The Pursuit of Higher Ground
Is a partial scholarship for you?
We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.
These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.
Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.
Rand Stagen
CEO of Stagen Leadership Academy, Conscious Leadership Expert
Chip Conley
MEA Founder, Hotelier + Hospitality Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author
In 4 days, design your next 10 years: build an ‘Infinite Game’ plan with Conscious Capitalism co-founder Rand Stagen
You’ve climbed.
You’ve won.
You’ve built.
The achievements, milestones, and big wins once lit you up.
Now there’s a sharper question in the background:
Is this the summit – or just a plateau?
Because success is not the same as significance.
Chasing short-term wins doesn’t prepare you for the long game—creating a life and legacy that stands the test of time.
If you’re a high performer who’s achieved what you set out to do but senses you’re still under-deploying your full potential, this is your inflection point.
You have the track record, the capital, the network. Yet the thrill is thinning. The scoreboard still moves, but the returns – in meaning, in impact – are flattening. And the urgent is crowding out the important.
The real constraint isn’t time. It’s horizon.
When you’re locked in short-cycle decisions, you can execute flawlessly and still end up in the wrong place. The cost? Two more years of “busy” while the compounding power of your remaining decades slips away.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Step out of the day-to-day, rise above the noise, and give yourself four uninterrupted days to reset your trajectory. In this intimate workshop, with a small cohort of like-minded peers, you’ll gain the clarity, tools, and commitments that ensure the moves you make next will matter for years—if not decades—to come.
In four days, working closely with Rand Stagen and Chip Conley, you will:
Step onto higher ground – seeing farther, wider, and deeper – so the next decade becomes your most strategic, most impactful, and most personally meaningful yet.
Listen to Chip and Rand Stagen on the Midlife Chrysalis podcast:
How Conscious Capitalism Changes the Way Leaders Think | Rand Stagen
Meet
Rand Stagen
Consciousness Coach for CEOs Co-Founder, Conscious Capitalism Movement
Rand challenges CEOs, entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders to play a bigger game – not just years ahead, but lifetimes.
For over 25 years, through his Dallas-based leadership academy, Rand and his team have guided tens of thousands of leaders in transforming complex consciousness theories into practical, actionable frameworks. His teachings stretch horizons, urging leaders to measure success across decades, not quarters.
His faculty has worked alongside visionary thinkers like Harvard’s Bob Kegan, philosopher Ken Wilber, and Whole Foods founder John Mackey. As a co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism movement, Rand has helped spark a paradigm shift in how businesses lead and grow.
Meet
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.
Supported By the MEA Team
Darby Rose
Experience Facilitator
Darby Rose is a multidisciplinary artist, arts administrator, cook, actor and animal lover, currently living in Santa Fe, NM. Born into a family of travelers in Austin, TX, she’s lived more places than she can count — all over Texas, Boston, Jackson WY, Baltimore and Los Ange ...
View BioDaniel '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 whil ...
View BioThis Workshop Is For You If…
What You'll Gain
Play the Infinite Game with Clarity
Replace ego-driven “legacy” with an enduring impact strategy you can live every day.
Chart Your Vital Decades
Identify and map your most valuable remaining years, with milestones that matter.
Expand Your Strategic Horizon
Move beyond short-term wins to decisions that compound over decades.
Define and Live Your Purpose
Align your work, relationships, and energy with what truly matters—now and in the years ahead.
Our Agenda at a Glance
Sunday:
4:00 PM: Arrival/Check-in
5:30 PM: Welcome Reception & Dinner
7:00 PM: Orientation Session
Monday:
7:00 AM: Mind + Body
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Classroom Time
1:15 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Free Time
3:00 PM: Classroom Time
5:30 PM: Free Time
6:30 PM: Dinner
8:00 PM: Free Time
Tuesday:
7:00 AM: Mind + Body
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Classroom Time
1:15 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Free Time
3:00 PM: Classroom Time
5:30 PM: Free Time
6:30 PM: Dinner
8:00 PM: Free Time
Wednesday:
7:00 AM: Mind + Body
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Classroom Time
1:15 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Free Time
3:00 PM: Classroom Time
5:30 PM: Graduation
6:30 PM: Celebration Dinner
Thursday:
7:00 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Checkout/Departure
Friday:
Saturday:
*Please note that not all “classroom time” activities take place in the actual classroom.
*Please note all times are estimates as some activities go longer or shorter depending on the group. This agenda is meant to give you an idea of the general flow of activities.
Step into transformation in the high desert
Rising Circle Ranch | Santa Fe, USA.
Our spectacular Santa Fe campus is located on an upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.
PLUS: Gourmet from-scratch meals, snacks, and drinks featuring locally sourced ingredients, made by our in-house chefs
Explore the ranch
on horseback
Our Rising Circle Ranch spans 2,600 acres of New Mexico high desert, offering guided horseback riding for all experience levels through diverse terrains under the vast Southwest sky
You’ll experience highlights like:
Horseback riding is an optional add-on activity you can book once you arrive on the ranch. Whether you’re seasoned or brand new to horseback adventures, this guided experience lets you discover the ranch’s natural wonders alongside our gentle horses.
Your Workshop Also Includes:
Your Next Decade Starts Here
You’ve spent decades achieving. This is your chance to ensure the next 10 years and beyond are your most intentional, impactful, and strategically aligned.
In four immersive days at MEA’s Santa Fe campus, you’ll expand your horizon, design a multi-decade operating plan, and leave with a clear 90-day execution roadmap – ready to act the moment you return home. All alongside a curated cohort of peers who share your drive for significance.
This is not a retreat. It’s a reset. And with only 28 seats available, your window to claim one is short.
The Pursuit of Higher Ground with Rand Stagen is your opportunity to:
Your remaining decades are finite. The impact you can make is infinite. The decision starts now.
Book Your Spot Today
The Pursuit of Higher Ground
Is a partial scholarship for you?
We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.
These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.
Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.
The program was spectacular. It really surpassed my expectations. I was really surprised about how the course was curated. There was such a warm intensity and personal touch to it.
I experienced MEA as a newly diagnosed multiple myeloma cancer patient, and as a result of the things I’ve learned - I’ve banished the anxiety of being a cancer victim, am in remission, and living with a newfound energy and purpose.
Just know how grateful I am for the joy fuel you all put in my rocket ship. When I want to feel loved or just need a good smile I can think of my time at MEA, which came at the perfect time to encourage me on my journey. Thank you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes this different from other leadership workshops?
Most leadership programs teach tactics for the next quarter. This one rewires how you think for the next decade. It’s not another skills seminar or motivational retreat. It’s consciousness work made practical – where inner transformation meets strategic execution. Rand Stagen brings 25+ years of advising CEOs, founders, and investors, blending it with deep philosophical frameworks from Harvard researchers and pioneers of the Conscious Capitalism movement.
Do I need to be a CEO or run a company to benefit?
No. While Rand’s primary work is with leaders, these frameworks translate to anyone curious about leadership and personal transformation. The concepts of infinite vs. finite games, ancestral thinking, and elevated perspective apply to anyone seeking meaning beyond achievement.
Can I attend if I’m still actively building my career rather than transitioning away from it?
Absolutely. This workshop isn’t about retiring from ambition – it’s about expanding your definition of success. Many participants are still in their prime earning years but want to ensure their continued achievements contribute to something larger. The “pursuit of higher ground” means elevating your current work to serve infinite games, not abandoning your career goals but reframing them within a broader context of ancestral impact.
What’s included in the investment?
Everything is included: four days of immersive workshop sessions, all materials, luxury accommodations at MEA’s Santa Fe retreat, chef-prepared gourmet meals, and unforgettable group experiences – all within an intimate learning environment of just 28 participants.
The only additional costs are your travel to Santa Fe and any personal expenses.
What is the “infinite game” concept, and how does it apply to my life?
The infinite game framework, central to this workshop, shifts you from playing to “win” (finite games like quarterly targets, promotions) to playing to “keep playing” (infinite games like building lasting impact and becoming a better ancestor). You’ll learn to expand your time horizons from quarters to decades, moving beyond personal achievement to meaningful contribution that outlasts your lifetime.
How does Rand’s approach differ from other conscious leadership teachers?
Rand uniquely bridges high-level business experience with deep consciousness work. As a co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism movement and the leader of a faculty that has collaborated with Harvard’s Bob Kegan and philosopher Ken Wilber, he translates complex theories into practical frameworks that work in real life. Unlike most leadership experts who focus on performance optimization, Rand’s “horizon expanding” approach helps leaders measure impact across lifetimes, not quarters – shifting from finite wins to infinite, ancestral significance.
Still deciding or have questions?
Connect with our helpful team of Advisors
Our Advisors are all MEA alumni who can offer genuine insights into our programs. They’re passionate about helping you finding the right fit to make your next chapter the best one.
Daniel Booz
Lucas Erie
Leslie Bartlett