Became a Home for Coworkers
Kalima wasn’t planned. It found Vanessa. A former hotel just seconds from the Mediterranean, the space offered more than rooms: it offered potential.
She didn’t roll out ads. She rolled out the invites. Locals and digital nomads joined the first Kalima workshop to co-create the space’s brand and values. Then she opened applications for a community residency: a free month in exchange for helping build the project.
It wasn’t always smooth—too many cooks, not enough clarity. But the result? A fiercely connected, co-built space where collaboration wasn’t a slogan. It was the foundation.
From Lisbon Legends to Local Impact
Vanessa and Bernie swap stories from the early Coworking Europe conferences. Roast pigs, flu-fuelled adrenaline, and the unshakable sense of discovering your people.
Today, that spirit lives on in Kalima. But it’s not about importing digital nomads—it’s about weaving them into the town's fabric. Members aren’t just passing through. They buy coffee from local shops. They host events. They meet the neighbours.
Coworking isn’t about space. It’s about presence.
Building With, Not For
Too often, coworking spaces are designed behind closed doors. Vanessa flipped that. From branding workshops to bartering stays for skills, every step of Kalima’s journey has involved the people it serves.
That’s not just inclusive design. It’s intelligent business.
Links & Resources:
Happy Working Lab - Vanessa’s consulting firm.
transforma bcn coworking space.
RSVP for Unreasonable Connection
Join the 7k people in the LinkedIn Coworking Group
Connect with Bernie on LinkedIn
Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn
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