Community of Cultivators: Edition 39

Here at GCUC we are immensely fortunate to cross paths and work with so many amazing people. Through our work, we’ve cultivated a global community of people we think you should know about.

Community of Cultivators is a blog series we created to introduce you to coworking game changers and connectors. Each month, we’ll release new interviews that we hope inform and inspire you.

We are back at it. This week’s interview is with Dr.Jamie Orr! Jamie is the cofounder of Cowork Tahoe on the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe, California as well as the open source coworking app, Jellyswitch. She loves building communities and when she’s not walking, talking, or writing about coworking, you can find her on the trails or doing physics experiments with her daughters. Keep reading to hear what she has to say.

What in your life are you most proud of cultivating or creating? Why?

I strive to live a life of service — to my community, to my family & friends, and also to myself. Seven years ago, my husband David & I chose to leave Silicon Valley and move to the mountains to pursue a better quality of life for our family, and we have achieved that goal.

A huge part of that is the coworking community we have built in Tahoe. I am proud of how many other people and families we have enabled to achieve the work life integration they were seeking, not only through the work space, but also by helping to connect them more deeply to the broader community.

What is one piece of advice you give everyone that works with and/or for you?

I’m going to cheat a little bit on this one, because the advice I like to give is actually more like three mottos:

1. Give First — Strive for real relationships, not transactions, by seeking to help others before worrying what you will get in return.
2. Never Stop Learning — Our abilities are not fixed. We can and should continually develop them. Challenges are part of the process, not the end of the road.
3. Keep Your Eyes Open — Throughout my career I have always kept myself open to opportunities, no matter how far flung they may seem in comparison to the trajectory I was on. Many people ask me how I was able to go from being a physicist to living in a ski town working in the coworking industry. It’s because I was open to it when I saw the opportunity to do so, and I went for it.

What is the best habit you ever started? What habit do you want to start but haven’t yet?

I love to read, but when I get busy with work I don’t prioritize it for myself. However, every night, my husband and I read to our two young daughters, no matter what. We alternate who reads each night, but make sure we are both there in the room to listen and enjoy bedtime cuddles. I think I’ve heard “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” at least a thousand times, but we’re getting into the good stuff, like Harry Potter, with our oldest.

In terms of a habit I’d like to start? Someday I’ll actually work out every day, not just sporadically, but every day. It would help off set a few other habits I do have, like ice cream and wine.

If you had to put a quote on your gravestone what would it be?

Ever since I was 16 years old, I’ve had this quote from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure posted on a wall or written in a notebook somewhere nearby:

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”