Everything Life Coaching: The Positive Psychology and Science Behind Coaching · Lumia Coach Training

Creating Real Community: Third Spaces, Hosting Retreats, and the Art of Being (ft. Kathryn Schwarz and Emma Landau)

·1 hr 4 min·3 clips

After 10 years of event planning, I realized I was creating beautiful experiences but missing genuine connection—so I created Maisie's as the antidote.

Noelle Cordeaux hosts Catherine Schwartz and Emma Landau for a deep conversation about community building, retreat design, and third spaces. Catherine, a human design coach, discusses her vision for 3-month transformation retreats that prioritize integration over intensity. Emma founded Maisie's Meeting House, an adult clubhouse in Philadelphia designed for authentic, low-pressure connection. The conversation explores the cultural loss of third spaces (churches, bowling leagues) and the psychological necessity of belonging, while critiquing traditional event-planning approaches that prioritize spectacle over genuine community.

As heard by us

A clear look at how belonging depends on design, pacing, and follow-through.

The episode keeps circling the same point: community does not happen by accident. Catherine Schwartz and Emma approach it from different angles, but both land on the same idea: room design, pacing, and care shape whether people feel safe enough to stay.

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Why you'd press play

If you care about intentionally designed spaces that help people feel safe, comfortable, and at home.

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