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Don’t Blame the Treadmill


“A busy calendar creates a happy human.” For fifty years, I’ve swallowed that Calvinist philosophy hook, line and sinker. Put me on the treadmill, let me control and accelerate the speed, and I’ll experience the illusion of progress, even though I haven’t moved an inch.

I’m old enough to be stupid when it comes to my relationship with treadmills (there’s even academic research on the hedonic treadmill). If I have a choice during the day between jumping on a treadmill here at our Santa Fe Rising Circle Ranch or meandering on a walk on our four square miles of nature, I’ll do the latter. But, when it comes to my career, it’s 24 hours a day of treadmill time.

For the past seven years, I’ve been the CEO of MEA while also having three other roles: (1) “chief rainmaker” writing books, blogs, giving speeches and podcasts and creating partnerships, (2) our lead in-house faculty member, and (3) the sole financial investor figuring out how we were going to pay for all of this. I’ve been wearing a lot of hats on the treadmill. I’ve loved it and it’s also taken its toll, especially during the past couple of years of my intensive treatment for my stage-3 prostate cancer. 

During 2023 and 2024, we’ve accomplished so much – a book launch and tour, the opening of our Santa Fe ranch campus, the design and approval of our second Santa Fe campus on Museum Hill, the reorganization of our leadership team, the launch of our coaching TQ certification, and so much more. As the Chief Control Addict, I’ve lived by Nelson Mandela’s maxim, “It always seems impossible, until it’s done right.” 

There’s an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” My treadmill addiction (treadmills are made for one person, not many) has made me into a go-alone kind of leader with the hope that my team can catch up with my purposeful striving. But, over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. And, what an impressive collection of leaders we’ve grown in our MEA ecosystem. 

It’s time for me to jump off the treadmill and give up one of my four MEA roles. Yes, I’ll still be the face of the business as the chief rainmaker, you’ll still see me in the classroom just as much as before (my favorite role), and I continue to be the sole capital source, but as of last week, I’ve elevated our Chief Marketing & Technology Officer Derek Gehl to become CEO of MEA supported by our executive leadership team of COO Gail DiBerardinis, Chief Content Officer Kari Cardinale, and SVP of Corporate Sales Deirdre Ryan, and flanked by my wise and wonderful co-founders Christine Sperber and Jeff Hamaoui. My new title will be Executive Chair – a chair isn’t meant to be on a treadmill.

What a joy to be joined by and develop great leaders committed to a common vision. Thanks for all of your on-going support for MEA. We will continue to develop this global, pro-aging movement (we’re now up to 58 regional chapters) that proves that midlife is a chrysalis, not a crisis.

-Chip

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