In today’s episode of Colivers Club, we sit down with Morgane Oléron, co-founder of Life at Selgars and author of Have Your Cake and Share It Too. Morgane is a passionate community builder, writer, and podcaster with deep expertise in human-centered communications and coliving operations. She brings her talent for storytelling and community design to coliving spaces, helping them cultivate strong, authentic connections.

Morgane shares her journey of co-founding Life at Selgars, managing community dynamics, and why she believes that community can create either chaos or harmony. She also dives into the inspiration behind her book, exploring the questions and lessons that community living has posed about society, belonging, and personal growth.

Whether you’re in the coliving world or curious about building meaningful communities, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable strategies for creating connection in shared spaces. Don’t miss it!

César: Hello, welcome everybody to a new episode. of Colivers Club, powered by Mapmelon. Here today we have Morgane Oléron. She’s a human copywriter, community architect, and co-founder of Life at Selgars and author of Have Your Cake And Share It Too. A lot of things going on. How are you today?

Morgane: I’m really good. I’m really happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

César: Nice.

César: And yeah, it’s good to have you.

César: Actually, it’s the first time we have a millionaire on the podcast. Can you explain a little bit about how that happened?

Morgane: Yeah, well, first of all, thank you for pointing that out, because you’re the one who made me realize I was one.

Morgane: It’s because a year and a half ago, we… yeah, we took over a mill with my partner, which makes us millionaires, of course.

César: And where is it located?

Morgane: It’s located in Devon, which is in the southwest of the UK. We are about two hours away by train from London, which is where we used to be, yeah, three years before.

César: And this coliving is actually quite interesting, because you also do events and weddings even.

Morgane: Yeah, so we have a mixed use, I guess, that’s the way we do it. We do coliving, we call it Life at Selgars. Selgars is the name of the estate. We do coliving from… well, we’ve only done it two seasons. It’s the second season ending now, but probably from November this year to the end of March. And then from April to the end of October, we have events. We run our own retreats, we run other people’s retreats, team retreats, gatherings, unbothered leadership, this kind of activity. And also some weddings for people who want to get married in a less traditional way, I guess.
César: Yeah, that’s the ultimate team building, right?

Morgane: Absolutely.

César: And it seems interesting how you can blend both things in the same place, right? Do you have any difficulties with that, or do you see some synergies happening?

Morgane: I’m sure there are lots. And I’m sure if I really listen to the podcast, I’ll be like, “Oh, I should have said that.” But I think the biggest challenge for me—and I don’t even think it’s a challenge for my partner—is the difference in energy. Like, the way you’re fully involved in the coliving, you live with the people, you eat with them, you get to know them, it’s very intimate. And then after, yeah, five months, you kind of take a step back and retreat into your space. The events, unless they’re our own, feel a bit different. You kind of show up, help a bit, but you’re not as involved. It’s a very big difference in energy and environment. But they both have good and bad sides. So that, for me, is a bit of a challenge. But yes, there are synergies. The people who have been with us for a few weeks or months are asking to stay longer. We have an event coming up, and they all wanted to join. One of the women who’s staying with us is a therapist, and she’s hosting her own retreat in a few weeks here, just from chatting and being here. People who came for events in the summer ended up coliving with us this winter, so it’s really nice.

César: Nice. So there’s a lot of synergies going on.

César: That’s also interesting and cool that you were able to see that and capitalize on it, right?

Morgane: Yeah, it’s a great way to get to know who’s going to live with you in the winter. You host events, have fun with them, and then think, “Oh, I can live with that person.”

César: Oh, wow. And why this place? How did you find it?

Morgane: Why this place? Well, my partner, Anton, and I met in a community in Stockholm called K9 Coliving. That was about six years ago now. We both have a passion for community living. He’s British, so after two and a half years in Sweden, he moved back to the UK. I ended up following him. We were living in London for three years in our own flat, but we were really missing the feeling of living with others, and also having a space where we could welcome people and be closer to nature. So we started looking around, but it was difficult. First of all, we weren’t millionaires at the time, so budget was an issue. And then there were regulations. Alongside that, we were working on an event project called Enchanted, which is a gathering of people interested in how to live together in the future, grow food, and approach the future in a more playful way. We found this place while looking for a venue for the event, and a few months after booking it, the owners told us they were closing and would return our deposit. If it wasn’t for my partner, we probably would have moved on, but he insisted, “No, we’re doing it.” So he got in touch with the owners, negotiated, and we rented it for two years to test our business idea, with the option to buy this year, which is what we’re doing now.

César: Oh, wow. And you’re buying it now?

Morgane: Well, we definitely want to buy it. It’s a lot of moving pieces, but we’re doing everything we can.
César: Well, it’s a mill. It’s supposed to have moving pieces!

Morgane: Exactly! It’s constantly moving. It’s looking good, though. All our fingers and toes are crossed. We’ll know more in the middle of the year.

César: Nice. That’s very cool. Do you see in the future leaning more towards coliving, or do you think it will always be a mix of events and coliving?

Morgane: It’s a good question. We ask ourselves that a lot. The first coliving season was only three months, and this year we’ve extended it to four. Next season will definitely be five. Every year I push a little more for coliving. Winter here is lovely, and people want to stay longer. But to be honest, events and retreats are what make us money to buy the place. Coliving helps sustain us, but it’s the events that allow us to buy the mill. So for the next few years, with the loan to pay off, we’ll have to keep hosting events. But we like the balance. It’s a shift in energy, and then we’re excited to get back into coliving. My partner, Anton, loves events, so it works out.

César: What kind of events do you like organizing?

Morgane: We have our own gathering called Enchanted, which is really fun. I’m really interested in the definition of home and how it defines us, especially now with digital nomads. We get to talk about community, which is all I talk about! I also enjoy team retreats. You get to observe from afar and watch people come together. It’s really nice.

César: It’s nice to feel like you’re responsible for bringing people together.

Morgane: You play a small part in their team coming together.

César: Yeah. And if maybe somebody gets together in the coliving, then you can offer a package for their wedding to be organized there.

Morgane: Actually, we had a couple here. They didn’t meet at the coliving, but they came as a couple.

César: It will happen. It’s only your second season, but it will definitely happen.

César: I also wanted to mention the coliving in Stockholm. It’s a residential coliving for long-term stays. What differences do you see between long-term colivings and the shorter stays like you’re doing?

Morgane: Oh, there’s quite a lot. Well, it’s a long-term coliving that’s self-managed. The residents organize everything. There’s no community manager, so it requires a bit of engagement from the start. They have house meetings every month, teams with different roles. That’s one of the main differences. In a short-stay coliving like we do here, people do take responsibility. We’ve had amazing projects appear because people had ideas. But it’s different because everyone knows it’s temporary, even if it’s for two or three months. People are a bit more aware that it will end soon and are OK with being challenged because they know it’s not forever.

César: They know it’s going to end.

Morgane: Exactly. And when you’re in a place for a year or more, if something bothers you, you feel like you need to address it. But if you know you’re only here for three weeks, you think, “This is a little annoying, but I can deal with it for now.”

César: Or just leave.

Morgane: Exactly. So that’s one difference. There are probably many others. But in a short stay, you tend to want to do more because you have limited time to experience everything and everyone. When you’re there for a year, you feel like you don’t need to hang out every night because you’ve got plenty of time.

César: So there’s less FOMO, right?

Morgane: Yes, definitely less FOMO by the end of the stay.

César: Do you think big cities are moving towards long-stay colivings?

Morgane: I think long-stay colivings are more common in big cities, yes. But I’m not sure they always manage to create the right community. K9 has an amazing community, but other long-stay colivings in capitals might not. I wonder if, with a community manager and event manager in place, you can really create an authentic community.

César: Yeah, it can be difficult. It starts to feel more like a business.

Morgane: Yes, everything is a business, but there’s a difference.

César: Right, it feels different. Normally in colivings, the owners have a personal touch, from what I’ve seen. I’ve never been to a residential coliving, but it would be interesting to try.

Morgane: I’m biased, but K9 is amazing.

César: Of course!

César: Oh, one thing Morgane, try turning off your camera and turning it back on again. You’re frozen, but I can hear you.

Morgane: No problem, let me try.

César: OK, I see you now. It must have been the website.

César: This will be edited, of course, so no worries. Anyway, we were talking about long-term colivings.

César: You also have a podcast called *Humans Inside the Pods*. Can you tell us more about it?

Morgane: Yes. First, I feel guilty because I’ve been on a pause with it for a while, but I’ll get back to it. Time is the main issue. I started it when I moved to the UK, just as COVID hit. I left my community in Stockholm, where I lived with 50 people for three years, and then found myself in lockdown with just one person. That was really rough, and I missed those long conversations around the breakfast table on Sundays. One of my friends said, “Why don’t you just call people and record those conversations?” So that’s what I did. I started recording chats with my friends from K9 and it helped me process the loneliness I felt.

Morgane: I loved doing it, even if no one listened. It was just for me to encapsulate those stories and the community experience at K9. Then, after about 20 or 25 conversations, I started reaching out to other colivers and coliving spaces, and the podcast grew. It also helped me connect with people in the coliving industry, which was great.

César: And is that how the Coliving Hub project started?

Morgane: No, Coliving Hub existed before. I found out about it when I moved to London. They were looking for someone to help with marketing, and I reached out. Haz, one of the co-founders, also co-founded Swiss Escape and Greek Escape. So I’ve been working with Coliving Hub for about four years now.

César: Wow, you’re really involved in the community.

César: And your original job is as a copywriter, right?

Morgane: Yes, I guess that’s my original job. I write mostly about community, wellbeing at work, and the future of work and living. It’s what people call the “future,” but really it’s happening now. I focus on how we can work better as a team and live better as a community. Those are the main topics I write about. I wouldn’t say I can write about anything, but I love writing. It’s always been my passion.

César: And how did you get into online copywriting and nomad life?

Morgane: It’s similar to how I got into coliving. I loved it and figured I needed to do it for a living, so I found a way. I think it started in 2020 with Coliving Hub. Before that, I was a community manager at a coworking and coliving space in Stockholm, where I did a lot of writing—newsletters, SOPs, onboarding docs, things like that. Then I joined Coliving Hub and shifted to more online writing, especially marketing. Through the podcast, I met Katja from Chateau Coliving and started working with more people from the industry.

César: Ah, nice. I’m going to visit Chateau Coliving in a few weeks.

Morgane: It’s amazing there. Katja needed some help with the newsletter, a bit of copy for the website, small things here and there. So I did that, and it kind of snowballed from there, which is great.

César: Nice. And do you have your own newsletter?

Morgane: Yes, I do. I have a website called Life on the Fifth, which is a reference to the fifth floor of the community I used to live in Stockholm. All my projects are there, and you can subscribe to my newsletter, though I don’t promote it much because I’m not very regular with it. I send it when I feel like it.

César: That’s cool. Sometimes we start projects, and they seem like something we need to do regularly, but sometimes it’s more fun to do them when you actually want to. I’m more similar to you in that sense.

Morgane: Exactly. If I force it, the quality drops. It’s better to do it when I’m inspired.

César: I’ve been writing myself, but I’m struggling with writer’s block. Do you have any tips for overcoming that?

Morgane: I just stop writing when that happens. What are you writing about?

César: I’m writing a book about comedy and programming. It’s sarcastic, like how to write terrible code so no one can fire you because they don’t understand it.

Morgane: That’s hilarious!

César: It’s fun, but I still get blocked sometimes.

Morgane: It sounds cliché, but when I’m stuck, I just walk away from the page. I take my dog for a walk, and often the ideas start flowing, even if they aren’t great at first. It helps to move.

César: And then you can build on those ideas?

Morgane: Exactly. But honestly, procrastination is my biggest enemy. What helps is telling people in the coliving that I’m writing a book, and then they ask me about it. That accountability pushes me to write. We sometimes set writing times together, and that peer pressure really helps.

César: That’s smart. I’ve read *Atomic Habits* recently, and it talks about having an accountability partner. You could even sign a contract with yourself or someone else to keep yourself on track.

Morgane: I like that idea. I’ll try it.

César: Another trick I use is habit-chaining. I’ve created a ritual where I make a special drink when I write, so now whenever I prepare the drink, it puts me in the mood to write.

Morgane: That’s brilliant! I love the idea of associating something enjoyable like a drink with writing.

César: It works. Now, whenever I have that drink, I’m ready to write. It’s all about training your brain to associate the two things.

Morgane: I’m going to try that for sure.

César: Speaking of writing, as a copywriter, what’s your take on AI tools like ChatGPT? Do you think they’re going to replace us?

Morgane: Of course they are. In fact, I’ve already been half-replaced by some of my clients. They’ve started using AI for some tasks.

César: How do you feel about that?

Morgane: At first, I wasn’t thrilled. I’m not a huge fan of progress just for the sake of progress. I see the benefit in areas like healthcare or solving hunger, but when it comes to things like AI, I’m more skeptical, especially when it affects jobs like mine. It makes me sad because while I understand that AI can help people who struggle with writing, we’re losing so much creativity. There’s something special about writing that an AI can’t replicate.

César: Yeah, the creativity is what makes it fun. If AI does the writing for you, where’s the joy in that?

Morgane: Exactly. And that’s what I try to explain to my clients. When they ask me to check something that AI wrote, sure, it’s technically fine, but it’s missing the human touch. It’s not as fulfilling for me to just approve something that AI generated.

César: I get that. There’s a spark when you’re writing something yourself, something that AI can’t replicate. But for some small tasks, AI can be useful.

Morgane: Yes, for things like quick tasks or drafting, AI can be helpful. But when it comes to creating something meaningful or personal, I think we’re losing a lot by relying on AI. It’s not just about the final product—it’s about the process of creating it.

César: Totally. It’s that process where the magic happens. Even when I’m writing, every sentence feels like a little victory because I’m crafting it myself.

Morgane: Exactly. It’s not just about the result. It’s the joy of the process.

César: People misuse the tool, of course.

Morgane: Yeah, what worries me a bit is the bias, right? Like you said, it’s based on data from people. And let’s face it, who are the people feeding us this data? I read something about AI generating an image of a doctor, and it showed a white man because that’s the default assumption. It could have been a person of color or a woman, but it wasn’t. It just reproduces the biases we already have in society.

César: Yeah, AI specialists try to adjust the weights to compensate for biases, but it’s such a difficult task. There’s also a bias against people who don’t have access to the internet. We’re mostly pulling data from North America and Europe, but what about the rest of the world?

Morgane: Exactly.

César: It’s interesting, but yeah, for things like generating contracts, it can be useful. However, when it comes to creativity, that’s where the real joy is, and I feel people will lose interest in writing if AI takes over.

César: So, speaking of writing, how do you think people can improve their writing? Can you give us three tips?

Morgane: Oh dear… well, reading, first of all. I know it sounds obvious, but I notice it every day. I force myself to read even just 10 pages a day, and I learn new vocabulary constantly, especially since English isn’t my first language.

Morgane: Writing a little bit every day is important too. Even if it’s just a few sentences, it keeps you in practice. Also, challenge yourself with new formats. I’m good at writing long-form articles and newsletters, but I don’t know how to write a Google ad. That’s something I could learn and challenge myself with. It’s good to step out of your comfort zone.

César: Have you ever tried free writing, where you just write whatever comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense?

Morgane: I feel like I do that whenever I’m bored on a call! But seriously, I did a challenge once at K9 where I wrote every day for 30 days, just whatever came to mind for half an hour. A lot of what I wrote ended up in my book later on.

César: That sounds really effective. Also, where are you originally from?

Morgane: I’m from France, born in Paris. I grew up in the suburbs and moved to Sweden when I was 23. I lived there for 10 years—seven years on my own and three years in a community. Now I’m in my fourth year in the UK.

César: Do you think you’ll retire in the UK?

Morgane: Probably. If we manage to buy this place, I don’t see myself going anywhere else. You never know, though, I didn’t think I’d end up in the UK, so anything’s possible. But I’m happy here.

César: That’s great. It must be a special place for you to feel settled. You’ve mentioned a lot about community. What issues do you usually face when managing or handling a community?

Morgane: People not washing their dishes, obviously! Number one issue is always cleaning, even though we have cleaners. It’s about how people use the shared space. In our first season, things came together very organically. We had some ground rules, but people just naturally started cooking dinner for each other without a rota. It was great.

Morgane: But this year, that approach didn’t work. We had more people, so after a few weeks of chaos, we had to hold a house meeting and set some rules. It helped, but we try not to micromanage. We want people to co-create the community and take ownership, which can be uncomfortable for some because they’d rather have us make the decisions.

César: Do you think it’s because they’re less experienced?

Morgane: Yes, I think that’s part of it. Also, we had a full house this season, so it’s harder to manage naturally. After a house meeting and setting more structured rules, it got better. But we want to avoid becoming community managers who organize everything. We want people to take responsibility for creating their own events and making the space their own.

César: And besides cleaning, what other challenges do you see in shared living?

Morgane: Another challenge is balancing extroverts and introverts. People usually go through a honeymoon phase where everything is great, then they hit a social crash and need to find their balance. It’s about finding that middle ground where they can be part of the community without feeling overwhelmed.