Bestselling author and CoGenerate CEO Marc Freedman presents…
How to Be a World-Class 'Mentern':
Mastering the Skills of Mutual Mentorship
Nov 10 - Nov 15, 2025 in Santa Fe, USA Led by: Marc Freedman, Chip Conley, Daniel 'DL' Landes
From generational divides to mutual mentorship.
Be part of the shift reshaping how we live, work, and connect.
For the first time in history, five generations are living, working, and creating side by side.
We segregate by life stage:
Schools for the young
Workplaces for the mid-career
Senior centers for retirees
But the most meaningful relationships and opportunities happen when generations come together
In this 5-day retreat, you'll master the skills of being a "mentern," someone who can both mentor and learn simultaneously.
Bestselling author & CoGenerate CEO Marc Freedman and MEA Founder Chip Conley will teach you the practical skills of mutual mentorship that most of us never get the chance to develop through real-world models, hands-on practice, and proven strategies for building relationships that bridge generations.
Whether you're navigating workplace partnerships, exploring multigenerational living, or seeking deeper purpose in your second act, you'll leave with concrete skills to connect authentically across age lines.
This isn't just about understanding generational differences – it's about developing the relationship skills that unlock creativity, joy, and growth when generations truly collaborate
Master the skills that turn generational differences into generational advantages. Join Marc Freedman and Chip Conley for 5 transformative days of hands-on learning, relationship building, and mutual mentorship practice. Develop your "mentern" abilities, connect authentically across age lines, build the bridges that unlock collective creativity.
What you’ll gain
By the end of your five days with Marc Freedman, Chip Conley and the MEA faculty, you’ll walk away with:
You'll leave with practical abilities, proven techniques, and real-world experience in mutual mentorship. Most of all, you'll walk away with the confidence to connect authentically across age lines – and the skills that turn generational diversity into collective strength.
Meet your faculty
Marc Freedman
Social Innovator | Co-CEO of CoGenerate | Author | Yale Lecturer | Intergenerational Trailblazer
Author of How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations, Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life, and more.
Marc Freedman is a pioneering voice in the movement to bridge generations and reimagine the second half of life. As the Co-CEO of CoGenerate and author of multiple bestsellers, he’s spent decades helping people turn life experience into meaningful impact.
➥ Generational Movement Builder: Writes and speaks on the power of cross-generational connection, encore careers, and the untapped potential of midlife and beyond.
➥ Cross-Generational : Co-founded CoGenerate, a national initiative that unites older and younger changemakers to tackle urgent social challenges.
➥ Educator & Mentor: Teaches at Yale School of Management and co-leads the Yale Experienced Leaders Initiative for seasoned professionals.
➥ Recognized Visionary: Named a Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum for his impact on aging and innovation.
In Marc’s workshop, you’ll explore what it truly means to live and lead in an age-diverse world. You’ll leave with fresh tools, big ideas, and a renewed belief that your experience can help shape a more connected, purposeful future – for yourself and for others.
Chip Conley
MEA Co-Founder and Author of Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age
A three-time TED speaker on the big stage, Chip Conley is one of the world's leading experts at the intersection of business innovation, psychology and spirituality.
As one of the creators of the boutique hotel movement and the "modern elder" to the young Airbnb founders, Chip's been a disruptor and expert on entrepreneurship and business leadership. He’s a globally-recognized thought leader on the future of work and the competitive advantages of a multi-generational workplace.
Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a “modern elder” at Airbnb – where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary success – Chip founded MEA and has since dedicated his midlife years to reframing the concept of aging and helping people navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.
This workshop is for you if...
You’re curious about how to live, work, and connect more meaningfully across generations.
You want real-world models – like co-housing, multigenerational work, or shared service – that help bridge the age divide.
You’re seeking deeper purpose and connection in midlife, and know it’s time to expand beyond your generational bubble.
You’ve felt the limitations of age-segregated spaces and are ready to explore a more integrated, human way of living.
You want fresh insights, grounded in research and real stories, that you can use to build an age-diverse life of impact and belonging.
You want to better understand how to communicate, collaborate, and build trust across generational lines with empathy and ease.
Meet your MEA facilitators
Our trailblazing facilitators guide transformative journeys across our Santa Fe high desert sanctuary and Baja beach haven. From sunrise mountain hikes and meditations to collaborative experiences – each experience is designed to inspire growth, connection, and lasting change.
Daniel 'DL' Landes
Experience Facilitator
Before joining MEA, Daniel “DL” Landes spent decades as a restauranteur, author, and publisher. As the owner of multiple restaurants in Denver, CO – and then a hostel in Mexico – he dedicated himself to creating environments where people could work out their humanity while eating and drinking (which is why he fits in so well at MEA).
Now relocated to Santa Fe, DL says that “living in the Galisteo Basin impresses a unique and humbling perspective. Under the expansive, enchanted New Mexican sky I can feel so small and so big. I made a career of kicking up dust; living in the storm until the storm lived in me. When the dust settled two guideposts appeared: Spend more nights under the stars; provide a service.”
You will appreciate his dedication to creating memorable experiences during your time in Santa Fe.
Santa Fe, USA
Rising Circle Ranch
An upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and spanning nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, with ancient petroglyphs, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.
Don’t Just Imagine a More Connected Future – Help Build It.
The world isn’t lacking in wisdom or fresh ideas – it’s lacking in spaces where they truly meet. This workshop is your chance to step into that space.
Whether you’re seeking new purpose, craving deeper relationships, or simply ready to live with more impact and intention, what you’ll experience here goes beyond insight. It’s a chance to co-create a future where generations learn from each other, grow together, and shape a world that works for all of us.
