MEA Foundations
Career Transitions: Your Clear Path Forward
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.
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Who says it’s too late to do something different? Create a Career Blueprint for the work you want next.
Sometimes you choose the career change. Sometimes it chooses you.
A layoff can make the decision overnight. Or the job can keep looking perfectly respectable while you find yourself thinking, “I can’t do this for another five years.”
You’re not done working. You just want your next decade of work to make better use of everything the last few taught you.
Intimate group of 28 people max
Tuition starting at $2,700
World-class accommodations
Partial Scholarship Available
Without a clear path forward, it’s tempting to go back to what you know
When income and benefits are on the line, making a quick decision can feel like the responsible thing to do. So you apply for the same kind of role, in the same kind of organization, hoping a new boss or a shorter commute will make the difference.
Sometimes it does. Other times, you end up rebuilding the same career you were trying to leave.
The pressure to choose can also make every option feel permanent. You keep researching, comparing, and waiting for certainty before taking a step. Months pass, and you’re still having the same conversation with yourself.
And then there are all the practical questions…
Do I stay and try to make this work, or look for the same role somewhere else? Could I change fields or go out on my own?
How much risk can I afford? Which of my skills will carry over, and will employers see my experience as useful or “overqualified”?
After years in one profession, who am I without the title?
These questions touch on your income, your confidence, and your sense of who you are. It’s a lot to sort through while trying to make one of the bigger career decisions of your life.
Carolina Lasso has made this kind of career change herself. She’ll help you decide what to try next.
Carolina Lasso moved from Colombia to the United States as a teenager with a dream of going to college. She followed all the steps that she’d been told would lead to happiness and success.
She became valedictorian, graduated summa cum laude, earned scholarships, finished graduate school, worked in financial services in New York, and joined Google.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
Then came a divorce, depression at work, imposter syndrome, and panic attacks. During a leave of absence, Carolina realized she didn’t want to return to the same career. Her own wisdom had been trying to get her attention, but she’d been too busy to listen.
After traveling around the world, she became certified to teach mindfulness-based emotional intelligence at Google. She later left, moving into resilience training, coaching, writing, and purpose work.
At Rising Circle Ranch, Carolina will help you pause, listen to your own wisdom, and reconnect with your skills and values. From there, you’ll consider what another role, entrepreneurship, or work of your own could look like.
You’ll leave Santa Fe with a Career Blueprint that pulls it all together: what you’re good at, what you want, what will pay the bills, and what you’re ready to try next.
From confusion to confidence
Carolina’s 5 C’s help you slow the decision down, hear your own wisdom, and choose a new career direction to test.
Clarity
Exploring all of the options available to you can be overwhelming. Carolina will help you map your life and career arc, name what is ending, and get honest about what you want from work now.
Curiosity
When you’re in transition, the mind wants answers. Curiosity gives you room to explore before deciding where things should lead. You’ll practice noticing what your own wisdom is telling you and what feels like a heck yes, a soft yes, or a clear no.
Compassion
Career changes can bring the inner critic out in full force. You should have planned better. You should already know what you want. You’ll learn to meet yourself where you are and work with the doubt and uncertainty that often come with change.
Courage
At some point, the inner work has to meet the outside world. You’ll look at the stories shaping your decisions, including the fear that it’s too late or unreasonable to want something different, and ask if those stories are true.
Confidence
Confidence grows through self-knowledge, honest reflection, and taking action. You’ll bring what you’ve learned into a Career Blueprint and a set of grounded ReSOULutions for your next career move.
Turn your inner calling into a Career Blueprint to guide you forward
By the end of this retreat, you’ll have a working Career Blueprint on paper. It brings the practical and personal sides of a career change together, so you can compare your options and decide what you’re ready to try:
This Workshop Is For You If…
Meet
Carolina Lasso
Purpose Mentor, Certified Life Coach, Author of The Path to Flourishing and
The Purpose Reset, Former Google and American Express Marketing Leader
Carolina spent more than a decade building a successful marketing career and leading teams at Google, American Express, Telemundo/ZGS, and Search Inside Yourself. After making several career transitions of her own across industries, countries, and organizations, she began helping others work through the practical and personal questions that come with change.
A Purpose Mentor, Wayfinder, and certified life coach, Carolina brings deep training in purpose, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and resilience to her work. Her approach helps people move through fear and uncertainty, reconnect with who they are, and shape what comes next with greater clarity and confidence.
Carolina is the author of The Path to Flourishing, co-author of The Purpose Reset, a TEDx speaker, host of the PlenaMente podcast, and a faculty member at the Global Purpose School.
Supported By the MEA Team
T'ai Jamar Hanna
Experience Facilitator
T’ai Jamar Hanna, MS, LMT serves as MEA Santa Fe Program Coordinator and Facilitator, where she helps create communication systems, manages scheduling, and collaborates with the Director to train, support, and guide the Facilitation Team. T’ai Jamar founded Integral H ...
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What you'll gain
Clarity without pressure
A clear understanding of what’s ending, what still matters, and what deserves your energy now — without rushing yourself into premature decisions.
A healthier relationship with work
Get clearer about the work you’d like to spend your days doing, and the life you want it to leave room for.
Discernment you can trust
The ability to tell the difference between choices driven by fear, habit, or momentum and those that are genuinely aligned with who you are at this stage of life.
Grounded next steps
A realistic way forward shaped by experimentation, reflection, and self-trust — so you can move ahead without needing to have everything figured out.
Our Agenda at a Glance
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
4:00 PM: Check-In / Welcome
5:30 PM: Welcome Reception & Dinner
7:00 PM: Orientation Session
9:00 PM: Free Time
Friday:
7:30 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
Saturday:
7:30 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, Dessert & Graduation
8:00 PM: Evening Gathering
Sunday:
7:30 AM: Breakfast
9:45 AM: Checkout / Departure
*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
Meet the horses of Rising Circle Ranch
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:
Your Workshop Also Includes:
Clarity doesn’t come from thinking harder. It comes from slowing down long enough to hear what you already know.
Stay or leave? Apply for another version of the same job? Try a new field? Keep waiting until the answer feels obvious?
You’ll work through those questions with Carolina and other people who understand how complicated a career decision can get in midlife.
By the time you leave the ranch, you’ll know which direction you want to explore first. You’ll take home a Career Blueprint, ReSOULutions for the next six months, and the support of people who understand what you’re working through.
Come to Santa Fe, listen to your own wisdom, and make a plan for the work you want next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I’m considering retirement or leaving paid work entirely?
This workshop centers on making a next career decision and building a Career Blueprint for continued paid work. If you’re ready to leave work entirely, an MEA retirement or general transition program will likely serve you better. An MEA advisor can help you find one.
What if I’m still working but not sure I want to leave?
You don’t need to have made a decision to attend. Many participants are still working but feel increasingly restless or misaligned. This workshop helps you examine your relationship to work and understand what needs to change – whether that means staying and adjusting, transitioning to something different, or stepping away entirely.
Is the workshop religious or spiritual?
No. Carolina draws on emotional intelligence, mindfulness, purpose work, and life coaching. You may take part in guided reflection, journaling, Inner Tracking, and group conversation. Mindfulness supports the curriculum rather than becoming the focus of the retreat, and no meditation experience is required.
What’s included in the tuition?
Your tuition includes all programming, three nights of accommodations, chef-prepared meals, snacks, drinks, and access to MEA’s Rising Circle Ranch in Santa Fe. The only additional costs are transportation to the venue and any personal incidentals.
How do I know if I qualify for a partial scholarship?
We offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis. Our goal is to make MEA accessible to those who may face financial barriers to attending. If you’re experiencing financial stress that could prevent your participation, we encourage you to apply for assistance.
What if I’m not sure if this workshop is right for me?
We’re happy to help. Book a free call with our team, and we can discuss your current situation, what you’re navigating, and whether this workshop is the right fit for where you are now.
What will I leave with?
You’ll complete a working Career Blueprint that includes your life and career arc, the Values Bridge, Skill, Will, Bill, and Fulfill, and ReSOULutions for the next six months. The goal is to know which career possibility you want to test first and what you’ll do when you return home.
Do I need to know what I want to do next?
No. You can arrive with a question as simple as, “I can’t do this for another five years. So what do I do instead?” The workshop gives you a structured way to examine your experience, name what you need from work now, and decide which direction deserves a first test.
Who is this workshop for?
Career Transitions is for people in midlife who still need or want meaningful paid work. You may have been laid off, watched your field shrink, lost interest in a steady job, or started wondering where your experience could be useful now. Your next move could be a new role, a different field, a business of your own, or work you create yourself.
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