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Sister Spaces

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One of the best things about coworking is that you can do it anywhere! That’s why we have sister spaces to collaborate with at iHub in Louisville, KY, and Center 615 in Nashville, TN.  What is a sister space you may ask? It’s simple! Ment created a partnership with these two spaces for our members that travel. It allows our members to work out of their spaces for free for the day.

 

iHub

iHub, like many coworking spaces, is constantly growing and changing. It’s a few years older than Ment and is owned by the University of Louisville Real Estate Foundation. I like to think Ment is in the perfect location of Bowling Green and speaking as a Louisville native, iHub is in the perfect location of Louisville. It’s a comfy space right off of Main St. near the up and coming neighborhood of Nulu, my favorite area downtown. 

They have 15 members working in a wide variety of fields. (Another reason to love coworking!) Like us, they have a great conference room that the whole community can rent, but they also host a lot of seminars and workshops run by local businesses. 

 

Center 615

Center 615 was founded in 2011 and started out as 1 building with private offices. Since then it has grown to have 60,000 square feet in 3 different buildings. (Maybe that will be us one day!) Their 92 offices are filled with roughly 250 members. They range from realtors to lawyers to accountants to coders and so much more. 

 

How has COVID-19 affected them?

There isn’t one person or company left untouched by the virus and having to adjust their routines.  Our sister spaces are in different cities so we’ve all had to adjust differently. All of us though have taken extra safety precautions to properly follow CDC guidelines over the last few months. 

iHub has been focusing on the highly touched points in common areas. Everyone has been asked to wear masks and check temperatures, as well as having the maintenance crew wearing gloves. They have also been changing out their air filters more often. 

Center 615 has still allowed 24/7 access to its members and the staff has been on a rotating schedule. While members still had access, many chose to stay home and many still are WFH, which actually allowed for repairs to take place after the Nashville tornado in early March. 

Tennessee opened a little earlier than KY did and their staff has been back full time since May 8th. They have taken all of the same steps as Ment and iHub have in practicing social distancing, wearing masks, checking temperatures, and providing hand sanitizer. Additionally, Center 615 has held off on providing their normal services of coffee, tea, and a nap room- can we get one of those? 

The community has been out of our coworking spaces these past few months, but we’re all working to get back together and to fully put the “co” in coworking again soon! 

 

 

*Special thanks to Molly O’Rourke at iHub and Beth Heflin at Center 615 for helping out with this blog! 

 

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Let’s Move Into May

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From a few backyard workout sessions to a community-wide movement, our latest community partner Allison Millet of Bowling Green Backyard Bootcamp has taken her business from her home to all around the Bowling Green community.

We could all use a little extra motivation right now and that’s where our fitness friend Allison Millet comes in!

“There are ways that we can all have more movement. It’s about finding ways to focus on you.” 

 

About Allison

Allison has been a coach for over 20 years and has taken her passion for fitness to the next level since the start of her backyard workouts in 2010. 

What started as a small group of people began to grow until the lot beside her home was no longer sufficient. She soon found herself asking, “Now what?” 

Millet now holds classes at multiple parks and locations throughout the community and has an inside gym location during winter months. 

Backyard Bootcamp is made up of a team of coaches all offering their own set of classes from yoga and stretching, to classes designed specifically for glutes, abs, upper body, and more, along with mash-up and all-encompassing workout classes. Basically, if you need it, they offer it! 

The classes are focused on helping bootcampers find the best version of themselves that they can be – one that is healthier and happier. 

 

Working out your mind

As we know, it’s mental health awareness month so we’re all trying to focus on our health a little more here lately, right? Did you know practicing a little extra movement can be just the way to do that?! No, I promise this isn’t a gimmick to make you put down the wine glass and hop on the treadmill – it’s me simply reminding you that getting up and getting out (in your front yard or on your yoga mat that is) may be just what the doctor ordered. 

“It’s a stress reliever… working out releases those happy endorphins,” says Allison. 

Studies show that we’re not lying guys! You’re hearing this straight from the mouth of someone who can barely touch her toes most days, so believe me when I tell you that having a little extra time on my hands lately to practice yoga has been an excellent relief for me. The best part is? You don’t even have to be good at it! You just have to do it.  

 

Making it happen

Allison also spoke on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle by doing things such as practicing healthy eating habits and enjoying the simple things in life like spending time with family and being in the moment. 

The local business owner has not let the current circumstances get the best of her. When regulations were put in place, she was quick to adapt and switch to an online format for all of her classes. Allison stays connected mainly via Facebook with a group page specifically for those who are members or what she calls “bootcampers.” All calendars and weekly challenges are now online and can be found on the calendar on her website.

Classes are offered on a 6-week basis allowing people to sign up ahead of time and take part in the bootcamp experience. (Ment members — you guys are in for a treat!) As of right now, all community members are invited to join the classes at any time. Another perk with the new format: bootcampers currently have access to the online “vault” of all previously recorded classes, allowing everyone to work out on their own time. 

For more details (trust me you’re gonna want to see all of the awesome things she is doing) check out her website and start moving toward a better you! 

 

Moving on up (and hopefully outside) 

We’re moving in a direction of our own here at Ment Cowork. One that includes taking steps to get back on track as a bit of normality creeps back into our daily routines. Here’s to hoping, better yet knowing, that our partner Allison can help us out with this one! Whether we’re fighting the daily struggles of COVID-19 or fighting to shed those pesky pounds, success is just a kick, punch, and a few “you can do it!”-s away.

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Living Sustainably: College Edition

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In true collaborative coworking fashion, we are handing the keyboard over to WKU sophomore Allison Cook who recently wrote on the topic of living sustainably. We’ve hit on ways you can be greener in your office, in our community and now we are including your (or your child’s) college lifestyle. We hope you enjoy this little blog-collab!

 

 

 

I know what you’re thinking, “So…how does this relate to health and wellness?” It does and it doesn’t. Personally, I take a holistic approach to health (maybe that’s my Anthropological side coming out).

In my opinion, your environment can have an impact on your overall well-being, so you need to do what you can to take care of it!

Also, a major portion of our waste is from food! According to the Food Recovery Network, 1/3 of all food produced is thrown away/wasted. That’s a scary number considering the mass amount of people who are Food Insecure. That could be a whole other blog post, so I digress.

Back to what you can do about it.

Let me just start off by saying that living sustainably is made difficult by our society. At the push of a button, we can have exactly what we want, when we want, with free shipping. We live in a time where quantity trumps quality. I’d argue going against the norm and living a sustainable lifestyle is even harder while in college.

I have seen a shift in our society with the “save the turtles” movement, but I don’t want us to stop there!

It’s not easy, and I miss the mark more often than not, but it’s so worth it. After all, we all have to do our part to lessen our impact on the Earth.

Keep Reusable Silverware in Your Backpack

The first step for me in trying to become more sustainable was to replace items I used and threw out everyday. Plastic silverware being item #1. I found a great deal for a reusable spoon, fork and knife in the camping section of Walmart for only 89 cents! No excuses people. They’re the perfect size to slip into your backpack for those last minute invites to grab dinner on campus.

If you’re interested at all in this post, you may already own a reusable straw. I prefer metal but I’ve seen so many variations and colors to choose from.

Buy a Reusable Starbucks Cup

This was probably everyone’s first step when #savetheturtles started trending, I know it was mine, but it’s a great first step for anyone with a Starbucks addiction trying to be more sustainable. I go to Starbucks on my 8:00 am days for obvious reasons and on Sundays for #selfcaresunday. That’s 2-3 plastic cups/straws being thrown out a week! Buy the reusable cup, skip the straw, and get 10 cents off your drink. Pro-Starbucks tip.

Go Thrifting and Donate Old Clothing

One thing I was most excited about when I was headed off to college, was being so close to the mall. I’ll admit during my first semester I bought things I didn’t need just because I wanted to buy something at the mall. I love shopping, but fast fashion can lead to so much waste. I’m not the expert blogger on this topic, but please google fast fashion and prepare to be blown away. After I did, I realized how much fun thrift shopping can be. Not only is it more budget friendly to college students, but you can find incredibly unique pieces and show off your personal style.

Get Reusable Bowls for Your Dorm Meals

I purchased some amazing, cheap bowls from Target at the beginning of my freshman year of college

Click to continue reading

 

 

For more on all things nutrition and dietetics, visit Allison’s website Dorm Room Dietetics.

 

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Practicing Encouragement

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With the new year in full swing and my –ment word being encourage{ment}, I figured what better time to share some more about my new favorite word!

Encouragement is described as the act of giving support, confidence, or hope. Encouragement inspires, motivates, reinforces, and builds loyalty. All of these things are necessary in creating a successful work or business environment as well as seeing how it can help you thrive in your personal life and relationships.

If you see someone working hard, a simple, “You got this!” or “You’re doing great!” can make a world of difference. We all love a little extra confidence boost or to be recognized occasionally so why not give back that feeling to others!   

Here at Ment, I have noticed that the coworking atmosphere is truly one of a kind and full of positivity and encouragement. Motivation can be seen around here in many different forms including the endless member benefits, community partnerships and office spaces that meet the needs of everyone.

An atmosphere where you can truly thrive with the ability to work in a public space and interact with others allows you to see just how encouraging others can be. It is so cool to witness people from different businesses working together and fostering each-others creativity and ideas. Want to work alone? We encourage that too! Ditching the distractions is the number one goal. Personally, my inspiration stems from the fact that I can literally choose a different office setting from day to day to work in. An aesthetically pleasing space in the heart of downtown – yes please!

With frequent members activities, emails, and newsletters, we keep our members in the loop with what’s going on around the office and always encouraging them to take part in our Ment community. Our Ment staff is also excellent at offering constructive feedback and inspiration to one another.

Being excited to come to a place because of the friendly faces and awesome environment is the motivation that I need to continue to grow and I know there are so many others out there that feel the same!

We are no strangers to greetings and conversation around here. I guess what I’m trying to say here is you can’t spell the word encouragement without Ment…and we think there’s a good reason for that * wink wink*.

I have heard people say, “Kindness makes the world go round” and I am definitely a firm believer that little things can go a long way. I am deciding to make encouragement more of a prevalent thing in my daily life and I am encouraging you to do the same. Don’t have a new years resolution yet? Maybe you just found one!

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