The Humans Inside The Pods Morgane Oléron

What a joy to record an episode with Fabienne & Benoit.

First off, I don't know how they do it but they practically never cut each other when speaking, they somehow magical know when the other is done. It was a pleasure to listen to their stories. And they have many! They've traveled so much, met so many people, they were Digital Nomads before it was hype, and before they even knew it and ended up in a coliving because of crappy wifi.



Fabienne and Benoit in their own words:

We are Ben and Fabienne. We are both in our late thirties and grew up in Switzerland. We met back in 2008 and quite quickly we got bitten by the travel bug. After our studies, we decided to move to Vienna (Austria) and worked there for 2 years. In 2013, we left for what was supposed to be a 1-year backpacking trip around the world.
The trip turned out to last 19 months and the least we can say is that this gave us new perspective on our life and careers. We were no longer attracted by the corporate world and started dreaming about a more flexible, filled with human interactions and entrepreneur life.
Financial reality however made us go back to an office job after returning from the trip. We both took a job in a tech start-up in Zurich (March 2015).
In August 2016, barely 18 months after signing our contract, we resigned and founded our own company and started travelling again.


After being fully nomad for a little more than 2 years, we pushed the doors of our first coliving in December 2018 (Nine Coliving).
This has been a game changer and we started to spend about 50% of our time in coliving spaces across Europe (nine coliving, cloud citadel, Anceu, Re-Station, Bansko).
In 2023, we're now opening our own space in the Swiss Alps.



We've been running our travel blog since 2013 and a wordpress-SEO blog (novo-media.ch) since 2016.
We love writing hiking guides (books as well as ebooks)




Keep up with their adventures: https://www.instagram.com/alpiness_coliving

Check out Alpiness Coliving: https://alpiness-coliving.com/


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I'm not the one to claim the benefit of social media but I will admit this time around it is Instagram that brought Lisa and me together. Well, Insta and a common friend. We quickly connected through what seemed to be a never-ending list of shared interests.



Lisa in her own words:

I just turned 27 years and was born and raised in Berlin to parents from East Berlin. I left the city several times. Until now, I always returned but never felt like settling or being able to commit to this city. I was too driven and curious to explore the unknown. It refreshes my sense of self.

Talking about CV milestones and community experiences, I did a corporate BA in Economics & Real Estate during which I worked at a big, international real estate firm, Jones Lang LaSalle. On an Erasmus exchange semester in The Hague, The Netherlands, I studied Sustainable Urban Engineering and loved it! It gave me a sense of purpose, motivation and belonging.


Afterwards, I worked in a private airline. It paid the bills and gave me time for orientation. In that period I hiked along the coast of Portugal and visited a friend’s off-grid hut in Aljezur. I felt free :)


In 2019, I got accepted to the program 4CITIES, a MSc in Urban Studies. This Euromaster takes place in four different cities. With 40 selected international students, I spent each semester in a different city: Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen and Madrid. Here, I noticed that being an individual in a community is never easy yet very fulfilling.


Two of my semester breaks I spent at Masseria Cultura in the Zona di Trulli, Puglia, an art residency project of two friends. A magical place, where I could get my hands dirty restoring the trulli while gardening!


I graduated from 4CITIES in September 2021. Since the beginning of 2022 I was employed at Gründerinnenzentrale. During this time I hosted two online networking events for my Master program, realizing how much valuable knowledge and experience we as alumni carry and can share. During one of my vacations, I worked at a small, woman-led vineyard in Provence, France.

Looking back, I realize I was (and still am) actively searching for community experiences, which reflects my search for a home and my big curiosity for self-organized, architecturally interesting projects. My recent discovery is the vacation village Borgo Batone in Tuscany, Italy.

I quit my job as a project manager at Gründerinnenzentrale (Female Founders Office) in Berlin this April. Since 2006, the project supports women in running their own businesses through knowledge sharing, networking events, and target group-specific consultancy.
I'm currently reaching out to people and exploring projects/businesses to find out what's dear to my heart. The stories of people inspire and encourage me to navigate my own path and philosophy of life.


I'm searching for an occupation and physical surrounding that is simpler, more tangible, and "soul-filling“. I do love fast-paced, high-energy environments like Berlin. I love to discover urban areas, the unpredictable nature of them, the people and to be taken away by their rhythms. However, cities do overwhelm me as well and I’m mindful of the impact of e.g. anonymity and noises on the individual.
So, I’ve got that very opposite side in me, which calls for silence and grounding. Being back in Berlin makes me feel like missing out on something more pure and to be building something larger for me. What’s calling and inspiring me? Vernacular architecture, the production of food, smaller communities & more reliable connections, and places nearby the sea.



Keep up with Lisa: https://www.instagram.com/theycallher.lisa

Explore Borgo Battone: https://www.borgo-batone.com/


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A few weeks back I had a lovely conversation with one of the amazing girls of the Chateau Coliving team. But Jeanne does much more than that!

Jeanne in her own words: I’m Jeanne, from France. I split my time between travels and Château coliving where I work as a community facilitator as well as freelancing in event management. I chase meaningful conversations, laughs, new experiences, and good food, pretty much anything that can be shared!



We talk about a lot of things!

We discuss her journey from full time employment to remote to digital nomad. From discovering coliving to making it a career.

We talk about the growth, learning and boundaries that we develop when living with others. We talk about the joy of the little moments and the challenge of never going "back Home".

We also mention a beautiful innitiave between Chateau and Burgas Coliving, the Wellness Coliving Experience for the digital nomads who love their lifestyle but struggle to make -Life-Work-Community work in a health and sustainable way!

https://burgascoliving.com/wellness/








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*Apologise for the background noises on this episode, it's worth pushing through as Christy's passion is contagious.

Christy in her own words:


I am the creator of To Hani Coliving: A rural coliving in a restored historic building based in Cyprus.

To Hani is the first coliving space for digital nomads on the island.

Back in 2017, I had the opportunity to live and work in many corners of the world, leading Unsettled retreats and being part of building a community that refuses to settle in their pursuit of growth, meaning, and purpose.



As life happens and COVID hits (I know everyone has a COVID story!), I settled back to Cyprus... I knew exactly, that if I was to settle here, and call Cyprus my home, I had to connect, feel inspired, learn, and create a multicultural like-minded community, and so, To Hani was born!

To Hani started as an experiment, and now hosts 9 people from all corners of the world, creatives, entrepreneurs, digital nomads, and remote workers, that are looking to find a home whilst on the road...



More about To Hani:
https://www.instagram.com/tohani_coliving






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Ana in her own words:

I define myself as a connector who is passionate about nature and ‘all living beings’. I’m passionate about creating networks and communities that collaborate and deeply believe that a just, interconnected, and regenerative world is possible.

In 2018 I stopped joining different sustainable projects around the world: an organic farm in Tasmania, an ecovillage in Vancouver Island, natural building space in New Zealand, etc... to join WEAll - Wellbeing Economy Alliance. Building bridges among those who believe a well-being economy is possible and supporting the local work through our WEAll Hubs, gives me the energy and hope I need every morning. Sharing values, philosophy, dreams, and projects in the company of these communities, it’s the reassurance that we’re on the right path.

On a more personal note, since 2022 I’m living in a rural coliving in Galicia, northwest of Spain, to fully embrace my rural lifestyle. I’m determined to bring equality to rural areas and communities and raise awareness of their contribution to the changes we need to make.



More about Ana: https://www.instagram.com/bigana_1/?hl=en

More about WEALL: https://www.instagram.com/weall_alliance/

More about Anceu Coliving: https://www.instagram.com/anceu.coliving/


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I met Anja through 2 online communities we are both part of: Coliving Hub, an association sharing knowledge around coliving spaces for Digital Nomads, and Nomad Haven, a Nomad Female Entrepreneur online community.

We quickly realized we shared similar interests and values... bringing people together under one roof being one of them.

I got lucky and was asked to interview Anja as part of my work for Coliving Hub, and I turned it into an opportunity to record a podcast episode!



More about Anja in her own words: I am a slow-traveling nomad, moving my base from different countries within Europe.

I am excited about sustainable and slow travel and a deep connection to local culture and community.

I have lived in a few community/co-livings and eco villages and just launched my own coliving project in Italy.

I love to explore. I believe in community, continuous learning & growth, and sustainable living in harmony with nature.

I am driven by establishing an alternative, but still integrated lifestyle and opening new possibilities to the way we live and support each other in society.



Check out Anja's beautiful project, Agaia Coliving: www.agaia-coliving.com

And follow them on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agaia_coliving/


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