This fall, we asked you to share your honest feedback about your experience at VIDA, and wow, did you deliver. Seventy-three members from both Portland and Beaverton took the time to tell us what’s working, what’s not, and what you dream about for the future of our community.
First, let us just say: thank you. Your thoughtful responses, creative ideas, and candid feedback are invaluable. This is your community, and we are here to help Make Life/Work for you!
The Headline: You Really Love VIDA 🧡
Let’s start with the good news—your average satisfaction score was 4.84 out of 5, with 85% of you giving us the highest rating possible. But beyond the numbers, it’s your words that truly moved us:
“It’s truly changed my life. After four years of working remotely, VIDA has completely transformed my outlook and attitude towards work.”
“I love VIDA and I am so grateful for this community. It’s very important to me! You’re all doing a wonderful job.”
“I am very grateful to be here and value the space, the culture, the spirit of community that is present.”
This is exactly why we do what we do… We built VIDA to be a place where you can do your best work while feeling genuinely connected to the community – and it’s really nice to feel the love reciprocated.
What You Love Most (And We’ll Keep Doing!) ✨
When we asked what makes VIDA special for you, a few themes came through loud and clear:
The Coffee (Obviously)
Nearly every single one of you mentioned the coffee and beverages. Whether it’s the Fancy Coffee Machine at Portland, the Kombucha and Cold Brew on tap, or just having quality drinks without the hassle of brewing your own, this amenity is non-negotiable. Message received—the coffee stays, and we’ll keep it flowing!
You did ask for a Decaf option – and it is up and running at Portland in the Fancy Coffee Machine in the Back Kitchen, and will be available at Beaverton soon. Ice is available now in all freezers too!
Spaces for Every Need
From the Podcast Studio to The Patio at Portland to the Kids Space and Unwind Studio at Beaverton and Phone Booths and Conference Rooms at both locations, you’re using these spaces to host clients, record content, take therapy appointments, and have private conversations. One member specifically called out the “soundproof pod for taking video calls in privacy” as wonderful for telehealth therapy sessions. We’re glad these spaces serve you well.
Given some of the feedback, we felt that there could be many of you who don’t know about all of the ways to utilize all private spaces, so we are working on a new VIDA Guide for that… more soon!
The Community Vibe
The Happiest Hour, Community Lunches (with birthday cake!) and VIDA Masterminds all got love in your responses. Even if you can’t always attend, you appreciate knowing the community is here when you need it. You even had some great ideas for adding new events including Happy Hours at local bars, tarot readings and an Ice Cream Social.
These events are truly special, and additional opportunities for connecting both inside and outside of VIDA are coming in 2026!
The Unexpected Extras
The Peloton got serious love (one member called it “an amazing benefit that saves me the price of the bike and the membership”), along with support for the kids with our Kid Kits and the Beaverton Kids Room, professional headshot sessions, onsite chair massage, and Thorns tickets. These thoughtful touches matter, and we’ll keep finding ways to surprise and delight you.
We are considering adding WNBA Season Tickets into the mix… let us know if you are dying for them! They are pricey, but if there is enough interest, we will grab some.
Our Incredible Team
“The VIDA staff is GREAT.” Emily, Kaitlyn, Alex, and Katie were all mentioned by name throughout the survey, and honestly, our onsite team is one of the things that truly makes VIDA unique. From daily check-ins and chats to helping with lunch orders and finding the exact cord you need—we’ve got you covered all day long.
Our team loves being here with you—we genuinely enjoy spending our days with you and being part of your lives! We’re so proud of the relationships we’ve all built together.
We Heard Your Challenges—And We’re On It ✅
“I think this place is perfect as is.”
We appreciate that! But we know there is always room to improve. Here are the themes that came up most often, and what we’re doing about them:
PORTLAND
**Temperature Troubles
Multiple members mentioned inconsistent temperatures at VIDA Portland – too hot in south-facing offices and too cold in back areas. We know this has been frustrating (trust us, we feel it too!).
Our HVAC system is controlled by our landlord/property management, and we’re in daily communication with them. Here’s how you can help: Please let us know immediately if you’re uncomfortable—too hot or cold. We’ll notify the building team right away. (Note: temperature adjustments typically take 2-3 days to kick in, so timing matters!) We’re committed to staying on top of this.
**And What About a Shower and a Bigger Fitness Studio?
“Showers would be great! I’d use the workout equipment more if I could shower afterwards.” “The Fitness Studio will also include natural sunlight, and we will have space for more weights + weight bench.”
We hear you … this has been one of the most requested improvements over the years, and we know having the ability to shower after a workout will make the fitness space so much more useful for you.
We have a plan! We are working with the building on a design to install shower facilities and create a separate, dedicated Fitness Studio space downstairs in Suite 150. It is all contingent on the building management, so it will take some time and continued negotiations. We’ll keep you updated on the timeline as construction progresses and everyone cross your fingers!
In the meantime, we will be welcoming a new Peloton Treadmill to the current Fitness Studio, along with some additional dumbbells in a range of weights.
**We Need More Phone Booths!
We heard this from many folks! This was your top request for new amenities as private space for calls is in high demand. We hear you!
If the new Fitness Studio plan above works out, it will open up the current small meeting room space, which will serve as a new Phone Booth/Drop In Meeting Room space. We are also considering purchasing a new ZenBooth, but are unsure where it can fit… ideas welcome!
BEAVERTON
**A Fancy Coffee Machine (like at Portland!)
We all love our coffee drinks, and this option is pretty great… from espresso drinks to hot chocolate to chai, the DeJong Bean to Cup (or as we call it, the Fancy Coffee Machine!) is a very special coffee machine that grinds your espresso and coffee beans, just seconds before brewing.
I am happy to upgrade, but we have a very limited supply on the water lines so we would have to sacrifice the drip coffee service in order to hookup the machine. We will take a poll to see what the majority requests!
**Gender-Neutral Bathrooms, Please.
Yes! We agree it’s time, and we have actually been working on this for the last couple of months.
The building has agreed to changeover the men’s restrooms on the second floor (our level) into a gender-neutral bathroom, but we are waiting for the changeover to begin – we will keep you posted as we have a better timeline.
Your Creative Ideas
We loved some of the creative suggestions you threw out there. While we can’t implement it all, we wanted to provide some feedback on what we are prioritizing, what we are just not able to do in our space, and what we
Ideas We Explored, (and why they haven’t worked out – yet):
- “Group insurance pools and or access to discounted vision, dental, etc plans.” YES! We really wanted this too and I spent a big chunk of time last year trying to figure it out, but it turns out, it’s not possible/legal.
- Covered outdoor space to extend patio season through rainy months. We are unable to add anything to the building facade, but we continue to explore ways to make this a reality, while playing by the building rules.
- Bigger Meeting Spaces for larger gatherings. Sadly, we don’t have access to the right kind of space – at either location – to make this work.
- “Get a printer where people can input a unique code to start their printing job.” We looked into this last year and it is crazy expensive. We would have to charge for all printing/copying/scanning to cover the cost, and we prioritized free black & white prints instead.
- If the overhead lights were a bit dimmer… Some days we do too! We have dimmed and adjusted as much as possible, given the equipment and building policies.
Let’s Build Community Together 🎉
Here’s something interesting from the survey: while your satisfaction with VIDA as a workspace is incredibly high (4.84/5), your sense of community involvement scored lower at 3.60/5. This tells us there’s an opportunity—and a desire—for deeper connections.
We’d love to see more members getting to know each other, collaborating, and supporting one another’s work. Community is something we build together – and here are a couple of ways we can suggest to help you get more connected:
- Come to our monthly VIDA Events: The Happiest Hour and Community Lunches – you can find them on Proximity Events Calendar, in the weekly Monday Member News (and you can add to your calendar!). We will also be adding some new event opportunities in the new year.
- Jump into Slack conversations—share wins, ask for help, find collaborators. It’s a fun space to chat and connect!
- Come eat lunch in the Main Kitchen – there is usually someone there to join you!
- Start a work group or accountability pod (we’ll help you organize it)
And along the theme of community building…
An Exciting Announcement 💻
On December 15th, VIDA will be launching a new online community space, hosted on the Circle platform, as part of our new VIDA Virtual offering (launching January 15th to new members) that will create new ways to further connect and engage with your fellow members.
Access for all VIDA members will be included as part of your current membership (at no additional cost) and will include weekly virtual coworking sessions, a Book Club, monthly AMA sessions (Ask Melanie Anything!), an online business/member directory + a forum for members to share about their work, volunteer opportunities, offerings and more.
It will be a very exciting addition to our current lineup, and I will share more information in a dedicated email soon – so keep an eye out for that!
A Heartfelt Thank You 😍
Several of you shared that during financially difficult times, you prioritized keeping your VIDA membership because it’s essential to your wellbeing and productivity. That level of commitment humbles us and reminds us why this work matters.
VIDA exists because of you. Your feedback helps us grow, your presence makes this space come alive, and your success stories inspire us every single day.
We’re committed to addressing the operational challenges you’ve raised and to fostering an even stronger sense of community. This is just the beginning of what we’re building together.
“Love it! You all do an amazing job and I feel very supported in my work-life here. I appreciate you all and the beautiful, positive energy you bring to make VIDA a great place to work.”
Keep Talking to Us 🎙️
Have thoughts about anything in this post? Want to champion one of these initiatives? Have a new idea brewing? Please don’t hesitate to share! Grab me, Emily, Kaitlyn, Alex, or Katie for a chat, drop us an email, or jump into the Slack conversation.
Some of the best improvements at VIDA have come from member suggestions, and many of your creative thoughts made us smile… So keep these ideas coming!
As always, thank you for your continued participation in this community, your ongoing membership and the energy you bring to our spaces each day – everything we do is meant to help Make Life/Work, and it’s an honor to be a part of your lives.
Here’s to another year together!
Best always,
~Melanie Marconi & #TeamVIDA
Survey conducted September 2025 with 73 member responses from VIDA Portland and VIDA Beaverton.