The real constraint
You have 13 people (4 coaches + manager in PDX, 3 coaches + manager in Bend, 3 VAs across both) — but only 4 shared Google Workspace accounts (emily@, teampdx@, teambend@, manager@). Nobody has an individual identity, so there's no way to put the whole team in one Google Chat space. That's the actual problem — not "which app."
⏳ Timing first — my strong steer: you're travelling in ~20 days. Don't switch tools before you go. A migration right before/during travel is exactly when it goes sideways and you can't support the team. Stay on Teams for now, decide the direction, and roll the change out after you're back when you can lead it properly.
The two honest paths
Option A · fastest fix
ClickUp — a shared work hub
Everyone signs up with their own login (independent of the 4 email accounts), so all 13 land in one workspace — a whole-team space plus per-location spaces, chat cross-team freely, plus tasks, SOPs and accountability.
Why it fitsSolves "whole team, one place" with no new email seats. Adds real ops value for 2 sites + roaming VAs. It's where you were already leaning.
Watch-outIt's a work-OS — powerful but needs a champion or it gets ignored. Start lean. ~$7/user/mo (free tier for basics).
Option B · the deeper fix
Individual Google Workspace accounts
Give each of the 13 their own Workspace account — real email, calendar and identity. Then Google Chat/Spaces works whole-team, coaches email members as themselves, and each has their own calendar for 1-1 sessions.
Why it fitsFixes the root issue: per-coach identity, accountability, individual calendars, and it simplifies all the automation we're building.
Watch-outBigger change — onboarding 13 people, more admin. ~similar monthly cost to ClickUp (~$6–7/user).
My recommendation
Wait, then lean ClickUp
- Before travel: change nothing. Stay on Teams — don't disrupt the team right before you're away.
- After you're back: if the goal is team coordination + ops in one place → ClickUp (fast, own logins, adds tasks/SOPs). If you also want to fix the deeper email/identity limitation → individual Workspace accounts.
- My lean is ClickUp for speed and adoption — with the shared-account email setup flagged as a separate thing to tidy later.
Either way it doesn't change the email backbone — the team inboxes + the automation we're building keep working.
ClickUp setup — if you choose it
A simple structure for 13 people across two locations with roaming VAs. Deliberately lean — we can grow it, but starting small is how it actually gets used.
One Workspace: "Ritual Training"
Everyone joins with their own login. Coaches as members; VAs added to both location spaces.
Spaces
All-Team / HQ everyone
Company-wide announcements, shared SOPs, whole-team chat, the stuff everyone needs. This is the "one place the whole team can access" you're missing today.
Portland PDX team + VAs
Local coaching, front-desk, member follow-up, tasks, local chat.
Bend Bend team + VAs
Same, for Bend.
Operations / SOPs managers + VAs
Onboarding checklists, coach development, at-risk member follow-up, marketing tasks, maintenance. Where the "systems" live.
In each space
- Chat channels — a general channel + topic ones; a whole-team channel in HQ for cross-site.
- Docs — SOPs, sales scripts, onboarding, programming (these double as knowledge-base source).
- Lists/Boards — recurring tasks, member follow-ups, marketing, facility jobs — with owners + due dates for accountability.
Rollout tips
Start small, one champion
- Don't build everything on day one — start with HQ + the two location spaces + a couple of task lists.
- Pick one champion (you or a manager) to model it for a fortnight.
- Migrate your best Drive SOPs in gradually (we'll have them sorted from the archive).
- Later, we can connect it via API to the systems we're building.