Join our panel for a powerful live event to kick off the New Year featuring Ben Katt, bestselling author of The Way Home: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife; Dr. Christine Carter, founder and former executive director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center; Tom McCook, renowned master Pilates mentor and somatic coach; and host Kari Cardinale, MEA chief content officer and partner.
Begin 2025 with an illuminating exploration of how to thrive in body, mind, and soul through life’s greatest transitions. When everything feels in flux—your career, your relationships, your sense of purpose—ancient wisdom and modern science offer unexpected sources of wisdom.
Drawing from mythology, modern science, and your body’s own inherent wisdom, our panel will explore how to find your place in life’s grand narrative and embrace the epic journey that awaits.
Kari Cardinale is MEA’s Chief Content Officer & Partner who has developed all of our online programs. She is an expert in the longevity industry, a social entrepreneur, expert facilitator, and developer of “digital intimacy” tools to build meaningful connections and global communities.
Ben Katt is a meditation teacher, spiritual coach, and storyteller known for his “powerfully wise” and “inspiring” guidance. He is the author of THE WAY HOME: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife. Ben is a former ordained minister, teaches meditation in prison, and volunteers as a hospice companion.
Christine Carter, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, and coach dedicated to redesigning the way we work. She is a leader at BetterUp, designing coaching experiences that drive transformation and a sociologist and Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center (GGSC).
Tom McCook is an internationally recognized fitness and movement specialist and certified Master Instructor of Pilates and CoreAlign for Balanced Body, Franklin Method Educator and Certified Somatic Coach. For the past 30 years, Tom has created mind-and-body holistic workouts, for working professionals, people rehabilitating from injuries, and world-class athletes including Olympic Gold Medal swimmers Natalie Coughlin, Jenny Thompson and Misty Hyman. He teaches an accessible, empowering and fun way to understand and use your mind and body better!
Join us for an immersive live conversation with Pico Iyer, bestselling author and one of our most trusted voices on finding peace in turbulent times.
Kari Cardinale and Pico will explore how to transform life’s inevitable chaos into unshakeable inner calm. Pico’s decades of study with spiritual masters like the Dalai Lama and immersion in cultures across 80+ countries has revealed timeless practices for staying centered when everything around us feels uncertain.
In this live chat, learn how to:
This is about becoming so grounded in yourself that external storms can’t shake your inner foundation.
What if success isn’t about doing more but finally feeling enough?
Blake Mycoskie – entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, and founder of TOMS – joins us for an unfiltered conversation about what happens when chasing achievement stops working.
After building a $600M brand and giving away millions of shoes, Blake hit a wall that success couldn’t fix. What followed was a personal reckoning and a complete rewrite of what it means to live a meaningful life.
In this candid live session with MEA CEO Derek Gehl, Blake shares the hard-won lessons behind his shift from relentless striving to grounded self-worth. You’ll hear how he helps other high performers step off the hamster wheel and reconnect with who they are beyond the résumé.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, Is this it?, this conversation is for you.
What if the parts of you that feel “too much” or “not enough” are actually the truest signals of who you are?
Join author, horse whisperer, and founder of the EQUUS Experience®, Kelly Wendorf, for a live, warm conversation with MEA’s Derek Gehl on reclaiming the voice you muted, the instincts you second-guessed, and the self you edited to fit in.
This is a callback to the wilderness within – a space where ancient earth wisdom meets modern neuroscience, and the animals still know something we’ve forgotten: how to live in full alignment with our nature.
Here’s some of what might rise to the surface:
Come if you’re ready to shed the scripts and step back into the wild wisdom of your true self.
Join us for an intimate talk with Ben Katt, meditation teacher, former minister, and author of The Way Home: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness in Midlife, as we explore how ancient wisdom traditions can guide us through the challenging transitions of midlife and beyond.
Hosted by MEA’s Kari Cardinale, this session offers a unique opportunity to learn from Ben, whose compassionate approach has helped countless individuals transform their lives and discover deeper joy, purpose, and meaning.
In this live chat, you can learn how to:
This is more than just a discussion – it’s an invitation to embark on your own Hero’s Journey toward wholeness and fulfillment.
What if purpose isn’t something you chase but something you live, one moment at a time?
World-renowned purpose pioneer Richard Leider joins MEA’s Kari Cardinale for an inspiring conversation about how to move from asking “What’s next?” to “What really matters?”
Drawing from decades of coaching, research, and his own lived experience, Richard shares how everyday choices — what he calls “little p” purpose — can lead to big shifts in how we live, age, and connect. You’ll hear why purpose is essential not just for meaning, but for well-being and longevity, and how to begin reconnecting with it now, no matter your stage of life.
If you’re standing at a crossroads and craving clarity, this conversation is your invitation to start living on purpose.