Interview with Anja, founder of AGAIA
Meet Anja, the entrepreneur behind AGAIA, a project that is bringing together impact-driven entrepreneurs, teams and communities through coliving retreats in the serene Italian countryside. At the heart of AGAIA is a commitment to making a positive impact on both personal lives and the world around us through curated experiences focused on social entrepreneurship, creative exploration, collaboration and regeneration. The objective is to foster an intentional community where participants can co-create, share ideas, and explore new ways of living in harmony with nature and each other.
How did AGAIA begin, and what inspired you to create coliving experiences specifically for impact-driven individuals, digital nomads, and teams in Italy?
AGAIA was born from the personal desire to connect with other Digital Nomads in Italy. When I moved to Italy three years ago, I did not find a community here that I could really connect with, so I started to run pop-up Colivings for other location-independent entrepreneurs and freelancers. This way, I could share my passion for bringing people together, creating meaningful connections and share what I love about the Italian lifestyle. The initial idea was to establish my own permanent coliving, but I realized that I enjoy the concept of pop-up colivings and curation of retreats in different regions of Italy a lot. I also really enjoy collaborating with different partners and to explore different concepts. So, the way I set myself - and AGAIA as a brand - up now, gives me the freedom and flexibility to travel by myself, but at the same time to create a home within the community.
What are the main challenges you've encountered along the way, and what advice would you give to someone who is just starting to organize coliving experiences?
I think in the beginning, the main challenge was to build a community that trusted what I was building. I would recommend to tab into your own network and start piloting something very simple and small in order to collect experiences and content. And also to realize for yourself if you enjoy it. Even if I had a very clear idea of what I was building, the reality of running experiences let me face new and unexpected challenges and learn a lot about myself. Now, after being in this business for some time, I have a very different and more distinct understanding of the people I would like to attract, the impact I want to make and essentially the reason I started the project.
AGAIA emphasizes values such as personal wellbeing, supporting local economies, and creating systemic change. How do you ensure these values are reflected in your retreats, and what impact do they have on participants and local communities?
AGAIA was founded with the aspiration to create positive change and impact that truly matters. Starting from the very personal, it is a place of growth, a place that enriches people through the connections that are made, and where everyone is invited to contribute in whatever ways serves them and the community. Each of our retreats and colivings is designed and curated for the individual group that is part of the journey. I do this by engaging in direct conversations before and throughout the experience to understand individual goals, challenges and needs. Furthermore, it is really important to me that AGAIA is not just a place for individual growth but also an opportunity to build bridges between the digital and the local community. It is important to me to establish a connection to the place and the people, and to understand how I can truly make a positive impact. The third layer, the systemic change, is the most intangible and immeasurable one. I would say in general I am advocating for a regenerative lifestyle, a life in harmony with nature, where we understand that we are part of something bigger and find aligned opportunities to serve our planet and humanity. These values are represented by specific experiences, like the Taste of Shift retreat we did in Tuscany in June, but also through the selection of places, the people in my network and the conversations we are having.
Your retreats are co-created with participants themselves. In what ways do you involve them in the co-creation process of each retreat, and how does this influence the overall experience?
Every group is different in their dynamic, their needs and their willingness to co-create. To be able to adjust to these differences, I am creating a container with room for flexibility. Then, I am very sensitive to you understanding what is working in a group and what not, and open to exploring together with a group. But also open to let go of my own expectations and follow the group dynamics - and this process for me is true co-creation. Part of my role as facilitator is to create a safe space and to allow for every voice to be heard. In praxis, sometimes we would have a very diverse group with a variety of different activities and workshops and sometimes people would be more alike and we would focus and go deeper on certain topics. I use my experience and coaching skills to find the recipe that works with every group and do regular check-ins with the group and each individual participant to understand where they are at, address conflict and ensure the experience turns out valuable for everyone.
Can you share a memorable retreat experience that demonstrated the power of creativity and collaboration in nature?
Oh, I think every retreat we were hosting had its own magic. One of my favorite creative activities to facilitate are ceramics workshops. We can experience creative expression but also the connection with earth through the clay. And working with ceramics teaches us a lot about letting go of expectations, enjoying the process of our own creation and shaping something with our own hands, a tangible experience that was sometimes lost in our digitally influenced lifes. When it comes to collaboration, those are a key aspect of my work. For every experience I am creating, I partner with trusted community leaders, facilitators or coaches.
How do you typically meet the collaborators and facilitators for your retreats?
I run my business very intuitively. Also when it comes to collaborations, those have always developed organically from within my network.
What are some long-term goals and aspirations for AGAIA, and how do you plan to achieve them?
From next year I will be involved in the management of a permanent coliving space in the Tuscan forest. I am very excited, as this opens a lot of new perspectives for AGAIA. In addition to developing a regenerative coliving space, we will also run team buildings and offsites for companies and different retreat formats. I look forward to growing the community within a permanent location and focus on local integration and to create sustainable positive impact in the region.
How has being online (with your website, newsletter and social media) helped you spread the voice around this project with a wider community?
I had totally underestimated the importance of online marketing when I first launched AGAIA. I think it is a very common misconception if you are really convinced of your idea, how would not everyone else love it too? Building a community online and having the right online communication strategies in place, turned out to be so essential especially in the early days of my business.
For individuals or organizations interested in collaborating with AGAIA and joining your mission, what opportunities are available to get involved and support your work?
Definitely get in touch if you create experiences around nature and human connectedness. We have a strong focus on permaculture, regeneration, community living and personal and professional development. If any of this aligns, I am open to different forms of collaborations. For Digital Nomads or travelers who are looking for a home in peace, surrounded by nature within a supportive community, you are welcome to join us for coliving or rural retreats in Tuscany.
