This is Cohousing | Ep 10 | Rebooting Community: From Conflict to Connection with Julia Jongkind

What does it take for a cohousing community to function at its fullest potential? In this episode, Charles Durrett sits down with educational learning consultant and facilitator Julia Jongkind, who has spent two decades living in cohousing, helping struggling communities find their footing again. Drawing from her experience rebooting three different communities, Julia shares the surprisingly simple practices that can make the difference between a meeting and a meaningful conversation. Julia offers practical wisdom for creating stronger, more resilient communities, such as setting expectations between owners and renters early on. She explains why every voice needs to be heard, how skilled facilitation can prevent meetings from becoming battlegrounds, and why routing conflict through a trusted facilitator helps even the most conflict-averse members feel comfortable. This episode's biggest takeaway shows how many conflicts that look personal are actually structural. A disagreement between neighbors may be rooted in an unclear policy or a rushed decision made years earlier. Together they unpack how communities can identify (and fix), the real source of tension. The conversation also explores the quiet habits that keep communities healthy over time: the power of a knock on the door instead of another email, the importance of a community's "elders," the balance between contribution and gratitude. Why it's important to revisit the community's mission and vision as they evolve, and how growing up in cohousing shaped Julia's own family in lasting ways. For more information: cohousingco.com #Cohousing #IntentionalCommunity #Community #conflictresolution #SustainableLiving