How Tribe Porty creates a sense of belonging

A more human working life

What is Tribe Porty, and what do you hope people find there?

Tribe Porty is a community coworking space in Portobello, run as a Community Interest Company. On paper, we offer desks, offices and space hire. In practice, we’re a place where freelancers, small businesses, makers and neighbours do their work alongside each other. We also host workshops, talks, creative and social events, and encourage our ‘Tribers’ to host their own. Most are open to the wider community, not just members.

It’s for anyone who wants their working life to feel a bit more human—even people who’d never call themselves a “coworker”. What I hope people find is company and meaning: good conversations, people who notice you, and the space to work out what matters to you.

Belonging, Not Just a Welcome

What’s one value you won’t compromise on, and how has it shaped a decision?

One value I won’t compromise on is making sure people feel they belong, not just that they’re welcome. We’ve always wanted to be a space for people who might not immediately see themselves in a coworking space.

When we could have focused on expanding, I wanted to go deeper instead. That led to our Culture Guide: a collective exploration of what real community looks and feels like, and what it asks of us. The guide asks questions like: Who would you ask to take you to the hospital? Because community isn’t how many people you know, or how many people occupy the same space. It’s who shows up when it matters.

It also recognises that community isn’t always convenient. It asks us to notice each other, make room for different needs, and sometimes put the collective good ahead of our own preferences.

“When we could have focused on expanding, I wanted to go deeper instead.”

You founded Tribe in 2015. What first made you want to create it?

The seed was planted long before 2015. I worked for a large charity and helped to set up a social firm that started life as a golf course. We employed people on the autism spectrum and people who’d been out of work for over 18 months. I fell in love with the combination of ethical business and good business there.

Then I started Trade School Edinburgh, a skills and knowledge exchange where people bartered instead of exchanging money. It reminded me how powerful and beautiful people are once you step away from pure commerce.

I put my vision out to the community in a survey and asked what they wanted. They said coworking, somewhere for young and old people, creativity, and things that supported health. The plan was mostly built from their answers.

What does meaningful work and community look like day to day?

Mostly it’s ordinary. Someone puts the kettle on and asks how your thing went. A member mentions a problem over lunch, and by the afternoon someone has introduced them to the person who can help.

But meaning tends to grow in the gaps: the unplanned conversation, the half-hour of thinking out loud with someone who gets it. Busy, solo working lives squeeze those gaps out. We try to protect them; we check in on people we haven’t seen, or know are having a hard time.

Listening, Then Changing

Can you share an example of members shaping what Tribe does—and how you know it matters?

Most recently, our Progress Sessions. Several members were facing redundancy or changing careers, and they asked us for something. So we built a small series together.

When work ends in a way you didn’t choose, the question running underneath is often “What’s wrong with me?” So we spend the evening noticing that question and finding a fairer one.

That’s Tribe in miniature for me. Members said what they needed, we listened, we got it partly wrong, and we changed it. The answers came from the room and the event was facilitated with care.

The clearest sign is that people ask. Members bring us what they need, whether that’s the Progress Sessions or a peer support group like Open Work. One member launched her poetry book and the audience had at least 10 Tribe members there. They showed up for her. To us, that says it all.

Seeing Things Differently

Why does a conversation about inclusive design and AI feel timely for Tribe?

Lots of our members are starting to use AI tools in their work, often quietly and without much guidance. These tools are built on someone’s assumptions about who the user is. Inclusive design asks the questions that usually get skipped: who was in the room, who wasn’t, and who gets left out by the default.

It fits Tribe’s founding idea of seeing things differently. The questions you start with decide what you notice. That’s true for a person going through a career change, and it’s true for the tools we build and use.

We’re delighted to have Ceci from Studio Lutalica leading it!

“Inclusive design asks the questions that usually get skipped: who was in the room, who wasn’t, and who gets left out by the default.”

It’s 2036. How do you hope Tribe has grown or evolved?

I hope it still feels like Portobello’s front room: a bit more rooted, not a lot bigger. I’d love more of the programme to be led by members themselves, with peer groups and sessions that start with someone saying, “Could we try this?”

I’d also love our Tribe School workbook, Work, Meaning & the Life You’re Making, to eventually, once completed, be a go-to resource for anyone wanting a better working life.

Not everyone can walk through our door in Portobello, but the questions we ask here can travel. By 2036, I’d love to hear of someone working through it at a kitchen table in another town, and finding their own version of Tribe.

What’s the most useful way for readers to connect or take part?

Come in. Book a day pass and work alongside us for a day. That’s the quickest way to understand what Tribe is, although it does take more than one visit to really get it. And if you have an idea for something Portobello needs, tell us. That’s how most of the good things here started.

Join Us at Tribe Porty

Inclusive Design in the Age of AI — Monday 7 December 2026, 6–7pm, Tribe Porty.

Studio Lutalica’s founder and creative director, Cecilia Righini (they/them), will explore AI, accessibility and representation, with practical takeaways for your work. The session is open to everyone.

Book your place at Inclusive Design in the Age of AI.

You can also book a Tribe Porty day pass, sign up to Tribe’s newsletters or explore Tribe Porty’s space hire and wider programme. Follow Tribe Porty on Instagram.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.