Abbey Lovett Kish knows how hard the working mom era can be. That’s why she dreamed up Pathos Collective, a coworking space for women that will eventually offer child care and other amenities. It’s set to open in its temporary space at the Nexus Louisiana Tech Park at the end of February 2025.
Pathos Collective has been in the works since last November. Kish, who is the CEO of Kish Consulting and one of 225‘s 2024 Twenty in their 20s, has since been building her community and gaining interest from local moms and young professionals. So far, she has hosted gatherings to spread the news about Pathos Collective in the hopes of finding sponsors and potential members.
“The idea first came to me about two years ago when my husband was on a trip to London,” she says. “He was gone for three weeks, and so I essentially became a single mom while raising my baby and running my business. It made it really apparent the struggle that a lot of women, and specifically moms, have of balancing all of the things that they care about. … This was more about moms and about women in general, and how we really just need a high level of support to help each other be successful in all areas.”
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Along the way, Kish has had to redirect a few times. She says she’s extremely grateful to Nexus Louisiana for the temporary space at the business development agency. It will have room for coworking, collaboration and workshops. The facility offers conference rooms that can be rented out and an in-house gym. Kish also credits Pathos Collective partner and member Kacey Fontenot, the founder and CEO of BROSS Restoration, with helping the organization move forward with its mission.
Kish says that Pathos Collective’s spot at the Nexus Louisiana Tech Park will not offer in-house child care, but its permanent home will. She hopes Pathos Collective will be running at its full capacity in a year and is open to any businesses or building owners interested in helping the organization find its forever space.
“These are people’s kids, and it’s a huge reason why we started this in the first place,” Kish says about offering child care. “We want to make sure that whenever we open up that part, we are fully prepared to do so. But we didn’t want that to prevent us from building the community aspect of what we’re after.”
Kish says the temporary space will have designated quiet hours in the morning. In the afternoon, there will be time blocked out for a more collaborative environment, so that working women can find whichever atmosphere they’re looking for.
“While starting this journey, I have become the ultimate ideal member, because it has taken an immense amount of support from the community,” Kish says. “And I’m also still running my other company while raising two children.”
Pathos Collective has three membership tiers: Flex, Core and Elite. A Flex membership is $99 a month and offers access to events within the community and a few coworking days in the facility. Core members pay $150 a month and get 24/7 access to the coworking space and community events. Elite is $500 a month and affords all the same amenities as Core but also provides private coaching from Leslie Humphrey.
Before landing the spot at the Nexus Louisiana Tech Park, Kish hosted gatherings at local venues to get people curious about Pathos Collective. It all started last November at a networking event called The & Society, where Kish announced her idea to a room of 70 women. The & Society founder and success coach Leslie Humphrey spoke, and 55% of attendees signed up for a membership without even seeing the physical space. Kish continued to host sold-out events with guest speakers to garner more attention, support and members.
In the future, Kish wants Pathos Collective to grow to become a physical hub for professionals that provides networking events, workshops and more programming and resources. She says she’s seen similar spaces in destinations like California, Texas and Washington, D.C., and wants Baton Rouge to have one spot for all its great resources. And though the focus will always be on women and working moms, she would like to open the door to all interested in being part of Pathos Collective as it reaches its full potential.
Find out more about Pathos Collective’s mission and how to get involved here. Kish says the organization’s temporary home will be ready by the end of February, with a plan to be fully operational by March 1. The Nexus Louisiana Tech Park is at 7117 Florida Blvd.