3rd Space Bucharest

She Left Amazon to Build a Padel Community in Bucharest

After 14 years in the corporate world at Amazon and Honeywell, Roxana Jianu [https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxana-jianu/] traded meetings and spreadsheets for padel courts and community building. In this episode, we talk about what happens when your career no longer energizes you — and how one sport unexpectedly changed the direction of her life. Roxana shares the story behind building Padelmania, why people may show up for padel but stay for the friendships, and why she believes offline activities and community are becoming essential for happiness and longevity. We also get into the important topics: her teenage crush on Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys, packaging toys at age 16, emotionally attached teddy bears, and why introverts at parties are usually the most interesting people in the room. This is a conversation about reinvention, connection, and why sometimes the best things in life start with simply showing up. Connect with Roxana on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rox.padelista/] Connect with Eric - 3rd Space Bucharest newsletter [https://3rdspacebucharest.substack.com/] - 3rdSpaceBucharest [https://3rdspacebucharest.com/] - 3rd Space Bucharest on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/3rdspacebucharest/]

25 Strangers, One Bar, and a Big Experiment in Bucharest

What happens when 25 people in Bucharest buy tickets to something that isn’t networking… isn’t dating… and isn’t dinner? In this episode, I break down the very first paid 3rd Space Bucharest event — what worked, what surprised me, what flopped (yes, the QR code), and why shared learning and small group conversations changed the energy of the room. From breakfast icebreakers to mini TED-style talks about Cuba, Mexico, and entrepreneurship… to an unexpected karaoke finale — this is the behind-the-scenes story of building intentional connection in a city that doesn’t always make it easy. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to create real connection among strangers in Bucharest, this one’s for you. Interested in joining a 3rd Space Bucharest event? Get on our waitlist at https://forms.gle/HQApbV4cHzAKDXUB7 [https://forms.gle/HQApbV4cHzAKDXUB7]