Meet Nancy Sexton | Coworking Space Owner, Writer and a kickass Wife

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nancy Sexton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nancy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process was pretty easy about starting another business. I had to put more thought into what kind of business did I want to have.

I have had many jobs in my life (farm hand, factory worker, telemarketer, manager, waitress, bartender, singer, songwriter, actress, model, voice over and you get the idea… a shit ton of jobs) and I was mentally at the end of a full time personal training career. I mean I was just over being a personal trainer, though I really enjoyed helping people, I just wanted more. And I needed to find something that would let me make money if I didn’t go into work.

I told my husband that I was going to stop working as a personal trainer, actor, writer…..all of it and I was going to let the universe give me an idea for something new, it was May 2015 and I gave myself till the end of August to figure it out. I told him that if I didn’t find something I would dig in with PT, acting, writing and I would make money and just do it.

Then, mid August it hit me like a ton of bricks. I got an email from a writer’s group saying that I should check out this coworking “writers” space on the west side and I thought “huh”. Coworking business model is pretty close to a gym. I mean, coworking is essentially a gym for your business. I got so excited! I could build this space with my husband and we could create a space that we would want to work out of, but I had to get him onboard. I called him and he instantly loved the idea. I did research, I hadn’t even heard of coworking before that email. I went on craigslist and found a space literally around the corner from my house. It would work. I downloaded a program and built a business plan.

Then, I pitched it to my friends, my family and anyone who would listen and then some afluent friends decided to take a look at my business plan. It was magical. We opened our doors Nov. 1st 2015.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Muse Rooms Coworking Space is truly unique. We are a locally owned, not some big chain that has to answer to corporate bosses. And my husband and I are both creatives. We designed our space to be the epitome of what and where we would want to work. But, the way Tim works is not the way I work, so we tweeked the design to accommodate both styles of working.

Our spaces reflect being inclusive, inspirational, all while allowing our membership to thrive and get shit done. In the beginning we didn’t know what we were doing. We did what we thought we should do and it worked. It wasn’t always easy, infact we skipped a mortgage payment to pay rent, borrowed from friends…hell I would have danced on the street to get people into the space in the beginning. We started with 2000 sq. ft and by the time Covid hit we had over 13,000 sq. ft and over 140 members. In June of 202 we were forced to close our first location to save our Burbank location. It sucked, but we got through. Federal funding had not come through for us. I actually spoke before Congress about how horribe the SBA experience had been.

Luckily in November of 2020 we got the full funding we needed and we started kicking around the idea of opening another location. We found a great spot in Dec. that we would have to work hard to open, but location, location, location. We started dancing with the landlord, but then, in January, Tim was diagnosed with 4th stage GE Junction cancer and everything just stopped. He is only 42…..WTF!

We cried, we were devastated, but we gave ourselves a week and then we picked up our heads. We know we control what our future looks like and honestly cancer can suck it, cause it won’t get in the way of us continuing to do what we love. Life is so precious, there just isn’t enough time to be a sobby pants when you have amazing shit to do.

And with that, we are very proud to announce the Opening of our “NEW” location at 3800 Barham Blvd, beside WB and Universal! And by the way Tim, is kicking cancer’s ass.

The Muse Room’s brand is about making sure everyone can do what they love in a space that allows them to be their best selves while doing it. We built The Muse Rooms to make sure that members can have a place that inspires them to create their success. To thrive in their work, to focus on what they want and to connect with like-minded creatives who are building their own dreams.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
OMG… I love this. Ok, first and foremost we would take them to The Muse Rooms to show off how badass our spaces are. Our new location way to cool to miss.

Then, we would take them to Magic Castle and up to Yamashiro for drinks. Probably out to Moonshadows in Malibu and a drive up Piuma. If they like sports, we’d pull some strings and get some amazing seats. Nothing beats a Dodgers or Lakers game in a box! Definately go for hike up Runyon or Fryman. French at La Petite Trois, italian at our favorite Angelinos and blow their minds with some amazing Vegan Sushi at Gokoku. I’d probably take them to shoot archery with me too. That’s always fun. And last stop, a tour of Lost Spirits Distillery downtown.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wish I could just pin point one person. I have such a full life and have the great fortune to have been touched and supported by so many amazing people. When I was a kid and in high school for sure it was my dad. He always told me I could do anything and he told to get the hell out of Ohio. Oh and he told me to never have a boyfriend or kids 🙂 I actually didn’t get married until I was 40 and I never wanted kids….to be honest the kid thing was all me.

Then, in NYC I met a man named Cosme Diaz, who is one of the most amazing clothing designers. He met me at a party, took me into the bathroom and told me take off my clothes that he needed to see me in a dress he had with him. Ok, that seems a bit sketch, but it wasn’t and his confidence in me gave me so much drive to succeed and make it in the city. And he encouraged me to got europe, which I did after five years in the city.

In Italy, my buddy Livio, a brilliant photographer saved me from sleeping on the streets of Milan, brought me food, gave me money, a place to sleep and got me back on my feet, when I was broke and homeless in a country I didn’t speak the language. He gave me the strenght to continue when I didn’t think I could.

In Los Angeles, Zeda Spiegel and her husband Bruce. Zeda taught me so much about business, confidence and how to sell anything. They helped me buy my house and were the first to invest in The Muse Rooms. Bruce believed enough in me to play on stage with me in my band and they continue to support me. Their trust in me as a person, enterprenaur and business owner is beyond words.

And of course it goes without saying my husband, Tim. He trusts me and believes in me and stands by me even when I screw up. He grounds me. I love him more than peanut butter 🙂

And honestly so many others, my sister Caroline who lives out here who is a huge fan. My friends Cheri and Bill who are like rocks when I am about to faulter and well…..I’ve got some awesome people behind me.