My name is Maureen Manders from the Netherlands, and I participated as a community host & yoga teacher at Cactus Coliving & Coworking La Gomera, the business of Maria, my host entrepreneur. I have always been drawn to community based work, and I was looking for a suitable place to practice my teachings in yoga and meditation. cactus Coliving gave me the best of both worlds. Giving me the opportunity to learn all the ins and outs of running a successful Coliving, like the whole management of the place for example, as well as implementing health and mindfulness into daily life. A Coliving attracts such a broad variety of people, which is not only beautiful on itself, but which also gave me so much to work with and learn from during my yoga classes. It has been a beautiful and enriching experience to me, as well as for the guests.
My main responsibility in the business was the role of community host and assistent manager, as well as being the yoga and meditation teacher. I was involved in the guest experience from A to Z. From the moment of check-in, to all the activities and day to day life in between, to the moment of the check-out. For me it was super important that everyone felt welcomed and included. I wanted people to really feel at home. I listened to them, to their stories as well as their complains if there were any, to find a suitable solution together that worked for everyone. I organized daily activities together with the other volunteers to build the community and I prepared and taught multiple yoga and meditation classes per week. By doing so I gave the guests a moment of peace in the always vibrant community, to improve the overall (mental)health of the Coliving.
These 4 months have been really enriching to me as a young entrepreneur. I have not only learnt to work internationally, but I have worked and lived within, and by that fully experienced a successful business on the Canary Islands. For me the most important skills gained are learning to express my voice in general, as well as to stand (and speak) in front of big groups of people. But also learning to take more responsibility, and to embrace and embody my position of assistent manager and yoga teacher. Good communication and putting boundaries have been essential in my work. I have learnt to make big decisions for a big number of people and I think most important of all: I have learnt how to distance myself when needed and to stand up for myself in times when my boundaries were crossed.
It has been a very interesting, enriching and valuable time for me on la Gomera. Living within a successful business of my interest gave me an almost 360 degree – perspective of a business in this specific sector. It really shaped and influenced the vision for my life and own future business too.
