When I started watching the show Billions, a light bulb went off. Why don’t we all have access to a therapist? That was 2016.
In 2017, Vivek Murthy (the surgeon general at the time) published an article on the Loneliness Epidemic, and that was when the second light bulb went off… Coworking was helping solve the loneliness epidemic. I had seen it over and over again as an operator of my own coworking space (Link Coworking from 2010-1019).
Day in and day out, we were helping people connect and feel a sense of belonging in coworking spaces; in fact, that is what sets us apart from an executive suite, flex or space as a service. We were building community.
As the operator of the world’s largest coworking conference series, I felt I had found my why. I wanted to help grow coworking around the world with a passion to move the needle on the loneliness epidemic.
If you’ve been to a GCUC, you’ve heard me talk about mental health from the stage. I also wanted to help the operators understand that we’re collaborators, not competitors. I wanted to help keep the movement’s initial spirit alive as best we could.
Now that we are past COVID and remote work has been adopted, Coworking is on a solid path to recovery. Our market penetration is small, but the industry as a whole is gaining momentum. I feel that, in a way, I have started to accomplish my goal. So, in the lead-up to my 50th event, I thought… What’s next?
How about we, as an industry, offer free mental health services and be the first in the world to do so? Bold? Yes. Difficult? Yes. Doable? Yes.
I went grassroots, and every time I spoke with a coworking company CEO, I asked for their support. I haven’t received a no yet.
So, in April, at GCUC’s 50th global event in New York City. I launched a challenge:
We will make Coworking the first industry in the world to offer free, accessible mental health support at a global scale.
Through GCUC, we’re calling this GCUC Access — The Door is Open.
The why behind the challenge
This is not a trend. It’s a response to reality.
We are living through a loneliness epidemic that is reshaping how people experience work and life. More people are working more flexibly than ever before, yet many feel more isolated, more anxious, and less supported. Support is often inconsistent, expensive, or entirely out of reach.
We have to meet people where they’re at. It needs to be free. It needs to be without forms. It needs to be an open door.
I know it’s a massive ask, and there are all sorts of regulations, stipulations, and roadblocks.
I don’t care.
People are dying. Mental Health is now the biggest killer, surpassing Cancer. (Read that again.)
I bet you know someone who is depressed or you suspect is. I personally have buried two (younger) male relatives due to death by suicide. This is an epidemic. It’s time to innovate, and you know what…
Coworking was built to solve for connection.
Every day, operators create spaces where people feel seen, known, and part of something. They notice when someone hasn’t shown up. They celebrate wins. They create a sense of belonging in a way most workplaces never have.
But community alone is not enough.
Operators are not trained mental health professionals. Members are carrying real weight. And many of the people who hold these communities together are at risk of burning out.
If coworking is going to lead, we have to go further.
What support looks like in practice
The vision is simple: every coworking member, anywhere in the world, should have access to mental health support through their workspace. Not as a premium add-on. As part of the foundation of what it means to go to work.
The good news is that we have each other. Adam Walker of Foundry in London took the stage at GCUC and shared how he went about it, and we will be delivering his blueprint to the rest of the industry. We’re going to share our stories and journeys.
We’re not going to wait for a lifeboat; we’re going to build it together.
GCUC Access is about building that access.
That means partnerships with mental health providers. It means creating both in-person and digital support pathways. It means programming, education, training, and clear escalation channels when someone needs more than a conversation.
This is not about turning operators into therapists. It’s about making sure no one in our spaces falls through the cracks.
And it’s not just the right thing to do. It’s also smart business.
Stronger communities retain members. People stay where they feel supported. In a competitive market, care is not a perk. It’s infrastructure.
Coworking has always been about building a better way to work. This is the next step.
For operators, the ask is simple: start where you are. You don’t need to solve everything overnight. But you do need to prioritize this.
For partners, there is a real opportunity to help scale access across a global network of spaces and members.
And for the industry, this is a moment to lead.
If coworking cannot take a stand on connection, care, and mental health, then we’re missing the point.
But if we can, together, we have the chance to set a new global standard.
Not just for how we work.
For how we take care of each other.
This is not something GCUC will build alone.
We’re currently working on creating a simple way for the industry to engage. A shared entry point where operators can commit, partners can contribute, and early adopters can help shape what this looks like in practice.
Some will start by offering access through partnerships. Others will pilot programming or subsidized support for their members. Many will simply raise their hand and say this matters, and begin building from there.
The goal is not perfection. It’s participation.
It’s an open door.
Because this only works if it becomes bigger than any one company, platform, or event.
So much more to come if you want to follow along. For now, just join our newsletter at gcuc.co
